Complacency Could Jeopardize Africa’s Development Gains, Fight against Malaria, General Assembly Warns, Also Urging Immediate Action to Combat Ebola
Sounding a note of optimism about the progress of African development, the international community should guard against complacency that might lead to backsliding on gains already made, the General Assembly was told today as it debated the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) as well as the ongoing battle against malaria.
The under-five mortality rate from malaria had been reduced by two thirds between 1990 and 2015, said a representative of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. Intervention mechanisms had saved an estimated 3.3 million lives globally. But, tempering the good news, he added that two African countries still accounted for about 40 per cent of worldwide malaria mortality.
Togo, for its part, had implemented a strategic plan to eliminate malaria, the country’s representative said, providing special medicines and combination treatments, and distributing insecticidal nets to the most vulnerable groups. In Ethiopia, confirmed malaria cases in 2011 declined by 66 per cent in children under the age of five, and malaria admissions and deaths fell by 81 per cent and 73 per cent respectively, the country’s representative told the Assembly.
African problems needed African solutions, said the representative of Turkey, adding that addressing conflicts on the continent would also serve development efforts, a point made by numerous other delegations from both African and other countries.
Africa depended on continued reforms by Africans themselves in investment, business and regional integration, the representative of the United States said, outlining aid initiatives her country was operating on food security, electricity provision and anti-malaria programmes all over the continent. For example, in 2013 the United States “Feed the Future” programme reached 12.5 million children, and helped 7 million farmers incorporate new technology on 4 million hectares of land.
Another disease requiring urgent and coordinated action by the international community was the Ebola outbreak, India’s representative said, echoing statements made by nearly all delegations.
But rather than stigmatizing and isolating countries, the world should show solidarity and compassion, said the representative of Nigeria, stressing that the international community would have to face this threat together.
Sam Kutesa (Uganda), President of the General Assembly, opened today’s meeting.
Also speaking were the representatives of Malawi (on behalf of the African Group), Guyana (on behalf of the Caribbean Community), Myanmar (on behalf of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations), United Republic of Tanzania, Sierra Leone, Kuwait, Thailand, China, Zambia, South Africa, Japan, Libya, Algeria, Cameroon, Russian Federation, Congo, Egypt, Morocco, Malaysia, and Rwanda, as well as the European Union. The Chief Executive Officer of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) Agency also spoke.
The General Assembly will meet again at 10 a.m. on Monday, October 20, to discuss sport for development and peace.
Background
The General Assembly met this morning to hold a joint debate on two agenda items related to Africa. On the first, the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), the Assembly had before it three reports of the Secretary-General: the twelfth consolidated progress report on implementation and international support (document A/69/161) for the Partnership; Causes of conflict and the promotion of durable peace and sustainable development in Africa (document A/69/162); and the Biennial report on the review of the implementation of the commitments made towards Africa’s development (document A/69/163). The second agenda item was entitled “2001-2010: Decade to Roll Back Malaria in Developing Countries, Particularly in Africa.”
Statements
SAM KUTESA (Uganda), President of the General Assembly, said that Africa was ready to deliver on its promise. The international community had played a crucial role in supporting Africa's growth and development, but a partnership remained of critical importance. Through NEPAD and the adoption of programmes for infrastructure development, African leaders had laid the foundations for critical regional and continental infrastructure. The continent needed roads, railways, and ports to support trade, as well as governance structures. It was important that comprehensive African development programmes continued to receive attention. Those projects would require resources, and financing by Governments alone was not enough. Private sector funds should be tapped into. Improved access to clean energy was crucial to Africa's sustainable development.
Turning to the other topic on today's agenda, he noted that malaria remained one of most severe health problems facing the world today. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 80 per cent of malaria cases in 2012 were in Africa, and pregnant women and children were especially at risk from the disease. Since the Assembly had adopted its first resolution on malaria, the world had witnessed commitment to eradicating the disease, and more than 1.1 million deaths had been averted. But success should not lead to complacency, he said, adding that the international community must press on with conviction and determination that this disease could be eradicated in our lifetime.
