The African Union is working diligently today to resolve issues surrounding protecting Africa’s biodiversity. Africa hosts nearly a quarter of global diversity within the continent, yet it is being destroyed through various factors, mostly those that are man made. The consequences of such events can be dire, resulting in issues like food insecurity, conflicts over land, and the increased transmission of zoonotic diseases.

In one bloc, Mozambique is attempting to combat some of the issues the delegation sees within its own borders. This includes deforestation and the loss of various animal habitats.

“In my bloc right now the working paper is focusing on, well our topic is biodiversity in Africa and we’re focusing on clean energy as something that we’re trying to build through Africa in terms of infrastructure and to not pollute the oceans anymore,” the representative of Mozambique told the Chicago Tribune. “This committee is also focused on preventing logging and poaching. The African Union doesn’t get published or talked about so we are not able to receive the same support as Ukraine in our wars and we need more press.”

As the committee unfolded, it became evident that there was much to negotiate before passing a resolution. While many delegates spoke of the need to find redundancies between the papers in order to be concise and thorough, it did not appear that there was action associated with the sentiment.

One of the other many blocs in the room consists of nations such as Guinea, Burundi, Niger, Zambia, Rwanda, Sudan, and Nigeria. Compared to the efforts of Mozambique’s bloc, this bloc is more focused on the impacts of tourism on the area saying, “We think our biggest thing in our paper is eco tourism. Eco tourism is the middle ground between protecting biodiversity and improving the economy. Right now a lot of countries in Africa benefit from tourism because we have phenomenal savannas and rainforests. However, these tourisms have a very huge environmental effect whether it be like single use plastics or carbon emissions. So, we hope by encouraging ecotourism for the benefit of the environment we can both improve the economy and protect biodiversity.”

“Ecotourism essentially is a win-win because it not only benefits the economy but also concerns the environment,” the delegate from Sudan added.

While it appears there is still more work to be done, the efforts of the African Union are commendable and are sure to yield results in the upcoming sessions.

But this is par for the course for the African Union. Meeting after meeting, decade after decade, working papers with lofty goals to end pollution, eradicate hunger, expand access to clean plumbing are passed. And yet, there is no real change in Africa. Corrupt governments and a lack of press freedoms continue to lie to their citizens while enriching themselves, preventing any meaningful resolutions from being implemented.

Only seven countries in sub-Saharan Africa are considered Free by Freedom House, a global liberties watchdog. Reporters Without Borders, meanwhile, has highlighted 21 African countries in either red or black because violations of free press are so egregious that journalists cannot report news critical of their governments without fear for their well-being. And corruption has not ended. In January 2023, The Corruption Perceptions Index gave sub-Saharan Africa as a whole 32 out of 100 marks due to continued bribery and violation of political rights across the continent. With such discouraging metrics, it is no wonder why the African Union’s work fails to have long-term impacts. That is why it’s vital for them to take the delegation of Côte d’Ivoire’s lead to primarily pass resolutions that hold leaders accountable and expand the freedom of the press.

Côte d’Ivoire recognized that partisanship within the committee has prevented resolutions from being passed in a speedy manner.

“The delegation of Côte d’Ivoire is working towards a steady democracy,” said their representative. “That’s why we’re succeeding.”

The delegation of Guinea-Bissau concurred. “We lacked discussion of free press, but the free press is what holds governments accountable,” a Guinea-Bissau representative said. “We need to start giving a voice to the people.”

To ensure global democracy, it is vital that every country puts in its dues to combat corruption and the lack of a free media – because that will allow resolutions to be put into action.