Date: Friday, 04 June 2021
H.E Ms. Sophia Tesfamariam
Ambassador, and Permanent Representative of Eritrea to the United Nations
Chair of the African Group of Permanent Representatives at the United Nations
for the month of June 2021
The Member States in the United Nations General Assembly are divided into various geographical groupings. These are the groupings through which elections are conducted into various UN bodies and agencies.
Africa is allocated 3 non-permanent members of the Security Council, 14 members on ECOSOC, 13 Members on the Human Rights Council and the President of the General Assembly in years ending 4 and 9.
The Africa Group at the United Nations is made up of the 54 African Union Member States at the United Nations. The bloc coordinates its efforts on various topics, ranging from health and migration to issues of peace and security.
The group hold regular meetings to receive briefings from guests and UN officials and discuss on UN resolutions and topics so a common African position can be reached.
The group is chaired by an Ambassador from a Member State, with the position rotating monthly. The African Union Observer Mission serves as a coordinating secretariat for the group by arranging meetings, supporting the Chair, and generally providing logistical and administrative assistance where necessary.
It is both an honor and privileged to serve the African Group (AG) for the first time. It is not a task I take lightly and know that it will be a most rewarding experience. It provides a platform to engage with other stakeholders on behalf of the AG, advance the visibility of our membership at the UN, and hone new skills.
With the pandemic continuing to rage, 2021 will be a critical year for Africa. The COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on all 17 SDGs has shown that it is not just a health crisis but rather, a global human and socio-economic crisis. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic threatens to reverse progress, hitting those most vulnerable hardest, leaving many behind further.
Addressing the pandemic-related global health and socioeconomic recovery, effects of climate change, reducing biodiversity loss, and environmental degradation will take center stage for the foreseeable future. As the recent discussions during the Africa Dialogue Series showed, Africa can leverage its many opportunities to help strengthen resilience to overcome its myriad challenges.
Africa’s increasing youth demographics and its wealth of natural resources offer distinct advantages for the development of its trade, industry, employment, and tourism sectors. Science, technology, and innovation have been identified as being key to economic transformation in Africa. Africa needs to reaffirm its identity and take ownership of its future.