Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the United Nations will fully support Ethiopia’s humanitarian and development activities by mobilizing the capacity of UN agencies and appealing to the international community.
Guterres made the remark at the joint press conference he held with African Union Commission Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat at the end of the 6th AU-UN annual conference in Addis Ababa today.
Responding to questions posed by journalists, the Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the UN will support the AU-led peace agreement implementation, the rebuilding effort, and humanitarian aid and development of the country.
“We have dramatic humanitarian needs in the areas impacted by the conflict. (So) we are upscaling the capacity of all the UN agencies and our partners in order to be able to take advantage of the opening of roads that already exist, the access by air, and all the other aspects in order to be able to as quickly as possible provide the maximum possible support to all the populations in need.”
According to him, the UN is ready to fully support the AU and the parties in implementing the peace agreement.
“Now we are in the phase of implementation and we are ready to fully support both the AU and the parties in whatever way it is necessary to make sure that the implementation is successful.”
But the UN believes in African leadership to solve African problems, he underscored.
“We are very happy to be able to support the African Union in this process.”
Furthermore, the secretary-general stated that the United Nations will continue to appeal to the international community to support Ethiopia’s development.
“We appeal to the international community to support Ethiopia in its development,” Guterres stressed, adding that “there is no better way to consolidate peace than developing the country by creating the conditions for the people to see the peace dividends, people to see how peace contributes to improvement of the living conditions of the citizens in the country.”
He underscored that the UN will be in the first line of advocating for international support for the development of Ethiopia in this crucial moment of the country.
Above all, the secretary-general pointed out the need to create favorable conditions for the people to see the peace dividend as implementing the agreement will improve the livelihood of the citizens.
ENA