Omar Touray, the president of the Economic Community of West African States Commission, has highlighted the necessity of taking concrete steps to fulfil long-standing international agreements on peace and development.
The ECOWAS Commission made this announcement on Monday as Touray delivered a speech at the UN General Assembly in New York during the Summit of the Future.
Touray praised UN Secretary-General António Guterres for calling the meeting and emphasised its significance during a period when the globe must make critical decisions.
“The timing of the summit is particularly significant coming, as it does, at a time when our world stands at a crossroads,” Touray stated, highlighting the need to choose between a chaotic past and a more just, collaborative future.
He questioned the Pact for the Future’s uniqueness, claiming that many of its promises had already been made public under other UN frameworks.
“The fact that we have come back to the same old commitments suggests that we still need greater political will to deliver on the good promises,” he remarked.
Touray emphasised that for ECOWAS, real implementation is what will determine how meaningful the Pact is.
On matters like youth empowerment, climate justice, sustainable development, and peace and security, he demanded immediate action.
He cautioned against the perils of division and strife, especially in West Africa, and urged leaders to concentrate on promoting regional unity and integration.
“If we fail to deliver once again, history will look back to this summit not as the summit of the future but a Summit of the Past. This is the choice before us,” he added.