———- Forwarded message ———-
From: Benita Nsabua
Date: Fri, 7 Oct 2011 16:21:15 +0200
Subject: NEPAD showcases progress on policy reforms.next decade to
focus on implementation.
To:
[cid:image001.jpg@01CC850C.E2E60950]
NEPAD showcases progress on policy reforms…next decade to focus on
implementation…
7 October 2011
Press Release
New York – African diplomats and representatives of the civil society
at United Nations yesterday paid tribute to the New Partnership for
Africa’s Development (NEPAD) for its achievements over the past ten
years in creating policy reforms for the continent’s development.
Speaking at a special briefing to the African Group as part of
activities in New York to commemorate NEPAD’s tenth anniversary,
Ibrahim Assane Mayaki, the Chief Executive Officer of the NEPAD
Planning and Coordinating Agency, explained that NEPAD had played a
crucial part in the steady progress that was being made by the
continent both in terms of democratisation and development.
“The African leaders set up the African Peer Review Mechanism to
advance good governance and democracy,” he told Africa diplomats. The
peer review mechanism is Africa’s unique and innovative approach to
governance. Its reports serve as early warning system of impeding
threats to peace and stability in Africa. So far, 30 African countries
have signed up for the review and 14 of them have completed the
process. The mechanism has been one of the NEPAD Agency’s most
successful programmes in encouraging democratization among members.
For example, its reports anticipated the violence that followed the
2007 elections in Kenya and the 2008 xenophobic attacks in South
Africa.
Another NEPAD Agency success story is the Comprehensive Africa
Agriculture Programme (CAADP), a continent-wide initiative to
encourage African countries to increase investments in agriculture.
Signatories to CAADP are required to increase spending on agriculture
to at least 10 per cent of their national budgets.
About 27 countries have so far signed agreements committing their
governments to the 10 per cent target.
In his briefing, Under-Secretary General and Special Adviser on Africa
Cheikh Sidi Diarra called on developed nations to give Africa access
to open international markets for its exports, reduce or write-off
their debts and complete the Doha talks on trade. He also urged
African countries to increase domestic savings and lessen their
dependence on foreign aid.
In a statement read at the briefing, Under-Secretary-General and
Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for
Africa, Abdoulie Janneh, reminded the gathering that it was through
NEPAD that issues of peace and security were brought to the fore as a
pre-condition to development and that the focus on governance issues
could not be divorced from the current successes of the continent.
Participants at the briefing called upon the NEPAD Agency to focus the
next decade on implementation, on improving Africa’s global standing
and on improving the linkages with the continent’s regional economic
communities.
In February 2010, NEPAD was officially incorporated into the African
Union formal structures with the creation of the NEPAD Agency.
The special briefing is part of a series of high-level meetings and
events designed to foster debates and generate ideas for improvements
in implementing NEPAD projects.
For more information, please contact
UN-DPI: André-Michel Essoungou,
essoungou@un.org
1-917-367-9995
UN-OSAA: François Charlier, charlier@un.org
1-212-963-0359
NEPAD Agency: Andrew Kanyegirire,
andrewk@nepad.org
4506
Visit UN/NEPAD@10 website at http://www.nepad.org/ and
http://www.un.org/africarenewal
—
[cid:image002.jpg@01CC850C.E2E60950]Bénita Nsabua
Web Assistant
Partnership, Resource Mobilisation and Communications Directorate
NEPAD Planning and Coordinating Agency
email: BenitaN@nepad.org
www.nepad.org
4886 378
Block B, Gateway Park, Corner Challenger & Columbia Avenues, Midridge
office Park, Midrand
Follow NEPAD on twitter
facebook
10 year Anniversary
page
—