Statement of the African Union (AU) Commission Chairperson on International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples
The Chairperson reaffirms the African Union's commitment, as enshrined in the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights (1981) and guided by the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights' Working Group on Indigenous Populations/Communities, to promote and protect the rights of indigenous peoples. He underscores their vital role in preserving cultural diversity, safeguarding the environment, and advancing sustainable development in line with Agenda 2063: The Africa We Want.
The African Union Executive Council, during its 47th Ordinary Session, urged Member States to strengthen measures to protect the rights of indigenous peoples, and reaffirms its support for the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (2007) as a global normative framework complementing AU instruments.
Mr. Youssouf calls on Member States, partners, and all stakeholders to work together, through inclusive policy-making, equitable resource-sharing, and respect for traditional knowledge systems, to ensure that indigenous voices are heard, their rights upheld, and their contributions fully valued in building a more inclusive, just, and sustainable Africa for all.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Union (AU).
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Zawya
11 hours ago
- Zawya
Absence of Synergy on Diplomatic Messaging May Harm South Africa's Potential, International Relations (IR) Committee Chair
The Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on International Relations and Cooperation, Mr Supra Mahumapelo, has called on all government departments and officials to let the President give guidance on matters related to diplomacy and the US. Mr Mahumapelo said diplomatic relations is a complex terrain and needs to be monitored by people who are authorised at all times. It appears, he said, that everyone has an opinion on how the government and South Africa should relate with the world, owing to the much-publicised diplomatic challenges in South Africa's relationship with the US and the steep 30% US tariff increases imposed on South Africa, along with a host of other countries. Mr Mahumapelo said the committee believes that the government must be given space to consider how it will rebuild lasting relationships with the US that will be beneficial to South Africans and Americans alike. He added that it would be preferable if South Africa's special-envoy designate to the US leads in South Africa's response to any new trade packages. 'This will also enable for diplomatic negotiations between Pretoria and Washington, which is in the interest of all our citizens. We believe that South Africa remains the gateway to the markets in sub-Saharan Africa. It therefore is a diplomatic and trade channel that the US cannot contemplate to lose.' Mr Mahumapelo also noted what he called the unfortunate utterances attributed to the General of the South African National Defence Force relating to South Africa's relations with Iran. 'We believe our ambassador in the Middle East needed to have given guidance and approval on what had been widely reported, but the country requires no permission or endorsement on who it deals with at diplomatic level,' said Mr Mahumapelo. He said the absence of synergy in diplomacy may ruin South Africa's potential in an era of unstable geo-political relations. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Republic of South Africa: The Parliament.
Zawya
15 hours ago
- Zawya
Mozambique President Extols Adesina's Transformative Decade at African Development Bank
Mozambique's President Daniel Chapo has lauded Dr. Akinwumi Adesina for a decade of 'transforming ambition into outcomes' as President of the African Development Bank Group ( crediting his leadership with improving millions of lives across the continent. Opening Africa50 General Shareholders Meeting in Maputo on Wednesday, President Chapo thanked Adesina for his impact at both the Bank and as Board Chair of Africa50, an investment platform created by African governments and the Bank to close the continent's infrastructure funding gap. 'Your legacy is not just institutional but impacting the lives of Africans, and we thank you and wish you the most success for what the future has in store for you,' President Chapo said. Africa50 CEO, Alain Ebobissé, also paid tribute to Adesina, highlighting the success of the Alliance for Green Infrastructure in Africa (AGIA), which Adesina initiated with other partners to mobilize capital to catalyze up to $10 billion green infrastructure opportunities for private sector investment. A fireside chat, moderated by Nozipho Mbanjwa-Tshabalala, CEO of the Conversation Strategists, explored Adesina's legacy of institutional transformation, record-breaking achievements, and renewed global confidence in Africa's development prospects. In his comments, Adesina called for Africa's vision to be bold and collective, and translated into tangible results, particularly in providing critical infrastructure such as power generation as a foundation for growth. 'Economies that don't have power can never grow. It's a direct correlation with your GDP growth and access to electricity. You can't create jobs, you can't industrialize, and sadly, you are not going to industrialize and be competitive in the dark,' Adesina emphasised. Challenging perceptions of high investment risk in Africa, he cited Moody's data showing cumulative losses on Africa infrastructure investments of just 1.9 percent over 15 years -- lower than in other regions. 'Africa is not as risky as it is perceived -- You can invest in Africa, get great returns in Africa, and have great institutions like us that will always be there beside you, making sure your capital not only comes, your capital stays, your capital grows, and you can take your capital back.' On youth, Adesina stressed the need to turn Africa's 420 million young people into an economic asset. 'Everything we do needs to be focused on African youth -- If you don't create youth-based wealth, who is going to pay the taxes in the future?' A Decade of Unprecedented Growth and Impact Under Adesina's leadership, the African Development Bank broke records, including growing its capital from $93 billion in 2015 to $318 billion in 2024. This remarkable growth enabled the Bank's flagship "High 5s" initiatives to impact the lives of 565 million Africans across critical areas, including energy access, food security, industrialization, regional integration, and quality of life improvements. The Bank was ranked the best multilateral financing institution in the world for two consecutive years and maintained AAA credit ratings throughout his tenure, including during the COVID-19 pandemic. Africa50: From Vision to Global Infrastructure Leader Adesina's achievements also extended Africa50, which grew from a concept to a major infrastructure facilitator with, among others, $1.4 billion in managed assets with total portfolio company value exceeding $8 billion, 33 active projects spanning energy, transport, digital infrastructure, healthcare, and education across 32 countries and $275 million raised for the Africa Infrastructure Acceleration Fund from over 20 African institutional investors As Adesina prepares to handover the leadership of the African Development Bank on 01 September 2025, he said 'My legacy is not a personal one. My legacy is an Africa strong enough to deliver finance for its transformation at scale -- we have come of age, and we can handle issues by ourselves and deliver. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Development Bank Group (AfDB). Media Contact: Emeka Anuforo Communication and External Relations Department Email: media@ About the African Development Bank Group: The African Development Bank Group is Africa's premier development finance institution. It comprises three distinct entities: the African Development Bank (AfDB), the African Development Fund (ADF) and the Nigeria Trust Fund (NTF). On the ground in 41 African countries with an external office in Japan, the Bank contributes to the economic development and the social progress of its 54 regional member states. For more information:
Zawya
18 hours ago
- Zawya
President El-Sisi Gives Directives to Digitize Radio, Television (TV) Heritage
Today, President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi met with Minister of Communications and Information Technology Dr. Amr Talaat, Chairman of the National Media Authority Ahmed El-Moslemany, and Advisor to the President for the Media Major General Mohsen Abdel Nabi. The Spokesman for the Presidency, Ambassador Mohamed El-Shennawy, said President El-Sisi emphasized the need to protect and preserve the heritage of Egyptian radio and television by converting all radio and television tapes owned by the Authority to digital media and investing this content within the digital platform to be established by the National Media Authority. The President also emphasized the importance of developing the global website for the Holy Quran Radio to preserve the heritage of reciters and supplicants and protect the numerous programs broadcast by the Holy Quran Radio since its establishment in 1964. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Presidency of the Arab Republic of Egypt.
