Opening statement by Claver Gatete at the 12th African Regional Forum for Sustainable Development (ARFSD-12)

12^th AFRICAN REGIONAL FORUM FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT (ARFSD-12)

Theme:

Turning the Tide: Transformative and Coordinated Actions for the 2030 Agenda and Agenda 2063

OPENING

Statement

By

Mr. Claver Gatete

United Nations Under-Secretary-General and

Executive Secretary of ECA

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

26 April 2026

H.E. Dr. Abiy Ahmed, Prime Minister of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia,

H.E. Robinah Nabbanja, Prime Minister of the Republic of Uganda & Chair of the outgoing Bureau,

H.E. Lok Bahadur Thapa, President, Economic and Social Council of the United Nations,

H.E. Selma Malika Haddadi, Deputy Chairperson of the African Union Commission,

Honourable Ministers,

Members of the Diplomatic Corps,

Esteemed Representatives of the African Union and the United Nations System,

Representatives of the Private Sector, Civil Society, Academia, Youth, Media and other Stakeholders,

Distinguished Delegates,

Partners and Colleagues,

Ladies and Gentlemen:

It is my great honour to welcome you all to the 12^th Session of the Africa Regional Forum on Sustainable Development, convened under the timely theme: "Turning the Tide: Transformative and Coordinated Actions for the 2030 Agenda and Agenda 2063."

I wish to start by expressing my profound appreciation to His Excellency, Dr. Abiy Ahmed, Prime Minister of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia for his leadership and steadfast commitment to Africa's development agenda.

I also extend my sincere gratitude to the Government and people of Ethiopia for their warm hospitality and for hosting us in this historic city of Addis Ababa.

Allow me to commend H.E. Robinah Nabbanja, Prime Minister of Uganda, for her stewardship and dedication as Chair of the outgoing Bureau.

Under Uganda's leadership, the Forum has not only been convened with purpose, but its outcomes have been carried forward with discipline and consistency, and projecting Africa's voice at the global level during the High Level Political Forum in New York last year.

Indeed, Uganda has demonstrated how international and regional commitments can be translated into national action, including through institutionalized review mechanisms and strong coordination of the Sustainable Development Goals and AU Agenda 2063, within national planning systems.

From hosting the previous Forum in Kampala, advancing the implementation of the Kampala Declaration across the continent and finally to organizing its national performance review conference where under the leadership of the Prime Minister, every ministry publicly reported on the progress in the SDGs and the AU Agenda 2063 goals, Uganda has set a high standard for accountability and follow-through.

We would like to express our gratitude for the kind invitation to that important accountability exercise, which was very insightful and an enriching learning experience.

As the Economic Commission for Africa, we take great pride in this leadership.

I also thank the African Union Commission, the United Nations system, development partners, civil society, the private sector and all stakeholders whose collaboration continues to sustain this Forum as Africa's premier platform for collective accountability and action.

Your presence here reflects the urgency of this moment and the importance of partnership and collective action.

Excellencies,

Distinguished Delegates,

We meet at a moment of heightened global uncertainty and challenges.

As we speak, global growth is slowing, inequalities within and between countries are widening, fiscal pressures are mounting, climate shocks are intensifying, and conflicts, including geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, continue to weigh on global stability and resilience.

Yet, we must not allow these challenges to constrain our ambition.

On the contrary, they should compel us to reflect, innovate and redouble our efforts at finding lasting solutions to our long-standing development challenges.

This is what the moment demands.

I am proud to say that our host country Ethiopia has risen to the moment.

I am confident that all of you feel a sense of pride and gratitude that our host Government has unreservedly assumed the responsibility of hosting the COP32, at a most consequential moment for climate action and for multilateral development cooperation more broadly.

This is a huge responsibility and we are deeply thankful to Prime Minister Dr. Abiy Ahmed for assuming this mantle on behalf of Africa.

It entails marshaling global consensus to overcome geopolitical complexities, including fiscal and other challenges to achieve transformational climate action at scale.

While the responsibility is weighty, Ethiopia is uniquely equipped for the task.

The country has a measurable record of sustainable development and climate action.

The Green Legacy Initiative is one of the largest national reforestation programmes globally. Through the Initiative, Ethiopia has planted over 40 billion tree seedlings.

More than 95% of Ethiopia's electricity generation is renewable.

And climate-smart agriculture now covers nearly 18 million hectares of rain-fed cropland in Ethiopia.

