EXECUTIVE COUNCIL Seventeenth Ordinary Session 19 – 23 ......2010. The occasion was formally...

AFRICAN UNION

UNION AFRICAINE

UNIÃO AFRICANA Addis Ababa, Ethiopia P. O. Box 3243 Telephone: 5517 700 Fax: 5517844

Website: www. Africa-union.org EXECUTIVE COUNCIL Seventeenth Ordinary Session 19 – 23 July 2010 Kampala, Uganda

EX.CL/586(XVII) Original: French

REPORT OF THE THIRD JOINT AU CONFERENCE OF AFRICAN MINISTERS OF ECONOMY AND FINANCE AND ECA CONFERENCE

OF AFRICAN MINISTERS OF FINANCE, PLANNING AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Lilongwe, Malawi, 25 – 30 March 2010

EX.CL/586(XVII) Page 1

REPORT OF THE THIRD JOINT AU CONFERENCE OF AFRICAN MINISTERS OF ECONOMY AND FINANCE AND ECA CONFERENCE OF AFRICAN MINISTERS

OF FINANCE, PLANNING AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT Lilongwe, Malawi, 25 – 30 March 2010

I. Introduction 1. The Third Joint Annual Meeting of the AU Conference of Ministers of Economy and Finance and the Conference of African Ministers of Finance, Planning and Economic Development of ECA was held in Lilongwe, Malawi, from 29 to 30 March 2010. The occasion was formally opened by H.E. Ngwazi Dr. Bingu Wa Mutharika, President of the Republic of Malawi and Chairperson of the African Union. II. Attendance 2. The meeting was attended by representatives of the following Member States: Algeria, Angola, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Egypt, Ethiopia, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Lesotho, Libya, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Sudan, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. 3. The following regional economic communities (RECs) were represented: the East African Community (EAC), the Southern African Development Community (SADC), Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) and the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU).

4. The United Nations bodies and specialized agencies, and international organizations listed hereunder were also represented: the World Bank, United Nations Liaison Office to the African Union, United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), International Monetary Fund (IMF), United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCHR), United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), International Labour Organisation (ILO), International Organization for Migration (IOM), the World Health Organization (WHO), World Trade Organization (WTO), World Food Programme (WFP), Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) and the International Telecommunications Union (ITU). 5. Also in attendance were observers from Member States of the United Nations, namely: China, Japan, Norway, Russia and the United States of America.


6. Observers from the following organizations were equally present: Centre for Human Rights (CHR), League of Arab States (LAS), African Research and Resource Forum (ARRF), Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Friends of ECA, Association of African Central Banks, ICT Association of Malawi, African Forum and Network on Debt and Development (AFRODAD), International Organization of La Francophonie (OIF), MTL Malawi, Malawi Congress of Trade Unions and ZAIN Malawi.

III. Opening session 7. In his introductory statement, Mr. Hany Kadry Dimian, Vice-Minister of Finance of the Arab Republic of Egypt, on behalf of H.E. Dr. Yousef Boutros-Ghali, Minister of Finance of Egypt and Chairperson of the outgoing Bureau of the Second Joint AU Conference of Ministers of Economy and Finance and ECA Conference of African Ministers of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, welcomed the participants and thanked the President, the Government and people of Malawi for hosting the Conference. He also expressed sincere gratitude to H.E. Jean Ping, Chairperson of the AUC and H.E. Abdoulie Janneh, United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of ECA, for the excellent arrangements they made for the Conference. 8. Mr. Hany Kadry Dimian commended Malawi for organizing the Conference, adding that it was being held at a crucial stage in Africa’s development. He emphasized that the Conference offered opportunity to exchange views and develop a common vision for accelerated and sustainable growth in the Continent. He then called for the building of the management capacities of countries to devise and implement macroeconomic reform packages, develop human resources and harness natural resources.

9. For his part, Mr. Cheick Sidi Diarra, Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations, Special Adviser on Africa and High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States, stated that unemployment constitutes a major challenge to development in Africa. He briefed the Conference on the outcomes of the last preparatory meeting for the Fourth United Nations Conference on Least Developed Countries which was held in Addis Ababa. He pointed out that, despite Africa’s performance in the past decade, little progress had been made in terms of job creation, adding that poverty level remained high. He then invited the Conference to examine the issue in-depth and come up with a common African position for the upcoming Conference on LDCs to be held in Istanbul in 2011.

10. In his introductory statement, Mr. Abdoulie Janneh, Executive Secretary of ECA, paid tribute to the Government and people of Malawi for the hospitality and warm welcome accorded the participants. He expressed his sincere gratitude to H.E. Ngwazi Dr. Bingu Wa Mutharika, President of the Republic of Malawi and Chairperson of the African Union, for his clear-sighted development policy for his country. He then underscored the fruitful cooperation ties between the AU and ECA, indicating that both organizations were determined to work together for the


development of the Continent. Mr. Janneh then stated that the growth rate stood at 1.9% in 2009, as against an average of over 5% during the past ten years. He pointed out that this poor performance by the African economy was the result of the negative effects of various crises that struck the Continent, adding that as a result Africa was unable to attain the set objective with regard to poverty reduction. He went on to present ECA’s new strategy and plan of action, and concluded by emphasizing the need to harmonize policies at all levels and to speed up the implementation of the regional economic integration programme. 11. In his statement, H.E. Jean Ping, Chairperson of the AUC, acknowledged the presence of H.E. Ngwazi Dr. Bingu Wa Mutharika, President of the Republic of Malawi and Chairperson of the African Union, and thanked him for his leadership of Malawi’s development process. Continuing, he expressed belief that the guidelines which President Mutharika would give the Conference would enable it develop proposals to help African countries to overcome current challenges. For Mr. Ping, the choice of the theme for the Conference was informed by the Declaration and Plan of Action adopted at the Ouagadougou Summit in 2004. Job creation and poverty reduction, he stressed, cannot be achieved without speeding up Africa’s integration process. For this reason, he said, the AUC has embarked on implementing the Minimum Integration Programme and on establishing African financial institutions in a bid to provide Africa with the policy and economic tools it requires to face up to the challenges of globalization. 12. In his opening statement, H.E. Ngwazi Dr. Bingu Wa Mutharika, President of the Republic of Malawi and Chairperson of the African Union, extended words of welcome to the participants. He said it was a joy and an honor for the Government and people of Malawi to host such an important Conference which would discuss and examine strategies for reducing unemployment and poverty in Africa. Africa is not a poor Continent, he said, since it teems with numerous resources which need to be exploited for the good of the populations. He then presented an in-depth analysis of development experiences in Africa and stressed the need to devise more ambitious strategies capable of responding to the growing needs of the people, with focus on food production to eradicate hunger. He further stated that, without effective State support to agricultural development, Africa’s economy would fail to achieve strong and sustained growth. He expressed the hope that the Conference, which brought together Africa’s key development players, would take stock of the policies thus far pursued in Africa and develop new strategies capable of extricating the Continent from the grip of hunger, significantly reducing poverty, diversifying and enhancing agricultural production and increasing trade. IV. Election of the Bureau 13. Participants unanimously elected the new Bureau as follows:

Chairperson: Malawi - representing Southern Africa First Vice-Chairperson: Sierra Leone - representing West Africa Second Vice-Chairperson: Rwanda - representing East Africa Third Vice-Chairperson: Cameroon - representing Central Africa Rapporteur: Morocco - representing North Africa


V. Adoption of the Agenda and Programme of Work 14. Participants considered and adopted the Draft Agenda and the Programme of Work. 1. Overview of the recent developments in the economic and social

situation in Africa.

15. Under this item, the major recommendations and conclusions of the Overview of the economic and social conditions in Africa, 2010 were presented. Discussions focused on the analyses provided in the Economic Report on Africa, 2010. Important issues regarding policy guidelines for growth resumption in Africa in the aftermath of the recent global economic crisis, and recent trends in the Continent’s economy were also raised and discussed by participants.

2. Ministerial level policy debate on the Conference theme: Promoting high

level sustainable growth to reduce unemployment in Africa 16. Two discussion groups were constituted to deliberate on the two sub themes of the Conference.

Discussion Group I: Promoting high-level sustainable growth to reduce unemployment in Africa 17. Dr. Maxwell Mkwezalamba, Commissioner for Economic Affairs of the African Union Commission, introduced this item. He analysed the trends in the job market in the light of the economic performances achieved in recent years and the negated effects generated by the economic, financial, food and fuel crises which shook Africa. 18. While drawing lessons from recent experiences regarding growth trends in Africa, participants raised a series of questions on the growth, employment and poverty reduction nexus in Africa, focussing in particular on the difficulties faced in the achievement of strong and sustainable growth. Discussions also covered the need to devise development models to improve the business climate so as to support private sector development and sustainable job creation for poverty reduction. Discussion Group II: Impact of the global economic and financial crisis on employment and poverty reduction in Africa 19. The second group discussed the impact of the recent global economic and financial crisis on growth, employment and poverty reduction in Africa. The discussion was introduced by Mrs Bience Gawanas, Commissioner for Social Affairs of the African Union Commission who provided an update on the conclusions and recommendations of the 2004 Ouagadougou Summit. She indicated that, in spite of


the adoption of the Ouagadougou Declaration and Plan of Action on Employment Promotion and Poverty Reduction, African countries were still faced with the challenges of increasing underemployment and continued rise in poverty levels in the rural and periurban areas, with the persistence of the economic and financial crisis. 20. After the presentation, the ensuing discussion led to a consensus on a comprehensive approach linking employment, growth and poverty reduction. The Conference emphasized the need to intensify job creation, with particular attention to development of private and public investment. 3. Launch of the Economic Report on Africa 2010 on the theme: Promoting

high level sustainable growth to reduce unemployment in Africa. 21. The launch of the Economic Report on Africa 2010 was followed by brief observations and a Press Conference hosted by the Chairperson of the African Union Commission and the Executive Secretary of ECA, on the report and other issues of the moment.

4. Ministerial level consultation on the theme: Agriculture, Food Security

and Poverty Reduction in Africa: Challenges to be addressed and Possibilities to be explored

22. Under this item, a brief presentation was made by Dr Maxwell Mkwezalamba, Commissioner for Economic Affairs of the African Union Commission. He referred to the strategy adopted by the African Union in July 2009 in the areas of Agriculture and Food Security, adding that the theme was in line with the vision presented by the current Chairperson of the African Union H.E. Dr. Bingu Wa Mutharika, President of the Republic of Malawi at the opening of the Conference when he underscored the positive results achieved by Malawi in terms of agricultural sector development.

23. During discussions, participants showcased the harmful effects of the excessive liberalization strategies imposed by structural adjustment programmes particularly in the area of agricultural development, and recommended State support and infrastructure building as a way to intensify agricultural production and develop trade. . 5. Presentation on Capital Flight in Africa: Resources Lost to the

Development of Africa

24. Under this item, the Conference discussed the conclusions of the parallel high-level event organised on 29 March 2010 on illicit financial flows from Africa. The meeting deliberated on the impact of illicit financial flows on African economies and put forward recommendations to boost economic governance measures to address this situation. The Conference also requested the AUC, working with the AfDB and the AEC, to carry out a study on the subject and come up with recommendations at the next CAMEF. 6. Report on the Establishment of Pan-African Financial Institutions


25. Under this item, Dr. Maxwell Mkwezalamba, Commissioner for Economic Affairs presented a report on the progress of establishing African financial institutions. He pointed out that the legal texts in respect of the African Investment Bank had already been approved by the African Union Organs and submitted for Member States’ signature and ratification. As regards the two other institutions (African Central Bank and African Monetary Fund), he informed the Conference that the process was taking its normal course with the establishment of steering committees to draw up the legal texts and carry out the studies required to establish the two institutions. 26. The Conference noted with satisfaction the progress achieved in the establishment of these institutions. It recommended that this action be expedited, thereby providing Africa with the instruments capable of fostering harmonisation and coordination of monetary policies thus leading to a single currency, and promoting strong and sustainable growth. 7. Consideration of the Report and Main Recommendations of the

Committee of Experts Meeting of the Joint Annual Meeting of the African Union Conference of Ministers of Economy and Finance and the Economic Commission for Africa Conference of African Ministers of Finance, Planning and Economic Development

27. The Conference considered and adopted the Report and Resolutions of the Experts’ Meeting held from 25 to 28 March 2010. 8. Any Other Business 28. No issues were raised under this item. 9. Consideration and Adoption of the Draft Ministerial Declaration and Draft

Resolutions 29. The Conference considered and adopted the Draft Ministerial Declaration. 10. Closing 30. The Executive Secretary of ECA and the Chairperson of the African Union Commission made brief closing remarks, thanking the President, Government and people of Malawi for their warm welcome and all the facilities put in place to ensure the success of the Conference. After recalling the major outcomes of the meeting, the Chairperson of the Conference, the Minister of Finance of Malawi, thanked all the countries, institutions and organisations present. He then declared the meeting closed.

EX.CL/586(XVII) Annex 1

Ministerial Statement


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Ministerial Statement

Third Joint Annual Meetings of the African Union Conference of Ministers of Economy and Finance and the United Nations Economic Commission for

Africa Conference of African Ministers of Finance, Planning and Economic Development

1. We, the African Ministers of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, met in Lilongwe, Malawi, on 29 and 30 March 2010 for the Third Joint Annual Meetings of the African Union (AU) Conference of Ministers of Economy and Finance and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) Conference of African Ministers of Finance, Planning and Economic Development.

2. We acknowledge that the theme of the Third Joint Conference- Promoting high-level sustainable growth to reduce unemployment and poverty - is both timely and pertinent, especially in scaling up efforts to meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in the aftermath of the global financial and economic crises.

3. We note that 10 years since the adoption of the Millennium Declaration, progress towards the MDGs in Africa has been mixed. We take note with satisfaction of progress towards meeting some of the targets, especially in the areas of net primary school enrolment, childhood immunization, combating the spread of HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis and gender parity. But we remain concerned about the limited progress made in achieving the health-related MDGs and in reducing poverty and hunger. 4. We recognize that without strong policy responses, including those aimed at achieving food security and reducing unemployment the continent will not achieve most of the MDGs by 2015. We call for the adoption of the African common position as our input into the United Nations High-Level Plenary Meeting on the MDGs scheduled for September 2010. In addition, we recognize the importance of having in place countercyclical and social protection measures to address the impact of global crises, especially on vulnerable groups.

Promoting high-level sustainable growth to reduce unemployment and poverty

5. We note that despite the continent’s notable growth performance prior to the recent global financial and economic crises, growth rates in many African countries have remained below the level required to achieve the MDGs. We note also that this growth has not been accompanied by a comparable reduction in poverty, as it has not created enough decent jobs. Therefore, we underscore the need to promote broad-based and sustainable growth that leads to employment generation and poverty eradication.


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6. We note the disproportionately high level of youth unemployment, and the impact of external shocks on vulnerable groups - women, the youth, the elderly and the rural poor – as many of our countries lack effective social safety nets and mechanisms to protect these groups. We stress, therefore, the need for special employment and protection measures for vulnerable groups. In particular, we emphasize the need to promote youth employment and gender equality in the labour market as a means to enhance long-term growth and promote political stability. 7. We note that the challenge before us now is how to restart, accelerate and sustain growth and ensure that this growth creates decent jobs resulting, ultimately, in poverty eradication on the continent. We therefore recognize that although the global financial and economic crises seriously threaten development in Africa, they also present an opportunity that we must seize to reassess the way we have been doing business in order to create genuine economic diversification and structural transformation in Africa. 8. While we recognize that there are many ways of reducing poverty, employment is the vehicle through which growth can translate into poverty eradication. Hence we emphasize and call for efforts to strengthen the linkages among growth, employment and the eradication of poverty. 9. We will develop and implement growth strategies tailored to the specific realities of our countries in order to address the paradox of jobless growth and the persistence of poverty, by igniting the engines of high-level, job-creating and sustainable growth to promote diversification; paying attention to the drivers of growth, especially human capital, physical capital and technology, knowledge and innovation; and reinforcing the enablers of growth, particularly good governance, strong institutions, infrastructure development and sound policies. We will promote employment through planning, employment targeting and employment mainstreaming, learning from successful experiences in African and other countries and building strategic partnerships to support our growth strategies. 10. We stress the critical role of private-sector investment and development in promoting high-level sustainable growth and decent employment, and therefore emphasize the need to pursue policies that foster private investment, particularly in agriculture and value-addition agro-industries and agri-business, labour-intensive manufacturing, ICTs and service industries. We also reiterate the need to continue to promote and sustain a conducive business environment for domestic and foreign direct investment. 11. We recognize the need to pay particular attention to development finance, diversify the sources of development finance and intensify our domestic resource


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mobilization efforts. We commit ourselves to seeking innovative and more effective ways to raise private savings, widen the tax base and increase tax revenue, improve the management of revenue from natural resources and leverage the impact of remittances on development. We affirm our commitment to formulate and enforce an efficient and equitable tax regime and effective financial rules and regulations. 12. We note the importance of development planning and the need for our countries to adopt and implement well-articulated and coherent plans to promote economic transformation and foster economic and social development. In this regard, we salute the laudable efforts that have been made to fully reposition the African Institute for Economic Development and Planning (IDEP) as an apex African capacity development institution for economic management and development planning, and we request the Institute to continue to provide support to African countries in order to strengthen capacity in development planning. 13. We also welcome the on-going efforts to more closely align the capacity development work of IDEP with the programmes of the substantive divisions of the ECA. In this same vein, we call on the Institute to incorporate a closer collaborative relationship with the AU Commission and other organs of the AU in its overall programme development and implementation strategy. 14. We acknowledge the importance of human capital development and labour market reforms in stimulating employment-intensive investment. In this regard, we call for improved coordination and policy coherence across ministries and departments to ensure that educational systems produce a labour force with the skills needed in the labour market. 15. Finally, we recognize that the non-implementation of existing policies and commitments has constrained progress towards meaningful economic transformation, job creation and poverty eradication in many of our economies. Hence we commit to effectively implement agreed plans of action taking into consideration the following contributing factors:

a) Realizing the vision of a food-secure Africa by recognizing the central role of agriculture in promoting broad-based sustainable growth and the reduction of unemployment. We therefore fully commit ourselves to the vision of a food-secure Africa within five years, especially by means of policies and strategies that provide incentives to farmers (particularly smallholders), agro-industries and agri-business enterprises to enable them to respond to the growing demand for food in regional and global markets. We commit to accelerate the implementation of the Maputo AU Summit decisions. We call on the RECs to harmonize their policies,


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strategies and investments to facilitate and enhance intra-African trade in food and agriculture

b) Supporting African least developed countries (LDCs) and African

countries emerging from conflict by addressing the special challenges involved in reducing unemployment, building capacity and providing policy support. We endorse the outcome of the regional review meeting on the Brussels Programme of Action for African LDCs, held in Addis Ababa in March 2010, in preparation for the Fourth United Nations Conference on LDCs in Turkey in 2011, and urge African LDCs to remain fully engaged in the preparatory process for the Conference. We call for a renewed and strengthened global partnership for the development of LDCs.

c) Accelerating regional integration as a strategy for achieving sustainable socio-economic development by mainstreaming regional integration in our national programmes, including scaling up investment in regional infrastructure within the framework of the Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA) and the AU Minimum Integration Programme (MIP). We shall also intensify our efforts to promote intra-African trade by removing all barriers to trade, and address the special needs of our 15 landlocked countries. We commend the efforts of the RECs and other intergovernmental organizations in advancing the continental integration agenda, particularly the decision of COMESA, SADC and EAC to create a tripartite free-trade area, and call on other RECs to follow suit.

d) Addressing the impact of climate change by integrating climate change in our growth, employment and poverty eradication strategies. We urge our development partners to provide financial, technological and capacity-building assistance to enable African countries to address climate change challenges, in particular by putting in place effective adaptation strategies as a priority, as well as appropriate mitigation actions.

e) Paying attention to the development of statistics to support the formulation, implementation and monitoring of development plans and strategies, as well as in monitoring development outcomes and progress towards the MDGs and the objectives of NEPAD. We call upon the AUC, ECA and AfDB to intensify their efforts in supporting the development of statistical capacity across the continent. We commend the countries that have signed and ratified the African Charter on Statistics, and call on the remaining countries to do so.


