Africa-Press – Angola. The president of Angola and the African Union, João Lourenço, arrived in Luanda on Tuesday after participating in the 4th International Conference on Financing for Development (FFD4) in Seville, Spain, an initiative of the United Nations (UN).
At the 4 de Fevereiro International Airport, the Angolan statesman, accompanied by First Lady Ana Dias Lourenço, was welcomed by Vice President Esperança da Costa and other officials.
At the meeting in Seville, which began on Monday, João Lourenço, on behalf of the African continent, declared that the African Union’s Agenda 2063 aims to transform Africa into an industrialized, integrated, and economically sovereign region.
Speaking at the conference’s opening ceremony, the AU chairperson said these goals are entirely achievable if more agile and functional mechanisms are found to mobilize financial resources to address the recurring challenges faced by developing countries.
João Lourenço noted that world peace and security are indispensable conditions for achieving the objectives set, warning that this event is taking place in an unexpectedly turbulent global context, marked by uncertainties and threats to all projects in the pipeline.
“When it was decided to hold this Conference, there was no indication that the world would be experiencing such turbulent times as it is today, fraught with uncertainties and threats that could frustrate our predictions regarding the development to which we are all committed, as it is a crucial issue for the present and future of humanity,” Lourenço said.
The AU chairperson held a series of working meetings with international leaders on the sidelines of the conference, notably with his Armenian counterpart, Vahagn Khachaturyan, with whom he discussed issues of common interest to strengthen bilateral relations and cooperation between Africa and the Eurasian space.
Lourenço also met with the Prime Minister of Ukraine, Denys Shmyhal, in an audience dedicated to analyzing bilateral relations and strengthening multilateral cooperation between the two countries, as well as with the President of the 79th Session of the UN General Assembly, Philemon Yang, with whom he discussed issues related to the international agenda and the challenges of financing sustainable development.
João Lourenço participated in the panel entitled “A paradigm shift towards country-led solutions to the challenges of our time,” an initiative of the Presidents of France, Emmanuel Macron, and Kenya, William Ruto.
In his speech, the Angolan Head of State considered that sovereign investment in the health sector is essential to ensure the sustainable economic and social development of countries, particularly in Africa.
For João Lourenço, the great merit of the conference lies in the fact that it proposes constructive solutions for development financing, contrary to the growing global trend of rearmament and escalation of conflicts.
While in Spain, the presidential couple was among the guests of honor at the official dinner hosted by King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain.
Conference
The Seville meeting brought together more than 60 world leaders and 4,000 representatives of civil society, who are discussing solutions to global development challenges in a context marked by profound inequalities between rich and developing countries.
Held under the motto of equity and economic justice, the Seville conference aimed to reflect on new forms of financing and international cooperation that can help reduce the gap between the more developed global North and the global South, which still faces multiple obstacles to sustainable progress.
The event is crucial for redefining the global financial architecture, particularly the profound transformation to promote more inclusive, efficient, and equitable financing, proposing a renewed commitment to multilateralism and international cooperation.
It aims to address the difficulties in financing for development and to promote innovative and effective solutions for the implementation of the United Nations 2030 and African Union 2063 agendas, based on the commitments made at previous meetings.
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