Don't forget Darfur - UN

The Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations, Dr Asha-Rose Migiro, has called on African leaders not to allow the world body’s efforts in Darfur to diminish, but work hard to take forward the crucial Comprehensive Peace Agreement for the Sudan.

Speaking at the opening of the 9th Session of the African Union Summit in Accra, which is engaged with the subject of a Union Government for Africa, she said the world must seek to address the root causes of the conflict in Darfur.

She welcomed the efforts being put in by the UN and the AU in Darfur, but noted that more work was required to reinvigorate the political process and bring a negotiated solution to the crisis.

The Accra Summit is the second to be held in Accra after Dr Nkrumah first hosted it in Accra in 1965.

She described the manner of deployment of the AU Mission in Somalia as “challenging and in a volatile security environment” that was not only daunting but required and deserved the full support of the international community.
Dr Migiro said it was healthy for the AU itself to deliberate on the modalities and pace of integration, adding that through this process, member states would gain a stronger sense of ownership of any eventual agreement that emerged.

“In our competitive and increasingly globalized world, it is crucial that we come together to address the challenges facing Africa, through close collaboration among African states, but also between Africa and its international partners.”

She stressed the need for strong partnerships to reach the time-bound targets in the Millennium Development Goals and also resolve and manage Africa’s conflicts.

Dr Migiros said Africa could not win the fight for development if it did not stop the spread of HIV/AIDS.

“It is simply a pre-requisite for meeting most of the other MDGs,” she said.

The Deputy UN Secretary-General also urged the leaders to commit more attention and resources to women and children. She noted that it was the first time that an African woman was addressing an AU Summit on behalf of the UN, before an audience that included Africa’s first elected woman President.

“We must do more to ensure that our women take their place in society, eliminate gender inequalities in primary and secondary education and ensure free and equal rights for women to own and inherit property,” she said.

Credit: GNA