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f) Combating illicit financial flows by addressing the scale and magnitude of illicit financial flows into and from Africa and their impact on the development process and call upon recipient countries to take effective oversight and regulatory actions to address the problem. We commit ourselves to implement strong economic and governance measures to curtail illicit flows. We also request the AUC, ECA and AfDB to conduct further analytical work on the subject and prepare a declaration to be considered by the next ministerial conference.

g) Establishing pan-African financial institutions, namely the African Investment Bank, the African Central Bank and the African Monetary Fund. We note that all the legal instruments (the Protocol, the Statutes and the annexes defining the distribution of capital and voting rights) for the launch of the African Investment Bank have been adopted by the AU Heads of State and Government, and recognize the need for our countries to sign and ratify these instruments promptly. We call on member States, RECs, ECA and AfDB to provide the necessary support to the steering committees in charge of the establishment of the other two institutions.

h) Leveraging the support of Africa’s key partners, in particular the United Nations system, through its Regional Coordination Mechanism (RCM), in providing support to Africa’s development agenda. We call for the strengthening of the RCM and the building of formal linkages between it and the RECs through the establishment of subregional coordination mechanisms.

i) Mobilising additional support from African member States, the United Nations system, and international development partners for a further enhancement of the role of the repositioned IDEP in building and renewing capacities for economic management and development planning in Africa at a time when long-term development planning has come to occupy a central role in the strategy of our Governments to overcome poverty and achieve accelerated socio-economic development.

Vote of thanks 16. We thank the Government of Malawi for hosting the Conference and for the excellent facilities made available to us, and the people of Malawi for their generosity and warm hospitality. We especially thank His Excellency President Bingu wa Mutharika for gracing the occasion with his presence, and Hon. Ken Kandodo, Minister of Finance of Malawi, for his effective leadership.


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17. Finally, we are grateful to AUC and ECA for successfully convening the Third Joint Annual Meetings of the AU Conference of Ministers of Economy and Finance and the ECA Conference of African Ministers of Finance, Planning and Economic Development.


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RESOLUTIONS

RESOLUTION – L1 ASSESSMENT OF PROGRESS ON REGIONAL INTEGRATION IN AFRICA

The Conference of Ministers,

Mindful of the Treaty establishing the African Economic Community, Recalling the Minimum Integration Programme (MIP) adopted by the 13th Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union as the reference framework for the gradual integration of the African continent, Recognizing the importance of peace, security and good governance as prerequisites for the advancement of the continental integration agenda, Noting the important role played by infrastructure in facilitating the physical integration of and factor flows on the continent,

Taking note of the substantial contribution made by the ECA African Trade Policy Centre in building capacity for trade policy analysis and trade negotiations among member States, Regional Economic Communities (RECs) and Intergovernmental Organizations (IGOs),

1. Welcomes the substantial progress made by the RECs and IGOs in advancing the continental integration agenda;

2. Urges member States, the African Union and the United Nations to take

the necessary measures to find solutions to the conflicts affecting African countries in order to speed up the integration process in the continent;

3. Calls upon member States, RECs and IGOs to address the challenges

constraining the acceleration of regional integration on the continent; 4. Commends the work of the ECA African Trade Policy Centre and the

renewed political commitment of member States to continue to pursue programmes and activities on regional integration;

5. Also calls upon member States to accelerate the implementation of the

recommendations of the Conference of African Ministers of Integration (COMAI), which have been adopted by the African Union Summit, especially those relating to the free movement of persons and the financing of integration;

6. Encourages member States to mainstream the Minimum Integration

Programme (MIP) into their national development programmes and, in this regard, calls upon the AU, the RECs, ECA, AfDB and development partners to scale up their support for the implementation of the MIP and


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domestication of regional integration instruments into national policy, legal and regulatory frameworks;

7. Further encourages member States to continue to support ECA, AUC

and AfDB in publishing the report on Assessing Regional Integration in Africa (ARIA), which contains a comprehensive analysis and assessment of progress in regional integration on the continent;

8. Requests member States to take the necessary steps to facilitate

effective participation by landlocked and transit countries in the process of regional integration by removing all forms of physical and non-physical barriers to trade and by providing maximum support to transport and transit corridor management mechanisms;

9. Invites member States to take up the opportunities offered by the ECA

African Trade Policy Centre (ATPC) in their preparations on international trade negotiations and the promotion of intra-African trade;

10. Commends the work of ATPC and calls upon member States and

development partners to continue to provide support for its work with a view to strengthening its capacity to support the trade agenda on the continent;

11. Also urges member States to prioritize and upscale investments in

infrastructure, including through the utilization of innovative financing mechanisms, channelling of remittances and increasing domestic resource mobilization and harnessing the potential of private-public partnerships.


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RESOLUTION – L2 REVIEW OF PROGRESS TOWARDS ACHIEVING THE MILLENNIUM

DEVELOPMENT GOALS IN AFRICA


Recalling African Union Summit decisions requesting the African Union Commission, in collaboration with the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa and the African Development Bank, to submit to the Assembly of Heads of State and Government, annual status reports and related statistics on Africa’s progress towards attainment of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), Further recalling decision No Ex.CL/DEC.504 (XV), Rev.2 adopted by the Executive Council of the African Union in July 2009 requesting the AUC, ECA and AfDB to assist Africa to prepare for the 2010 United Nations System-wide Mid-term review of progress towards the MDGs and to hold regional consultative meetings to review such progress, inviting countries to support this initiative, Also recalling United Nations General Assembly resolution 64/184, inviting the United Nations regional commissions, to hold regional consultations during the first half of 2010 to provide inputs to the preparations for the September 2010 High-Level Plenary Meeting and inviting the regional commissions to consider initiatives in support of the High Level Plenary Meeting and its preparatory process, Recognizing the progress being made by the continent towards attaining the MDG targets, Conscious of the challenges that still remain in efforts to attain all the MDGs by 2015, Commending the efforts that the AUC and UNECA are making to provide African countries with a Strategy for the Harmonization of Statistics in Africa as a key initiative for better statistical coordination and harmonization and strengthening of the African statistics system, Calls upon African countries to:

1. Adopt the proposed African Common Position on the MDGs and recommend its adoption by the Assembly of Heads of State and Government in July 2010;

2. Strengthen their statistical systems and institutions and implement the

Strategy for the Harmonization of Statistics in Africa; 3. Explore innovative ways of mobilizing funds to support MDG-related

programmes and activities; 4. Support the Campaign for Accelerated Reduction of Maternal Mortality in

Africa;

EX.CL/586(XVII) Annex 1 Page 10

5. Commit to take steps to implement the recommendations contained in the proposed African Common Position; and calls upon development partners to fulfill their ODA commitments to enable Africa to meet the MDGs by the target date;

6. Submit the African Common Position to the High-Level Summit in

September 2010 and invite the African group at United Nations Headquarters in New York to support and promote the position during the preparatory process and High-Level Plenary Meeting; and

7. Request the AUC, in close collaboration with ECA and AfDB, to begin reflections on the period beyond 2015.


RESOLUTION – L3 STRATEGY FOR THE HARMONIZATION OF STATISTICS AND

IMPLEMENTATION OF THE AFRICAN CHARTER ON STATISTICS The Conference of Ministers, Considering that statistical information is vital for decision-making by all segments of the society, particularly policy-makers as well as economic and social players, and is therefore essential for the continent’s integration and sustainable development as well as tracking progress towards the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), Aware of the fact that all commitments to implement development programmes and combat poverty should be based on clear evidence and therefore require a robust statistical data system which is relevant, reliable, comprehensive, harmonized and responsive, Noting that the quality of African statistics depends on the use of internationally-recognized standards adjusted to African specificities and compliance by statisticians with the African Charter on Statistics and the fundamental principles of official statistics, Welcoming decision ASSEMBLY/AU/DEC. 210 (XII) on the African Charter on Statistics adopted by the African Union Heads of State and Government calling on all member States to sign and ratify the Charter as expeditiously as possible so as to enable it to enter into force and thus provide a regulatory framework for coordinating the development of harmonised statistics on the continent, Commending the arrangements jointly made by the African Union Commission (AUC), the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), the African Development Bank, regional economic communities (RECs), and African countries to develop a draft strategy for the harmonization of statistics in Africa,

1. Commends countries that have signed and ratified the African Charter on Statistics and calls upon those which have not done so to sign and ratify it as expeditiously as possible;

2. Adopts the draft Strategy for the Harmonization of Statistics in Africa

(SHaSA) as well as its first pillar, the African Strategy for the Implementation of the 2008 System of National Accounts (SNA), and recommends them for adoption by the Assembly of Heads of State and Government in July 2010;

3. Calls upon member States, RECs, the AUC, UNECA and AfDB and their

partners to support and implement these initiatives and develop the other pillars of the SHaSA;


4. Calls upon the AUC to elevate its statistical function by transforming its Statistics Unit into a Division to enable it to play effectively its expected role in the joint monitoring of the implementation of the SHaSA.

RESOLUTION – L4 CLIMATE CHANGE AND DEVELOPMENT IN AFRICA

The Conference of Ministers, Recognizing that climate change poses unprecedented challenges for attaining the MDGs and achieving sustainable development in Africa, Aware of the need for African countries to address these challenges by mainstreaming climate change concerns into development policies and frameworks, Noting with appreciation the progress made towards the establishment of the ECA-based African Climate Policy Centre (ACPC) under the AUC/ECA/AfDB Climate for Development in Africa (ClimDev-Africa) Programme, Concerned about the over-dependence of ECA’s climate change and development work on extrabudgetary resources,

1. Appreciates the notable support provided by development partners for the implementation of the ClimDev-Africa Programme and its ACPC and calls upon them to continue their support to these key initiatives;

2. Requests ECA to continue to work closely with the African Union

Commission, the African Development Bank and other organizations in strengthening the capacity of member States and their inter-governmental organizations to address climate-related issues, including providing technical support to African countries in the on-going negotiations for a new international climate change regime.


RESOLUTION – L5

PROMOTING HIGH-LEVEL SUSTAINABLE GROWTH TO REDUCE UNEMPLOYMENT IN AFRICA

The Conference of Ministers, Recalling the 2004 Ouagadougou Declaration and Plan of Action on Employment and Poverty Alleviation in Africa adopted by African Heads of State and Government, as well as the deliberations of the Conference of Ministers of Finance, Planning and Economic Development in 2005 on meeting the challenges of unemployment in Africa within the context of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), Concerned about the overall limited progress made in reducing unemployment and poverty rates despite relatively high growth rates achieved during the decade prior to the recent economic crisis and the fact that the majority of Africans are subject to vulnerable employment /or under employment, Noting the importance of special employment and social protection measures to assist vulnerable groups – women, youth, the elderly, the disabled and the rural poor – who are most affected by unemployment and the crisis, Recognizing the importance of promoting high-level sustainable growth and reducing unemployment for the continent so as to alleviate poverty in the aftermath of the recent global financial and economic crises, Aware of the central role of the State in designing, implementing and monitoring inclusive development plans to strengthen the growth/employment/poverty eradication nexus as a means to create decent jobs,

1. Reaffirms that the global financial and economic crises pose challenges to Africa’s growth and development including their adverse impact on employment and poverty eradication;

2. Recognizes that the recent crises provide African countries with an

opportunity to develop strategies to counter the problems that have arisen and at the same time promote sustainable employment-intensive, high-growth economies that are structurally diversified;

3. Encourages African governments to adopt or strengthen employment and

social protection policies that are specifically targeted to reduce unemployment and poverty among vulnerable groups;

4. Stresses the need to enhance the mobilization of domestic resources as

the major source of development financing by increasing private saving rates, raising the efficiency of tax collection, expanding the tax base, and deepening financial and capital markets;


5. Calls upon African countries to enhance the role of counter-cyclical fiscal

policies that focus on expanding infrastructure, human capital formation and development as well as the provision of social services as mechanisms for job creation in the short run;

6. Encourages Governments to pursue long-term structural transformation

policies that involve investing commodity revenues in labour-intensive non-primary resource sectors; increasing the resources available to priority sectors; making intensified efforts to attract FDI in non-resource extraction sectors; and improving the business environment;

7. Calls upon Governments to encourage private-sector investment and

development, focusing on high labour-intensive sectors, including agro-industry, green-industries, labour-intensive manufacturing and service industries, with special attention to addressing the needs of the informal economy;

8. Encourages efforts by African Governments to promote increased

productivity through such policies as technology transfer using non-resource FDI, a serious and credible commitment to research and development, promotion of the knowledge economy and provision of better infrastructure, and continuous improvements in micro and macro-economic management in the framework of social dialogue;

9. Stresses the need to adopt and deepen reforms to ensure adequate

labour market flexibility and to remove distortions that encourage capital-intensive production techniques at the expense of labour-intensive ones;

10. Invites African countries to speed up regional integration and intra-African

trade to promote employment-intensive investment, given the small size of individual African economies, and to intensify efforts together with development partners to conclude the Doha round of trade negotiations;

11. Encourages African Governments to design and implement effective

employment-generating growth strategies through employment mainstreaming and employment targeting based on accurate and timely employment data that are regularly collected and analyzed;

12. Requests Africa’s development partners to fulfill their commitments to

increase Official Development Assistance(ODA) and take measures to encourage Foreign Direct Investment(FDI) flows, including providing technical assistance to African countries in achieving the strategies, policies and measures recommended above;

13. Also requests African countries to allocate an adequate share of their

national budgets to agriculture to increase productivity and incomes, and reduce poverty specially in rural areas, in line with the Maputo


commitments;

14. Urges African Governments and the RECs to accelerate the implementation of the Ouagadougou Declaration and Plan of Action on Employment Promotion and Poverty Alleviation, and mobilize the required resources;

15. Calls upon African Governments to implement the Global Jobs Pact

adopted in 2009, which reiterates the need for the promotion of full employment and decent work for all;

16. Also calls upon African Ministers of Labour to consider the resolution and

coordinate its implementation with African Ministers of Finance, Planning and Economic Development at the national, sub-regional and continental level.


RESOLUTION – 6

ESTABLISHMENT OF AFRICAN FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS

The Conference of Ministers, Recalling Article 9 of the African Union Constitutive Act establishing the three African financial institutions, namely the African Central Bank, the African Monetary Fund and the African Investment Bank, Recalling also the adoption by the African Union Conference of the Protocol and Statutes as well as the annexes to the Statutes relating to the establishment of the African Investment Bank by decisions Assembly/AU/Dec.212(XII) dated 3 February 2009, Assembly/AU/Dec.(XIII) dated 3 July 2009 and Assembly/AU/Dec.286(XIV) Rev.1 dated 2 February 2010, Considering the extreme urgency for the three Financial Institutions to be established with a view to supporting strong and sustainable economic growth that would generate employment,

1. Commends the countries hosting the African Central Bank (Nigeria) and the African Monetary Fund (Cameroon) for the remarkable efforts they have made towards the establishment and operation of the Steering Committees responsible for the preparatory work of establishing both institutions;

2. Invites member States of the African Union to speed up the signing and

ratification of the Protocol and the Statute of the African Investment Bank so that it can quickly begin its operations as a development finance institution;

3. Encourages Member States, Regional Economic Communities, the

United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, the African Development Bank and African Central Banks to extend their support to the aforementioned Steering Committees in the discharge of the task entrusted to them.


RESOLUTION – L7 TOWARDS REALIZING A FOOD SECURE AFRICA

The Conference of Ministers, Recognizing the potential that agriculture has in promoting high-level sustainable growth and creating employment opportunities in national economies and in Africa in general, and acknowledging that both the capacity and the responsibility to realize such a potential lies first and foremost with African countries, Noting with appreciation the Vision of a Food-Secure Africa articulated by H.E. Dr. Bingu Wa Mutharika, President of the Republic of Malawi and current Chairperson of the African Union, which aims at ensuring food security and food sufficiency in Africa within the next five years, including putting an end to hunger and malnutrition; 1. Reiterates its commitment to enhance investment in agriculture to realize its potential, particularly to accelerate the implementation of CAADP and the Maputo 2003. 2. Fully supports the vision of a food-secure Africa within five years and commit to its realization through supporting strategies and measures that will provide incentives, including targeted subsidies to small-scale farmers and market stabilization measures as well as mainstreaming food security in all sectoral policies and programmes; 3. Recognizes the need to accelerate land reforms in our countries in order to ensure equitable access and security of tenure, especially for smallholders and women; 4. Supports the promotion of full and decent employment in the agricultural sector coupled with balanced pricing mechanisms within value chains to ensure that African farmers get a fair share of the market, including fair prices for their products; 5. Calls on African countries and their development partners to deposit the necessary instruments of commitment with the African Development Bank for a speedy operationalization of the Africa Fertilizer Mechanism; 6. Also calls on the Regional Economic Communities to take steps to contain the spiralling costs of food imports by pursuing and strengthening their policies, strategies and investments, to facilitate increased access to yield-enhancing inputs, particularly fertilizers, seeds and pesticides, and enhance intra-regional and inter-regional trade in agricultural products; 7. Further calls on for a policy commitment from African Governments and their development partners to ensure that food aid supplies are home-grown and sourced from domestic rather than imported food supplies, accompanied by the establishment of strategic grain reserves stocked with food products grown in Africa. We commit to support policies and programmes to improve the nutrition of the most vulnerable social groups, based on home-grown food items;


8. Supports efforts to enhance national and regional capacities to mitigate exposure to disaster risk by institutionalizing effective financial and other instruments such as strategic grain reserves, budgeted contingency funds as well as through risk sharing across sub-regions.

