Buenos Aires, 30 November 2018
Excellencies, thank you for the invitation to participate on behalf of the African Union. Allow me to echo what has already been said by thanking President Macri for the outstanding Argentine hospitality.
The title of this session is apt: Putting People First. Around the world, citizens have been expressing a sense of being left behind by political processes.
The appropriate response is inclusion and cooperation.
First, by ensuring nobody feels left out of the national fabric because of their origin, youth, or gender.
Second, by promoting mastery of the productive technologies that are defining the future world of work. We have to narrow the digital capabilities gap within countries, and also among our economies.
Africa is the reservoir of global economic opportunity in the coming decades. We have the fastest-growing cities, the most youthful population, and many of the highest-growth economies.
Major continental integration milestones achieved this year will have a multiplier effect on these strong fundamentals. Chief among these, are the African Continental Free Trade Area, the Protocol on the Free Movement of Persons, and the Single African Air Transport Market.
To take full advantage, Africa needs to increase its participation in global value chains, ensuring of course that our people receive their rightful share of the benefits. Africa therefore looks forward to working more closely with partners in the G20 to reinforce the pillars of the African Union’s Agenda 2063, alongside the Sustainable Development Goals.
In that context, I would like to put forward the idea that a standing role for the African Union Commission in the G20 configuration would strengthen coordination in important ways, including on international financial governance.
Building inclusive, productive, and resilient societies is our shared priority. Rwanda and Africa are fully committed to this imperative. I thank you for your kind attention.