News · Togolese Diplomacy
United Nations General Assembly · General Debate
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Multilateral Diplomacy
International Law, Mediation, Cartography: Togo’s Triple Message at the UN
“A fairer map does not redraw the world’s borders; it transforms the way we look at it.” With these words, Togo once again made its mark on the United Nations General Assembly on Friday, one year after first drawing the international community’s attention to the cartographic distortion of the world.
On behalf of the President of the Council, Faure Gnassingbé, Robert Dussey, Minister of Foreign Affairs, paid tribute to outgoing Secretary-General António Guterres before turning, during the general debate, to the core of his address: the urgent need to restore trust in a multilateralism sorely tested by the growing number of violations of international law.
“International law is not an obstacle to power; it guarantees its legitimacy, predictability and stability,” Mr. Dussey stressed, calling for a pragmatic multilateralism capable of turning commitments into concrete results.
But the highlight of the speech was undoubtedly the look back at the adoption, on September 4, of the “Correct the Map” resolution, sponsored by Togo and approved by 164 votes. “Correcting the map is not only about rectifying a geographical distortion; it is about correcting the perceptions it sustains,” the minister said, before delivering a line that resonated: “Every time an error of the past is corrected, it is humanity that gains in lucidity, justice, balance and progress.”
Refusing to rest on this diplomatic success, Togo announced its wish to move “from resolution to action,” proposing a new phase of international cooperation involving member states, UNESCO, cartographers, historians, educators, young people and artificial intelligence stakeholders.
The goal: to make cartography “an even more powerful instrument of knowledge, education, inclusion and understanding among peoples,” at a time when billions of people and artificial intelligence systems shape their view of the world from digital maps.
A call to the whole world
In a closing appeal, the minister addressed member states, international organizations, the scientific community, educators, innovators and young people.
“Correct the Map is not the end of a map. It is the beginning of a new way of looking at the world.”
This phrase sums up an ambition that now goes well beyond the cartographic issue alone.
Beyond this flagship issue, Togo also reaffirmed its commitment to dialogue and mediation in West Africa, the Sahel and the Great Lakes region, recalling its conviction that “mediation is not a weakness; it is an expression of responsibility” — and that Africa “is not asking anyone to act in its place,” but that its own efforts be “recognized, accompanied and supported.”
News · Ministry of Foreign Affairs · New York