Leaders from Francophone Africa have called for a comprehensive reshaping of the international order, criticizing a system they view as outdated.
Addressing the United Nations General Assembly in New York, the leaders demanded reforms to the UN Security Council, sovereign control over natural resources, and an active role in shaping global governance for emerging technologies like artificial intelligence.
Speakers said global institutions established in 1945 fail to reflect modern geopolitical, digital and economic realities, leaving African nations underrepresented in multilateral decision-making bodies.
Democratic Republic of the Congo Prime Minister Judith Suminwa Tuluka and representatives from Mali and Niger denounced the inconsistent application of international law and double standards in crisis resolution, arguing that selective enforcement undermines faith in global multilateralism.
Responses to the imbalances varied.
Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso emphasized regional autonomy through the Confederation of Sahel States (AES) to reject external hegemony.
Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye advocated reforming multilateral institutions from within through a stronger, more representative United Nations and continued engagement with ECOWAS and the African Union.
Beyond institutional governance, leaders underscored economic and technological sovereignty.
Delegates from Equatorial Guinea and Guinea called for an end to raw material extraction in favour of localized refining and industrial value chains, pointing to major infrastructure initiatives like Guinea’s Simandou mining project.
The DRC urged international bodies to guarantee developing nations equitable access and voting power in establishing global standards for artificial intelligence.
AP
