Opening Remark

By

H.E. Dr. Gedion Timothewos,

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia

at

The 46th Ordinary Session of the Executive Council of the African Union

Addis Ababa

12 Feb 2025

Your Excellency Dr. Mohamed Salem Ould Merzoug Minister for Foreign Affairs, Cooperation, and Mauritanians Abroad and Chairperson of the Executive Council

Your Excellency Mussa Faki Mahamat, Chairperson of the African Union Commission,

Distinguished Ministers,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I have the honor and great pleasure to warmly welcome you all to Addis Ababa for the 46th Ordinary Session of the Executive Council of the African Union.

Excellencies,

As we gather here today, we are confronting the reality of turbulent changes that are severely challenging multilateralism. For Africa, and the rest of the Global South, multilateralism is both a choice and a necessity. It is a choice because we believe in collaboration, consensus building, and partnership. It is a necessity because most of the challenges we face are global and their solutions are found in multilateral frameworks. From climate change, environmental pollution, and degradation, to desertification, biodiversity, pandemics, and other global health issues: all require multilateral solutions. We must thus redouble our efforts to strengthen the United Nations, the African Union, and other African regional bodies.   They are indispensable for the health and well-being of current and future generations.

Your Excellencies,

It is also alarming to witness the increasing number of internal and interstate conflicts globally. Africa has, unfortunately, more than its fair share. It is not just conflicts, but we are also seeing polarization, and geopolitical rivalry that are posing a challenge to the world order. Advances in technology such as artificial intelligence are also giving rise to threats and opportunities that would have been considered science fiction just a few years ago.

In these times, African unity, cooperation, and solidarity are of the utmost importance. The coming wave of change could either lift us to a better position or throw us into the unknown. How we manage the risks and how we utilize the opportunities of the new era will determine our destiny as a continent.

As a continent, we advocate for a reformed global governance including the reform of the United Nations Security Council. We also call for an international financial system that supports Africa's growth and enables the continent to tackle its challenges effectively. We demand access to climate financing and technology. These efforts and the need to overcome man-made and natural disasters require us to stand united and use our continental organization as an effective instrument to advance our collective aspirations.

Mr. Chairperson,

The vision outlined in Africa’s Agenda 2063 holds great promise for our continent’s prosperity. Realizing this immense potential requires more than just strategic frameworks, it requires strong political will, effective coordination, and robust partnerships among member states and regional economic communities. Only through collective efforts can we ensure the successful implementation of Agenda 2063 and transform Africa into a continent of shared prosperity and stability, the Africa we want!

This requires us to strengthen our efforts to realize Africa’s flagship projects to unlock our growth and prosperity potential and consolidate on the progress we made in creating a continent-wide free trade area. 

Ethiopia is committed to starting trading under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) as part of our endeavor to ensure the transformative impact of intra-Africa trade on continental integration.

Excellencies, ladies, and gentlemen,

As Africa continues to push for greater participation in global decision-making, Ethiopia is convinced that the African Union’s membership in the G20 would provide our continent with a vital platform to shape global economic governance. This would enable us to play a key role in policies that directly affect Africa’s socio-economic development, ensuring that our continent’s priorities are addressed in global decision-making processes. I would also like to take this opportunity to congratulate the Republic of South Africa for its Chairmanship of the G-20. We are confident that under its able leadership Africa’s agenda will come to the fore in this platform.

The peace and security situation in our continent will require us all to strengthen our continental wide institutional capacity to foster mediation and conflict prevention mechanisms. Ethiopia also takes this opportunity to commend the African Union’s peacekeeping missions and the critical role they play in maintaining peace and security across the continent.

As we deliberate on these and other critical issues, let us renew our commitment to the traditional African solidarity and friendship. Africa’s future depends on our collective will and action. Together, we can overcome the challenges before us and unlock the potential of our continent for the benefit of all African peoples.

I look forward to productive discussions and meaningful outcomes in the course of this session.

Once again, Excellencies, I would like to welcome you all to your city Addis Ababa and I wish you a productive and enjoyable stay!

Thank you.