CHARLES P. MSOSA (Malawi), speaking on behalf of the African Group, acknowledged the Secretary-General’s continued commitment to placing Africa’s agenda at the heart of the United Nations system. For their part, African Heads of Government and State endorsed the Common African Position on the post-2015 development agenda in January this year, coinciding with the formulation of the African Union’s Vision 2063, which aimed to ensure the continent’s positive socio-economic transformation for the next five decades. NEPAD, established 20 years ago, remained the region’s strategic framework for political and socio-economic transformation on such priority areas as agriculture, infrastructure, climate change, natural resource management and regional integration.
Agriculture was at the centre of Africa’s development agenda, with the potential to contribute to eradication of poverty and hunger, increased intra-Africa trade and investments, and creation of jobs for youth, among other things, he said. The African Union rekindled the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Programme established in 2003 through the June 2014 adoption of the Malabo Declaration on Accelerating Agricultural Growth and Transformation for Shared Prosperity and Improved Livelihoods. That Declaration encouraged African States to sustain the Agriculture Programme’s momentum for the next decade by allocating 10 per cent of public expenditure to the agriculture sector and other measures. Another objective was to ensure 6 per cent annual growth of the sector. Infrastructure development was also a key priority. The Dakar Summit, held in June, created an action plan for financing 16 pilot projects under the Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa.
He said that in addition to the African Peer Review Mechanism, NEPAD’s flagship governance programme, new measures were needed to fight corruption, and promote good political and socioeconomic governance, transparency and accountability, especially in natural resource management. On health issues, he expressed concern that funding to fight malaria was far below the resources required to reach universal coverage of interventions and commended the emergency actions taken by the United Nations to the Ebola outbreak, including a decision to establish the United Nations Mission for Ebola Emergency Response (UNMEER).
GEORGE TALBOT (Guyana), speaking on behalf of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), called for a "massively scaled-up global response," to the Ebola epidemic, which threatened to reverse peace-building and development gains on the continent. He voiced renewed support for NEPAD, but emphasized that Africans should decide the international support priorities. CARICOM called on the international community to provide strong support for the Africa 2063 Agenda. Immediate threats to peace in the region needed to be effectively addressed. Though the region had experienced 4 per cent growth in 2013, it was below the 7 per cent target for sustained poverty reduction, and the impact of Ebola on prospects had not yet been fully assessed.
Significantly greater progress was needed in addressing debt problems, trade needed to be more responsive, and direct investment flows would have to increase, he said. South-South cooperation was integral to the global response. CARICOM appreciated the intensified efforts by African countries to accelerate infrastructure development, and supported the African Peer Review Mechanism in promoting good governance. CARICOM supported the United Nations and the African Union’s efforts in conflict prevention, peacekeeping and peace-building, which were critical to sustainable development. With an estimated 207 million malaria cases causing 627,000 deaths in 2012, most in Africa, he called for stepped up action in the fight against the disease. CARICOM had joined forces with the African Union to help transform their joint response to HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, as well as the threat posed by non-communicable diseases.
JAN PIROUZ POULSEN, representative of the European Union delegation, said that the Joint Africa-European Union Strategy adopted at the 2007 Summit in Lisbon set out a comprehensive partnership of equals. Recognizing the essential role played by the African Union and NEPAD, the European Union's support went to the African Peer Review Mechanism to promote good governance in the continent, as well as other programmes. The promotion of democratic and transparent systems of Government and respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms were key components of the Joint Strategy. Africa continued to face a "huge burden of potentially preventable or treatable diseases" which caused death and suffering, and also hindered development. Although significant progress had been made against malaria, gains could be reversed if efforts were relaxed. As the largest donor both in general and in the health sector, the European Union would continue to work with the Global Fund to Fight HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria as well as the United Nations system and other relevant organizations and mechanisms to support national responses in strengthening health systems.
KYAW TIN (Myanmar), speaking on behalf of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN), voiced its support for NEPAD’s implementation. The region had witnessed remarkable economic growth in recent years, reaching 4 per cent in 2013, thanks to NEPAD. Cognizant however of the challenges encountered by some African countries in achieving the Millennium Development Goals, he called on the continent's development partners to deliver on their pledges with increased foreign direct investments and overseas development aid. ASEAN was prepared to work side-by-side with its African partners. It was important that the priorities of the African Common Position on the post-2015 development agenda be given special attention.
