Under the theme “Assuring Sustainable Water Availability and Safe Sanitation Systems to Achieve the Goals of Agenda 2063,” the meeting brought together Heads of State and Government who demanded urgent action to fight climate change, resolve problems through dialogue, and foster greater continental unity.

African Union Commission (AUC) Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf acknowledged at the opening ceremony of the conclave on Saturday that political fragility is a foreseeable and worrying institutional problem.

Youssouf specified that open conflicts are chronic. The upheaval in the international order undoubtedly has a significant impact on the continent’s affairs, not to mention the recurring interference in our affairs by external actors.

He warned that multilateralism is being undermined by the evidence, and we are witnessing the rise of unilateralism and protectionism.

Before that situation, Africa must strengthen itself by accelerating its integration programs, both political and economic.

The AUC chief urged pan-African institutions to redouble efforts and determination.

We will increasingly rely on African financial institutions, while he called on regional economic communities to intensify their work.

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