Africa is falling behind in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Rwandan President Paul Kagame told the UN General Assembly despite some of the world’s fastest growing economies found in on the continent.
The SDGs are also “Africa’s goals,” said Kagame, who pressed home that the 55-member African Union continues to work to meet the 2030 deadline.
World leaders adopted the 17 Goals four years ago in the push to end extreme poverty, reduce inequality, spur economic growth, deliver quality education, and protect the planet.
Kagame said: “Growth must be fully inclusive so that inequality within countries continues to diminish. The fundamentals needed to unlock this transformation are already in place.”
“With a concerted push involving all partners, including the private sector, it is indeed possible to make up for lost time with the Sustainable Development Goals,” the Rwandan president said.
Kagame believes there are tough choices ahead as the international community is at a crossroads in determining whether multilateralism will prevail or lose its way.
He said what is clear is that countries now have “well-defined roadmaps” such as the SDGs, but also on health care and climate change.
While leaders from all 193 UN Member States are in New York this week for the annual debate in the General Assembly Hall, they are also participating in five major summits to address global challenges.
On Monday, countries agreed the UN Political Declaration on Universal Health Coverage, addressing four major areas of primary care.
Kagame told delegates that more than 90 percent of Rwandans have insurance coverage, which has resulted in “significant improvements in health outcomes.”
“It shows that it is possible for countries at every income level to make healthcare affordable and accessible for all.”
UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, urged Member States to live up to their commitments and called on all sectors of society to mobilize for the 2030 Agenda.
“Now is the time for bold leadership, both individual and collective,” he emphasized, calling for ambitious action by Member States, local authorities, and the private sector, and asking the media, academia and young people to mobilize partnerships and hold leaders to account.
“We need to move together, leaving no one behind.”
