Allocution spéciale
Mercredi 7 Novembre
Forum Humanitaire Mondial Salle plénière - 18:00-19:00
Allocution spéciale de Kofi ANNAN
Les photos de cette session sont disponibles ici.
Climate change is a global issue and serious threat to development everywhere, said Kofi Annan, President of the Global Humanitarian Forum and former Secretary General of the United Nations. He challenged policymakers to immediately step up efforts to fight climate change.
“For far too long we have considered climate change as a problem for the future,” he said. “But we must remember that climate change is an all encompassing threat. It is not an issue of rich versus poor, of north versus south. It’s a global issue and we are seeing its effects everywhere.”
Annan said that it is important to try to be more proactive rather than reactive, to try to prevent catastrophies before they happen. “But resources are limited and there is one crisis swiftly followed by another. We can rebuild houses, roads and schools, but we can never give back life when it has been taken away.” This is why it is vital that governments invest more in climate change, he told participants.
Annan said that increased pressure on scarce resources such as land, food and water will put lives in extreme danger and exacerbate humanitarian crises that could culminate in threats to international security. Building resilience to climate change will require unprecedented cooperation and take players from many different disciplines.
It is significant that the EU Development Days is taking place just one month before the EU-Africa Summit that will take place in Lisbon in December 2007. “The EU is a strong supporter of African development and is Africa’s most important economic trading partner,” he noted.
The EU and the African Union have decided to further strengthen the ties linking both continents by developing a co-owned joint strategy that reflects the needs and aspirations of the peoples of both continents. The purpose of the EU-Africa Joint Strategy is to develop a political vision and practical approaches for the future partnership between the two continents, based on mutual respect, common interests and the principle of ownership.
The upcoming Lisbon Summit [involving heads of state from Africa and EU] is important, Annan said, and must conclude with concrete actions to improve the lives of poor people in Africa. He expressed hope that the Summit would not be Eurocentric and that European leaders would listen very carefully to what African leaders have planned for their own development.
“After all, we have to recognise there are only eight miles that separate us. A peaceful, prosperous Africa, a stable Africa is in all our interests. We stand on the cusp of change. We are all bound together as human beings. If we remain indifferent to the suffering of others, we are depriving ourselves of our own humanity,” he said.
Annan noted that unfortunately African countries are off-track to meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). And while the EU has a good track record of regarding ODA (Official Development Assistance) to Africa, aid will have to increase dramatically. He added that the EU and G8 must continue to deliver on previous commitments and must seriously reinvigorate its efforts to help African countries make progress. The key to prosperity in Africa, he said, is good governance and the continent’s ability to meet the MDGs.
“There’s an appetite for change in Africa,” said Annan. “There is a young, dynamic group that is pushing for this move. Africa is moving in the right direction, but more needs to be done.”