#RoadtoLuanda25: UNGA80 marks a wake-up call for Africa and Europe to step up together for Multilateralism

UNGA80 took place amidst a significant crisis of multilateralism, with geopolitical fragmentation, proliferating conflicts, and questions surrounding the commitment of key nations threatening the effectiveness of international cooperation.

But cooperation is needed now more than ever to tackle interconnected and globalised crises – from climate change to pandemics, insecurity to economic strains.

At our #RoadtoLuanda25 ‘Safe Space’ Debates in New York, African and European Ministers unpacked how our partnership can step up - acting as a stabilising axis to advance shared development goals and drive the needed reform of multilateralism. Our current work on the G20 and association to the Article 109 Coalition provide immediate-term frameworks for follow-up.

Here we also take inspiration from Rebeca Grynspan (Secretary General of UN Trade and Development), who joined our opening debate, reinforcing: “We need to have agency in these tough times… multilateralism is a choice, and on the #RoadtoLuanda25, Africa and Europe together have to demonstrate a strong force because multilateralism will depend on it.”

Our #RoadtoLuanda25 Debates at UNGA80 exposed the growing mood for implementation and the importance of delivery to restore trust in international cooperation - a point underlined by Moussa Faki (Special Envoy for the global Pact for Prosperity, People & the Planet): “On multilateralism, Africa and Europe really are in the same boat…in preparation for Luanda, there is pressure on both continents to show how multilateralism and our cross-continental cooperation delivers improvements in people’s lives”

This is why our work on tracking and facilitating the implementation of joint commitments is so critical, building on the AEF benchmarking State of Africa-Europe Report. When it comes to where we need to focus, AU and EU leaders at our New York debates underlined “Digital Infrastructure and Connectivity” and “Catalysing Investment for Energy Access and Transitions” as domains that hold the most promise for a forward-looking partnership.

In this perspective, Amina Mohammed (UN Deputy Secretary-General and Chair of the UN Sustainable Development Group), stressed “This is a defining moment for Africa-Europe…we’ve got the tools, we don’t need any more speeches, it’s about the implementation”, while Mary Robinson (AEF Honorary Co-President and Former President of Ireland) rallied “We don’t want to maintain ambition, we want to raise it”.

Multilateralism faces a dual crisis - one of trust and one of financing.

Both cut across the strategic topics of our #RoadtoLuanda25 Debates, with a growing consensus on the need for a complete change of paradigm when it comes to financing our future, catalysing capital flows and reimagining global financial frameworks.

This is consistent with our work this year on the first Africa-led G20 and once-in-a-decade Financing for Development Conference. At AU-EU levels, calls for greater ownership of development strategies and strengthened win-win partnerships have increased the recognition for financial self-sufficiency.

Ellen Sirleaf Johnson (AEF Honorary Co-President and Former President of Liberia) stressed “Africa is determined to take its future into its own hands. I hear this from the African leaders that it is now the time to rebuild ourselves; and we look forward to the partnerships that will enable us to build our own domestic revenue systems and have a seat at all global tables to discuss matters. This is where this longstanding Africa-Europe partnership must now make a difference.”

With just five years left to deliver on the 2030 Agenda, domestic resource mobilisation has emerged as a key pillar for sustainable finance and a development model centred on more equitable economic cooperation.

Pragmatic steps include supporting digital tax administration and cross-border tax data exchanges; strengthening cross-continental collaboration on global tax reform, including digital economy taxation; joint cooperation and partnership in the use of ICTs and data analytics to assess the risk of financial flows becoming illicit and improving institutional capacities to track, analyse and act on financial data to stem these illicit flows.

The launch of our latest Action Report on Climate-Health, in partnership with Foundation S, exposes the growing recognition in society that health, climate and economic crises are interconnected. We now need our political leadership to catch-up.

But beyond internationally coordinated action, the report calls on local leadership to be systematically embedded in decision-making. It positions communities as frontline actors to climate change who are not only adapting but innovating - designing scalable health solutions that extend far beyond their borders.

These locally led solutions reflect lived realities that have the power to inform realistic global policy and practice. By partnering with and investing in communities through training, infrastructure and participatory governance, we can address challenges in a demand-driven approach and leverage multilateralism’s inclusive conveying power to translate declarations into implementation.

An area for action echoed by Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr (Mayor of Freetown and member of the AEF Women Leaders Network), “When a municipality can take the lead, you are able to bring adaptive learning to scale... because local government has greater reach and access.”

At AU-EU levels, this includes establishing dedicated community engagement channels and positions for local leadership to participate in cross-continental climate–health dialogues and decision-making structures, as well as developing cross-sectoral policies and financing strategies that integrate infrastructure development, health system strengthening, and climate change adaptation priorities, such as through the Global Gateway Africa – Europe Investment Package.

To unlock further capital for locally-led solutions, Anne-Claire Amprou (Ambassador for Global Health of France) reminded us “We need all partners involved, not only global health initiatives, but also multilateral development banks, countries with domestic financing…it's a culmination of all these tools that can make the difference.”