African People Best Resource To Tackle Challenges

African people best resource to tackle continent's challenges - Ban Ki-moon

25 May 2008 - The best means to address the problems Africa faces can be found in the continent's people, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today on the occasion of Africa Day.

Africa is one of the UN's priorities and is central to all of the world body's activities in peace and security, development, human rights and humanitarian aid, Mr. Ban said in a message.

"Although there are formidable challenges in all of these areas, we have at our disposal the best possible resource to meet them: the dynamism and creativity of African people," he added.

The Secretary-General welcomed the recent sustained economic growth in many of the continent's countries and African efforts to "resolve its own problems" through such mechanisms as the Peace and Security Council of the African Union (AU) and the Panel of the Wise.

He noted that the UN will continue its close cooperation with the AU regarding security issues, including the conflicts in Darfur and Somalia.

"This year, Africa Day has special significance as we focus on realizing the Millennium Development Goals [MDGs], our vision for a better world in the twenty-first century," Mr. Ban said, referring to the eight anti-poverty targets with a 2015 deadline.

ENDS

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