Tunisia called on the international community to mobilise support for developing countries and to increase funding for Africa, in order to help the continent overcome the repercussions of the pandemic and reboot its economy.

In an address to a working session on the development of the African Continent held on Tuesday in the Italian city of Matera, Foreign Minister Othman Jerandi called on governments, the private sector and development stakeholders to devise joint mechanisms to this end.

The working session is held as part of the G20 Foreign Affairs and Development Ministers’ meetings, currently presided over by Italy.

Tunisia underlined on the occasion, the importance of boosting South-South and tripartite cooperation to keep up economic growth rates in African countries and protect vulnerable African economies, according to a Foreign Affairs Department press release.

Jerandi highlighted the difficulties faced by Africa due to the COVID-19 pandemic, calling for further efforts at the regional and international levels to ensure “urgent and equitable” access to vaccines for African countries, reaffirming Tunisia’s support for the proposal to lift intellectual property rights on COVID-19 vaccines.

Besides, the FM emphasized the important role that the G20 could play in solving environmental problems, through the establishment of partnership projects with African countries aimed at promoting the green economy and opting for renewable energy.

Source: TAP News Agency