1. Opening of the session
2. Minute of silent prayer and meditation 3. Election of officers
4. Adoption of the agenda and organization of work
19/ For the full list of participants, see E/CN.14/INF.123.
5. Formal official opening by His Excellency, the President of the Republic of Sierra Leone
6. Biennial report of the Executive Secretary 1979-1980
7. Survey of Economic and Social Conditions in Africa, 1979-1980 8. Assessment of the eleventh special session and the thirty-fifth
ordinary session of the United Nations General Assembly from the point of view of the African region
9. Implementation of the Lagos Plan of Action: Report and recommenda tions of the Technical Preparatory Committee of the Whole
10. Social implications of the Lagos Plan of Action: Report and recom mendations of the third Conference of African Ministers of Social Affairs
11. The United Nations Transport and Communications Decade in Africa:
Progress report by the Conference of Ministers of Transport, Communications and Planning
12. Report and recommendations of the Technical Preparatory Committee of the Whole:
(a) On selected matters
(i) Development and utilization of mineral resources in Africa.
(ii) Report of the Regional Preparatory Meeting and regional paper on new and renewable sources of energy in Africa
(iii) Resources of the sea
(iv) Operational Plan for the Implementation of the Vienna Programme of Action on Science and Technology for Development
(v) Report and recommendations on the integration of women in development
(vi) Report of the second session of the Intergovernmental Regional Committee on Human Settlements
(vii) Role of the public sector in promoting the economic develop ment of developing countries
(viii) ECA-sponsored institutions
(ix) International Year of Disabled Persons
(x) Development of environmental protection legislation in the ECA region
(xi) Technical co-operation among African countries
(xii) Regional programme to be financed by UNDP during its 1982-1986 programming cycle
(xiii) Establishment of the Pan-African Documentation and Information System: Progress report and future development programme
(xiv) Statistical Training Programme for Africa
Cxv) Progress report on the preparation of the first ECA Conference of African Least Developed Countries and the United Nations Conference on Least Developed Countries
(xvi) Progress report on the African Institute for Higher Technical Training and Research, Nairobi
(xvii) Implications of General Assembly resolutions 32/197 and 32/202 for the regional commissions
(b) On the work programme and the medium-term plan
(i) Revised programme of work and priorities for 1980-1981 (ii) Draft programme of work and priorities for 1982 and 1983 (iii) Draft medium-term plan for 1984-1989
(c) On the United Nations Trust Fund for African Development
(i) Progress report on payments, projects and expenditures, 1977-1980 (ii) Estimates of additional resources required during 1982-1983
biennium
& On staff and administrative questions
13. United Nations Trust Fund for African Development:
Pledges of financial contributions by member States for 1982-1983 biennium
14. Any other business
15. Date and venue of the eighth meeting of the Conference of Ministers and seventeenth session of the Commission
16. Adoption of the report and resolutions 17. Closure of the meeting.
C. ACCOUNT OF PROCEEDINGS Opening statements
9. Opening addresses were delivered by His Excellency, the President of the Republic of Sierra Leone, Dr. Siaka Stevens; Mr. Edem Kodjo, Secretary-General of the Organization of African Unity; and Mr. Adebayo Adedeji, Executive
Secretary of the Commission.
10. The Conference was opened by His Excellency Dr. Siaka Stevens, the President of the Republic of Sierra Leone, who drew attention to the eco nomic problems facing Africa such as the scarcity of foreign exchange,
mounting foreign debts, rising oil import bills, rising unemployment, falling food production, general increase in the population and a general fall in living standards. He noted that the old traditional remedies such as inter national global conferences had not yet provided adequate solutions to Africa!s socio-economic problems. In order to overcome Africa's socio-economic problems, African countries had adopted the Lagos Plan of Action.
