Review Africa’s role in global production - President Mahama
President John Dramani Mahama has pointed out the need for Africa’s role in the world’s production sector to be reviewed in the effort to realise global sustainable development.
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He stressed that if the world wanted young Africans seeking work in Europe to stay at home, it would have to relocate more industries and production to Africa.
He was speaking at the end of a three-day summit in New York, at which leaders of the 193 United Nations (UN) member countries adopted the new Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The summit formed part of the 70th Session of the UN General Assembly meetings.
The theme for the three-day summit was: “Transforming our world, realising the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.”
President Mahama expressed optimism that given the needed support, African countries would be able to add value to their agricultural produce before exporting it.
He said the development of African economies would help the global community realise and solidify the desired sustainable development as proposed by the 17-goal universal sustainable development agenda expected to be realised by 2030.
The President pledged Ghana's support and commitment to make the SDGs a reality.
He said it was also time to seize the opportunity presented by the new sustainable development agenda to tackle the unfinished business of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
President Obama
In his remarks, President Barack Obama said the unanimous adoption of the SDGs meant that the global community was setting aside scepticism to lift up the hope that was available to the UN.
He applauded the successes in achieving many target areas of the MDGs, noting that the seemingly never-ending cycle of poverty could, in fact, be broken.
"But the task has not been finished, as some 800 million people are scraping by on less than $1.25 per day," he stressed.
He said the global community could, therefore, not afford to be complacent with the accomplishment made in the last 15 years with the implementation of the MDGs.
He committed the USA, the largest development donor, to achieving the new goals, emphasising that the new chapter must not fall victim to the divide between developed and developing countries nor the false choice between development and the protection of the planet.
Peace and Development
Many speakers highlighted the link between development and peace, with Alyaksandr Lukashenka, the President of Belarus, warning that the world had come to the SDGs summit more divided than it had been over the past three decades.
Sustainable Development Goals
The SDGs are the new set of global development objectives that are expected to build on the MDGs.
The 17 SDGs are part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development which aims at wiping out extreme poverty, fighting inequality and tackling climate change over the next 15 years.
Writer's email doreen.andoh@graphic.com.gh