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The AUC, ECA and key partners call for an institutionalized development dialogue
Addis Ababa, 03 December 2009 (ECA) - Senior officials from the capitals of development partners and policy makers of the African Union Commission (AUC) and the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) concluded the first AUC-ECA Strategic Partnership Dialogue Forum 2nd December 2009 in Addis Ababa, after two days of intense discussions on how to up-scale and rationalize support to the emerging development priorities of Africa.
The outcome document adopted by this Forum, which was co-hosted by AUC and ECA from 1-2 December 2009, stresses the need to establish a permanent policy and organizational development dialogue.
Participants proposed that the AUC-ECA Strategic Partnership Dialogue Forum be institutionalized as a regular multilateral platform for interaction between pan African institutions and their key development partners. The objective is to ensure that partner support to the AUC and ECA has an impact and is in line with principles and international instruments promoting aid effectiveness, including the Paris and Accra declarations.
In his opening remarks, the UN-Under Secretary General and ECA’s Executive Secretary Mr. Abdoulie Janneh indicated that:
“African countries cannot achieve their development goals individually and need to integrate to reap economies of scale, overcome trans-boundary challenges and negotiate as one in global processes.”
The ECA’s Executive Secretary however added that: “… Just as partnerships are needed at global level to fashion collective responses to common problems, they remain essential for supporting the development process in Africa.’ According to Mr.
Janneh, "such partnerships must go beyond the provision of official development assistance and encompass a broader approach that includes consultations and dialogue to increase coherence and promote the achievement of desired results.”
The two-day meeting focused, among other issues, on AUC and ECA’s global perspectives on key areas, including peace and security, climate change and food security, governance issues, and infrastructure development.
Discussions highlighted the importance of a deeper and scaled up diversification agenda, via regional integration and the conclusion of the Doha Round and the Economic Partnerships Agreements (EPAs) negotiations, with a development focus. It was also noted that Africa would not be able to play a significant role in the international arena unless steps are taken to consolidate benefits from South-South trade and deepen the understanding of links between trade and poverty, as well as gender and environment.
The review of AUC ad ECA Medium Term Priorities was also an important item on the agenda of the first AUC-ECA Strategic Partnership Dialogue Forum. Discussions were aimed at building a consensus on the content of a strategic partnership and outlining a clear process and framework for the transformation of existing partnership arrangements into results oriented relationships. The AUC-ECA strategic partners expressed their readiness to strive to develop a joint roadmap towards the implementation of core, untied budget support by 2011.
In this regard, participants to the Forum expressed their appreciation of the ECA business plan 2010-2012, particularly in view of its renewed focus on promoting regional integration in support of AU and its NEPAD Programme and helping Africa to meet its special needs, including the MDGs.
While highlighting the AUC Strategic Plan for 2009-2012 as an effective tool for a more integrated Africa, the Chairperson of the African Union, Mr .Jean Ping called for a shift from the current donor-recipient relationship to a genuine partnership based on dialogue and a better appreciation of Africa’s role in the emerging world order. “Africa must be considered as a full fledged partner’’ that can and must fully be involved in global affairs, he indicated.”
Background
The AUC-ECA Partnership Forum Dialogue is a new joint initiative which aims at redefining, in close consultations with strategic partners, the emerging role of Africa in the new political, economic, environmental and security architecture of the world. Its ultimate goal is to build new patterns for cooperation by promoting greater synergy and coherence between AUC and ECA to optimize their interaction with the international community.
Unlike other similar forums, the AUC-ECA Partners Forum Dialogue involves carefully identified strategic and development partners. It provides a unique opportunity to take a critical look at existing cooperation arrangements with the view to reshaping them in the light of emerging global and regional challenges.
Following a major repositioning exercise carried out in 2006, the ECA has re-aligned its strategic orientation to promote regional integration in support of the AU vision and its NEPAD programme and to help the continent meet its special needs including the MDGs.
It is expected that the joint efforts of the two organizations will bring coherence and clarity in many aspects of Africa’s cooperation with the international community.
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Addis Ababa Ethiopia
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