He noted that peace and security continued to be threatened by armed conflicts and the recent outbreak of the Ebola virus, and was encouraged by the increase in official development assistance (ODA) into the region. The success of Africa's Peer Review Mechanism had demonstrated African leaders’ able leadership in bringing peace and development to the continent. He expressed hope that the international community would lend full support to the implementation of Africa's Agenda 2063, and that bilateral, South-South and triangular cooperation would bring practical benefits to African countries. He welcomed the recent Assembly resolution that urged Governments and other stakeholders to work together to overcome challenges and expedite efforts to achieving the targets set out in the Roll Back Malaria Partnership’s Global Action Plan. ASEAN welcomed the assistance of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, and the quick response of the Secretary-General in establishing the United Nations Mission for Ebola Emergency Response, and promised the ASEAN States full support in fighting the pandemic.
PINDI HAZARA CHANA, Deputy Minister for Community Development, Gender and Children of the United Republic of Tanzania, aligning with the African Group, said ending poverty was very important for Africa and the post-2015 development agenda must carry out the unfinished business of the Millennium Development Goals. NEPAD was Africa’s pride and she was confident that its work was aligned with Africa’s development aspirations in the post-2015 development agenda, including the goals of Africa’s 2063 agenda. The United Republic of Tanzania was already implementing the actions of the Malabo Declaration, including increased investment in agriculture and promoting climate smart agriculture. Since signing the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme in July 2010, her Government had launched the Tanzania Food Security Investment Plan, a 15-year plan to spark growth in the national economy, household income and provide food security. Infrastructure development was also crucial for the continent’s sustainable development and regional integration. She commended NEPAD for its steady implementation, with limited resources, of Africa’s infrastructure development programme. The Tanzanian Constitution was being reformed to create a secure, prosperous future for the Tanzanian people. The Constitutional Assembly had adopted a draft Constitution and a referendum, by which citizens could determine the Constitution’s status, as the next critical step in the reform process.
EBUN STRASSER-KING (Sierra Leone), aligning with the Group of 77 and China, the African Group, and the Least Developed Countries, said the continent had made significant strides despite the challenges of climate change, conflicts, and pandemics. The continent would continue to work with the international community to achieve peace by addressing poverty. Sierra Leone had made remarkable progress in political stability through comprehensive justice-sector reforms, and the adoption of measures to address the causes of conflict through development and Government reforms. But their gains were drastically threatened by the Ebola virus. The disease had taken thousands of lives, and impacted the entire socio-economic fabric of the country. It posed a significant threat to security and poverty, and had "imposed a kind of economic embargo on us." Every major economic activity had either slowed down or come to a standstill.
AHMAD AL-BUAIJAN (Kuwait) said that Africa had not achieved goals to combat poverty. Arable land had not coped with a growth in population, as only 60 per cent of it could be irrigated. The rate of population suffering from under-nutrition had only decreased modestly. The Secretary-General's report had mentioned that Africa faced soil degradation as well as loss of biological diversity, among other challenges. In addition, many West African countries were facing the challenge of Ebola. Kuwait had contributed $5 million to the WHO in response to the international appeal launched by that organization. Kuwait supported joint cooperation in order to eradicate poverty and combat diseases such as HIV/AIDS and malaria, he said, listing other initiatives by Kuwait related to Africa, including a prize of $1 million towards developmental projects.
NORACHIT SINHASENI (Thailand) aligned with ASEAN, called for Member States to work together to make sure the challenges of armed conflicts, terrorism, climate change, epidemics, poverty and famine did not hinder the future of Africa. In 2013 Thailand launched the Thai-African Partnership initiative for development, economic and global improvements. The Thailand International Development Cooperation Agency had launched agriculture-related projects, from mushroom growing, to small-scale fisheries and hatcheries. Thailand shared its expertise to help prevent serious epidemics and grow community-based health provision, and co-sponsored the Assembly resolution on the Decade to Roll Back Malaria. It stood ready to assist Africa to develop universal health coverage, and had contributed $152,900 to the WHO to provide rice to areas in the region stricken by the Ebola virus. He pledged Thailand’s continued support in the form of education and training, scholarships and fellowships.