“We are determined to deal once and for all with the scourge of conflicts and violence on our continent, acknowledging our shortcomings and errors, committing our resources and our best people, and missing no opportunity to push forward the agenda of conflict prevention, peacemaking, peacekeeping and post-conflict reconstruction. We, as leaders, simply cannot bequeath the burden of conflicts to the next generation of Africans.” (Paragraph 9 of the Tripoli Declaration of 31 August 2009).


MINISTERIAL STATEMENT AND

RESOLUTIONS


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MINISTERIAL STATEMENT 1. We, the African Ministers of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, met in Lilongwe, Malawi, on 29 and 30 March 2010 for the Third Joint Annual Meetings of the African Union (AU) Conference of Ministers of Economy and Finance and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) Conference of African Ministers of Finance, Planning and Economic Development. 2. We acknowledge that the theme of the Third Joint Conference- Promoting high-level sustainable growth to reduce unemployment and poverty - is both timely and pertinent, especially in scaling up efforts to meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in the aftermath of the global financial and economic crises. 3. We note that 10 years since the adoption of the Millennium Declaration, progress towards the MDGs in Africa has been mixed. We take note with satisfaction of progress towards meeting some of the targets, especially in the areas of net primary school enrolment, childhood immunization, combating the spread of HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis and gender parity. But we remain concerned about the limited progress made in achieving the health-related MDGs and in reducing poverty and hunger. 4. We recognize that without strong policy responses, including those aimed at achieving food security and reducing unemployment the continent will not achieve most of the MDGs by 2015. We call for the adoption of the African common position as our input into the United Nations High-Level Plenary Meeting on the MDGs scheduled for September 2010. In addition, we recognize the importance of having in place countercyclical and social protection measures to address the impact of global crises, especially on vulnerable groups. Promoting high-level sustainable growth to reduce unemployment and poverty

5. We note that despite the continent’s notable growth performance prior to the recent global financial and economic crises, growth rates in many African countries have remained below the level required to achieve the MDGs. We note also that this growth has not been accompanied by a comparable reduction in poverty, as it has not created enough decent jobs. Therefore, we underscore the need to promote broad-based and sustainable growth that leads to employment generation and poverty eradication. 6. We note the disproportionately high level of youth unemployment, and the impact of external shocks on vulnerable groups - women, the youth, the elderly and the rural poor – as many of our countries lack effective social safety nets and mechanisms to protect these groups. We stress, therefore, the need for special


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employment and protection measures for vulnerable groups. In particular, we emphasize the need to promote youth employment and gender equality in the labour market as a means to enhance long-term growth and promote political stability. 7. We note that the challenge before us now is how to restart, accelerate and sustain growth and ensure that this growth creates decent jobs resulting, ultimately, in poverty eradication on the continent. We therefore recognize that although the global financial and economic crises seriously threaten development in Africa, they also present an opportunity that we must seize to reassess the way we have been doing business in order to create genuine economic diversification and structural transformation in Africa. 8. While we recognize that there are many ways of reducing poverty, employment is the vehicle through which growth can translate into poverty eradication. Hence we emphasize and call for efforts to strengthen the linkages among growth, employment and the eradication of poverty. 9. We will develop and implement growth strategies tailored to the specific realities of our countries in order to address the paradox of jobless growth and the persistence of poverty, by igniting the engines of high-level, job-creating and sustainable growth to promote diversification; paying attention to the drivers of growth, especially human capital, physical capital and technology, knowledge and innovation; and reinforcing the enablers of growth, particularly good governance, strong institutions, infrastructure development and sound policies. We will promote employment through planning, employment targeting and employment mainstreaming, learning from successful experiences in African and other countries and building strategic partnerships to support our growth strategies. 10. We stress the critical role of private-sector investment and development in promoting high-level sustainable growth and decent employment, and therefore emphasize the need to pursue policies that foster private investment, particularly in agriculture and value-addition agro-industries and agri-business, labour-intensive manufacturing, ICTs and service industries. We also reiterate the need to continue to promote and sustain a conducive business environment for domestic and foreign direct investment. 11. We recognize the need to pay particular attention to development finance, diversify the sources of development finance and intensify our domestic resource mobilization efforts. We commit ourselves to seeking innovative and more effective ways to raise private savings, widen the tax base and increase tax revenue, improve the management of revenue from natural resources and leverage the impact of


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remittances on development. We affirm our commitment to formulate and enforce an efficient and equitable tax regime and effective financial rules and regulations. 12. We note the importance of development planning and the need for our countries to adopt and implement well-articulated and coherent plans to promote economic transformation and foster economic and social development. In this regard, we salute the laudable efforts that have been made to fully reposition the African Institute for Economic Development and Planning (IDEP) as an apex African capacity development institution for economic management and development planning, and we request the Institute to continue to provide support to African countries in order to strengthen capacity in development planning. 13. We also welcome the on-going efforts to more closely align the capacity development work of IDEP with the programmes of the substantive divisions of the ECA. In this same vein, we call on the Institute to incorporate a closer collaborative relationship with the AU Commission and other organs of the AU in its overall programme development and implementation strategy. 14. We acknowledge the importance of human capital development and labour market reforms in stimulating employment-intensive investment. In this regard, we call for improved coordination and policy coherence across ministries and departments to ensure that educational systems produce a labour force with the skills needed in the labour market. 15. Finally, we recognize that the non-implementation of existing policies and commitments has constrained progress towards meaningful economic transformation, job creation and poverty eradication in many of our economies. Hence we commit to effectively implement agreed plans of action taking into consideration the following contributing factors:

a) Realizing the vision of a food-secure Africa by recognizing the central role of agriculture in promoting broad-based sustainable growth and the reduction of unemployment. We therefore fully commit ourselves to the vision of a food-secure Africa within five years, especially by means of policies and strategies that provide incentives to farmers (particularly smallholders), agro-industries and agri-business enterprises to enable them to respond to the growing demand for food in regional and global markets. We commit to accelerate the implementation of the Maputo AU Summit decisions. We call on the RECs to harmonize their policies, strategies and investments to facilitate and enhance intra-African trade in food and agriculture


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b) Supporting African least developed countries (LDCs) and African countries emerging from conflict by addressing the special challenges involved in reducing unemployment, building capacity and providing policy support. We endorse the outcome of the regional review meeting on the Brussels Programme of Action for African LDCs, held in Addis Ababa in March 2010, in preparation for the Fourth United Nations Conference on LDCs in Turkey in 2011, and urge African LDCs to remain fully engaged in the preparatory process for the Conference. We call for a renewed and strengthened global partnership for the development of LDCs.

c) Accelerating regional integration as a strategy for achieving

sustainable socio-economic development by mainstreaming regional integration in our national programmes, including scaling up investment in regional infrastructure within the framework of the Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA) and the AU Minimum Integration Programme (MIP). We shall also intensify our efforts to promote intra-African trade by removing all barriers to trade, and address the special needs of our 15 landlocked countries. We commend the efforts of the RECs and other intergovernmental organizations in advancing the continental integration agenda, particularly the decision of COMESA, SADC and EAC to create a tripartite free-trade area, and call on other RECs to follow suit.

d) Addressing the impact of climate change by integrating climate change in our growth, employment and poverty eradication strategies. We urge our development partners to provide financial, technological and capacity-building assistance to enable African countries to address climate change challenges, in particular by putting in place effective adaptation strategies as a priority, as well as appropriate mitigation actions.

e) Paying attention to the development of statistics to support the

formulation, implementation and monitoring of development plans and strategies, as well as in monitoring development outcomes and progress towards the MDGs and the objectives of NEPAD. We call upon the AUC, ECA and AfDB to intensify their efforts in supporting the development of statistical capacity across the continent. We commend the countries that have signed and ratified the African Charter on Statistics, and call on the remaining countries to do so.


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f) Combating illicit financial flows by addressing the scale and magnitude of illicit financial flows into and from Africa and their impact on the development process and call upon recipient countries to take effective oversight and regulatory actions to address the problem. We commit ourselves to implement strong economic and governance measures to curtail illicit flows. We also request the AUC, ECA and AfDB to conduct further analytical work on the subject and prepare a declaration to be considered by the next ministerial conference.

g) Establishing pan-African financial institutions, namely the African Investment Bank, the African Central Bank and the African Monetary Fund. We note that all the legal instruments (the Protocol, the Statutes and the annexes defining the distribution of capital and voting rights) for the launch of the African Investment Bank have been adopted by the AU Heads of State and Government, and recognize the need for our countries to sign and ratify these instruments promptly. We call on member States, RECs, ECA and AfDB to provide the necessary support to the steering committees in charge of the establishment of the other two institutions.

h) Leveraging the support of Africa’s key partners, in particular the

United Nations system, through its Regional Coordination Mechanism (RCM), in providing support to Africa’s development agenda. We call for the strengthening of the RCM and the building of formal linkages between it and the RECs through the establishment of subregional coordination mechanisms.

i) Mobilising additional support from African member States, the

United Nations system, and international development partners for a further enhancement of the role of the repositioned IDEP in building and renewing capacities for economic management and development planning in Africa at a time when long-term development planning has come to occupy a central role in the strategy of our Governments to overcome poverty and achieve accelerated socio-economic development.

Vote of Thanks

16. We thank the Government of Malawi for hosting the Conference and for the excellent facilities made available to us, and the people of Malawi for their generosity and warm hospitality. We especially thank His Excellency President Bingu wa


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Mutharika for gracing the occasion with his presence, and Hon. Ken Kandodo, Minister of Finance of Malawi, for his effective leadership. 17. Finally, we are grateful to AUC and ECA for successfully convening the Third Joint Annual Meetings of the AU Conference of Ministers of Economy and Finance and the ECA Conference of African Ministers of Finance, Planning and Economic Development.


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RESOLUTION – L1 ASSESSMENT OF PROGRESS ON REGIONAL INTEGRATION IN AFRICA


Mindful of the Treaty establishing the African Economic Community, Recalling the Minimum Integration Programme (MIP) adopted by the 13th Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union as the reference framework for the gradual integration of the African continent, Recognizing the importance of peace, security and good governance as prerequisites for the advancement of the continental integration agenda, Noting the important role played by infrastructure in facilitating the physical integration of and factor flows on the continent,

Taking note of the substantial contribution made by the ECA African Trade Policy Centre in building capacity for trade policy analysis and trade negotiations among member States, Regional Economic Communities (RECs) and Intergovernmental Organizations (IGOs),

1. Welcomes the substantial progress made by the RECs and IGOs in advancing the continental integration agenda;

2. Urges member States, the African Union and the United Nations to take

the necessary measures to find solutions to the conflicts affecting African countries in order to speed up the integration process in the continent;

3. Calls upon member States, RECs and IGOs to address the challenges

constraining the acceleration of regional integration on the continent; 4. Commends the work of the ECA African Trade Policy Centre and the

renewed political commitment of member States to continue to pursue programmes and activities on regional integration;

5. Also calls upon member States to accelerate the implementation of the

recommendations of the Conference of African Ministers of Integration (COMAI), which have been adopted by the African Union Summit, especially those relating to the free movement of persons and the financing of integration;

6. Encourages member States to mainstream the Minimum Integration

Programme (MIP) into their national development programmes and, in this regard, calls upon the AU, the RECs, ECA, AfDB and development partners to scale up their support for the implementation of the MIP and domestication of regional integration instruments into national policy, legal and regulatory frameworks;


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7. Further encourages member States to continue to support ECA, AUC

and AfDB in publishing the report on Assessing Regional Integration in Africa (ARIA), which contains a comprehensive analysis and assessment of progress in regional integration on the continent;

8. Requests member States to take the necessary steps to facilitate

effective participation by landlocked and transit countries in the process of regional integration by removing all forms of physical and non-physical barriers to trade and by providing maximum support to transport and transit corridor management mechanisms;

9. Invites member States to take up the opportunities offered by the ECA

African Trade Policy Centre (ATPC) in their preparations on international trade negotiations and the promotion of intra-African trade;

10. Commends the work of ATPC and calls upon member States and

development partners to continue to provide support for its work with a view to strengthening its capacity to support the trade agenda on the continent;

11. Also urges member States to prioritize and upscale investments in

infrastructure, including through the utilization of innovative financing mechanisms, channelling of remittances and increasing domestic resource mobilization and harnessing the potential of private-public partnerships.


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RESOLUTION – L2

REVIEW OF PROGRESS TOWARDS ACHIEVING THE MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS IN AFRICA


Recalling African Union Summit decisions requesting the African Union Commission, in collaboration with the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa and the African Development Bank, to submit to the Assembly of Heads of State and Government, annual status reports and related statistics on Africa’s progress towards attainment of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), Further recalling decision No Ex.CL/DEC.504 (XV), Rev.2 adopted by the Executive Council of the African Union in July 2009 requesting the AUC, ECA and AfDB to assist Africa to prepare for the 2010 United Nations System-wide Mid-term review of progress towards the MDGs and to hold regional consultative meetings to review such progress, inviting countries to support this initiative, Also recalling United Nations General Assembly resolution 64/184, inviting the United Nations regional commissions, to hold regional consultations during the first half of 2010 to provide inputs to the preparations for the September 2010 High-Level Plenary Meeting and inviting the regional commissions to consider initiatives in support of the High Level Plenary Meeting and its preparatory process, Recognizing the progress being made by the continent towards attaining the MDG targets, Conscious of the challenges that still remain in efforts to attain all the MDGs by 2015, Commending the efforts that the AUC and UNECA are making to provide African countries with a Strategy for the Harmonization of Statistics in Africa as a key initiative for better statistical coordination and harmonization and strengthening of the African statistics system, Calls upon African countries to:

1. Adopt the proposed African Common Position on the MDGs and recommend its adoption by the Assembly of Heads of State and Government in July 2010;

2. Strengthen their statistical systems and institutions and implement the

Strategy for the Harmonization of Statistics in Africa; 3. Explore innovative ways of mobilizing funds to support MDG-related

programmes and activities;


4. Support the Campaign for Accelerated Reduction of Maternal Mortality in Africa;

5. Commit to take steps to implement the recommendations contained in

the proposed African Common Position; and calls upon development partners to fulfil their ODA commitments to enable Africa to meet the MDGs by the target date;

6. Submit the African Common Position to the High-Level Summit in

September 2010 and invite the African group at United Nations Headquarters in New York to support and promote the position during the preparatory process and High-Level Plenary Meeting; and

7. Request the AUC, in close collaboration with ECA and AfDB, to begin

reflections on the period beyond 2015.


RESOLUTION – L3 STRATEGY FOR THE HARMONIZATION OF STATISTICS AND

IMPLEMENTATION OF THE AFRICAN CHARTER ON STATISTICS The Conference of Ministers, Considering that statistical information is vital for decision-making by all segments of the society, particularly policy-makers as well as economic and social players, and is therefore essential for the continent’s integration and sustainable development as well as tracking progress towards the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), Aware of the fact that all commitments to implement development programmes and combat poverty should be based on clear evidence and therefore require a robust statistical data system which is relevant, reliable, comprehensive, harmonized and responsive, Noting that the quality of African statistics depends on the use of internationally-recognized standards adjusted to African specificities and compliance by statisticians with the African Charter on Statistics and the fundamental principles of official statistics, Welcoming decision ASSEMBLY/AU/DEC. 210 (XII) on the African Charter on Statistics adopted by the African Union Heads of State and Government calling on all member States to sign and ratify the Charter as expeditiously as possible so as to enable it to enter into force and thus provide a regulatory framework for coordinating the development of harmonised statistics on the continent, Commending the arrangements jointly made by the African Union Commission (AUC), the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), the African Development Bank, regional economic communities (RECs), and African countries to develop a draft strategy for the harmonization of statistics in Africa,

1. Commends countries that have signed and ratified the African Charter on Statistics and calls upon those which have not done so to sign and ratify it as expeditiously as possible;

2. Adopts the draft Strategy for the Harmonization of Statistics in Africa

(SHaSA) as well as its first pillar, the African Strategy for the Implementation of the 2008 System of National Accounts (SNA), and recommends them for adoption by the Assembly of Heads of State and Government in July 2010;

3. Calls upon member States, RECs, the AUC, UNECA and AfDB and their

partners to support and implement these initiatives and develop the other pillars of the SHaSA;


4. Calls upon the AUC to elevate its statistical function by transforming its Statistics Unit into a Division to enable it to play effectively its expected role in the joint monitoring of the implementation of the SHaSA.


RESOLUTION – L4 CLIMATE CHANGE AND DEVELOPMENT IN AFRICA

The Conference of Ministers, Recognizing that climate change poses unprecedented challenges for attaining the MDGs and achieving sustainable development in Africa, Aware of the need for African countries to address these challenges by mainstreaming climate change concerns into development policies and frameworks, Noting with appreciation the progress made towards the establishment of the ECA-based African Climate Policy Centre (ACPC) under the AUC/ECA/AfDB Climate for Development in Africa (ClimDev-Africa) Programme, Concerned about the over-dependence of ECA’s climate change and development work on extrabudgetary resources,

1. Appreciates the notable support provided by development partners for the implementation of the ClimDev-Africa Programme and its ACPC and calls upon them to continue their support to these key initiatives;

2. Requests ECA to continue to work closely with the African Union

Commission, the African Development Bank and other organizations in strengthening the capacity of member States and their inter-governmental organizations to address climate-related issues, including providing technical support to African countries in the on-going negotiations for a new international climate change regime.


