The African Union (AU) Commission has welcomed a resolution adopted by the United Nations General Assembly, calling for a fairer and more accurate cartographic representation of Africa and other regions of the world.
In a statement the AU issued over the weekend quoted Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, the chairperson the African Union (AU) Commission, as saying that the continental organisation is fully behind this initiative to right a wrong on the world map.
The United Nations resolution was championed by Togo on behalf of the continent and with exception of the United States which voted against, 164 countries backed it.
The chairperson particularly commended the leadership of Togo and the commitment of its leader Faure Essozimna Gnassingbé, under whose leadership it was championed this initiative for which broad support within the international community was mobilised.
He also congratulated AU member states and the African Group in New York for their unity and collective mobilisation in support of the initiative.
Designed in the 16th century primarily for navigation, the Mercator projection does not accurately reflect the relative surface areas of the different regions of the world and significantly understates the true size of the African continent.
Beyond cartography, this initiative underscores the importance of representing Africa on the basis of objective and scientifically established realities.
In this regard, the chairperson encourages international institutions, educational systems, publishers and digital platforms to progressively promote the use of cartographic representations that more accurately reflect actual land areas, the statement said.
He said the AU Commission will continue to work with Togo, member states and relevant partners to support efforts towards the implementation of this initiative.
“Africa must be represented as it truly is: in its true dimensions and in its rightful place in the world,” the statement added.
MG/as/APA