CAROL HAMILTON (United States) expressed her Government’s continued support for NEPAD. In 2013 the United States “Feed the Future” programme reached 12.5 million children, and helped 7 million farmers incorporate new technology on 4 million hectares of land. The New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition had secured more than $7 billion in investments with more than 2.6 million farmers reached through services and contracts. Practical, transparent business environments were critical. At the United States-Africa Leaders Summit, measures were announced for United States investments in African development, including the provision of electricity to 60 million homes. Africa depended on continued reforms taken by Africans themselves in investment, business, and regional integration. She urged the international community to agree on a post-2015 development agenda, which should encompass action from all countries and sectors, and complete the Millennium Development Goals. The United States would help people feed themselves, power their economies and care for their sick. The United States updated anti-malaria programme now focused on supporting 19 African countries and countries of Southeast Asia, protecting 45 million people from malaria. A new strategy for 2015-2020 would work with partner countries to help further reduce malaria.
WANG MIN (China) said that the pursuit of peace and development by Africa was at a critical juncture. The international financial crisis and the Ebola epidemic had exacerbated Africa’s humanitarian crisis. The development of Africa should be a priority of the post-2015 development agenda. No matter the international situation, China would always be Africa's most reliable friend, he said, adding that strengthening cooperation with African countries had always been a cornerstone of Chinese foreign policy. As the number one trading partner of Africa, China would continue to support efforts by African countries in combating tuberculosis and malaria. Turning to the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, he noted that China was "deeply worried" about the deterioration of the outbreak, adding that his country would send additional assistance, including 60 ambulances and numerous units of personal protective gear. China stood with West Africa "until we win final victory" on Ebola, and would continue to support NEPAD and the African Union's Agenda 2063.
KODJO MENAN (Togo), aligning with Malawi, said tackling malaria remained a major health problem. The most prevalent parasitic disease in morbidity and mortality, it targeted children under five and pregnant women. Forty percent of children under five years of age in Malawi were affected, and 4 per cent of deaths country-wide were linked to the disease. Togo had implemented a strategic plan to eliminate malaria, with special medicines, combination treatments, and the distribution of insecticidal nets to the most vulnerable groups. This September four million nets were distributed. He asked for more international partner involvement to provide 80 per cent coverage in net use, protection of pregnant women, and rapid care for confirmed malaria cases. The emergence of Ebola had hampered efforts to combat malaria. His country fervently hoped that there would be solidarity in response to Ebola which would translate into aid in people, expertise, and equipment.
ELIPHAS CHINYONGA (Zambia) said malaria remained a major public health concern in Zambia and the Government strongly believed a malaria-fee Zambia was possible. To reach that goal, it had established the national health policy and the more targeted National Strategic Plan for Malaria. That plan included various strategies to fight the disease, such as waiving import taxes on the mosquito nets and chemicals that helped control the disease, and increased budget allocations for targeted programmes. As a result, Zambia had made remarkable reductions in incidents of malaria. The strategic plan, which covered 2011 to 2015, also aimed to use community structures to help victims. Community health workers were critical to ensure access to health care and provide holistic and integrated management of diseases. The contribution of community leaders and opinion makers was also essential. Zambia was also working on international and regional initiatives, such as the Southern Africa regional network and the joint commemoration of Southern African Development Community (SADC) Malaria Week, to prevent and control the disease.
JEREMIAH NYAMANE KINGSLEY MAMABOLO (South Africa) said that his Government championed an initiative to fast-track some important projects of the Programme for Infrastructure for Development by identifying and addressing blockages, missing links and choke-points. A progress was being made in closing the missing link of the trans-Saharan highway covering 4,500 kilometers between Algeria and Nigeria. About $40 million had been secured towards its continued construction, which was expected to be completed in 2016. The optic-fiber component of the same project had seen substantial progress, with 60 per cent completed. Progress was being made in other projects, such as the navigational route between Lake Victoria and the Mediterranean Sea and along the North-South Corridor. A key impediment was a lack of capacity in project preparation. Projects had been identified and finance was generally waiting for bankable projects to emerge from the project “pipeline”. The bottleneck was the ability to bring identified projects to the point of bankability. Africa urgently needed support to close that gap. The African Development Bank had launched an initiative to mobilize $100 billion for regional infrastructure projects, with a focus on addressing that key part of the project cycle.
