President Macky Sall was received at State House in Banjul by the President of the Republic of The Gambia, Adama Barrow. The audience focused on African unity and on the candidacy for United Nations Secretary-General, a few days before the Security Council's first straw polls.
The candidate summed up the spirit of the meeting in one sentence: "As Africans, we must work together and focus our efforts on the UN's key pillars: peace and security, human rights and sustainable development." He asked for the prayers and support of the Gambian President for his candidacy, the only declared African candidacy in the race.
The Gambian and Senegalese press reported President Adama Barrow's commitment in favour of the candidacy. The stop extends the thread of regional unity: Senegal and The Gambia, two immediate neighbours bound by geography, history and family, speak with one voice on the international stage.
The Banjul talks reflect a conviction President Macky Sall carries from capital to capital: Africa gains by moving forward united. Only one African has led the United Nations since 1945, Kofi Annan, from 1997 to 2006. Twenty years after the end of his term, the continent that hosts the largest number of peace operations puts forward a candidacy of experience, resting on the three pillars of the official vision: peace and development linked, a renewed multilateralism, a streamlined governance.
The calendar is now tightening. The Security Council's first straw polls are expected in the last week of July. From Banjul to New York, the approach remains the same: to listen to every state, to serve unity, and to carry a simple ambition for a United Nations that is effective and faithful to its Charter.
The full vision statement is available at www.mackysall.net.