RESOLUTION – L5 PROMOTING HIGH-LEVEL SUSTAINABLE GROWTH

TO REDUCE UNEMPLOYMENT IN AFRICA The Conference of Ministers, Recalling the 2004 Ouagadougou Declaration and Plan of Action on Employment and Poverty Alleviation in Africa adopted by African Heads of State and Government, as well as the deliberations of the Conference of Ministers of Finance, Planning and Economic Development in 2005 on meeting the challenges of unemployment in Africa within the context of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), Concerned about the overall limited progress made in reducing unemployment and poverty rates despite relatively high growth rates achieved during the decade prior to the recent economic crisis and the fact that the majority of Africans are subject to vulnerable employment /or under employment, Noting the importance of special employment and social protection measures to assist vulnerable groups – women, youth, the elderly, the disabled and the rural poor – who are most affected by unemployment and the crisis, Recognizing the importance of promoting high-level sustainable growth and reducing unemployment for the continent so as to alleviate poverty in the aftermath of the recent global financial and economic crises, Aware of the central role of the State in designing, implementing and monitoring inclusive development plans to strengthen the growth/employment/poverty eradication nexus as a means to create decent jobs,

1. Reaffirms that the global financial and economic crises pose challenges to Africa’s growth and development including their adverse impact on employment and poverty eradication;

2. Recognizes that the recent crises provide African countries with an

opportunity to develop strategies to counter the problems that have arisen and at the same time promote sustainable employment-intensive, high-growth economies that are structurally diversified;

3. Encourages African governments to adopt or strengthen employment

and social protection policies that are specifically targeted to reduce unemployment and poverty among vulnerable groups;

4. Stresses the need to enhance the mobilization of domestic resources as

the major source of development financing by increasing private saving rates, raising the efficiency of tax collection, expanding the tax base, and deepening financial and capital markets;

5. Calls upon African countries to enhance the role of counter-cyclical fiscal


policies that focus on expanding infrastructure, human capital formation and development as well as the provision of social services as mechanisms for job creation in the short run;

6. Encourages Governments to pursue long-term structural transformation

policies that involve investing commodity revenues in labour-intensive non-primary resource sectors; increasing the resources available to priority sectors; making intensified efforts to attract FDI in non-resource extraction sectors; and improving the business environment;

7. Calls upon Governments to encourage private-sector investment and

development, focusing on high labour-intensive sectors, including agro-industry, green-industries, labour-intensive manufacturing and service industries, with special attention to addressing the needs of the informal economy;

8. Encourages efforts by African Governments to promote increased

productivity through such policies as technology transfer using non-resource FDI, a serious and credible commitment to research and development, promotion of the knowledge economy and provision of better infrastructure, and continuous improvements in micro and macro-economic management in the framework of social dialogue;

9. Stresses the need to adopt and deepen reforms to ensure adequate

labour market flexibility and to remove distortions that encourage capital-intensive production techniques at the expense of labour-intensive ones;

10. Invites African countries to speed up regional integration and intra-

African trade to promote employment-intensive investment, given the small size of individual African economies, and to intensify efforts together with development partners to conclude the Doha round of trade negotiations;

11. Encourages African Governments to design and implement effective

employment-generating growth strategies through employment mainstreaming and employment targeting based on accurate and timely employment data that are regularly collected and analyzed;

12. Requests Africa’s development partners to fulfill their commitments to

increase Official Development Assistance(ODA) and take measures to encourage Foreign Direct Investment(FDI) flows, including providing technical assistance to African countries in achieving the strategies, policies and measures recommended above;

13. Also requests African countries to allocate an adequate share of their

national budgets to agriculture to increase productivity and incomes, and reduce poverty specially in rural areas, in line with the Maputo commitments;


14. Urges African Governments and the RECs to accelerate the

implementation of the Ouagadougou Declaration and Plan of Action on Employment Promotion and Poverty Alleviation, and mobilize the required resources;

15. Calls upon African Governments to implement the Global Jobs Pact

adopted in 2009, which reiterates the need for the promotion of full employment and decent work for all;

16. Also calls upon African Ministers of Labour to consider the resolution

and coordinate its implementation with African Ministers of Finance, Planning and Economic Development at the national, subregional and continental level.


RESOLUTION – 6

ESTABLISHMENT OF AFRICAN FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS

The Conference of Ministers, Recalling Article 9 of the African Union Constitutive Act establishing the three African financial institutions, namely the African Central Bank, the African Monetary Fund and the African Investment Bank, Recalling also the adoption by the African Union Conference of the Protocol and Statutes as well as the annexes to the Statutes relating to the establishment of the African Investment Bank by decisions Assembly/AU/Dec.212(XII) dated 3 February 2009, Assembly/AU/Dec.(XIII) dated 3 July 2009 and Assembly/AU/Dec.286(XIV) Rev.1 dated 2 February 2010, Considering the extreme urgency for the three Financial Institutions to be established with a view to supporting strong and sustainable economic growth that would generate employment,

1. Commends the countries hosting the African Central Bank (Nigeria) and the African Monetary Fund (Cameroon) for the remarkable efforts they have made towards the establishment and operation of the Steering Committees responsible for the preparatory work of establishing both institutions;

2. Invites member States of the African Union to speed up the signing and

ratification of the Protocol and the Statute of the African Investment Bank so that it can quickly begin its operations as a development finance institution;

3. Encourages Member States, Regional Economic Communities, the

United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, the African Development Bank and African Central Banks to extend their support to the aforementioned Steering Committees in the discharge of the task entrusted to them.


RESOLUTION – L7 TOWARDS REALIZING A FOOD SECURE AFRICA

The Conference of Ministers, Recognizing the potential that agriculture has in promoting high-level sustainable growth and creating employment opportunities in national economies and in Africa in general, and acknowledging that both the capacity and the responsibility to realize such a potential lies first and foremost with African countries, Noting with appreciation the Vision of a Food-Secure Africa articulated by H.E. Dr. Bingu Wa Mutharika, President of the Republic of Malawi and current Chairperson of the African Union, which aims at ensuring food security and food sufficiency in Africa within the next five years, including putting an end to hunger and malnutrition; 1. Reiterates its commitment to enhance investment in agriculture to realize its potential, particularly to accelerate the implementation of CAADP and the Maputo 2003. 2. Fully supports the vision of a food-secure Africa within five years and commit to its realization through supporting strategies and measures that will provide incentives, including targeted subsidies to small-scale farmers and market stabilization measures as well as mainstreaming food security in all sectoral policies and programmes; 3. Recognizes the need to accelerate land reforms in our countries in order to ensure equitable access and security of tenure, especially for smallholders and women; 4. Supports the promotion of full and decent employment in the agricultural sector coupled with balanced pricing mechanisms within value chains to ensure that African farmers get a fair share of the market, including fair prices for their products; 5. Calls on African countries and their development partners to deposit the necessary instruments of commitment with the African Development Bank for a speedy operationalization of the Africa Fertilizer Mechanism; 6. Also calls on the Regional Economic Communities to take steps to contain the spiralling costs of food imports by pursuing and strengthening their policies, strategies and investments, to facilitate increased access to yield-enhancing inputs, particularly fertilizers, seeds and pesticides, and enhance intra-regional and inter-regional trade in agricultural products; 7. Further calls on for a policy commitment from African Governments and their development partners to ensure that food aid supplies are home-grown and sourced from domestic rather than imported food supplies, accompanied by the establishment of strategic grain reserves stocked with food products grown in Africa. We commit to


support policies and programmes to improve the nutrition of the most vulnerable social groups, based on home-grown food items; 8. Supports efforts to enhance national and regional capacities to mitigate exposure to disaster risk by institutionalizing effective financial and other instruments such as strategic grain reserves, budgeted contingency funds as well as through risk sharing across sub-regions.

AFRICAN UNION

UNION AFRICAINE

UNIÃO AFRICANA Addis Ababa, Ethiopia P. O. Box 3243 Telephone: 5517 700 Fax: 5517844

Website: www. Africa-union.org

EXECUTIVE COUNCIL Seventeenth Ordinary Session 19 – 23 July 2010 Kampala, Uganda


REPORT OF THE COMMISSION ON THE MDGS: ASSESSMENT REPORT AND AFRICAN COMMON POSITION


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REPORT OF THE COMMISSION ON THE MDGS: ASSESSMENT REPORT AND AFRICAN COMMON POSITION

1. In September 2010, world leaders will once again gather in New York United Nations Headquarters (UNHQ) to evaluate progress made by countries towards the targets of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) agreed to at the United Nations Millennium Summit in 2000. This meeting will mark the five years countdown to the MDGs target date. The leaders will examine strategies that have worked, those that have failed and reaffirm their commitment to the goals. This report, prepared for the joint United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) Conference of Ministers of Finance, Planning and Economic Development and the African Union Conference of Ministers of Economy and Finance, is an annual report produced by ECA, the African Union Commission (AUC) and the African Development Bank (AfDB) and, this year, in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The report provides an assessment of progress made by the continent toward the targets of the MDGs in Africa, and proposes policy options for consideration and adoption by African governments and their development partners to accelerate progress towards the MDGs. 2. As a continent, Africa is often portrayed as lagging on the MDGs relative to other regions. The data used in this analysis, albeit current up to 2007, confirm this verdict. However, this broad brush ignores the significant achievements individual countries are making on the goals and the scale-up opportunities that this provides. This Africa-specific report in part addresses this shortcoming by identifying African countries that have made significant progress, spotlighting the interventions and lessons for peer-learning and knowledge-sharing. Overall, this report shows that African countries have maintained their steady progress toward the targets of the MDGs. Key areas of progress include reducing the number of under-nourished people on the continent. Ghana, for example, has already met this target and a number of countries along the Atlantic coast of the continent are on track to meet it. The continent is on track, as reported in past reports, to meet the primary education and gender goals. There is commendable progress on reducing tuberculosis and the proportion of children sleeping under insecticide treated bed-nets is increasing. 3. Equally commendable is the fact that high-level political commitment to the MDGs has not been eroded by the crises –fuel, food price, financial and economic– that buffeted the continent in the recent past. African countries adopted a broad range of


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policy instruments to minimize the impacts of the crisis. South Africa, Tunisia and Morocco drew on their foreign reserves to cushion the shock. Nigeria rescued some of its banks, whilst Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania raised public expenditure on infrastructure by 20-30 percent to enhance economic growth (AfDB, 2010). Africa’s development partners also stepped up assistance. The G20 agreed the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) request to raise its capital base. As a consequence, the IMF increased its lending to Africa by almost five-fold (World Economic Outlook 2010). The African Development Bank (AfDB) and the World Bank also increased their support to Africa. 4. An important element of the success is the significant wide-ranging institutional innovations that countries have introduced to drive and secure growth and achieve the MDGs. These include the embrace of MDG-based planning, cascading of the MDGs through decentralization to lower tiers of government for improved service delivery, enhanced national policy coordination and harmonization, as well as sectoral policies such as an expanded role for social protection. African countries are also increasing the contribution of domestic revenues to their economic growth although still about 12 countries continue to rely on aid for about 85% of their annual budget. Amidst all these, international support for the MDGs in Africa remains high. All of these combine to provide a platform for accelerating the rate of progress to achieve the MDGs in the final quinquennium of the MDGs agenda. 5. However, the challenges ahead are difficult. Economic conditions were difficult in 2009. The eddies of the global financial and economic crisis are only beginning to settle but its impact on African economies and their ability to attain the MDGs will be long felt. The crisis has had a major impact on the fiscal health of many African economies. Fiscal revenues declined due to lower commodity prices and shrinking of domestic tax base as domestic output contracted. Fiscal balances may improve over time but they are not expected to be strong in the short term because of uncertainty over the pace of recovery in the advanced, industrialized economies. Although recovery in China has been strong, it is unlikely that alone, it can drive recovery of demand for African commodities and thus lead to improvement in the fiscal health of the continent’s economies. In the interim, countries will acquire more debt and seek more official development assistance to maintain the momentum toward 2015. Dependency ratios will increase due to demographic variables and weak employment growth, making it difficult to reduce headcount poverty. Both of these factors could weaken the rate of progress towards the targets of the MDGs and reverse progress already made.


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6. With five years left to the MDG end date and with the rate of progress on most of the goals slower than desired, it is unlikely the region as a whole will achieve all of them at the target date if current trends and the usual way of doing things persist. In some cases, it is not for lack of effort but due to structural, social cultural rigidities in African society. Inadequate financing is also a constraint. Nonetheless most Africans remain optimistic about their future. A recent survey by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public life shows that 76 percent of people living in Africa excluding North Africa reported their life will be better in five years. The same survey reveals that Africans are more optimistic about their future as compared to other regions of the world. 7. African governments and their development partners must capitalize on this optimism. Pan African institutions such as the African Union Commission (AUC), the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), the African Development Bank (AfDB), the Regional Economic Communities (RECs) and UN agencies and funds are critical to these efforts. However, African governments must also be willing to make a difficult choice: in the context of limited financial, human resource and time constraints, they must choose between aiming to achieve all the goals by the target date or to achieve a few goals that they consider most critical for their long-term development. Evidence suggests that all the goals can be achieved if efforts, including financing for public sector investments are scaled up. The choice is each country’s to make.


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DRAFT African Common Position on the Millennium Development Goals

2010 United Nations High Level Plenary Meeting on the MDGs

1. Background

Africa has made significant progress towards the MDGs and the continent as a whole is on track to achieve some of the goals such as net primary enrollment, gender parity in primary education, political empowerment of women, stemming the spread of HIV/AIDS. However, at current trends, the continent will not meet most of the MDGs, particularly the health MDGs. The recent global and economic crisis has made prospects for attaining the MDGs in Africa all the more harder. Nonetheless, we remain convinced that given the right policy interventions and sufficient funding, the MDGs are attainable in Africa. It is, therefore, up to us to ensure that we implement the right policies and garner support to ensure that Africa escapes out of poverty. Indications are that economic growth in Africa will be 4.7 per cent in 2010 and 5.6 per cent in 2011. Although this is below the pre-crisis level and the level required for reducing poverty by half by 2015, it provides the necessary foundation for achieving the MDGs.

This High Level Plenary Meeting on the MDGs convened by the United Nations provides an opportunity to outline the efforts that should be made by African countries, with the assistance of the international community, in order to achieve the MDGs by 2015. A lot of countries are implementing innovative policies that, if replicated in the rest of the continent, would yield positive results towards achievement of the MDGs in Africa. Choices have to be made, and they must be judicious and timely.

2. Statement of our Position We, African Countries: CONVINCED that attainment of the MDGs contributes to the development of our continent and the improvement of the well-being of the African people; APPRECIATING the commitment of African leaders as well as international partners at various Summits, to accelerate attainment of the MDGs in Africa; RECOGNIZING the various AU Development Frameworks as instruments that advance progress towards attainment of the MDGs and the objectives of AU’s Minimum Integration Programme;


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ALSO RECOGNIZING that few African countries are on course to reach some MDG targets by 2015 but Africa as a whole will not attain the MDGs if the current trend continues; ACKNOWLEDGING progress made in various areas including in net primary enrolment, adult literacy, stemming the spread of HIV/AIDS and TB, gender parity in primary school enrolment, increased women participation in decision making and their representation in national parliaments, as well as increased child immunization and reducing under-five mortality: CONCERNED that of all the MDGs, the goal related to improved maternal health is the most unlikely to be achieved, and that maternal mortality rates are the highest in our continent; CONSCIOUS of the huge constraints that are hampering the implementation of the MDGs, among others, the availability of quality data to report on progress and decision-making; the gap between commitments and disbursements of pledged resources, conflicts, economic and political governance, economic and financial crisis, all of which impact negatively on the attainment of the MDGs and subsequently overall sustainable development; ACKNOWLEDGING that investment in the MDGs is necessary for the development of social capital, without which neither growth nor employment could be sustainably achieved; AWARE of the need to address the persistence of restrictive market access conditions in industrialized countries and supply side constraints in the continent which have harmed the export diversification process in Africa as well as high agricultural subsidy in the advanced countries which made African agriculture non-competitive; RECALLING the Monterrey consensus to increase official development assistance, the Paris Declaration on aid effectiveness, Accra Agenda for Action and Gleneagles Commitments on debt cancellation and Africa’s position on an unconditional debt cancellation; RECOGNIZING that the primary responsibility for the attainment of the MDGs is ours but international partners also have a key responsibility to honour their commitments and support country-led-strategies; and RESOLVE to remain determined to act together to eradicate poverty in Africa and to place African countries, both individually and collectively, on a path of sustainable


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growth and development in the globalization process, and promote democratic principles and good governance. HAVE AGREED TO ACT COLLECTIVELY ON THE FOLLOWING: REMAIN DETERMINED to act together and pursue the MDGs so as to eradicate hunger, eradicate poverty and to place African countries, both individually and collectively, on a path of sustainable growth and development; IMPLEMENT with support from International partners the recommendations made by the MDGs Africa Steering Group in propelling Africa towards the attainment of the MDGs by 2015; SCALE UP our efforts in improving an enabling environment and conducive investment climate for private sector development to fill investment gaps, in areas such as the provision of basic services in water, land, health including HIV and AIDS, and other infrastructure development; and to attract Foreign Direct Investment (FDI); IMPLEMENT our commitments as outlined in the 2000 Dakar Framework for Action: Education for All, the 2001 Abuja Declaration on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Other Related Infectious Diseases, the 2003 Maputo Declaration on Agriculture and Food Security, and the 2008 Sirte Declaration on Agriculture and Water, and to explore other innovative options of financing the MDGs; ACCELERATE implementation of AU initiatives including, among others, the 2004 Ouagadougou Declaration and Plan of Action on employment and poverty reduction, Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA), the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP), the Continental Gender Policy, the Maputo Plan of Action on Reproductive Health, the Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Plan for Africa; the Abuja Call for Accelerated Action towards Universal Access to HIV/AIDS, TB, Malaria services; ENSURE priority attention to scale up towards universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support, with an urgent commitment to eliminate mother to child transmission of HIV by 2015; and keep both alive and healthy; ENCOURAGE IMPLEMENTATION of the African Charter on statistics as well as the Strategy for the Harmonization of Statistics in Africa (SHaSA) in order to build institutional capacity of Statistics Offices and ensure their autonomy in operations, paying attention to provision of adequate financial resources to enable them to meet statistics needs at national and continental levels for measurement of development results, in particular the MDGs;


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CONSIDER land tenure reforms to ensure access to land and security of land rights for smallholder farmers, which are central to agricultural transformation, employment, income generation, making products more competitive in global market and gender equality; PLEDGE to protect the environment as the cornerstone of our efforts aimed at conserving Africa’s species and ecosystems, with specific strategies for adaptation, mitigation, effective natural resources management, as well mainstreaming environmental protection, biodiversity and conservation as part of the national development strategy. RESOLVE to accelerate delivery on the various commitments made by our Heads of State and Government regarding Africa’s socio-economic integration, poverty reduction, agrricultural development, employment generation, human and social development; CALL ON the G8 and other development partners to honour their 2005 commitment to deliver 0.7% of Gross National Income (GNI) as predictable aid and institute specific measures to combat illicit capital flight from Africa to accelerate the achievement of MDGs by 2015; FURTHER CALL ON development partners to deliver on the US $30 billion committed in Copenhagen to assist developing countries in adaptation to and mitigation of climate change; and CALL UPON development partners to put an end to agricultural subsidies and other detrimental trade practices, which hamper the ability of African countries to compete in the global market.

