On Africa Day, UN chief hails steady economic, social, political progress in continent

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki- moon on Monday marked Africa Day, saying "Africa continues to make steady economic, social and political progress."

In his message to mark Africa Day, which falls on May 25, the secretary-general underscored the achievements of the continent and reflected on the challenges for this year.

"Each year, Africa Day gives us the opportunity to celebrate Africa's achievements and to reflect on its challenges," Ban said.

The dominant story of the year has been the Ebola crisis that swept West Africa, claiming at least 11,000 lives and threatening hard-won social, economic and political achievements, he said. " With great courage and determination, and with the generous support of African nations and the international community, the affected countries have made remarkable progress toward ending the outbreak."

"Now, we have to intensify efforts to 'get to zero and stay at zero' cases, repair the damage, and strengthen social and institutional resilience throughout the continent," Ban said, adding that he will convene an International Ebola Recovery Conference at the United Nations in New York in July to help mobilize support for this important task.

"Africa continues to make steady economic, social and political progress," the secretary-general said. "Overall, the continent's economy grew by roughly 4 percent in 2014, creating one of the longest stretches of uninterrupted positive economic expansion in Africa's history."

According to him, a growing number of Africans have joined the middle class each year. And with investment in education, health and infrastructure increasing, "the prospects for much of Africa are bright."

The challenge, however, is to spread these benefits more broadly and deeply in Africa, particularly to women and girls who represent the continent's future, said the UN chief.

"If we empower women, we help build better, more equal and more prosperous societies," he said. "I commend the commitment of the African Union to gender equality and the empowerment of women as part of its Agenda 2063, and I welcome the declaration of 2015 as the year of women's empowerment in Africa."

"Africa leads the world in female representation in Parliaments, and the continent has one of the highest rates of female entrepreneurship," Ban said. "Let us be inspired by these successes and intensify efforts to provide Africa's women with better access to education, work and healthcare, and by doing so, accelerate Africa's transformation."

He also called for more action to end violence against women and girls while strengthening their role in all fields, including peacebuilding. "Despite an overall decline in the number of conflicts, too many Africans still experience violent conflict... Women and girls bear the brunt, and are frequent targets of sexual violence and abuse," he said.

"We know that conflicts breed where people suffer from poor governance, human rights violations, exclusion and poverty. I therefore applaud Africa's vision to build, by 2063, a peaceful and prosperous continent where democracy, human rights and the rule of law are entrenched and flourishing, starting with the aim to silence all guns by 2020," he said.

The UN chief also reaffirmed the commitment of the United Nations to work with the African Union, the Regional Economic Communities, and African countries and their citizens, to make this vision a reality.

Africa Day is an annual commemoration of the founding of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) on May 25, 1963, when leaders of 30 of the 32 independent African states signed a founding charter in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

In 1991, the OAU established the African Economic Community, and in 2002 the OAU established its own successor, the African Union. The name and date of Africa Day has been retained as a celebration of African unity. Endite