YOSHIFUMI OKAMURA (Japan) noted three basic priorities: infrastructure and human resource development were crucial for economic growth; agriculture needed to be developed beyond basic subsistence; and trade and investment in the private sector should be encouraged in addition to ODA. Reaffirming that prolonged peace and stability were fundamental prerequisites for socioeconomic development in Africa, he noted that a loss of peace and stability could set back great strides in Africa's development, which would be a burden on the international community in the future. Rapid action must be taken on conflict, and was also important in the health sector. The emergence of Ebola gravely jeopardized well-being and must immediately be addressed. On malaria, his Government welcomed significant progress, but remained concerned with the high burden the disease continued to place on a number of countries.
AMIT NARANGV (India) said the needs of Africa must be at the centre of the post-2015 Development Agenda. Scaled up investments in the region's economic and social infrastructure were necessary. According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), almost 20 per cent of African countries were at high risk of debt distress, he said, stressing the significance of creating a multilateral framework for sovereign debt restructuring to make the international financial system more efficient, stable and predictable. Urgent coordinated action was required by the international community to fight the Ebola outbreak. India provided immediate financing to Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Guinea, offered $500,000 to the World Health Organization to fight the disease, and contributed $10 million to the Secretary-General's Fund for Ebola. India's partnership with the region had grown by 31.8 per cent annually from 2005 to 2011, and its trade with Africa was estimated to be more than $72 billion in 2013-2014. India had provided training and education to thousands of African students and experts. India continued to commit to peacekeeping in Africa with over 6,500 Indian peacekeepers deployed there.
OMAR NAKOA (Libya) said that NEPAD was one of the main instruments emphasizing the commitment of African leaders to advancing the continent through a real partnership contributing to international peace and security. Despite progress made over the past years, the continent still faced many obstacles and challenges which prevented it from achieving the Millennium Development Goals. In view of that, developed countries had to fulfil commitments made. Further efforts should be made to increase agricultural production, and investment priorities must be reorganized. The Ebola outbreak was a great danger attacking Africans, and the continent's modest capabilities could not contain it. It was imperative and urgent that all efforts were mobilized to combat this epidemic. Despite a bad security situation, his Government would like to work with African countries to move forward NEPAD.
KHALED BENHAMADI (Algeria), aligning with the African Group, said that the NEPAD had produced encouraging results. Algeria had championed the Trans-Sahara Highway and gas pipeline which would link Algeria and Nigeria, and had secured $40 million to finance the project's missing link covering more than 4,500 kilometres, allowing a 2016 completion. The fibre-optic component linking Algeria, Niger and Nigeria was 60 per cent complete. Significant progress had been made to implement the Comprehensive African Development Programme. Of the 45 countries who had committed themselves, 39 had adopted a national agriculture investment plan. There were persistent challenges. Sustained international support was needed, and he called on development partners to deliver on their commitments to Africa, the only region unlikely to meet the Millennium Development Goals by 2015.
TOMMO MONTHE (Cameroon), associating himself with the African Group, said that two topics were crucial: infrastructure and industrialization. The lack of infrastructure was a serious challenge which undermined Africa on the global market. Industrialization was a powerful tool capable of generating productive jobs and decent work. The enslaved nature of many African economies concentrated economic activity on the production of raw materials. The link of that area with other parts of the economy was very fragile; that promoted inequalities. But the recognition of that in the African Union's Agenda 2063 was reason for hope, and based on all of above, the strengthening of the industrial fabric should be supported. A number of initiatives have been taken in his country, he said, enumerating them in a list which included agricultural initiatives and a training project for nurses and midwives in Africa. Taking note of the view of the Secretary-General that debt forgiveness alone was no miracle cure for Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC), he said that Africa's access to global markets and fair trade were important, and added his Government's welcome of the strengthening of regional coordination mechanisms for institutions working in Africa.