AFRICAN UNION

UNION AFRICAINE

UNIÃO AFRICANA

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia P. O. Box 3243 Telephone: 5517 700 Fax: 5517844 Website: www. Africa-union.org

EXECUTIVE COUNCIL Seventeenth Ordinary Session 19 - 23 July 2010 Kampala, Uganda

EX.CL/586(XVII) Rev.1 Annex 3

AFRICA-EU DIALOGUE: OUTCOMES OF THE THIRTEENTH AND FOURTEENTH AFRICA-EU MINISTERIAL TROIKA MEETINGS,

HELD ADDIS ABABA, 14 OCTOBER 2009 AND LUXEMBOURG, 27 APRIL 2010 RESPECTIVELY


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AFRICA-EU DIALOGUE: OUTCOMES OF THE THIRTEENTH AND FOURTEENTH AFRICA-EU MINISTERIAL TROIKA MEETINGS, HELD ADDIS ABABA, 14

OCTOBER 2009 AND LUXEMBOURG, 27 APRIL 2010 RESPECTIVELY Introductory note: Commission’s Report on the Africa-EU Dialogue

The Thirteenth and Fourteenth Africa-EU Ministerial Troika meetings took place in Addis Ababa on 14 October 2009 and Luxembourg on 26 April 2010, respectively. Both meetings discussed a range of issues, including challenges faced in the implementation of the partnership and possible ways of addressing the identified challenges.

While the 13th Ministerial Troika endorsed the outcomes of the 9th Joint Task

Force Meeting, held in Addis Ababa on 8-9 October 2009 and the Africa-EU Resources Workshop, also held in Addis Ababa on 5-7 October 2009, the 14th Troika endorsed the Joint Options Paper which proposes recommendations on improving the pace of implementation. The Options Paper has specific recommendations on the Joint Strategy, the content of the next Action Plan, resource issues, enhancing participation, work of the Joint Expert Groups, and so on.

Below are some of the recommendations proposed by the Commission:

Recommendations

Below are some key recommendations aimed at improving the pace of implementation:

1. The problem of resources must be adequately addressed. This is a collective

responsibility, hence, both sides need to take concrete measures to provide such resources. In the long term, the setting up of a pan-African financial support programme is necessary. In the mean time, the EU side needs to provide more information on the available financing instruments and how to access available funds;

2. Member States need to demonstrate commitment to the partnership by providing the expertise required in the Joint Expert Groups;

3. More engagement is required to balance the development and political

dimensions. The African side is more preoccupied with the former while the EU side seems to put too much emphasis on the latter;

4. All stakeholders, including civil society, the private sector, RECs and the Pan

African Parliament must continue to be engaged with a view to ensuring their full participation;


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5. All stakeholders should play their part to ensure the success of the 3rd Africa-EU Summit. Early preparations are essential in this regard.

A. REPORT ON THE OUTCOME OF THE 13TH AFRICA-EU MINISTERIAL

TROIKA, ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA, 14 OCTOBER 2009 I. Introduction

1. The 13th Africa-EU Ministerial Troika Meeting took place in Addis Ababa on 14 October 2009 under the co-chairmanship of H.E. Mr. Mohamed Tahir Sialla, Secretary of International Cooperation at the General People’s Committee for Foreign Liaison and International Cooperation of the Great Socialist People’s Libyan Arab Jamahiriya and H.E. Gunilla Carlsson, Minister for International Development Cooperation of Sweden and President of the Council of the European Union (EU). The communiqué is attached. II. Deliberations 2. Ministers exchanged views on developments since the 12th Ministerial Troika and covered issues such as developments in the Sudan, Somalia, the Great Lakes Region, the Sahel Region, Guinea, Madagascar, Zimbabwe and elections in Africa and the EU. Global challenges such as climate change and the global economic and financial crisis were also discussed. 3. On implementation of the Joint Strategy and First Action Plan, Ministers reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening the Strategic Partnership between Africa and the EU and welcomed the progress made since the last Troika in the implementation of the Joint Africa-EU Strategy. 4. Regarding the way ahead, the Ministers stressed the need for:

i. a broader, geographically balanced and more significant buy-in of African countries and RECs and of European Member States, as well as an improved coordination and communication amongst co-chairs, members of Joint Expert Groups and both Commissions as well as the participation of key stakeholders;

ii. jointly examining ways of better mobilizing the necessary resources

including various EC instruments; policy, human resources and financial resources from EU Member States and from the African side, in particular Member States, RECs, and financial institutions; other international partners; and the private sector.


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5. Ministers further proposed a series of recommendations on ways of enhancing the implementation process. These include:

a. Resources and finances:

i. EU and African partners should liaise more closely to gain clearer picture

of resources mobilized and planned by all actors, within each partnership and towards each relevant institution, seeking to coordinate and align the different strands of cooperation in a timely and predictable manner;

ii. Both sides should examine the need to expand innovative financing

mechanisms such as the African Peace Facility, the Infrastructure Trust fund, and pool funding.;

iii. JAES priorities should be mainstreamed in EU financial instruments

(Commission and Member States), and in the joint programming process with African partners;

iv. Problems of management as well as technical and absorption capacity

should be urgently addressed so that available but insufficiently used funding sources can better contribute to the implementation of the Strategy;

v. Involvement of other partners should be encouraged and both sides

should enable the African Development Bank and the European Investment Bank as well as international partners such as the World Bank and the relevant UN agencies to contribute to the implementation of the JAES Action Plan.

b. Working methods: EU and African partners should:

i. step up information and cooperation with RECs regarding the ongoing

work in the 8 partnerships; to better use the ICT tools in place; underpinning of the work of JEGs and African Implementation Teams with sufficient technical assistance and human and financial resources, and to make better use of the €55m EC funded capacity-building program to the AU to strengthen the institutional capacity of the AUC in the context of the JAES;

ii. fully exploit synergies between the thematic partnerships;

iii. ensure that the Joint Expert Groups provide proposals for operational

priorities during the final phase of the 1st Action Plan and in view of the 3rd Africa-EU Summit and the Second Action Plan.


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III. The Joint Task Force Meeting

6. The Troika Meeting was preceded by the 9th Meeting of the AUC-EC Joint Task Force, which took place in Addis Ababa on 8-9 October 2009 under the co-chairmanship of Amb.John Kayode Shinkaiye, Chief of Staff in the Bureau of the AU Commission Chairperson, and Mr. Klaus Rudischhauser, Director General in the Directorate General for Development and Relations with ACP Countries in the European Commission. The Meeting was also attended by co-Chairs of the Joint Expert Groups (JEGs), Representatives of AU and EU Presidencies and Member-States and the EU Council Secretariat, and representatives of the European Parliament and civil society from both continents. In parallel, AUC and EC services discussed during a video-conference the deepening of the institutional cooperation between the two institutions. Two important items considered by the Joint Task force were the outcomes of an earlier workshop on Resources/Financing held in Addis Ababa on 5-7 October 2009 as well as a Joint Assessment Report on the Africa-EU Partnership.

7. Among others, the Joint Force endorsed the outcome of the Resources/Financing Workshop and the Asessment Report, . The Ministerial Troika subsequently endorsed the Report of the Joint Task Force with annexes (the Resources/Financing workshop Report and Assessment Report). Below are the relevant details:

a. The Resources/Financing Workshop 8. The problem of financing is partly to blame for the slow pace of implementation of the First Action Plan (2008-2010). Against this background, the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union, during the January/February 2009 Summit requested the Commission to approach the EU counterpart with a view to organising a workshop to discuss the issue of financing the Joint Strategy/Action Plan. 9. The workshop was organised from 5-7 October 2009 in Addis Ababa. It was attended by African and EU Member States, the two Commissions, RECs, financing institutions such as the AfDB and EIB and other stakeholders. It created an opportunity for a frank exchange of views on the subject of financing.

10. Some of the conclusions of the meeting include:

Concern was raised that although the roadmaps had come far, the

implementation process remained very slow; Successful cooperation had taken place at the policy and political level. The

Peace and security partnership was often cited as a positive example but it was agreed that this success was largely attributed to the existence of APSA, demonstrating the need for functioning African structures to be in place;


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The financial issue was raised as a shared responsibility. Availability of funds was often recognized, but the difficulties in accessing the resources were seen as a big obstacle;

Complexity of procedures and lack of information on the functioning and access modalities of various EU financial instruments was raised as a concern;

Increased synergies between the different instruments were called for in order to increase their efficiency in dealing with the pan-African challenges;

There was a call for greater efficiency and effectiveness in the use of the available resources;

Necessity to prioritize the proposed programs and projects taking into account their relevance for the major development issues in Africa was agreed;

The need to ensure that the roadmaps and their projects were integrated into Africa’s strategic plans and national/regional development programs and budgets and linked with existing on-going policies was highlighted. In this regard, the need for better communication about roadmaps activities in the relevant national and regional body was stressed;

Participants concurred that financing was not the only implementation obstacle to the Joint Strategy. Rather, major challenges remained in terms of policy guidance and inputs, human resources, technical expertise and institutional and management capacity and these needed to be tackled.

11. The two sides agreed on the need to pursue the discussion and to ensure appropriate follow-up in the relevant EU and AU bodies. Consultations on the subject between the two sides should continue during 2010.

b. Assessment Report

12. This Report, jointly prepared by the two sides within the framework of the eight thematic Joint Expert Groups, provided detailed information on the state of play in the eight thematic partnerships of the Joint Africa-EU Strategy (JAES) and First Action Plan 2008-2010, covering also the efforts made by the EU and the African side to adapt their respective internal working methods and to put in place the innovative joint institutional architecture. The paper aimed at informing the competent African and European bodies and stakeholders on the progress made in the implementation of the Joint Strategy and of its First Action Plan (2008-2010). 13. It covered progress and challenges in the implementation of the Joint Strategy and the thematic partnerships, institutional aspects and working methods, coordination issues, communication and public outreach as well as the issue of resources. 14. The Report served as a basis for the Joint Options Paper on improving the Implementation of the Africa-EU Joint Strategy endorsed by the 14th Ministerial Troika Meeting held in Luxembourg on 26 April 2010.


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B. REPORT ON THE 14TH AFRICA-EU MINISTERIAL TROIKA MEETING, LUXEMBOURG, 26 APRIL 2010

I. Introduction

1. The 14th Africa-EU Ministerial Troika/Political Dialogue Meeting took place in Luxembourg on 26 April 2010. The Meeting was co-chaired by Honorable Professor Eta E. BANDA, Minister of Foreign Affairs to the Republic of Malawi and H.E. Catherine ASHTON, the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission.

II. Discussions

2. Among the issues discussed were:

Implementation of the Joint Strategy and preparations for the 3rd Africa-EU summit;

Peace and security issues (Sudan, Somalia, democracy and unconstitutional changes of government in Africa, the African Peace and Security Architecture);

Development challenges (energy and infrastructure, climate change, MDGs, agriculture and food security, economic and financial crisis).

A. Implementation of the Joint Strategy

3. The pace of implementation has remained slow despite the putting in place of a comprehensive all-inclusive implementation architecture. Some of the challenges include weaknesses of the Joint Expert Groups (JEGs), insufficient participation of stakeholders such as RECs, lack of a dedicated financing package, poor communication, lack of commitment and the difficulty of identifying a niche for the Joint Strategy vis-à-vis engagements between Africa and the EU at other levels. As a result of the foregoing, the rate of implementation of the first Action Plan has remained low as we approach the end of the first phase of implementation 2008-2010. 4. In recognition of the need to improve on implementation, Ministers, at the 13th Africa-EU Ministerial Troika Meeting, held in Addis Ababa in October 2009, invited the EU and AU presidencies and Commissions as well as the EU Council Secretariat to present options on improving the implementation of the Joint Strategy in view of a possible 2nd Action Plan to be endorsed at the Africa-EU Summit in 2010, addressing inter alia possible content, structure and institutional framework as well as the challenges and shortfalls identified so far. The paper (attached as annex) was jointly prepared by the two sides and adopted by the Ministers at the 14th Ministerial Troika Meeting.


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5. Below are some of the key elements of the Joint Options Paper: a. The Joint Strategy: It was agreed that this would remain unchanged in

substance but provision would be made to reflect factual changes such as the institutional changes on the EU side.

b. The next Action Plan: The two sides agreed:

that the second Action Plan should not be fundamentally different in substance from the first Action Plan;

to continue to reflect on the substance and the working arrangements of the eight thematic partnerships, and make appropriate suggestions with a view to reaching agreement before the next Ministerial Troika/Political Dialogue meeting in October 2010;

that primary focus of the Action Plan should be given to activities that have a clear regional, continental, or global dimension; have a clear added value and proven buy-in;

that the Action Plan will be accompanied by a detailed “implementation plan” with timelines, benchmarks, deliverables, actors, cost estimates, financial resources available, etc.

c. As a means of enhancing implementation, Ministers endorsed a number

of recommendations including in the areas of enhancing political and policy dialogue, involvement of all stakeholders, work of the Joint Expert Groups (JEGs), communication as well as the issue of resources. Details of the specific proposals endorsed are contained in the annexed Options Paper. Below are some of the key areas agreed.

i. Resources: Without adequate financing, implementation of the Joint

Strategy will remain a distant dream. Ministers agreed on the need to address the resource shortfalls identified and to find a solution to this question. They agreed that consultations should, therefore, continue in this regard. The progressive establishment of a pan-African financial support programme was agreed in the Joint Strategy and it is important to continue to engage on this matter. It must be emphasized that addressing the financing problem is a shared responsibility and, hence, both sides should continue to work together with a view to addressing the problem in a comprehensive manner.

ii. Joint Expert Groups (JEGs): It was agreed that reform of the JEGs

will help in improving the pace of implementation of the second Action Plan. The need to address the disconnect between activities carried out by JEGs and other activities and processes taking place at other levels was also agreed. Ministers also agreed on the need to review


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the JEG mandate and guidelines, to engage more national experts, and to ensure better connection of the JEGs with the political decision making process, among others.

On the functioning of JEGs, they agreed that the role and responsibilities of the co-chairs should be more clearly defined; a broader participation and ownership in JEGs should be ensured by both sides; their functioning could be improved through co-chairing by a format which includes one institution and two member states on both sides as appropriate; there was a need for secretarial support and technical assistance to ensure a better flow of information, continuity of work and preparation of meetings; and the need to continue to explore the various possibilities of financing experts’ participation in such meetings.

iii. Enhanced Political and Policy Dialogue: Ministers agreed to

enhance the quality, scope and effectiveness of political dialogue and cooperation on Peace and Security issues and agreed on the need for additional arrangements in order to improve dialogue in multilateral fora. They also agreed to further strengthen political dialogue and development cooperation by enhancing frequency, scope and effectiveness of thematic policy dialogue in key priority areas. In this regard, consideration was given to the possibility of sectoral Ministerial / Senior Official Meetings, leading to higher commitment and active involvement of key stakeholders on both sides.

iv. Enhanced involvement of various actors: Ministers agreed to strive

for more substantial engagement of European and African Member States, as well as Parliaments, international or regional organizations, the private sector, and representatives of civil society from both sides, while building on the greater involvement of both sides, in particular the European and African Union Commissions.

It is important that all stakeholders are encouraged to participate fully in the implementation of the partnership. Full commitment of Member States is required. This would translate into committing the necessary expertise and resources needed for a successful outcome. RECs also have an important role to play and should therefore be encouraged to be part of the implementation process. Other stakeholders such as PAP and civil society should also play a role.

v. Communication: Lack of effective communication has been identified

as one of the areas of weakness. In this regards, Ministers agreed on the need to communicate better and to increase the visibility of the


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Joint Strategy both in Africa, in the EU and internationally. They agreed to use the recently adopted communication strategy as a good basis for further work and to use all available tools to strengthen the visibility and impact of the partnership.

B. Preparations for the 3rd Africa-EU Summit

6. The 3rd Africa-EU Summit is scheduled to take place in Libya on 29-30 November 2010. Regarding preparations for the Summit, the two sides have agreed to set up a Joint Steering Committee to drive the process. The African side will be represented by members of the Follow-up Committee. Among others, the Steering Committee will identify and elaborate the thematic key issues to be discussed at the Summit, facilitate an agreement on possible Summit deliverables, address the logistical, organizational and communications aspects of the Summit, as well as coordinate the preparation of the Action Plan for the period 2011-2013.

7. The Steering Committee held its inaugural meeting in Brussels on 14 April 2010 in the margins of the last Ministerial Troika meeting. Members exchanged views on a range of issues including:

Possible themes for the next Africa-EU Summit Possible key deliverables People-to-people dimension and side events Joint communication strategy Calendar of activities

8. It was decided that a small working group would be set up to work on a second Action Plan on the basis of agreed principles.

9. On the theme of the Summit and possible side events, it was agreed that:

the African and EU sides will continue to exchange views on an overall theme as well as sub-themes for the Summit.

possible themes to consider include energy, infrastructure & ICT, climate change, MDGs, Food Security and agriculture, Peace and Security, economic growth and investment, and the financial and economic crisis.

possible side events could include private sector, parliaments, gender, youth, civil society, Diaspora, local government authorities. Both sides are expected to come up with concrete proposals for consideration by the next Troika.

10. The African side proposed a number of possible Summit deliverables, including visa facilitation, coordinated joint Africa-EU positions on global challenges, coherence in

EX.CL/586(XVII) Rev.1 Annex 3 Page 10

dealing with Africa (treating Africa as one), establishment of a pan-African financial support programme, launching of a number of flagship projects in each of the five regions of the continent and cancellation of Africa’s external debt.

