Four years ago, in June 2022, the world faced a major food crisis. Grain and fertilizer exports from the Black Sea were interrupted. In Africa and beyond, dozens of countries saw their food security under threat. The Ukraine-Russia mediation that President Macky Sall undertook at the time left its mark on African diplomacy.
On 3 June 2022, in his capacity as Chairperson of the African Union, President Macky Sall travelled to Sochi, where he met President Putin. His message was precise: he pleaded for the release of grain and fertilizer stocks, in the name of Africa's food security. He carried the voice of an entire continent, without taking sides in the conflict.
This initiative was welcomed across all continents and contributed to the diplomatic context that enabled the grain agreements of July 2022. Those agreements reopened export corridors and eased the pressure on global food prices. Millions of people benefited, far beyond Africa.
Four years on, this mission sums up a method: speak to all parties without exclusion, focus on concrete objectives that serve people, and keep the dialogue open when other channels close. This method is set out in President Macky Sall's vision for the United Nations.
The office of Secretary-General demands this profile. The Charter of the United Nations entrusts its holder with good offices missions, which require the confidence of all Member States, whatever their position in ongoing crises. President Macky Sall's career demonstrates this capacity: he has engaged with Moscow, Kyiv, Washington, Beijing, Brussels and every African capital, holding to a single line, the service of populations.
As the world fragments and channels of dialogue narrow, the United Nations remains the forum where all parties can talk to one another. President Macky Sall proposes to bring to it the proven experience of a bridge-builder. The elements of his candidacy are available at www.mackysall.net.