UN Secretary-General António Guterres said Africa and Europe can help shape a fairer global system as international power rapidly shifts toward a multipolar world with influence increasingly spread across several regions.

He explained that multipolarity, in which power was distributed rather than concentrated, did not guarantee peace and warned that, without strong cooperation, such shifts could intensify geopolitical rivalries rather than fostering stable international relations.

Speaking at a summit between the African Union and European Union, he argued the two regions could form a central axis of a fairer world order capable of correcting historic imbalances. He said the cooperation could help address historic injustices by giving countries long excluded from global decision-making meaningful influence over institutions that shaped finance, development, security, migration, and other international priorities.

Mr Guterres outlined three priority areas for deeper cooperation, beginning with reforming a global financial system he called unfair and ineffective for African nations burdened by debt, which severely limit investment opportunities. He urged leaders to end unsustainable debt, expand the lending capacity of multilateral development banks, and ensure developing nations secured stronger influence in global financial governance structures that determined economic opportunity.

He told leaders that by working together, Africa and Europe could reduce the pressures driving irregular migration and displacement, helping create pathways that reflect shared responsibility and global long-term development priorities. He also urged leaders to transform Africa’s solar, wind, and mineral potential into a real climate opportunity, noting that demand for those resources was expected to triple by 2030 as industries expand.

He said the shift could enable African countries to move beyond exporting raw materials and instead develop processing and manufacturing capacities that create jobs, add value, and build resilience across sectors.

Mr Guterres stressed that Africa offered abundant resources and a young workforce, while Europe contributed capital and expertise, arguing that an energy partnership between the two could generate shared prosperity and long-term growth. He further called for reforming global peace and security structures, citing the 2024 Pact for the Future as a roadmap for change that emphasised accountability, prevention, and multilateral cooperation across regions.

He reiterated support for permanent African seats on the UN Security Council, saying this would correct a historic injustice and help create a representative body better able to respond to crises.

Mr Guterres warned that global power structures were shifting rapidly and said the world must pursue interconnected multipolarity to avoid fragmentation, emphasising that cooperation was essential to maintain stability and address challenges. He emphasised that by reforming global finance, advancing climate action, and reshaping security structures, Africa and Europe could drive change and help turn turbulence into what he called “hope for all”.

(NAN)