C. Peace and security issues 11. On peace and security issues, Ministers discussed the situation in Sudan, Somalia, democracy and unconstitutional changes of government in Africa as well as the African peace and security architecture. They recognized various ongoing initiatives and agreed on the need to continue to support them. D. Development challenges 12. A number of development challenges were also discussed. These include energy and infrastructure, climate change, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), agriculture and food security and the economic and financial crisis. Ministers recognized various efforts being made and stressed the need to continue to work together and to honour commitments.

III. Commission’s Recommendations

13. Below are some key recommendations aimed at improving the pace of implementation:

i. The problem of resources must be adequately addressed. This is a collective responsibility, hence, both sides need to take concrete measures to provide such resources. In the medium term (starting from the negotiation and the programmation of the 11th ADF in 2013), the setting up of a pan-African financial support programme as agreed in the Joint Strategy is necessary. In the mean time, the EU side needs to provide more information on the available financing instruments and how to access available funds;

ii. Member States need to demonstrate commitment to the partnership by providing the expertise required in the Joint Expert Groups;

iii. More engagement is required to balance the development and political dimensions. The African side is more preoccupied with the former while the EU side seems to put too much emphasis on the latter;

iv. All stakeholders, including civil society, the private sector, RECs and the Pan African Parliament must continue to be engaged with a view to ensuring their full participation;

v. All stakeholders should play their part to ensure the success of the 3rd Africa-EU Summit. Early preparations are essential in this regard;

vi. Take a political decision to initiate and speed up the process of aligning the existing instruments to the joint strategy;


vii. Also take a political decision to establish a Pan-African fund or “Africa’s Integration Facility”;

viii. Make political commitment to implement a joint project that is promising and visible in each of the five (5) regions of Africa. With regard to Central Africa, for example, the Inga dame could be constructed with the framework of the joint strategy. Such a project has the advantage of making Africa-Europe partnership more visible;

ix. Facilitate the issuance of entry visa to Europe, especially for African researchers, the academia and African students;

x. Put in place a strategy for adoption of common positions on key issues such as Reform of the United Nations, Climate Change, Environmental Protection and Health;

xi. Find a solution to ensure the sustainability of Africa’s external debt; xii. Establish an Africa-Europe mechanism for crisis management.

14. Attached are the Communiqué and Joint Options Paper endorsed by the Ministers.


13TH AFRICA - EU MINISTERIAL TROIKA MEETING

Addis Ababa, 14 October 2009

Within the framework of the Africa-EU Dialogue, the 13th Ministerial Meeting of the African and EU Troikas took place in Addis Ababa on 14th October 2009. The Meeting of Ministers was co-chaired by H.E. Gunilla Carlsson, Minister for International Development Cooperation of Sweden and current President of the Council of the European Union (EU), and H.E. Mr. Mohamed Tahir Sialla, Secretary of International Cooperation at the General People’s Committee for Foreign Liaison and International Cooperation of the Great Socialist People’s Libyan Arab Jamahiriya. The EU Troika was also composed of H.E. Karel de Gucht, EU Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid and Relations with African, Caribbean and Pacific States and H.E. Angel Lossada, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Spain, and the representative of the General Secretariat of the Council of the EU, Mr Jose Costa Pereira.

The African Troika was also composed of H.E. Dr. Maxwell Mkwezalamba, AU Commissioner for Economic Affairs, and H.E. Ambassador Ramtane Lamamra, AU Commissioner for Peace and Security, and H.E. Ambassador Mohammed Omar Maundi, Ambassador of the United Republic of Tanzania to Ethiopia and the African Union.

I. Implementation of the Joint Africa-EU Strategy/First Action Plan Ministers reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening the Strategic Partnership between Africa and the EU. In this context Ministers welcomed the progress made since the last Troika in the implementation of the Joint Africa-EU Strategy. Ministers welcomed the assessment report as annexed and endorsed by the Joint Task Force on 8/9 October 2009. Regarding the way ahead, the Ministers stressed the need for:

a) a broader, geographically balanced and more significant buy-in of African countries and RECs and of European Member States, as well as an improved coordination and communication amongst co-chairs, members of Joint Expert Groups and both Commissions as well as the participation of key stakeholders;

b) to jointly examine ways of better mobilizing the necessary resources including EC instruments such as EDF, ENPI, DCI, TDCA; policy, human resources and financial resources from EU Member States and from the


African side, in particular Member States, RECs, and financial institutions; other international partners; and the private sector.

Furthermore, Ministers made the following recommendations:

Regarding the fostering of the political dialogue, Ministers emphasized the need a) to provide focus on the overall strategic objectives through clear guidelines on

the strategic dimension of the partnership and a strengthening of adequate arrangements in bridging political and technical domain;

b) [to enhance coordination on crisis prevention and response between AU, RECs and the EU, in particular with regard to unconstitutional changes of power and coups];

c) to seek additional synergies in cooperation with the UN, including in the support of peacekeeping activities and the Human Rights dialogue; this should lead to re-enforcing the EU-Africa dialogue and the trilogue with the UN in New York, Geneva and Addis Ababa;

d) to establish a joint position on key issues and a coordinated approach for the UN-FCCC in Copenhagen and beyond;

e) to put in place standing procedures for exchanging views on global issues in order to identify common interests to be pursued in global policy fora;

f) to strengthen the impact of the pan-African dimension in the EU political dialogue under the Cotonou Agreement (CA; at regional and national level) and the Action Plans of the European Neighbourhood Policy, and to work towards greater compatibility of the Cotonou Agreement and the ENPI with pan African and AU related objectives.

Addressing the challenge of resources and finances, Ministers agreed that,

a) EU and African partners should liaise more closely to gain clearer picture of resources mobilized and planned by all actors, within each partnership and towards each relevant institution, seeking to coordinate and align the different strands of cooperation in a timely and predictable manner;

b) Both sides should examine the need to expand innovative financing mechanisms such as the African Peace Facility, the Infrastructure Trust fund, and pool funding.;

c) JAES priorities should be mainstreamed in EU financial instruments (Commission and Member States), and in the joint programming process with African partners;

d) Problems of management as well as technical and absorption capacity should be urgently addressed so that available but insufficiently used funding sources can better contribute to the implementation of the Strategy;

e) Involvement of other partners should be encouraged and both sides should enable the African Development Bank and the European Investment Bank as well as international partners such as the World Bank and the relevant UN agencies to contribute to the implementation of the JAES Action Plan.


As regards the working methods, Ministers underlined that priority should be with EU and African partners.

a) to step up information and cooperation with RECs regarding the ongoing work

in the 8 partnerships; to better use the ICT tools in place; underpinning of the work of JEGs and African ITs with sufficient technical assistance and human and financial resources, and to make better use of the €55m EC funded capacity-building program to the AU to strengthen the institutional capacity of the AUC in the context of the JAES;

b) to fully exploit synergies between the thematic partnerships; c) to ensure that the Joint Expert Groups provide proposals for operational

priorities during the final phase of the 1st Action Plan and in view of the 3rd Africa-EU Summit and the Second Action Plan; this should take into account that future JAES implementation activities should draw increasingly on key policy and planning documents from Governments and institutions on both sides, and on existing EU-Africa networks, and thus facilitate the process of aligning the JAES agenda, objectives and structures to the wider partner cooperation with AU and other regional bodies.

Ministers urged all stakeholders concerned to swiftly implement these recommendations. Ministers further invited the EU and AU Presidencies and Commissions as well as the EU Council Secretariat to present in time for the Ministerial Troika in the first half of 2010 options on improving the implementation of the Joint Strategy in view of a possible 2nd Action Plan to be endorsed at the Africa-EU Summit in 2010, addressing i.a. possible content, structure and institutional framework as well as the challenges and shortfalls identified so far. These options should be based on a fundamental review of the structures in place for the 1st Action Plan and should include proposals for significant changes if these are deemed necessary to ensure the effectiveness and credibility of the 2nd Action Plan.

Ministers encouraged Parliaments, Regional Economic Communities and all stakeholders, including the civil society, and the private sector, to participate actively in the Lisbon agenda in particular through participation in the Joint Experts Groups and the early organization of an Africa-EU Civil Society Forum. Ministers welcomed the holding of the Africa-EU Experts Workshop on Resources for the Joint Strategy (Addis Ababa, 5-7 October 2009), that examined the issue of improving the mobilization of all resources necessary for the implementation of the Joint Strategy and the thematic partnerships of its Action Plan. They agreed on the need to pursue the discussion and to ensure appropriate follow-up in the relevant EU and AU bodies.


They further welcomed the holding of the Africa-EU Joint Task Force Meeting (Addis Ababa, 8-9 October 2009) and invited the two Commissions to organize the next JTF meeting sufficiently early ahead of the next Troika. Ministers also welcomed the meeting between the AU Peace and Security Council and the EU Political and Security Committee held in Addis Ababa on 12 October and encouraged the further intensification of cooperation between the two bodies. II. Recent Developments since the 12th Troika Meeting Peace and Security in Africa

Ministers discussed Sudan and exchanged views on the situation in Darfur. While

noting some improvements on the ground in Darfur, they recognised that the situation remains volatile. The Ministers stressed the need for speedy progress in the search for peace, security, justice and reconciliation in Darfur, bearing in mind that civilians, in particular women and children, in the region continue to be exposed to unacceptable risk of violence, millions of people continue to live in IDP camps or as refugees in neighbouring Chad.

Ministers welcomed the progress made in the deployment of UNAMID and condemned attacks targeting UNAMID personnel and equipment, as well as humanitarian workers. They stressed the urgent need to address the critical gaps facing the Mission in the area of aviation and force enablers and, in this respect, called on all the countries having the necessary capabilities to provide UNAMID with the required military enablers. They underlined the need to continue making sustained efforts to address any problem regarding the deployment in the context of the AU/UN/Government of Sudan Tripartite Mechanism.

Ministers called on all the Sudanese parties to demonstrate the necessary political will and engage in dialogue without preconditions. In this context, they reiterated their support to the efforts to unite rebel groups and to facilitate their participation in the political talks. In line with the Plan of Action adopted by the Special Session of the Assembly of the Union, held in Tripoli, Libya, on 31st August 2009, they stressed the need to significantly move the process forward by the end of 2009, in advance of the national elections. Ministers expressed their support to the efforts of the joint AU-UN Chief Mediator Djibril Bassolé to reach an inclusive framework agreement in Darfur.

Ministers expressed their support of the work of the AU High-Level Panel on Darfur (AUPD) and expressed the hope that their recommendations that will be presented will provide a roadmap on how best to achieve peace, justice, reconciliation and healing in Darfur, thereby contributing to the overall objective of sustainable peace and stability in


Sudan as a whole. Ministers look forward to the forthcoming AU PSC meeting at Summit level which will consider the report of the High-Level Panel.

Ministers called upon the Governments of Sudan and Chad to implement previous commitments and to take urgent action to restore confidence and good neighbourliness between the two countries. They welcomed the recent visit of a Sudanese high-level delegation to N’djamena [ ] and encouraged the two countries to build on this positive development.

While welcoming the progress made in the implementation of the CPA, including the acceptance by the parties of the Ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration on Abyei, Ministers noted that this process has now entered a critical phase, with the elections scheduled in April 2010 and the referendum of 2011. They urged the parties to the CPA to resolve the outstanding issues in its implementation, in particular as they relate to the demarcation of the North-South border, the enactment of the remaining legislation for the elections, the full redeployment of forces, the disarmament of militias and the operationalization of the Joint Integrated Units (JIUs), as well as to work towards finding an agreement on the results of the census. Ministers underlined the need to create viable conditions conducive for the successful holding of the April 2010 elections, including Darfur, as provided for by the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA). They reiterated the AU and EU's commitment to support the parties in holding free and fair elections.

Ministers expressed grave concern at the deteriorating security situation in South Sudan and other war affected areas, emphasizing the need to deploy all efforts to address this situation. Ministers discussed Somalia and condemned in the strongest terms possible the terrorist attack carried out on 17 September 2009, by Al-Shabaab, on the Force Headquarters of the AU Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) in Mogadishu. They presented their heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims, as well as to their national Governments, and once again expressed their appreciation to AMISOM personnel for their courage and dedication.

Ministers expressed their strong support for AMISOM and called for renewed efforts to meet the requirements of AMISOM to effectively discharge its mandate.

Ministers had an exchange of views on the decisions taken by the AU ordinary Summit in Sirte and Special Session in Tripoli. In this respect, Ministers called for the early deployment of the three remaining battalions of AMISOM, to enable the Mission to reach its authorized strength; the early elaboration of an integrated and well coordinated training plan for the Somali Security Forces and Police within an overall security strategy consistent with the outcome of the Security Sector Assessment; the review of the rules of


engagement of AMISOM to enable it to provide increased assistance to the TFG and facilitate the extension of the latter’s authority; the intensification of efforts to promote reconciliation and a broad based and representative political process within the framework of the Djibouti process; the implementation of sanctions against spoilers, in accordance with relevant UN Security Council Resolutions; to pursue efforts to prevent the flow of arms and other forms of support to the insurgents in Somalia; the need for early disbursement by all the countries and institutions that made pledges during the Brussels Conference of the funds committed; and the mobilization of resources for the enhancement of the capacity of the Somali State institutions.

Ministers expressed the priority of an improved security situation, for the benefit of the Somali population and for the consolidation of the political process, and they called attention to the need to address the humanitarian situation. Both sides underlined the need to provide adequate support to the TFG, in particular with respect to the security sector.

Ministers renewed their strong support for the TFG and welcomed progress in the field of national reconciliation, drafting of a constitution and building a national security apparatus, and encouraged the Government to intensify its efforts in this regard.

Both sides welcomed the conduct of the EU NAVFOR ATALANTA operation, which is playing a leading role in international anti-piracy efforts. They agreed that the existing links between piracy, security and development motivated an approach that should be comprehensive, including efforts on land as well as at sea with a view to building up the national and local capacities.

The African side briefed the EU side on the ongoing efforts in Africa to address the issue of the payment of ransom to hostage takers, in light of the decision adopted by the AU Summit in Sirte and reaffirmed by the Tripoli Special Session.

Ministers welcomed the progress made towards the promotion of lasting peace, stability and security in the Great Lakes Region. They welcomed the visible improvement of the relations between the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Rwanda. Ministers stressed the need to mobilise further support towards post-conflict reconstruction and development efforts in the region, including the mobilisation of the required resources and technical assistance, particularly in support of cross-border projects.

Expressing their full support for the peace process in Burundi, including the organisation of free and fair elections in 2010, Ministers welcomed the progress achieved so far and encouraged the Burundian parties to pursue their efforts.

Ministers expressed concern about the continued severe humanitarian situation and the widespread sexual violence in Eastern DRC. They encouraged all parties to fully


implement the 23 March 2009 Agreements between the Government of the DRC and Congolese armed groups. They stressed the importance of security sector reform and called for continued support by the international community for the implementation of the Pact on Security, Stability and Development.

Ministers welcomed the efforts made by the countries of the region to resolve the problem of the FDLR, including measures to curb propaganda, military activity and retaliation actions by the FDLR against the local population in Eastern DRC. They called for the implementation of appropriate military, judicial and political measures to that end. They also underlined the need for further initiatives to ensure protection of exposed civilians in LRA affected areas in the DRC, Southern Sudan and Central African Republic (CAR). Ministers expressed support for the efforts to implement the already applicable provisions of the Juba Peace Agreement.

Ministers reiterated the importance of increasing efforts in order to promote security and development in the Sahel region. Ministers welcomed ongoing efforts to strengthen the rule of law and combat terrorism, organized crime and trafficking within and transiting through the region and to mobilize the necessary resources accordingly, stressing the need to intensify those efforts. They called on all states in the region to increase and deepen their cooperation in order to combat and prevent cross border illegal activities. Ministers also noted the particular impact that climate change might have on security and development in particular with regard to sustainable development. Coordinated responses to unconstitutional changes of government

Ministers reiterated their firm rejection by of unconstitutional changes of Government. In this vein, they welcomed the efforts being made by the AU to enhance both prevention of, and response to, this phenomenon, as well as the commitment of AU Member States, as expressed in the Tripoli Declaration of 31st August 2009, to promote good governance, to abide by the rule of law and to respect their own constitutions, especially when it comes to introducing constitutional reforms.

Regarding the situation in Guinea, Ministers expressed their deep concern over the events that took place on September 28 in Conakry. Both sides condemned in the strongest terms the violent repression by Guinean security forces of a political demonstration, resulting in loss of life, a high number of injured people and material damages. Furthermore, they expressed their deep concern over the deteriorating human rights situation in Guinea, arbitrary arrests and restrictions of freedom of speech. Both sides were seriously preoccupied by the intention of Captain Dadis Moussa Camara, President of the National Council for Development and Democracy (CNDD), to stand for forthcoming presidential election. They agreed that the democratic legitimacy of the new institutions will require the strict neutrality of the transitional authorities in the electoral


process and called upon the President of the CNDD to confirm and to formalize his earlier commitments, that neither he, the members of the CNDD, nor the Prime Minister will stand for office. Ministers welcomed the communiqué issued by the International Contact Group meeting held in Abuja, on 12 October 2009.

The EU informed that consultations under article 96 of the Cotonou agreement were concluded in July 2009, linking the gradual resumption of cooperation between the EU and Guinea to the transition process, but also support to the transition process to commitments made by Guinean authorities. Both sides agreed that the international community should continue to closely follow the situation and to push forward democratic transition in Guinea, in particular in the framework of the International Contact Group.

The two sides discussed the situation in Madagascar and the mediation led by former President Chissano of Mozambique. Both sides welcomed the progress achieved recently during the third meeting of the International Contact Group on Madagascar, held in Antananarivo, on 6 October 2009, under the auspices of the AU. They urged the Malagasy parties to strictly comply with the commitments made to facilitate the full implementation of the Maputo Agreements of 9 August 2009 and the early return to constitutional order.

The EU side conveyed its concern regarding the situation in Niger and informed the African side of the negative consequences on the cooperation between Niger and the EU if essential elements of the Cotonou Agreement are violated. The AU side informed that its policy organs have not pronounced themselves on the situation in Niger and furthermore noted that ECOWAS is convening a Summit meeting on 17th October 2009 to discuss the issue. Elections in Africa and in the EU

Both sides welcomed the holding of regular elections in Africa, and witnessed the

irreversibility of the commitment of the continent to democracy. They have, in this context underlined the significant number of elections to be held this year and stressed the need to support them. Ministers exchanged views on election-related conflicts and violence and ways of strengthening democratisation processes on the continent. In this respect, they stressed the need for the early entry into force of the AU Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance. Furthermore, they welcomed the report submitted by the AU Panel of the Wise on strengthening the role of the African Union in the prevention, management and resolution of election-related disputes and violent conflicts in Africa, and endorsed by the AU Assembly in Sirte, in July 2009. They highlighted the recommendations contained therein, in particular as they relate to preventive and early warning mechanisms, electoral


governance and administration, coordination of electoral assistance, post-election conflict transformation mechanisms and international cooperation and partnerships, and called for their effective and speedy implementation.