For Ethiopia - and for many countries present here today - climate action and sustainable development are not competing priorities; they are mutually reinforcing.

That is because in this continent, climate change is a lived reality.

It is already shaping food security, water availability, health systems, infrastructure development, macroeconomic stability and long-term development planning.

So, the issues we are going to discuss throughout this week, are very much relevant to COP32.

As we approach the deadline of the SDGs and advance the Second Ten-Year Implementation Plan (STYIP) of the Agenda 2063, I urge you to harness the leadership, energy and dynamism of Ethiopia's convening of COP32 to forge meaningful partnerships to accelerate ambitious sustainable development and climate actions.

I am delighted that ECA is working as a strategic partner with the Government of Ethiopia on COP32. ECA, together with the entire UN family will support the Government of Ethiopia to deliver an impactful COP 32.

And as Ethiopia gets set to host COP32 in 2027, Africa has an exceptional opportunity to help bridge the gap between climate ambition and sustainable development delivery - at a time when global progress on the Sustainable Development Goals is off track.

Excellencies,

Distinguished Delegates,

For Africa, this moment is not only an opportunity; it is a necessity.

Long-standing structural constraints continue to intersect with rapid demographic, urban and climate transitions, demanding the urgency for action.

Nowhere are these pressures more evident than in the sectors under review this year.

Far from being peripheral objectives, the goals under review this year, covering water and sanitation, sustainable cities, energy and resilient infrastructure and partnerships, form the productive foundation of Africa's transformation.

Where these systems are weak, growth is undermined, inequality intensifies and progress slows.

But where they function well, they drive productivity, competitiveness and inclusion across the economy.

Despite progress in expanding access, the facts are undeniable: water systems that lack safety, reliability and quality continue to constrain health, productivity and economic transformation across the continent.

This same pattern is echoed across energy, infrastructure and cities - where gains in access are not yet translating into resilience, jobs or competitiveness at the scale required, even as urbanization accelerates.

If cities are expanding, but jobs are not; if energy access is improving, but reliability is not; if infrastructure is growing, but value chains are not: are we truly on a transformative path?

If we are to turn the tide, we must move beyond adhoc interventions and embrace a fundamentally different approach to development.

What is required now is a decisive shift - from sectoral approaches to systems thinking; from plans to implementation at scale.

In this regard, Excellencies, kindly allow me to propose five priorities for our consideration.

First, we must reposition foundational services - water, energy and infrastructure - as core economic assets.

These must be systematically integrated into industrial strategies, urban planning and regional value chains, rather than treated as standalone social sectors.

Second, we must close Africa's infrastructure financing gap through scale, innovation and partnerships.

Domestic resource mobilization must be complemented by targeted efforts to attract private investment, both domestic and foreign. This begins with setting up a conducive business climate and robust pipelines of bankable projects that attract private investment.

Third, we must harness Africa's urban transition as a driver of jobs and productivity.

This requires aligning city planning with industrialization, investing in public transport and affordable housing, and upgrading informal settlements as engines - not obstacles - of growth.

Fourth, the digital and green transitions must advance together.

Energy, digital infrastructure and industry must be planned together, with climate resilience at the core.

In addition, we must build skills and invest more in research and development to position Africa for the industries of tomorrow.

Finally, delivery must be anchored in data, strong institutions and regional cooperation and partnerships.

From transboundary water basins to cross-border power pools and value chains under the African Continental Free Trade Area, cooperation is indispensable.

Importantly, this Forum also provides a unique platform to exchange experiences on the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals and Agenda 2063, while strengthening inclusive stakeholder engagement - particularly with the private sector - to promote collective action and accelerate results.

Excellencies,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Africa's challenge today is not a lack of frameworks.

The Sustainable Development Goals, Agenda 2063 and national development plans are well aligned.

The challenge is implementation at scale.

What is needed now is coherence, financing and sustained political commitment.

This Forum is therefore not merely a moment for reflection; it is a moment for decision - to move decisively from diagnosis to delivery.

The Economic Commission for Africa and the entire UN system will continue to support member States in this endeavour through evidence-based policy advice, capacity building and partnerships that deliver measurable impact.

The tide will not turn on its own.

I am confident that we will use this Forum not only to reflect on where we stand but also to decide, with conviction, on how we move forward for Africa's people today and for generations to come.

I thank you, and I wish us all a productive and action-oriented Forum.