Press Release from the Chairperson of the African Union Commission on the Adoption of the “Correct The Map” Resolution
The Chairperson of the African Union Commission, H.E. Mr. Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, welcomes the adoption today by the United Nations General Assembly of the resolution sponsored by Togo on behalf of the African Group in favor of a fairer and more accurate cartographic representation of Africa and other regions of the world.
The Chairperson of the Commission Mahmoud Ali Youssouf particularly salutes the leadership of the Togolese Republic and the commitment of the Head of Council, H.E. Faure Essozimna Gnassingbé, under whose impetus Togo carried this initiative on behalf of Africa and contributed to mobilizing broad support within the international community. He also congratulates the Member States of the African Union and the African Group in New York for their unity and mobilization around this initiative.
The adoption of this resolution marks a significant step forward. Designed in the 16th century to meet the needs of navigation, the Mercator projection does not faithfully reproduce the relative areas of the world’s different regions and provides a visual representation that considerably reduces the actual size of the African continent.
Beyond cartography, this initiative underscores the importance of representing Africa based on objective and scientifically established realities. In this regard, the Chairperson of the Commission encourages international institutions, educational systems, publishers, and digital actors to progressively promote the use of cartographic representations that are more faithful to actual areas.
The African Union Commission will continue its collaboration with Togo, Member States, and concerned partners to support the implementation efforts of this initiative.
Africa must be represented as it is: in its true dimensions and in its rightful place in the world.
: African Union Commission