IBRAHIM ASSANE MAYAKI, Chief Executive Officer of NEPAD, said that the Partnership was central to the continent's transformation efforts. Premised on reforms of governance systems under the African Peer Review Mechanism, 17 countries had been peer-reviewed. As the technical body of the African Union, the NEPAD Agency focused on the strategic coordination of the implementation of the continent's priority programmes and projects. He listed several programmes and initiatives NEPAD was behind, including the establishment of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme. Turning to the topic of infrastructure, he noted action plans and strategies undertaken by NEPAD, including the Science, Technology and Innovation Strategy for Africa. Key challenges still remaining, including in the field of health, the African Union would launch a new long-term strategy titled Agenda 2063 to address the commonality of challenges facing the continent. The post-2015 development agenda should be the foundation for promoting coherence between regional and global efforts to achieve development effectiveness.
DMITRY I. MAKSIMYCHEV (Russian Federation) said that Africa had engaged today on a path of economic modernisation and growth. Significant positive changes had taken place. His Government backed coordinated measures aimed at promoting sustainable development, and provided comprehensive assistance to Africa. In April this year, a new policy had been affirmed in the field of promoting international development. Trade and commercial ties were also being expanded. The training of specialists and experts was important, and significant assistance in the field of health care was being given. The spread of Ebola was cause for growing alarm, however. Guided by principles of solidarity, his Government planned to send additional humanitarian aid to affected areas, consisting of drugs, experts, and other aid. As a permanent Security Council member, the Russian Federation was making contributions to strategic policy lines for the international community.
RAYMOND SERGE BALÉ (Congo), aligning with the African Group, said Africa had seen many initiatives and development programmes that were short lived. The birth of NEPAD was a common vision for development in the continent. He hailed progress made in the area of governance in Africa, and expressed legitimate pride with the peer review process. Congo was one of the first States to conduct self-assessment as early as 2003, and was one of 13 African countries to make progress in all of the areas of self-assessment. It had made progress in the area of security, human rights, human development and sustainable development. But Africa faced new security challenges, in the form of narco-terrorism, activities of extremist groups like Boko Haram, and maritime piracy. He called on the international community to reinforce its engagement against those scourges and on in the parties to the crisis in Central African Republic to return to the dialogues in Brazzaville. His country supported the Transitional Government authorities, and the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA), and firmly condemned any attacks on the peacekeepers. He recalled the international mediator’s appeal for the international community to remain mobilised for the Central African Republic.
OSAMA ABDELKHALEK MAHMOUD (Egypt) said that NEPAD represented Africa's inspiration to take matters into its own hands. Crystallising Africa's vision on agriculture and food security, regional integration and infrastructure, human development and information and communication technology, NEPAD translated African priorities into specific programs and projects. African priorities needed to be integrated into the post-2015 development agenda. ODA should continue to constitute the backbone of financing for development. Africa also needed the support of the international community for the recovery of illicit transferred assets. The Ebola outbreak reminded the international community again of Africa's special needs, and $1 billion should be mobilized over the next six months in order to succeed in combating the disease. Efforts to achieve sustainable peace and growth should be coupled with serious efforts to create, keep and build peace.
USMAN SARKI (Nigeria) associating with the African Group, said armed conflicts were the most significant challenges facing the continent today. Nigeria noted the nexus established in the Secretary-General's report between peace, security and development. Where conflicts broke out regional peace structures must be enabled to react on a timely basis, and protect civilians and other groups from the excesses of war. Nigeria had always supported regional initiatives to address conflict. Development challenges had long impacted Africa's capacity to respond to threats to peace. The debilitating impacts of malaria had long held back Africa's development process. The Ebola outbreak had compounded the situation in Africa. The international community would have to face this threat together. Rather than stigmatizing and isolating countries, the international community should show solidarity and compassion. Nigeria had dispensed $3 million to the affected countries, and would continue to give the support needed. The African Union and NEPAD had developed blueprints for infrastructure development. The most important infrastructure gap in Africa today was in the power sector; only 24 per cent of Africa's population was reported to have access to a constant electricity supply.
OMAR HILALE (Morocco), aligning with the African Group, said that African States had shown their commitment as engines and catalysts for development. But despite progress achieved to date, there were challenges. Financial crises were one, and the recent Ebola crisis showed the extent to which it was necessary for the international community to continue to contribute. Morocco had expressed its solidarity with countries impacted by this pandemic by the fact that Air Morocco continued to fly to affected areas, making sure they were not isolated. Turning to issues of development, he noted that ODA should be strengthened. The specific needs of Africa should be part of a post-2015 development program. The promotion of investment and access to markets were key elements for the continued emergence of African States. Underscoring the need for productive investment, he noted its role as catalyst, especially with regard to the eradication of poverty. South-South cooperation had always been one of the pillars of his Government's foreign policy.