Ministers recalled that when improving the electoral environment, the African Peer Review Mechanism's (APRM's) recommendations should be taken into account. The recommendations from European Union and other Election Observer Missions should also be taken into account by the concerned countries. On both sides, the follow-up to these processes should be improved.

The two sides welcomed the good cooperation between the EU and the AU in the electoral field and in particular the initiatives to strengthen the capacities of African observers, by providing appropriate training, and also through launching of invitations to observe the elections in Europe. Both sides underlined that independent, comprehensive and credible election observation remains a key instrument and agreed to strive for ensuring a high degree of cooperation between the different independent observers missions deployed.

Zimbabwe

Both sides noted progress in the implementation of the Global Political Agreement (GPA) in Zimbabwe and share concerns about the environment in which it is taking place. The Ministers urged all parties to remove all obstacles to the full implementation of the GPA and the effective functioning of the Inclusive Government. The Ministers further recognised and appreciated the humanitarian and other assistance that the international community continues to provide to the people of Zimbabwe. Both sides agreed to continue to engage in the political dialogue with the Inclusive Government to support its efforts in respect of the economic challenges and the democratic process in the country. In this regard, the EU side informed of the recent Ministerial Troika visit to Zimbabwe. The Ministers noted and welcomed the continued engagement of SADC in supporting and monitoring the GPA.

III. Global challenges Climate change agenda: Preparing the Copenhagen conference

Ministers noted recent developments in relation to the collective and bold move that African countries have agreed to make. In particular appreciation is made to decisions on Africa’s common position on Climate Change that the AU Assembly of Heads of State and Government have adopted during the 12th and 13th Sessions of the Assembly, as well as progress being made to implement those decisions. It was noted that Africa will field a team with full mandate to negotiate on climate change during the COP15 in


Copenhagen, Denmark, in December 2009. Ministers welcomed this development as it is believed to facilitate for a better outcome consistent with the framework of the Joint Strategy and the Joint Declaration on Climate Change adopted in Addis Ababa on 1 December 2008. The African side recalled the AU decision on an African common position highlighting the need for compensation for damages due to climate change.

Ministers emphasized the importance of reaching a comprehensive and ambitious agreement at the climate negotiations in Copenhagen, especially on the issues concerning Africa: adaptation, mitigation, technology development and transfer, financing arrangements and capacity building, highlighting the importance of addressing deforestation and degradation of forest and land as well as erosion of coastal areas. They recognized the broad scientific view that the increase in global average temperature above pre-industrial levels ought not to exceed 2°C. They noted that adaptation to the adverse effects of climate change is an urgent global problem that requires long term and coordinated actions, based on solidarity, and a common but differentiated responsibility for facilitating and mobilizing support and action on adaptation.

The African side underlined the importance of providing support in the areas of institutional capacity strengthening for effective implementation of the relevant AU decisions on Climate Change. Significant domestic and external sources of finance, both private and public, will be required for financing mitigation and adaptation actions, particularly in the most vulnerable developing countries. The EU will take on its fair share of financing such actions in African countries.

Ministers stressed that fast start, pre-2013; financing will be required to enable capacity building and early actions and to facilitate the integration of climate change issues into national development planning and strategies. Capacity building should be a country-driven process and respond to national circumstances.

The EU side reiterated its commitment to provide support in the areas of institutional capacity strengthening for effective implementation of the relevant AU decisions on Climate Change, including in particular support for the establishment of the Unit for Climate Change and Desertification Control, for the ClimDev Africa Initiative, and for development of national action plans to implement the Great Green Wall for the Sahara and Sahel Initiative.

Implementation of adaptation action should be flexible, bottom-up, and involve all relevant stakeholders, and should be integrated with development cooperation. To support the implementation of adaptation actions, existing institutions at the international and regional level should be enhanced in order to leverage greater resources and to allow for a more country driven process.


Cooperation to promote the wider use of the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) in Africa should be initiated. The regional disparity is one of the main weaknesses of the CDM, Africa having benefited only marginally from this flow of technology and financing. Greater domestic capacity and institutional support would facilitate further access by African countries and the reform of the CDM, to make it administratively less burdensome, while ensuring its integrity, should facilitate this further. Joint efforts between the EU and the AU, at regional as well as sub-regional and national level would be beneficial.

Ministers stressed the need to enhance women’s and youth's participation in climate change related activities and decision-making processes.

Assessing the impact of climate change at regional and sub-regional level provides a useful basis for designing policies and measures at countering climate change at national and regional level, and also for the global discussions in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) context. Exchanging information on methodologies, elaboration of reports and results of reports should be explored. Cooperation between and among scientific institutions and think tanks should be promoted. The global economic and financial crisis

Ministers expressed serious concern over the impact of the global economic downturn on developing countries and forecasted long-drawn effects which will delay recovery and roll back key achievements in reducing global poverty and attaining the MDGs. Many developing countries, already badly affected by the impacts of the high fuel and food prices immediately before the global financial crisis, are now in a particularly vulnerable position. Ministers welcomed the EU's leadership in coming forth with a joint and rapid response framed within global crisis mitigation efforts under UN, G20 and G8 auspices.

In this context, Ministers re-iterated that the timely delivery of crisis response measures take into account the specific needs of low-income countries, as well as the issue of the capacity to access financial resources. Acknowledging that the crisis created an opportunity for greater inclusion of developing countries in the governance of international financial resources, the Ministers further emphasized the need for rapid progress to be made on this front.

While welcoming the various achievements to date, Ministers underscored the need to do more in strengthening financial supervision and regulation, ensuring that the multilateral development banks have adequate capital, resisting protectionism, promoting global trade and investment, and delivering ODA commitments, Aid for trade and debt


relief to low income countries, including those in Africa. Ministers further called for the fulfillment of the London and Pittsburg G20 commitments.

In this context, the EU expressed its support to Africa’s call for an increase in voice and representation at the Bretton Woods Institutions, early capital increase of regional and multilateral development banks where needed, streamlining of conditionalities agreed with international financial institutions and multilateral development banks, review of the debt sustainability framework, balanced and early conclusion of the WTO Doha Round of Trade Negotiations, and support for regional integration in Africa. IV. Legal issues and the fight against impunity Universal jurisdiction

Ministers underlined their commitment to fighting impunity at the national, regional and international level in conformity with the principles of international law. The AU side recalled that this commitment is in conformity with the relevant provisions of the Constitutive Act of the AU.

The AU side emphasized that only marginal progress had been made in the discussions between the AU and the EU on the matter of universal jurisdiction and observed that a greater spirit of cooperation was necessary in order to address the AU concerns on the exercise of the principle of universal jurisdiction. It recalled that the last Ministerial Troika had taken note of the negative consequences that this issue could have on the relations between the EU and the AU. The AU side called for finding durable and urgent solutions to its concerns and to avoid the matter being addressed as a political issue only.

The EU underlined that the exercise of universal jurisdiction is a matter exclusively of national competence, which falls outside EU competence. At the request of the AU, the issue of the principle of universal jurisdiction is now on the agenda of the UN General Assembly and will be debated in the Sixth Committee during this autumn. The EU is of the opinion that the Sixth Committee is the correct forum in which this issue should be discussed and looks forward to the upcoming discussions.

The Hissene Habre case

Ministers took note of the revised estimated budget for the Hissene Habre trial as prepared by the AU mission led by special envoy Robert Dossou and comprising officials from relevant departments of the AU Commission. Ministers welcomed the decision of the African Union to make a token contribution to the budget of the trial and encouraged the Senegalese authorities, together with the AU, to rapidly agree on the contribution of Senegal to the reduced budget. They further welcomed the organisation of the proposed


Donors’ Round Table and invited all partners, particularly the European Union and its Member States as well as other partner countries and institutions to support this process and participate in the Donors Round table that will be organised in Dakar, Senegal in the last quarter of 2009. The fight against impunity

Ministers reaffirmed the unflinching commitment to combating impunity in the framework of national and international law. V. Date and venue of the 14th Ministerial Troika Meeting

Ministers agreed to hold the 14th Africa-EU Ministerial Troika Meeting on 27 April

2010 in Luxembourg.

Addis Ababa, 14 October 2009.

…………………….. ………………………

H. E. Gunilla Carlsson Minister of for International Development Cooperation of Sweden

H.E. Mr. Mohamed Tahir Sialla Secretary of International Cooperation at the General People’s Committee for Foreign Liaison and International Cooperation of the Great Socialist People’s Libyan Arab Jamahiriya

For the EU side For the African side


14TH AFRICA - EU MINISTERIAL MEETING Luxembourg, 26 April 2010

Within the framework of the Africa-EU Dialogue, the 14th Ministerial Meeting took place in Luxembourg on 26 April 2010. The Meeting was co-chaired by H.E. Catherine ASHTON, the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission, and H.E. The Honourable Professor Eta E. BANDA, Minister of Foreign Affairs to the Republic of Malawi. The African Troika was also composed of H.E. Dr Maxwell. M. MKWEZALAMBA, AU Commissioner for Economic Affairs, H.E. Ambassador Ramtane LAMAMRA, AU Commissioner for Peace and Security and H.E. M. Hadeiba A. ALHADI, Ambassador of the Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya. 1. Implementation of the Joint Strategy and preparation of the 3rd EU Africa

Summit

Ministers launched the preparations for the 3rd Africa EU Summit 29/30 November 2010 in Libya. Heads of State and Government will take note of progress and challenges in the implementation of the Joint Strategy and will provide political guidance on how to address those challenges and to deepen the partnership. They agreed that both sides will actively coordinate further preparations and report back for the next Ministerial meeting in October 2010 in Lilongwe, Malawi. Encouraging further implementation work, Ministers agreed on the options for improving the implementation of the Joint Africa-EU Strategy. They endorsed the general options for the Action Plan 2011-2013 (annexed), and tasked all actors of the Joint Strategy to speed up their implementation efforts, and to present a consolidated draft Action Plan 2011-13 for the next Ministerial meeting. Ministers exchanged views of the coming into force of the new Lisbon Treaty and its possible implications on the Africa-EU partnership.


2. Peace and security issues

Ministers exchanged views on peace and security issues of common concern and highlighted in particular the following points: Sudan: Ministers welcomed the largely peaceful conduct of the recent elections in Sudan and commended the people of the Sudan for their active participation. Ministers noted the efforts to form a new government and called upon all parties to settle outstanding differences and to establish a broad political basis in view of the implementation of the remaining elements of the CPA. Both sides stressed the need for all parties to fully respect the CPA, to address the remaining implementation issues, in particular the holding of the referendum on Southern Sudan's self-determination in January 2011 and the necessary arrangements for the post-referendum period. Ministers appealed to all parties to abstain from any initiatives which might destabilize this process and to pursue confidence building. They stressed the importance of a close AU - EU cooperation. They encouraged the African Union High Level Implementation Panel for Sudan (AUHIP), led by President Thabo Mbeki, to continue to play an active role in contributing to a smooth conclusion of the CPA and assisting in the democratic transformation of the country. Ministers stressed that good cooperation and coordination between the UN missions in Sudan, the AU and IGAD as well as the other international actors remains essential. Somalia: Ministers recalled the significance of the Agreement between the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) and Ahlu Sunnah Wal Jamaah signed in Addis Ababa on 15 March 2010 and emphasized the need to scale-up support for the initiative. They encouraged the signatories to ensure speedy and effective implementation, and called upon the TFG to pursue its policy of inclusiveness with a view to accommodating all Somalis committed to peace and national reconciliation in the framework of the Djibouti accord. The EU expressed its continued support for and appreciation of AMISOM and the AU's political engagement in Somalia. The AU expressed its appreciation for EU's efforts, and in particular for the support to the Somali security sector. Democracy and Unconstitutional Changes of Government in Africa: Ministers recognized the recent initiatives and measures taken by the AU and reiterated their readiness to pursue active coordination and cooperation to promote democracy throughout the continent and to combat unconstitutional changes. African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA): Ministers expressed appreciation for the continuous operationalization of the APSA, including the future elaboration of the roadmap agreed in Akosombo (Ghana in December 2009) and


welcomed the effective assistance provided by the EU to this effect. Ministers welcomed the ongoing work in combating the proliferation of small arms and light weapons. 3. Development challenges Energy and infrastructure: Ministers were looking forward to the holding of the postponed High Level Meeting of the Africa-EU Energy Partnership and the envisaged endorsement of operational energy targets for the coming years. Ministers welcomed the forthcoming Africa-EU Renewable Energy Cooperation Program and encouraged the use of climate funding to support it. Ministers agreed to pursue the development and the implementation of infrastructure priority projects and services as key drivers for regional integration and trade. Climate Change: Ministers welcomed ongoing efforts in the implementation of the fast-start component of the Copenhagen Accord with focus on Africa, recalling the African Group's proposals presented in Copenhagen. Ministers agreed to pursue this dialogue in order to build a common EU-Africa vision towards a global legally binding Agreement on Climate Change. They underscored the need to link such efforts with relevant international initiatives such as the High-Level Advisory Group on Climate Change Financing. Ministers acknowledged the joint efforts made with regards to the ongoing African initiatives such as the Program of Action for the implementation of the Africa Regional Strategy for Disaster Risk Reduction, the African Monitoring of the Environment for Sustainable Development (AMESD), and the Great Green Wall for the Sahara and Sahel Initiative as well as the Clim-Dev Africa Program. MDGs: Ministers underlined the importance of the UN High Level Plenary Meeting (HLPM) to be held in September 2010. Both sides committed themselves to pursue close consultations and a joint approach with the overall shared objective to secure a joint European African position on an ambitious action-oriented outcome for achieving the MDGs by 2015 to be taken forward at the MDGs September Event and thereafter. Ministers stressed that the Africa-EU Summit in November 2010 will be an important opportunity to follow-up on the HLPM. Agriculture and food security: Ministers welcomed the priorities set out by the Chairperson of the AU, President Bingu Wa Mutharika, notably the vision of Africa being food secure by 2015. They underscored the need to reflect such priorities in the Joint Africa EU framework, including those set out in the Comprehensive African Agriculture Development Program (CAADP) . They further stressed the need to honor their commitments on agriculture and food security made in the L'Aquila G-8 Summit.


Economic and financial crisis: In light of the continuous difficult situation emanating from the economic and financial crisis, Ministers put particular emphasis on the situation of African countries and stressed the need to honor the commitments made, including those at the London and Pittsburgh G20 Summits and underlined the urgency to conclude the Doha Development Round of Trade Negotiations. 4. Date and venue of the 15th Ministerial Meeting Ministers agreed to hold the 15th Africa-EU Ministerial Meeting in October 2010 in Lilongwe, Malawi.

…………. ………… H. E. Catherine ASHTON The High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission

H.E. The Honorable Professor Eta E. BANDA, Minister of Foreign Affairs to the Republic of Malawi

For the EU side For the African side


Draft Joint Options Paper

Options for improving the implementation of the Joint Africa-EU Strategy

Introduction

The 13th Africa-EU Ministerial Troika of 14 October 2009 invited the EU and AU Presidencies and Commissions as well as the EU Council Secretariat to present in time for the next Ministerial Troika in the first half of 2010 options on improving the implementation of the Joint Strategy in view of a possible Action Plan 2011-13 to be endorsed at the Africa-EU Summit in 2010. The options should address inter alia possible content, structure and the institutional framework as well as the challenges and shortfalls identified so far and should be based on a fundamental review of the structures in place for the Action Plan 2008-10 and to include proposals for significant changes if these are deemed necessary to ensure the effectiveness of the Action Plan 2011-13.

Since then, the draft paper has been developed and agreed by both sides. The Ministerial Political dialogue meeting held in Luxemburg on 26 April 2010 has therefore agreed on the following options to improve the implementation of the Joint Africa-EU Strategy:

1. The Joint Strategy

The text of the Joint Strategy should remain unchanged in substance. While some areas may require an update so as to reflect for example the institutional changes on the EU side1, both sides agree in view of the political nature of the Joint Strategy not to reopen the text of the Strategy, but to implement these factual changes in a pragmatic manner and to reflect possible revised arrangements as necessary in the next Action Plan.

2. The Second Action Plan 2011-2013

We agree to maintain the current priority areas of cooperation. There is no need for a second Action Plan that is fundamentally different in substance from the first Action Plan. Given the length of time it took to negotiate the objectives and expected results of the first Action Plan, the debate on which ones to pursue during the second phase of implementation should not dominate Summit discussions. However, both sides will continue to reflect in the run-up of the Summit on the substance and the working arrangements of the eight thematic partnerships, and make the appropriate suggestions with a view to reaching agreement

1 Section V of the Joint Strategy defines the composition of the Troika on both sides. Following the adoption of the EU Lisbon Treaty, however, the Troika format no longer exists on the EU side, and the EU will be represented in Political Dialogue meetings at Ministerial level by the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission. The African side will maintain the existing Troika format.


before the next Ministerial Political Dialogue meeting between the Africa Troika and the EU in October 2010. These suggestions should

- take into account key planning and policy documents such as the AU strategic Plan, work plans of the regional organizations and consider as appropriate major global and regional events during the time period covered by the action plan;

- prioritize possible rolled-over or new actions, based on the existing thematic roadmaps, and should be accompanied by a detailed “implementation plan” with timelines, benchmarks, deliverables, actors, cost estimates, financial resources available, etc.

- allow for flexible and dynamic partnerships, taking on new tasks with well identified added value and scope in time during the course of the second Action Plan 2011-13.

This will make implementation of the next Action Plan more focused, realistic, manageable, and effective.

Primary focus of the Action Plan should be given to activities that

- Have a clear regional, continental, or global dimension, which is where the added value of the Joint Strategy lies. Adequate steps should be taken to ensure coordination and coherence among activities at continental, regional, and national level;

- Have a clear added value, are focused and streamlined, and are reinforcing complementarity and coherence with existing initiatives and fora (subsidiarity), and align with African strategic priorities, their structures and their mechanisms (for example Ministerial Conferences, the PIDA program in infrastructure, etc.); and

- Have a proven buy-in of a critical mass of competent actors on both sides, including the necessary political, human and financial resources.