It was incumbent upon member States themselves individually and collectively to implement that Plan. Indeed Africa did not lack funds for development nor the market for its products. What was required was a sound sense of direction without which nothing could be achieved. He further underscored the indispensability of economic co-operation through which Africa could mobilize its vast economic and social potential. He commended the Lagos Plan of Action and called upon the Conference to make proposals for the practical implementation of the Plan and directed ECA and OAU to work to gether in the preparation of projects to that end.
11. The Secretary-General of the Organization of African Unity stressed that the importance of the Conference was to find ways and means of imple menting the objectives of the Lagos Plan of Action. In that regard, the OAU Heads of State and Government had adopted the Lagos Plan of Action and the Final Act of Lagos with a view to finding solutions to the declining economic and social conditions of Africa. Africa must act quickly and firmly to bring about the needed economic change. Even though the Lagos Plan of Action called for implementation mostly at the national level, eco nomic co-operation between African countries was crucial to the achievement of the African economic community envisaged in the Final Act of Lagos. He referred to the strong co-operation existing between OAU and ECA and was sure that these two organizations would continue to work together in the implementation of the Lagos Plan of Action. He also referred to the co operation between OAU and the specialized agencies and to possible assist ance from Arab countries for the purpose of implementing the Lagos Plan of Action.
12. In his opening statement the Executive Secretary of the Commission paid tribute to African Ministers of Development and Planning for the laudable work they had done to ensure that Africa had a development strategy and a plan of action for the 1980s and 1990s which was truly reflective of the continent's unique problems and circumstances. Both the Monrovia Strategy and the Lagos Plan of Action had been largely incorporated in the Inter national Development Strategy for the Third United Nations Development Decade. The Lagos Plan of Action, which was both a means and an instrument for achieving a fundamental restructuring of African economies, could become effective only if individual Governments redesigned their national develop ment plans in accordance with the two cardinal principles of the Plan, namely self-reliance and self-sustainment. That called for a correct eval uation of the resources, potentials, priorities and circumstances of each country. He underscored the importance of factor inputs as the basis of self-reliance and in that respect referred to the need for Africa to control fully the development of and trade in its national resources, the develop ment of indigenous technological capability and the mobilization of domestic
resources.
encourage the use of the barter system in intra-African trade especially with regard to industrial raw materials and energy which were major compo nents of the cost of industrial production. He also briefed the Conference on steps already taken to implement General Assembly resolutions 32/197 and 33/202 on restructuring which was aimed at strengthening the leadership and operational role of regional commissions. He referred to the agenda item on their implications for ECA, stressing that a lot still remained to be done to enable EGA effectively to perform its new role of team leader and co-ordinator of regional activities of the entire United Nations system in Africa. Finally, he referred to the existing excellent working relationship between ECA and OAU and warned that no attempts to undermine it would be tolerated.
General debate
(a) Biennial report of the Executive Secretary 1979-1980
(b) Survey of Economic and Social Conditions in Africa, 1979-1980 (c) Assessment of the eleventh special session and the thirty-fifth
ordinary session of the United Nations General Assembly from the point of view of the African region
(d) Implementation of the Lagos Plan of Action: Report and recommenda tions of the Technical Preparatory Committee of the Whole
(ej Social implications of the Lagos Plan of Action: Report and recommendations of the third Conference of African Ministers of Social Affairs
(f) The United Nations Transport and Communications Decade in Africa:
Progress report by the Conference of Ministers of Transport, Com munications and Planning
(£) Report and recommendations of the Technical Preparatory Committee of the Whole on selected matters: Cil on the work programme and the medium-term plan, (ii) on the United Nations Trust Fund for African Development, (iii) on staff and administrative questions,
(iv) on the United Nations Trust Fund for African Development:
pledges of financial contributions by member States for 1982-1983 biennium (items 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 and 13).
14. The representatives of the following States members of the Economic Com mission for Africa made statements in the general debate: Algeria, Botswana, the Congo, the Gambia, Guinea, Lesotho, Liberia, the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya,
Mali, Morocco, the Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, the United Republic of Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Zaire, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
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