UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina and ministers review SDG progress at HLPF Africa Day 2026

Celebrity Media reporting from the Permanent Observer Mission of the African Union to the United Nations:** The 2026 Africa Day special event of the UN High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development was held at UN Headquarters in New York. UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina J. Mohammed, African Union officials, ministers, UN agencies and development partners reviewed Africa’s progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals and discussed how to accelerate the UN 2030 Agenda and the African Union’s Agenda 2063. Participants launched the 2026 Africa Sustainable Development Report and presented the first biennial report on the Second Ten-Year Implementation Plan of Agenda 2063. The reports examined progress and remaining gaps in water, sanitation, energy, infrastructure, regional integration and development financing. Mohammed said Africa Day gives the continent an important platform to present its own priorities. This year, 19 African countries are presenting Voluntary National Reviews, and all 54 African countries have now submitted at least one review. She highlighted three main messages. First, Africa has expanded access to essential services, but major gaps remain. The continent has made progress on 12 of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Access to basic drinking water increased from 56 percent in 2013 to 81 percent, while electricity access rose from 46 percent in 2015 to 53 percent. Mobile networks now cover nearly 93 percent of the population. However, only about 36 percent of Africans have access to safely managed drinking water, and about 30 percent use safely managed sanitation. Around 650 million people still lack basic sanitation. Nearly 970 million rely on polluting cooking fuels, contributing to about 400,000 deaths each year, mostly among women and children. Second, Africa’s main challenge is not a lack of development plans, but limited financing and weak implementation capacity. Government revenue averages about 23 percent of GDP, below the global average of roughly 32 percent. More than 20 African countries are in debt distress or at high risk, while official development assistance continues to decline. Mohammed called on African countries to broaden their tax bases, digitalize revenue collection, reduce illicit financial flows and lower remittance costs. Africa receives more than US$104 billion in remittances each year. She also urged the international community to reform the global financial system, expand concessional financing, provide effective debt relief and fulfil climate-finance commitments. Third, Africa must remain the main driver of its own transformation. The African Continental Free Trade Area, cross-border infrastructure, regional value chains and the freer movement of people, capital, technology and goods can strengthen competitiveness and resilience. The African Union’s membership in the Group of Twenty also gives Africa a stronger voice on debt, trade, climate finance and financial reform. Mohammed said African countries must coordinate their priorities to turn that representation into concrete results. She also stressed that sustainable development depends on peace, good governance and inclusive political systems. An African Union Commission representative said the 2030 Agenda and Agenda 2063 are complementary road maps. The latest Agenda 2063 report showed an overall implementation level of about 53 percent during 2024 and 2025. Progress was recorded in national planning, digital transformation and institution-building, but further action is needed in employment, economic transformation, infrastructure and sustainable financing. Participants called for faster implementation of major African Union initiatives, including the African Continental Free Trade Area, regional infrastructure programs, the Single African Air Transport Market and the Digital Transformation Strategy for Africa. A ministerial representative said Africa, with 54 countries and more than 1.5 billion people, must move from commitments to implementation, from declarations to delivery and from fragmented projects to coordinated action. Participants identified five priorities: transformative policies, development financing, investment in water, energy and infrastructure, stronger use of science and technology, and deeper partnerships among governments, international institutions, the private sector and civil society. The event delivered a clear message: despite debt pressures, climate risks, geopolitical conflict and global economic uncertainty, Africa continues to adapt and move forward. As 2030 approaches, the focus must shift from setting goals to delivering measurable results that improve people’s lives.