HUSSEIN HANIFF (Malaysia) aligning with ASEAN’s statement, welcomed the progress of the African countries in the last 10 years of implementation of the African Peer Review Mechanism, and expressed hope that more African countries would participate in the process in the future. The growing trend of foreign direct investment flows into Africa had provided the foundation for better cooperation in the areas of peace and security, trade, investment, and holistic development. With a total of $19.3 billion in investment in Africa, Malaysia was the third largest investor there in 2011 after the United States and France. He acknowledged the difficulties Africa faced in achieving the Millennium Development Goals by 2015, and reaffirmed Malaysia's support to continue to be an active dialogue partner with the region under the South-South cooperation framework. He reaffirmed Malaysia’s commitment to host a Smart Partnership Dialogue through the Langkawi International Dialogue, at a date to be announced. The dialogue would be a good platform for Malaysia to engage with other African countries and to demonstrate Malaysia’s continued support for Africa’s economic development. He expressed deep concern over the Ebola outbreak, and said his country had mobilized resources to ensure adequate humanitarian response on the ground in order to combat the outbreak effectively.
Y. HALIT ÇEVIK (Turkey) said that at this crossroads of defining the post-2015 development agenda, a comprehensive discussion on how to achieve and finance Africa's sustainable development was important. Addressing the conflicts on the continent would also serve development efforts. Turkey supported African solutions to African problems. When assuming the Group of 20 Presidency in December 2014, his Government would work for a more representative, fair and democratic global economic system that favoured all. Deeply concerned about the Ebola outbreak, a humanitarian crisis which was affecting regional and global security, his Government would shortly announce additional financial assistance to help combat the outbreak.
NEGASH KIBRET (Ethiopia) associating with the African Group’s statement, said the efforts of NEPAD and the support of partners to mobilize the required resources should be accorded the attention they deserved. Africa alone would be unable to implement the 51 projects and programmes and the 16 national and regional priority infrastructure projects identified as quick wins for financing in the Programme for Infrastructure Development. Ethiopia was aware that surpluses were available in the global economy and opportunities should not be missed to support Africa's development programs identified in NEPAD. Ethiopia, as part of Sub-Saharan Africa, had made considerable progress in reducing malaria. More than 57 million nets had been distributed since 2005, and households targeted for indoor residual spraying had grown from 20 per cent in 2005 to over 80 per cent in 2013. Confirmed malaria cases in 2011 declined by 66 per cent in children under the age of five, and malaria admissions and deaths fell by 81 per cent and 73 per cent respectively. Ethiopia was looking forward to the support of the international community in technical and financial inputs to implement its new national strategy for malaria control and elimination for 2014-2020.
JEANNE D'ARC BYAJE (Rwanda) said that everyone concurred that Africa was today the land of opportunities, and that there was a lot to celebrate. The worst was behind us, she said, adding that it was time for all Africans to rise "as one" and seize the momentum towards a unified agenda. Confronted with new challenges such as the outbreak of Ebola, food shortages, climate change and terrorism, a unified approach was even more necessary. Agriculture would play a pivotal role in Africa's development. Hundreds of intra-state conflicts were raging, and there was an urgent need to focus collectively on how to go beyond managing conflicts to investing in their prevention.
CHRISTOPHE LOBRY-BOULANGER, a representative of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, said the under-five mortality rate from malaria had been reduced by two thirds between 1990 and 2015. Intervention mechanisms had saved an estimated 3.3 million lives globally. But two African countries still accounted for about 40 per cent of worldwide malaria mortality. He called for all parties to scale up research and development, and asked for support for the timely replacement of insecticide-treated nets in accordance with WHO recommendations. His organization would continue to focus on social mobilization aimed at changing behaviour, supporting individual countries' ministries of health, empowering communities with education and treatment options, and embracing the adoption of new technologies such as social media to communicate health messages.