By Rasheeda Hamidu
Leaders attending the Africa Regional Forum on Sustainable Development (ARFSD-12) have called for coordinated action to accelerate the SDGs and Agenda 2063 due to climate shocks and widening development gaps.
The call came at the opening of the Twelfth Session of the Forum which started on Monday in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and attended by leaders from across Africa.
It was convened by United Nations Economic Commissions for Africa (UNECA) alongside the African Union Commission (AUC), the African Development Bank (AfDB), and United Nations agencies to assess progress and set priorities.
UNECA said the Forum, held under the theme “Turning the Tide: Transformative and Coordinated Actions,” is focused on fast-tracking integrated implementation as the 2030 deadline draws closer.
Opening the session, Uganda’s Prime Minister, Robinah Nabbanja, urged African countries to shift from pledges to practical results in delivering on sustainability commitments.
“With only four years remaining to 2030, we must move with urgency—from commitments to concrete, measurable results,” Nabbanja said.
UNECA Executive Secretary, Claver Gatete, noted that climate shocks, economic pressures, and inequality are increasingly reinforcing each other, making progress more difficult across the continent.
He stressed that climate action and development must go hand in hand, describing them as mutually reinforcing priorities for Africa’s long-term resilience.
The African Union Commission’s Deputy Chairperson, Selma Malika Haddadi, said Agenda 2063 and the SDGs remain aligned frameworks for advancing environmental sustainability and inclusive growth.
Haddadi highlighted priority areas including clean energy, water systems, sustainable cities, and resilient infrastructure as central to the continent’s development agenda.
UNECA said outcomes from the Forum will help shape Africa’s position in upcoming global discussions on climate and development financing.
As climate risks intensify across Africa, the Forum reinforces the need to align environmental sustainability with economic transformation—an intersection that continues to define NatureNews Africa’s coverage of the continent’s development pathway.
