Justin Trudeau meets leaders at AU Summit to discuss peace, augment economic prosperity

The Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau gathered at a meeting among the presidents of African countries, foreign ministers and representatives of the UN and other multilateral bodies on Monday. The objective of the meeting was to discuss ways to secure peace across the continent as a necessary condition for prosperity.

Justin Trudeau called for cooperation among international partners and governments to create economic opportunity and prosperity that is broadly shared, "…as a way not just of countering the pull of extremism in some places or the cynicism of populism, but as a way of building a real and tangible future for countries around the world.

The meeting took place on the sidelines of the 33^rd African Union Summit 2020 in Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa. It was aimed to strengthen the Commission's partnership with the African Union (AU) and to better integrate African priorities in conflict prevention and bolstering economic security. Varied issues were discussed including the role that international financial bodies and youth job creation can play in Africa in averting extremism and conflict.

"In this time of change, in this time of transformation of the global economy, time of conflict, time of climate conflict, people worry that the system has no place for them and isn't providing them with what they need," Justin Trudeau opined. The talks, titled Sustaining Peace and Economic Security, aligned with the Summit's theme: Silencing the Guns: Creating Conducive Conditions for Africa's Development.

The President of African Development Bank, Akinwumi Adesina recognized the role Canada plays in enabling the Bank's work. "The successful replenishment of the Bank's African Development Fund 15 – to which Canada contributed substantially with $355 million – will allow the Bank to deploy an additional USD 1.2 billion to address fragility, strengthen resilience and sustain peace and economic security," he added.