Good morning ladies and gentlemen, bonjour mesdames et messieurs. I am very pleased to be here with some of our senior advisers of the United Nations, who are sitting in the front line and are sitting with me.

I will start with a few words on the talks in Geneva that are aimed at bringing an end to the horrific five-year-long conflict in Syria.

I am glad these talks have started. The Special Envoy Staffan de Mistura is now leading the talks. These talks are long overdue.

I urge all parties to put the people of Syria at the heart of their discussions, and above partisan interests. Civilians, including children and women, have been bearing the brunt of this conflict. We must urgently see an end to the fighting, the sieges and the other terrible human rights abuses that have characterized this war.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Now I will say a few words about the business of this very important and interesting summit. The African Union is a key regional partner for the United Nations. We count on our strong relationship to support African governments in realizing the aspirations of their people for peace, sustainable development and human rights.

I commend this year’s summit theme: 2016, the African year of Human Rights with particular focus on the Rights of Women.

The African Union has solid legal instruments backing human rights and women’s empowerment, and it is making great progress in putting these into action.

The trial of the former President of Chad, Hissène Habré, in Senegal is a significant step, and the Commission of Inquiry on South Sudan sent a strong signal that the African Union will not stand by while civilians are slaughtered and leaders fail to lead.

Respecting human rights means accountability for the most serious crimes of international concern.

In my meetings with African leaders, we discussed the importance of ending the conflict in Burundi including regional and international efforts to encourage political dialogue. I expressed the support of the United Nations for the African Union’s efforts.

On South Sudan, I expressed my concern that leaders have failed to meet the deadline for formation of a Transitional Government. This is essential and urgent to end the unimaginable suffering of the South Sudanese people.

In my discussions on Libya, I underscored the need to build upon the agreement on the government of National Accord and encouraged all Libyan actors to support and join this effort, to help restore peace and stability.

And on Somalia, I discussed with regional leaders the importance of increasing support to AMISOM, to consolidate gains and provide the necessary support to national security forces. I thank all the countries that are contributing to this effort.

Our partnership with the AU on conflict prevention and resolution, and countering violent extremism, is critical

And as we work to address the threat of violent extremism around the world, we must never lose sight of the importance of respecting human rights. Counter-terrorism policy that ignores people’s rights or tramples on their dignity is counter-productive. I call on all African Governments to support the Plan of Action to Prevent Violent Extremism that I presented earlier this month to the United Nations General Assembly.

Good governance is another important area for cooperation. I salute the countries on this continent that held peaceful and democratic elections in the past year, including Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, the Central African Republic, Nigeria, Tanzania and others.

I hope this positive trend will continue. We have all seen the tragic results when leaders use legal loopholes to ignore the will of their people and cling to power.

Last year’s landmark agreements on a Sustainable Development Agenda and climate change could not have happened without the constructive and active engagement and leadership of African governments.

I have asked African leaders to take strong ownership and implement the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris agreement on Climate Change. I hope as many senior leaders as possible will come to New York on 22nd April to sign this agreement, which promises great gains for the people of Africa.

The World Humanitarian Summit that will be held in Istanbul on 23 and 24 May will build on these agreements. It will be the first opportunity for the world to come together and act on the pledge to leave no one behind, and to help those furthest behind first.

Ladies and gentlemen,

This afternoon, I will visit Ziway Dugda Woreda in Oromia region to see for myself the impact of the long spell of drought caused by the El Niño weather phenomenon.

I will be accompanied by His Excellency Demeke Mekonnen, Deputy Prime Minister of Ethiopia, and Ms. Ertharin Cousin, the Executive Director of the World Food Programme, and by the Deputy Emergency Coordinator, Ms. Kyung-wha Kang, and others.

Through this field visit, we will be able to understand the health, food security and water challenges and distribution problems people face. We will be meeting local officials and people affected by the drought.

After that, I will leave Addis Ababa with many indelible impressions and memories of the African Union.

Today is an emotional moment for me: my final day at my last African Union summit in Addis Ababa as Secretary-General. But I will return to Africa many times before the end of the year, and I will continue to work hard on African issues until the last day of my term.

You, the media, are an important part of this summit and I wish you every success in your work.

Thank you.