Togo’s Foreign Minister Advocates for UN Revitalization, SDG Progress, and African Reparations at General Assembly

In a poignant address during the General Debate of the 80th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, Robert Komlan Edo Dussey, Togo’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration, and Togolese Abroad, extended unwavering support to the UN Secretary-General amid global challenges. He highlighted Togo’s strides in sustainable development while calling for international recognition of historical injustices inflicted upon Africa.

M. Dussey commended the Secretary-General’s ongoing efforts to revitalize the United Nations, an institution he described as increasingly threatened by the resurgence of unilateralism and the « law of force ». In an international context of extreme confusion, where everything is upside down, it is not easy to be Secretary-General of the United Nations, he remarked.

Togo’s Commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals

Shifting focus to domestic achievements, M. Dussey outlined Togo’s substantial progress in aligning with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. He emphasized that the government has transformed the Global Goals into the true compass of public policies, integrating over 70 percent of SDG targets into national strategies.

Central to this effort is Togo’s 2020-2025 roadmap, structured around four key pillars: social, economic, environmental, and governance. Dussey provided concrete examples of advancements:

• Geographical accessibility to healthcare reached 90.7 percent in 2023, a dramatic increase from 19.3 percent in 2020.
• Access to drinking water rose to 86 percent in 2024, up from 26 percent in 2020.

These gains reflect Togo’s modernization drive and optimistic outlook for the future. However, Dussey cautioned that such efforts remain vulnerable to external threats, particularly the persistent terrorist activities plaguing the Sahel region and broader West Africa.

A Call for Justice and Reparations for Africa

Dussey drew attention to the African Union’s 2025 theme, « Justice for Africans and people of African descent through reparations, » underscoring a « bitter thirst for justice » across the continent. He advocated for reparations addressing four centuries of the transatlantic slave trade and decades of colonialism, framing these as essential steps toward healing historical wounds.

Referencing the Second Africa-CARICOM Summit, he noted the reaffirmed commitment among participating nations to leverage their partnership in pursuing reparative justice for Africans and people of African descent. Dussey invoked the legacies of slavery and colonialism not as relics of the past but as foundations for building a future rooted in justice and equality for all.

In a striking appeal for symbolic and substantive change, he called for the correction of Africa’s depiction on world maps to accurately reflect its true size, declaring, “Geography must be decolonized.” Furthermore, he urged the United Nations to leverage its global credibility in recognizing the transatlantic slave trade, colonization, slavery, and deportations not merely as crimes against humanity, but as genocide against the peoples of Africa.

Dussey’s intervention resonates amid ongoing global discussions on equity, development, and historical accountability, positioning Togo as a vocal advocate for African interests on the international stage. As the UNGA continues, such addresses highlight the urgent need for collective action in an increasingly divided world.