In the drafting of the next Action Plan 2011-2013 both sides will look into possibilities to make adjustments to improve operational efficiency of the partnership

We will also seek to identify more synergies and maximize linkages among activities from different partnerships.

3. Enhancing implementation

Since the adoption of the Joint Strategy and first Action Plan in December 2007, much effort has been deployed by the African and EU sides to realize the objectives of the partnership. An implementation architecture was elaborated and adopted following extensive consultations. Joint Expert Groups (JEGs) were formed and actual implementation work of the JEGs commenced. This structure took time to develop and affected the pace of implementation. Some partnerships were more successful in realizing key objectives than others. Now that the implementation architecture is in place we should expect a higher rate


of implementation during the second Action Plan phase. We also agree to preserve the inclusive and flexible character of the institutional architecture.

In this regard, it is worth recalling the need to balance the political and policy with the development dimension in order to ensure that these mutually reinforce each other and that both European and African strategic interests are adequately addressed.

Implementation should be improved through the following:

i. Enhanced Political and Policy Dialogue

We agree to enhance the quality, scope and effectiveness of political dialogue and cooperation on Peace and Security issues, for example PSC-PSC meetings, ad hoc high-level contacts, cooperation in International Contact Groups. Furthermore, we agree that there is a need for additional arrangements in order to improve our dialogue in multilateral fora in view of establishing a structured dialogue. We agree to further strengthen political dialogue and development cooperation by enhancing frequency, scope and effectiveness of thematic policy dialogue in key priority areas. We also agree to consider introducing the possibility of sectoral Ministerial / SOM meetings, leading to higher commitment and active involvement of key stakeholders on both sides; We agree on the need to link the JAES implementation to African and international high-level meetings more effectively.

ii. Enhanced involvement of JAES Actors

We agree to strive for more substantial engagement of European and African Member States, as well as Parliaments, international or regional organizations, the private sector, and representatives of civil society from both sides, while building on the greater involvement of both sides, in particular the European and African Union Commissions..

We also agree that full participation of the African regional and sub-regional organizations (RECs) is critical to the success of the Joint Strategy. There is a need to rigorously engage all eight RECs. In the framework of the next phase of implementation, RECs are invited to come forward with proposals for fast tracking the implementation of the Action Plan. Prioritizing regional and continental activities and effectively communicating the added value of the Joint Strategy will be key to ensuring broader buy-in. The AU Commission could also take concrete steps to actively involve RECs, for example, by putting the Joint Strategy as a permanent item on the agenda of the AUC-RECs Coordination meetings as well as other sector ministerial meetings, such as the Conference of AU Ministers of Economy and Finance (CAMEF) and the Conference of AU Ministers in charge of Integration (COMAI).

We agree on the need to identify and ensure the regular participation of core experts in meetings to guarantee a critical mass of competent actors for both continents. We also agree that capacity building should be enhanced in this regard.


We agree to enhance the role of EU and African Heads of Missions in Addis, Brussels and in African capitals including the RECs in order to promote the Joint Strategy and create conditions for a greater involvement of all stakeholders.

iii. Joint Expert Groups (JEGs)

Reform of the JEGs will help in improving the pace of implementation of the second Action Plan. The disconnect between activities carried out by JEGs and other activities and processes taking place at other levels needs to be addressed. Hence, linkages with national and regional levels, as well as existing structures in the thematic areas are critical. There is therefore a need to better link the implementation to existing structures/bodies that could be of use in each partnership. This will help determine the added value and usefulness of each JEG and how the work of each JEG could effectively feed into other processes.

In addition, there is the need to review the JEG mandate and guidelines in order to make these more effective and operational, to engage more national experts (versus generalists) and to ensure their continuous participation.

Better connection of the JEGs with the political decision making process is necessary. There appears to be over-reliance on, and over-expectations from the JEGs which remain informal and are not mandated for the policy dialogue. This guidance should come from the political level, but its current form is not best suited for thematic issues hence the possibility of sectoral SOM or Ministerial meetings. JEGs should be used flexibly so as to make best use of experts' capacities and should contribute to the preparations when involving of the political level (for example the Ministerial high level energy meeting in Vienna).

When it comes to the functioning of JEGs, we agree that:

- The role and responsibilities of the co-chairs should be more clearly defined;

- A broader participation and ownership in JEGs should be ensured by both sides;

- Their functioning could be improved through co-chairing by a format which includes one institution and two member states on both sides as appropriate (like the proposal for the governance of the MDG partnership).

- there is a need for secretarial support and technical assistance (on a demand-driven basis) to ensure a better flow of information, continuity of work and preparation of meetings. These support structures should only require modest financial resources from existing Member States and EU/AU instruments, and should not finance project implementation or similar operational costs; and

- Financing the participation of experts in JEG meetings continues to be a problem. Both sides agree to continue to explore the various possibilities of financing experts’ participation in such meetings.


iv. Resources

Unless adequate funds and human/technical resources are available, limited progress can be made in implementation of the technical cooperation aspects. This is a collective responsibility and, hence, both the EU and Africa must make the necessary efforts to commit adequate resources to implement the Joint Strategy. More progress needs to be made in this regard. Following the workshop on resources for the implementation of the Action Plan (5-7 October 2009 in Addis Ababa), there is a need to address the various shortfalls identified and to find a solution to this question. Consultations should, therefore, continue in this regard.

Africa and Europe agreed in the Joint Strategy to work together to build synergies between existing cooperation agreements in support of the Partnership, including through the progressive establishment of a Pan-African financial support program. While the two sides continue to pursue efforts to secure adequate and predictable funding, the implementation of the Joint Strategy will continue to be supported by existing EU financial instruments and institutions such as the European Investment Bank (EIB), complemented by further contributions of EU Member States and, whenever possible, by African financial instruments, African countries and institutions, including the African Development Bank (AfDB). The better utilization of these facilities and instruments depends on providing detailed information on ways of accessing them as much as on the proposal of concrete projects fitting the relevant criteria. We also agree about the need to explore innovative financing arrangements including pool funding when necessary.

Steps should be taken by the AU to improve its relationship with the ACP and ENPI bodies and enhance communication with the African Group of Ambassadors in Brussels to ensure coherence between activities pursued within the framework of the Joint Strategy and those within the framework of other cooperation frameworks such as the ACP and ENPI. Furthermore, the entry into force of the EU Lisbon Treaty should be used to the advantage of the Joint Strategy, for example with respect to treating Africa as one. Similarly, and on the initiative of the African partners, possibilities of applying the funding model of the African Peace Facility to other areas of the Action Plan implementation should be examined.

V. Communication

We agree on the need to communicate better and to increase the visibility of the Joint Strategy both in Africa, in the EU and internationally. The media is a key multiplier of information and can contribute to enhance the people-centred dimension of the Africa-EU partnership. We also agree to build on the recently adopted communication strategy and to use all available tools to strengthen the visibility and impact of the partnership.

AFRICAN UNION

UNION AFRICAINE

UNIÃO AFRICANA ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA P. O. BOX 3243 TELEPHONE: 5517 700 FAX: 5517844

Website: www. Africa-union.org EXECUTIVE COUNCIL SEVENTEENTH ORDINARY SESSION 19 – 23 July 2010 Kampala, Uganda


STRATEGY FOR THE HARMONISATION OF STATISTICS IN AFRICA (SHaSA)


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STRATEGY FOR THE HARMONISATION OF STATISTICS IN AFRICA (SHaSA)

I. BACKGROUND AND RATIONALE

1. During the 1960s African countries initiated a process of continental integration intended to ultimately provide critical ingredients for economic and social development as well as political stability. The African integration agenda, as outlined in treaties and protocols passed by African Heads of State and Government, addresses three main areas, namely political integration, economic integration as well as social and cultural integration. For it to fully succeed, it requires not only quality statistical information, but also harmonised data across time and space. 2. Great strides have been made so far towards the production of quality statistics to inform public decisions, and these include both nation-specific programmes and continental statistical development frameworks such as the Addis Ababa Plan of Action (AAPA); the Reference Regional Strategic Framework (RRSF); the Africa Symposium on Statistical Development; and recently the African Charter on Statistics adopted by Heads of State and Government. 3. Despite progress made, there are still a number of challenges facing the African Statistical System, particularly with regards to current and topical events such as HIV/AIDS, environment and climate change, and more recently food and financial crises. Statistics are produced using methodologies that do not always reflect African realities and are not always comparable across countries. This is due to a number of hindrances including, among others, inadequate resources allocated to statistical activities, lack of institutional capacity, low profile of statistics on the continent, inadequate coordination of statistical activities, and minimal consideration of African specificities in setting up international standards. Regional Economic Communities (RECs)’ statistical harmonisation programmes vary from one region to another and hardly meet the demand for harmonised statistics. The African Statistics System (ASS) is therefore expected to further scale up its efforts towards continental statistical integration to address continental need for harmonised and quality statistical information. 4. The strategy for the harmonization of statistics in Africa (SHaSA) and its first pillar, the African Strategy for the Implementation of the 2008 System of National Accounts (SNA) are continental efforts that directly respond to these challenges as well as supports the African integration agenda, particularly the Minimum Integration


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Programme (MIP) which was adopted by the Heads of State and Government in July 2009. II. STRATEGY FOR THE HARMONISATION OF STATISTICS IN AFRICA

(SHASA) VISION

5. The vision of the African Statistics System is to generate timely, reliable and harmonised statistical information, covering all aspects of political, economic, social and cultural integration for Africa. In addition, the strategy is intended to contribute to the attainment of the continental integration agenda by the African heads of State and Government 6. The vision is anchored on four strategic pillars and will be achieved through the establishment of a strong, operational, ASS for the African statistical renaissance. The four pillars are: (i) To Produce Quality Statistics for Africa; (ii) To Coordinate the Production of Quality Statistics for Africa; (iii) To Build sustainable Institutional Capacity of the African Statistical System; and (iv) To Inculcate a Culture of Quality Decision-making. Strategic Pillars and Objectives

(i) Strategic Pillar 1: To Produce Quality Statistics for Africa

7. Quality statistical information is crucial not only for the design and implementation of policies (at national, regional and continental levels) but also for the monitoring of these policies and the evaluation of their impacts on society. Strategic pillar 1 is a clear approach to ensure the availability of such information in all areas of integration. It aims at achieving three main objectives: Strategic objective 1: To Expand the Statistical Information Base. This strategic objective aims at expanding the existing statistical information base to cover all areas of integration, including political, economic, as well as social and cultural. It entails conducting regular population and housing censuses and surveys, conducting regular economic censuses and surveys, strengthening and harnessing administrative and other sources of statistical information, and developing a statistical base for the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM). This will ensure the availability of a broad range of statistics at low costs. Strategic objective 2: To Transform existing Statistics for Comparability. This strategic objective calls for the adoption of reprocessing and adjustment methodologies, and the


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production and validation of comparable data. It will contribute to the comparability of statistical data for quality decision-making in support of the integration agenda. Strategic objective 3: To Harmonise Standards and Methods of Statistical Production. Adapting international standards and methods to African realities and harmonising them will ensure the availability of harmonised statistical data in support of the integration agenda, and contribute to the applicability of international standards and methods in Africa’s specific context. (ii) Strategic Pillar 2: To Coordinate the Production of Quality Statistics for

Africa

8. Time and again, coordination of statistical activities was mentioned as one of the main hurdles to statistical development in Africa. Uncoordinated interventions of different actors lead not only to the duplication of activities but also to the inefficient use of resources. Strategic pillar 2 contains initiatives to achieve a better coordinated African Statistical System. It includes three strategic objectives, namely: Strategic objective 1: To Strengthen Cooperation among Institutions within the African Statistical System. This strategic objective calls for the strengthening of the ASCC, the creation of statistics functions at those RECs without one (AMU, CEN-SAD, ECCAS and IGAD), and the strengthening of statistics functions of RECs. The expected outcomes include: harmonised programmes and better coordination of statistical development. Strategic objective 2: To Establish an effective Coordination Mechanism. Establishing an effective coordination mechanism will entail the implementation of a coordination framework, the implementation of the African Charter on Statistics, the strengthening of the statistics function at the AUC into a statistics Department, and the establishment of an independent African Statistics Institute. It is expected that these initiatives will, among others, result in an effective use of resources and a regulated environment for statistical development. Strategic objective 3: To Define Statistical Priorities to Implement the Integration Agenda. The identification of statistical priorities, and the selection and definition of statistical indicators, resulting in a harmonised work programme and an ASS in line with integration priorities, will help achieve this objective.


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(iii) Strategic Pillar 3: To Build sustainable Institutional Capacity of the African Statistical System

9. Building institutional capacity of the ASS is at the core of this strategy because without it, members of the ASS will not be able to produce and disseminate the crucial and harmonised quality statistics that are necessary for the development and integration process. 10. The implementation of strategic pillar 3 calls for the achievement of its three strategic objectives, namely:

Strategic objective 1: To Ensure the Autonomy of Production. By developing and implementing NSDSs, conducting peer reviews, creating adequate and sustainable funding for statistical activities, adopting statistical laws and regulatory frameworks consistent with the African Charter on Statistics, establishing autonomous NSOs, and establishing independent governance structures, one should be able to ensure the autonomy of production. Indeed, the implementation of these initiatives is likely to result in a better coordination and development of statistical activities, improved NSSs, adequate and sustainable funding of statistical activities, a better regulatory frameworks for statistical activities, objective facts for the integration agenda as well as better governance and advocacy for statistics. Strategic objective 2: To Build sustainable statistical Capacity. The realisation of this objective will entail the development of harmonised training programmes, the strengthening of statistical schools and training centres, participation in international trainings and programmes, ensuring exposure of Young African Statisticians (YAS) in line with ISIbalo capacity building programme, and establishing an African Statistics Training Centre. The expected outcomes include, among others, competent statisticians, world-class training institutes producing competent statisticians, an increased pool of experienced, operational, cadre of statisticians, and sustained capability of African statistical scholarship. Strategic objective 3: To Establish an effective technological Environment. Developing a management information system (MIS) for the monitoring of the integration agenda, building a statistical data warehouse, and standardising dissemination tools and platforms will help achieve this objective. The expected outcomes of the implementation of these initiatives include: effective monitoring of integration efforts; better evidence-based decision-making; consistent dissemination of data; and accessible statistical information for better decisions. (iv) Strategic Pillar 4: To Inculcate a Culture of Quality Decision-making

11. The lack of a “statistics culture” is another major obstacle to statistical development in Africa. Policy makers and the public in general overlook the role


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statistics can play in society, resulting in the current low profile of statistics and its ensuing problems. Strategic pillar 4 seeks to address this by: Strategic objective 1: To Drive evidence-based Decisions through the Use of Statistics. The implementation of 2 initiatives will help achieve this objective, namely engaging policy makers, especially legislators, in statistical discourse, and advocating for the use of statistics. This is expected to improve the quality of decisions as well as economic and social outcomes. Strategic objective 2: To Improve Communication of Statistical Information. This will entail developing a strategy for data dissemination and a communication plan, resulting in increased usage of statistics and improved quality of decisions as well as economic and social outcomes. III. AFRICAN STRATEGY FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE SNA 2008

12. The System of National Accounts (SNA) is a coherence framework based on standards and concepts to evaluate riches creation in a country within a given period. It is accepted by all countries as a reference in the compilation of national accounts. 13. Adopted during the 39th session of the United Nations Statistical Commission, the SNA 2008 is to replace the SNA 1993 which not completely implemented in some African countries. Indeed, many African countries have experienced difficulties in implementing different versions of the SNA, because among others of African specificities, such as the size of the informal sector and the organisation of African societies, that are not fully taken into account in the SNA.

14. The African Group on National Accounts (AGNA) was created to come up with solutions to facilitate the implementation of the SNA on the continent. It is chaired by the African Development Bank (AfDB) and comprises the African Union Commission (AUC), the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC), the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), the Arab Maghreb Union (AMU), the African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF), AFRISTAT, and about twenty African national accounts experts.

15. The strategy for the implementation of the SNA 2008 on the African continent was conceived through a participative process in which all stakeholders in the African Statistical System were involved. It covers a five-year period (2010-2014) and contains seven strategic lines, sixteen strategic objectives and forty three activities. It is detailed in a logical framework matrix with expected outcomes, performance indicators, targets,


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etc. Its implementation cost is estimated to be US$100 million with US$30 for the creation of Higher National Accounts Training Institute.

16. The strategy has been validated by the Committee of Directors-General of African National Statistical Offices on 10-12 December 2009 in East London, South Africa, and by StatCom-Africa 2 on 18-21 January 2010 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. It was also considered and adopted by the 3rd joint AU Conference of African Ministers of Economy and Finance—UNECA Conference of African Ministers of Finance, Planning, and Economic Development. Table: Strategic Lines

Line 1. Equip African countries with an SNA that is appropriate to their socio-economic realities

Line 2. Strengthen ICP-Africa assets in the field of national accounts

Line 3. Develop an optimal and efficient operational system of production and diffusion of national accounts

Line 4. Build capacity and sustainability of national accounts production and analysis

Line 5. Increase the availability and improving the quality of the basic data required for the compilation of national accounts, based on the National Strategy for the development of statistics (NSDS)

Line 6. Increase human, material and financial resources Line 7. Undertake advocacy at all decision-making levels Monitoring Evaluation and Reporting

IV. EXPECTED OUTPUTS AND DEVELOPMENT OUTCOMES

17. Through the implementation of the SHaSA, it is expected that comparable statistics will be generated to facilitate improved program implementation and decision-making in support of the regional integration agenda for Africa. Key activities and products generated from the strategic focus areas include: (i) the adoption of international standards and common methods adjusted to African realities and (ii) better coordination of statistical development efforts and sustained production of harmonized statistics to inform policy decisions. In addition, these activities and products, among other things, would facilitate free movement of people and goods and services, harmonized economic policies, improved intra African trade flows and greater integration of Africa into the global economic system.


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V. CONCLUSION 18. The strategy for the harmonization of statistics in Africa (SHaSA) and the African Strategy for the Implementation of the 2008 System of National Accounts (SNA) were validated by the Meeting of the Committee of Directors-General of African National Statistics Offices in December 2009 in South Africa. The third Joint Annual Meetings of the AU Conference of Ministers of the Economy and Finance and ECA Conference of African Ministers of Finance, Planning and Economic Development held in March 2010 in Lilongwe, Malawi adopted recommended them for adoption by the Assembly of Heads of State and Government in July 2010.

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