By: David Shoombe
The outgoing United Nations (UN) Secretary-General, António Guterres, has encouraged the continued support of the partnership between African states and the United Nations. With that, he spoke to the need for increased investments in water sustainability, climate adaptation, infrastructure development and the maintenance of peace in the continent.
Speaking at the 39th Ordinary Session of the African Union Heads of State and Government over the weekend in Adis Ababa, Ethiopia, Guterres stated that the UN continues to stand with the African Union (AU) in efforts to promote lasting peace across the continent.
The UN chief highlighted ongoing, unresolved conflicts in South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and the Central African Republic, as well as UN-supported missions in Libya as high priority areas of focus. Moreover, Guterres expressed regret regarding the lack of sufficient support for the AU stabilisation mission in Somalia.
“I regret the Security Council’s lack of consensus on assessed contributions. If the AU mission in Somalia does not warrant global support, what would?” he queried.
He further noted the $4 trillion annual financing gap for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). With his term as Secretary-General of the United Nations ending on 31 December 2026, Guterres reaffirmed Africa’s commitment to UN principles. He also reiterated the AU’s uncompromising position on securing a permanent seat for Africa on the United Nations Security Council.
The summit brought African leaders together to deliberate on the future of the continent amid global economic competition and climate change, under the theme ‘Assuring Sustainable Water Availability and Safe Sanitation Systems to Achieve the Goals of Agenda 2063.’
The African heads of state and government underpinned the importance of mobilising funds, improving access to water, and promoting resilience and climate adaptation. Water scarcity and unpredictable weather patterns continue to place an additional burden on African states, compounding existing continental challenges such as illicit financial flows and political instability.
According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a 2018 special report for policymakers warned that the planet is likely to exceed 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels under current global greenhouse gas emission pathways.
At the same event, President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah emphasised the urgency of closing Africa’s water investment gap, which is estimated at $30 billion per year by 2030. She noted that water scarcity fuels migration and conflict.
Namibia is one of the driest countries in the world, and water scarcity remains central to the country’s development agenda. In efforts to address drought and water scarcity, the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Land Reform, in partnership with the Environmental Investment Fund of Namibia (EIF), has concluded a five-year project worth N$164 million. The project was set up with the aim of assisting smallholder farmers in climate change-prone areas such as Fransfontein, Sesfontein, and Warmquelle in the Kunene Region.
