Macky Sall, President of Senegal and of the African Union, Charles Michel, President of the European Council deliver their approaches to Afro-European Cooperation
The pandemic is obviously one of the reasons for the time that has passed since we last met. Its occurrence further reinforces the exceptional dimension that we, on both sides, want to give to this summit. The objective is nothing less than to establish together the bases of a renewed partnership between our two continents, a new impetus the idea of which has been in the making for some time now. Growth, shared prosperity and stability are the main objectives of this partnership. Our summit will be based on two founding principles.
Respect and values
Our two continents and their peoples share geographic proximity, languages and human and economic ties. The peace and security of our two continents are interdependent. This is why the first founding principle must be respect. The future asks us to accept and respect our differences.
The second founding principle is the rights and values of dignity, freedom and solidarity, exercised within the framework of the rule of law and good governance. On this common ground, we can learn from each other every day.
Finally, our project is based on common interests. A prosperous Africa,
stable, safe and durable, in full possession of its means to face all the challenges of the future is the heart of it.
A partnership for prosperity
A partnership postulates exchange and sharing. Each of our two continents has gigantic possibilities to benefit from this common project.
The EU will bring public and private investment capacities, as well as know-how in green infrastructure and technologies, which are essential for our common fight against climate change and the transformation of African economies.
Africa has significant natural resources, a young and dynamic population just waiting to be mobilised, and impressive capacities for innovation and inventiveness.
It also needs better access to resources, including through the reallocation of special drawing rights on a voluntary basis, to finance its enormous economic and social development needs.
In the same spirit, an initiative for debt relief for poor countries is desirable to support the resilience and recovery efforts of African countries.
We are also calling for a fair and equitable energy transition taking into account the specific needs of Africa, in particular for its industrialization and universal access to electricity. We recall that more than 600 million Africans still remain without access to electricity.
A partnership for stability
Our strengthened partnership will also put peace and security at the heart of its priorities. Threats are increasingly transnational and increasingly complex. We all face them, whatever their forms, including cyberattacks and hybrid attacks.
These common threats call on us to continue to face them together, including in Africa, particularly in the fight against terrorism.
We must continue the reflection together, under the aegis of the African Union and the European Union, for better coordination of our efforts in this united fight against a common enemy. Facing this major challenge requires starting from the root causes, instability and radicalization, to go all the way to the lasting resolution of crises and the construction of a real and lasting peace.
The test of the pandemic
The pandemic has highlighted our common vulnerabilities, our interdependence and therefore the need to act together and in a concerted manner to deal with it and better prepare ourselves for possible health crises in the future. The fight against COVID-19 remains an immediate priority.
Europe has been involved from the start in organizing and financing international solidarity in the field of vaccines, in particular through the COVAX initiative. The EU and its Member States have so far donated nearly 400 million doses worldwide, more than 85% of them through COVAX.
With almost 130 million doses delivered to Africa, the EU is one of the biggest donors on the continent. The EU is also increasing its support for the administration of the doses, because with the increase in supply, the biggest challenge will be the implementation of the vaccine plans.
Beyond the solidarity relating to the donation of vaccines, the challenge that we must take up together is also that of the production of vaccines and other medical and pharmaceutical products in Africa to meet the basic needs of the continent. We welcome and support the projects already underway on the continent.
The key is to adopt a concrete approach: identify the obstacles, obstacles to deliveries, storage and administration of doses, and remedy them; as well as, of course, accelerating the establishment of local vaccine production capacities in Africa, by Africa and for Africa.
Finally, we are convinced that international solidarity in the area of pandemics and major health crises must be organized in a global, multisectoral and inclusive manner. We have launched and actively promoted the idea of an international pandemic treaty. These joint efforts by Europeans and Africans culminated in the recent decision of the World Health Assembly to open negotiations on this draft treaty, which is scheduled to be concluded in March 2024.
A bow of peace
We see the risks of confrontation between blocs growing in our world. Faced with this worrying trend, we are convinced that Africa and Europe can work together to bring about a better and safer world for all, by favoring dialogue and cooperation in mutual respect.
It is in this spirit and with these objectives that we, Africans and Europeans, are preparing to roll up our sleeves to work towards an exciting common future.
Source: African Union Council website www.consilium.europa.eu/fr/press
