In a recorded message to the fifth edition of the forum, Guterres urged the international community to “embrace African solutions to African problems” and called for greater African representation in global financial institutions, as well as a reformed UN Security Council that ensures the continent’s permanent and equitable voice.
He highlighted the importance of African-led progress in economic transformation, security, health, the green transition, and artificial intelligence, underscoring that multilateral cooperation remains essential to realizing the shared aspirations of Agenda 2030 and Agenda 2063.
Addressing the opening session, Somali Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre said the Aswan Forum has become a leading African platform for cooperation in addressing security and development challenges, stressing that peace and stability are the foundation of sustainable growth.
He urged greater investment in state-building, education, infrastructure, and job creation, alongside strengthened African capacities to combat terrorism and tackle the roots of conflict.
In his remarks, Angolan Foreign Minister Tete António lauded the Aswan Forum’s role in promoting peace, security, and sustainable development, noting that the forum’s fifth edition aligns closely with Angola’s priorities as current African Union (AU) Chair, particularly in peacebuilding, economic integration, and collective action to address shared challenges.
He emphasized the need for African and international cooperation to address the drivers of crisis and reinforce the continent’s ability to achieve inclusive development and lasting stability.
At the opening, President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi warned that mounting global polarization, the selective application of international law, and the persistence of double standards are eroding trust in multilateral institutions and deepening the fragility of the world order.
In a recorded message to the forum, El-Sisi said the international community’s failure to respond effectively to humanitarian crises and development challenges has widened global inequality, with Africa bearing the greatest burden.
He stressed that the credibility of the rules-based international system is at stake, pointing to the unequal distribution of resources, mounting debt crises, and inadequate climate-finance mechanisms that have left many developing nations increasingly vulnerable.
The Egyptian president underscored that the erosion of multilateralism and growing rivalries among major powers are undermining collective security and development efforts, particularly in Africa, where external interventions and terrorism continue to threaten stability.
El-Sisi called for a fairer and more inclusive international order that restores balance and empowers developing countries to play a greater role in global decision-making.
“Africa must not be treated as a victim of change,” he said, “but as a driver of it—a continent shaping its destiny with courage, vision, and unity.”
The forum, held under the theme A World in Flux, A Continent in Motion: Navigating Africa’s Progress Amid Global Shifts, brings together African leaders, regional organizations, financial institutions, and civil society representatives to discuss ways of linking peace, security, and sustainable development.
Launched in 2019 during Egypt’s presidency of the AU, the Aswan Forum has evolved into an African-owned platform aimed at translating dialogue into concrete action and policy coordination across the continent.
Short link: