Friends in Defense of the UN Charter ratify solidarity with Africa and its sovereignty

Jorge Reyes, representative of the Permanent Mission of Venezuela to the United Nations (UN), in New York, on behalf of the Group of Friends in Defense of the Charter of the United Nations, ratified solidarity with Africa and the defense of the sovereignty of the countries of this continent.

During the Joint Debate to Consider the Secretary-General's report on the “Third Industrial Development Decade for Africa (2016-2025)”, which the Group welcomed with “great satisfaction”, commended the African Union, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) “and all other partners that continue to support Africa's efforts to achieve structural transformation, development sustainable and regional integration, giving the entire continent the possibility to deploy its full potential”.

The Group emphasized that industrial development in Africa “is not simply an economic issue”, but that it is also an issue “of justice, sovereignty and dignity in a world where a profoundly unjust, anti-democratic and exclusionary international order prevails”.

After praising the progress achieved, the Group of Friends acknowledged that “there are still challenges ahead”, stressing that “Africa's share of world production is still too low, millions of people are still not guaranteed secure access to energy”, in addition to the fact that “trade costs are still among the highest in the world”.

They also indicate that, “all too often, African nations are denied the tools, funding and political room they need to chart their own industrial paths”, so they confirmed their categorical rejection of unilateral coercive measures, which “are illegal, contrary to the Charter of the United Nations and profoundly harmful”.

The countries that make up the Group of Friends in Defense of the UN Charter stress that, among other devastating effects of these criminal tools, “they suffocate industrial growth, hinder access to food and energy, and impose a heavy humanitarian burden on the population. Africa, more than most regions, continues to feel its weight. Therefore, we once again call for its complete, immediate and unconditional elimination.”

“Looking to the future, our Group of Friends supports the call for a fourth decade of industrial development for Africa. It's not just about continuity, it's about taking advantage of lessons learned, boosting successes and ensuring that industrialization becomes a living reality for all African nations, without exclusions or exceptions,” they said.

Finally, they reaffirmed their unwavering solidarity with the continent and insisted “that the industrialization of Africa is not just an African project. It's a global need to establish a more just, multipolar and sustainable world for all.”