About Azali Assoumani
Azali Assoumani has been active in international diplomacy and domestic development initiatives. At the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly in September 2025, he called for the international community to "put the future of a Palestinian state once and for all on our common agenda," stating that "every day that goes by without action being taken, thousands of innocent people, women and children die." He also argued that Africa "must finally obtain its legitimate rightful place within the Security Council of the United Nations" and advocated for reform of the international financial architecture. In October 2025, at the 24th COMESA Summit in Nairobi, Assoumani spoke about digital transformation in Comoros, citing the arrival of a submarine cable that "reduced digital fragmentation" and the development of mobile payment solutions that "improved financial inclusion especially for those in the rural areas and for youth and women." He also called for connecting countries through "reliable networks that are secure" and integrating cybersecurity as "a very essential dimension for peace and sovereignty."
Assoumani also addressed regional and bilateral issues. At the 5th summit of the Indian Ocean Commission (COI) in Madagascar in April 2025, he responded to French President Emmanuel Macron by stating that "in virtue of international law, the island of Mayotte is a Comorian island," and said he and Macron had engaged in "a frank, sincere and responsible dialogue" to resolve the territorial dispute. In October 2025, he launched a port extension and maritime corridor project in Moroni, describing it as a "strategic initiative" that would "modernize infrastructure, reduce logistics costs, and promote sustainable growth, positioning Comoros as a key maritime hub." He also visited a mosque in Nairobi in October 2025, where he said that "Islam — the Islamic religion is peace" and that "whoever says Islam is not peace is wrong."
Source: AI-verified profile updated from Azali Assoumani's recent appearances.
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Azali Assoumani0:00
As you said, all time must be devoted to actions, not words, so I will be very brief. Excellency, dear colleagues, I am very happy to join you on behalf of the African Union to speak on a topic of capital importance for our common future, namely our adaptation to climate change. But before getting into the heart of the subject, I would like to thank my brothers, President William Ruto and President Macky Sall, for organizing this meeting. My thanks also go to the African Union Commission, the African Development Bank, and the Global Center on Adaptation for setting up this platform. Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, the year 2023 was a very difficult year in terms of climate hazards, namely storms, floods, droughts, and heat waves, hazards that hit our populations hard, the first victims of climate impact. The capacity of our populations, our countries, and our continent to adapt to climate impact is therefore a major challenge for the future of our generations. So we no longer have a choice; we must act without further delay. However, our ability to adapt will also depend on our ability to mobilize the necessary funds to implement much more innovative mechanisms in order to achieve the necessary scale of investment. Yet Africa is still far from meeting the mark when it comes to international adaptation financing, and the situation cannot remain as it is, because insufficient investment and lack of planning for adaptation to climate change risks compromising the future of our continent. Honorable attendees, ladies and gentlemen, the fight against climate change will be costly, and few of our African countries have the necessary budgetary resources to meet this great challenge. According to an IMF study from April 2023, Africa needs $50 billion per year by 2050 to finance adaptation measures. Certainly, many promises have been made, but implementation is still too slow. So, to increase climate action financing, we must start by reforming the global financial architecture, finding new ways to combine public, private, and concessional financing to increase investment and bridge the gap between the continent's needs and available resources. We will also need to reform our mechanisms for accessing funds so that once committed, they are available quickly and used effectively. I come from an island nation called the Union of the Comoros, heavily impacted by climate hazards. Faced with rising sea levels and erosion, we believe that the blue economy is a good path to follow and encourage in terms of innovative investment opportunities. Thus, with our partners, we must renew and strengthen the commitments made to double financial flows for adaptation by 2025. We must support our efforts with our national adaptation plans and adaptation compacts, intensify efforts to streamline access to international climate finance. I welcome the progress made on the renewed agreement on the operation of the fund for loss and damage, which raises much hope for other financing. Of course, this whole set, Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, through a truly inclusive international solidarity, we will succeed in ensuring a resilient future for our countries. Thank you.
