Commonwealth Secretariat
  1. Home
  2. What's New
  3. Who We Are
  4. What We Do
    1. Democracy
    2. Economics
    3. Education
    4. Gender
    5. Governance
    6. Health
    7. Human Rights
    8. Law
    9. Small States
    10. Sport
    11. Sustainability
    12. Youth
    13. Millennium Development Goals
    14. Funding
  5. News
    1. Events
    2. News Archive Search
    3. Picture Stories
  6. Media Room
    1. Press Archive Search
    2. Media Contacts
    3. Video
    4. Events
    5. In the Media
    6. Updates
    7. Downloads
  7. Resources
    1. Documents
    2. Image Library
    3. Libary & Archives
    4. Publications
  8. Publications
  9. Employment
  10. FAQs
    1. Acronyms
  11. Contact Us
Commonwealth Secretariat press release

UN Secretary-General to urge support for Africa

8 March 2000

This year's Commonwealth Lecture on the theme Africa: Maintaining the Momentum will be delivered in London on 14 March by the United Nations Secretary-General, Mr Kofi Annan. 

Encouraging Africa's recovery, and mobilising international support for it, has been one of Kofi Annan's main priorities since he became Secretary-General in 1997.  In May 1998 he delivered a major report to the United Nations Security Council and General Assembly on The Causes of Conflict and Promotion of Durable Peace and Sustainable Development in Africa, and much of the UN's activity since then has been devoted to following up the recommendations in that report.  In January, this year these efforts received greater international attention when the United States made Africa's problems the main focus of its month in the presidency of the Security Council.

In his Commonwealth Lecture, the UN Secretary-General is expected to urge the international community to sustain this focus on the challenges facing Africa, and to support the efforts of African governments and peoples in meeting those challenges.  More specifically, he will seek to maintain the emphasis on consolidating democratic processes, and on efforts to build peace and end the culture of 'war for profit' in several key African countries.  Mr Kofi Annan will also stress the need to support regional and sub-regional co-operation and economic integration, and to give increased attention to sustainable development.  He will highlight the forgotten emergencies in Africa and urge support for the UN strategic partnership against HIV/AIDS.

Throughout the decades, the Commonwealth has consistently affirmed its support for the United Nations and worked closely with the world body in the pursuit of common objectives: the challenges of peacemaking; the promotion of human rights and the rule of law; and the equitable distribution of the benefits of globalisation, among others.

Today, of the Commonwealth's 54 member countries, 19 are in Africa*. For nearly three decades since the founding of the modern Commonwealth in 1949, African issues, most notably the cause of national liberation and anti-racism in Southern Africa, were the dominant concerns of the association. 

Instituted in 1998, the annual Commonwealth Lectures provide a platform for an eminent Commonwealth personality to address issues of special interest and concern to the Commonwealth and the wider international community.  The Commonwealth Secretary-General, Chief Emeka Anyaoku, is Patron of the Lectures.

 

Note to Editors: 

The inaugural Commonwealth Lecture (1998) entitled Human Rights: Is there a Commonwealth Perspective? was delivered by Professor Amartya Sen, Master of Trinity College, Cambridge, and the 1998 Nobel Laureate for Economics. The Second Commonwealth Lecture (1999) entitled Globalisation and the Nation State, was delivered by The Rt Hon. Malcolm Fraser, former Prime Minister of Australia. 

The Lectures are sponsored by the Commonwealth Foundation in collaboration with the Commonwealth Secretariat, the Royal Commonwealth Society, the Royal Over-Seas League, the Cambridge Malaysian Commonwealth Studies Centre, the Commonwealth Institute, and the Institute of Commonwealth Studies.

Commonwealth African member countries are: Botswana, Cameroon, The Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. 

All enquiries about the UN Secretary-General's visit and the United Nations should be directed to the UN Information Centre, Millbank Tower, 21st Floor, 21-24 Millbank, London SW1P 4QP, United Kingdom. 
Tel + 44 20 7630 1981
Fax: + 44 20 7976 6478
E-mail address: info@uniclondon.org

For further information about the Commonwealth Lectures and Commonwealth activities contact Information and Public Affairs Division, Commonwealth Secretariat, Marlborough House, Pall Mall, London SW1Y 5HX
Tel + 44 20 7747 6385/2
Fax + 44 20 7839 9081
E-mail address: info@commonwealth.int

 

00/13 08 March 2000

Share this page
About this

ISSUED BY THE COMMUNICATIONS AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS DIVISION
Commonwealth Secretariat Marlborough House Pall Mall London SW1Y 5HX United Kingdom
Tel: +44 (0)20 7747 6385/6 Fax: +44 (0)20 7839 9081
Email: info@commonwealth.int