South African President Thabo Mbeki called on the European Union on Thursday to do more to help African countries fight poverty, stressing that hunger remains a ”serious problem” for the continent.
”There is a need to generate more support from the European Union and Europe to help us meet the challenges of African development,” Mbeki said after hour-long talks with Greek President Costis Stephanopoulos.
Mbeki, in Athens on a two-day official visit, said hunger, poverty and underdevelopment are the central challenges facing his country and the rest of Africa.
”In South Africa, we are faced with high levels of poverty and unemployment, which are the matters that challenge us,” he said.
A United Nations-sponsored report released in January estimated that 150 000 children in Africa die each month from malaria, while about 72% of Africans in cities are living in slums. The UN said all but one of the 16 countries with the highest levels of hunger are in sub-Saharan Africa, where many nations are suffering from food emergencies.
”Hunger is a very serious problem … and there is a need for greater engagement of the European Union,” Mbeki said.
In 1970, the world’s nations agreed to provide 0,7% of their gross national income for development assistance, and that figure was reaffirmed during a UN conference on financing development in Monterrey, Mexico, in 2002.
So far, only five countries have met or surpassed the target — Denmark, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Norway and Sweden. Six others have made commitments to reach the target by 2015 — Belgium, Finland, France, Ireland, Spain and Britain.
But 11 of the 22 richest donors, according to the Paris-based Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, are far from the target and have not set timetables to reach it — including the United States, Japan and Germany.
Mbeki said on Thursday that the Organisation for African Unity’s New Partnership for Africa’s Development, dating from 2001, is aimed at eradicating poverty and generating sustainable development for African countries. He said the programme initially received global support.
”The challenge now is to make sure that the agreed programmes are implemented,” Mbeki said.
”Africa needs help,” Stephanopoulos said. The Greek president said the African continent needs steady development and growth to reduce the number of immigrants going to Europe.
”In Greece, we understand the need to find a way of cooperation [between Europe and Africa] to solve the serious problems that continue to exist there,” Stephanopoulos added.
Mbeki will hold talks with Prime Minister Costas Caramanlis, and receive the Gold Medal of Merit from the mayor of Athens. He leaves Greece on Saturday. — Sapa-AP