Delivering as one for Africa : the regional coordination mechanism (RCM) of UN agencies and organizations

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Delivering as One for Africa :

The Regional Cons ultation ' Mechanism ( RCM) of

UN Agencies and

Organ izations

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Delivering as One for Africa:

The Regional Consultation Mechanism ( RCM) of UN Agenc i es and Organizations

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Copyright UN RegionalConsultation Mechanism(RCM) . EconomiccommissionforAfrica2008 Formoreinformation.pleasevisitwww.uneca..orglncpadorwrite ecanepadgxmeca.crgor cnnadozk@uncca.org

RCM SccRtaria.

Emmanuel Nnadcce, QKf Jurotl Gaye.Econom i....AlfainOfficer

IUwJaOnur-dinron.EconomicAlfainOfficer and TaskCoordinator EJtigianiAreem, Regional Advisor

SihamAbdclmebk, Consultant Helma 'Iadesse,Conscham

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Table of Co ntents

Ust of Acronyms/Abbreviations v

Section1: Introduction and Background I

Section 2:Regional Consulradon Mechanismandits Clusters:Coordinated

Supportin Action 7

Section3: Lessons Learnt and the WayForward 26

Section4: UsefulResources andContacts 31

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List of Acro nyms/Abbreviations

AAPAM AIDB AFREC APRM ARSO AU AUC AUClH RST CAADP CEN·SAD CGIAR COMESA CSD CSO DPA DPADM DPI DPKO DRC EAC EASSy

E CA

ECCAS ECO SO C ECOWAS EWS FAO GEF HlY/A1DS HRD HSGIC IAEA ICF ICPD ICT

AfricanAssociatio nfor PublicAdministration and Management AfricanDevelopmentBank

African EnergyCommission AfricanPeer Review Mechanism African Organizationfor Standardization African Union

African UnionCommission

AVe Department on Human Resources,Scienceand Technology Comprehensive AfricanAgricultureDevelopmentProgramme Com m unity ofSahel-Saharan States

ConsultativeGrouponInternationalAgriculturalResearch Common Market ofEastern andSouthernAfrica

UN CommitteeonSustainable Development CivilSocietyOrgan ization

Department ofPolitical Affairs

UnitedNations DivisionforPublic Administrationand Development Management

United NationsDeparrmemof PublicInformation United Nations Departmentof Peace-KeepingOperations DemocraticRepublic ofCongo

East Aftican Community

EastAfrican Submarine System(fibre optic cable) UnitedNations Economic Commission forAfrica EconomicCommunity of CentralAfrican States United Nations EconomicandSocialCouncil EconomicCommunity of WestAfrican States Early Warning System

Foodand Agriculture Organization ofthe UnitedNations GlobalEnvironment Facility

Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome

Human ResourceDevelopment

Heads of Stateand GovernmentImplementing Committee InternationalAtomicEnergy Authority

InvestmentClimateFacility

International Conferenceon Populationand Development Information andCommunication Technology

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IFAD IGAD lLO IMF IMO 10 M ITC lTMA lT U lWRM

JIU

M&E MDG MOU NAI NEPAD NEPAD/OST NGO

OAU OCHA OCHCR

OSAA PBSO PCRD PRSP RCM REC SADC SSATP STAP UEMOA UMA UN UNAIDS UNCfAD UNDESA UNDP UNEA UNEP UNESCO

Internatio nalFund for AgriculturalDevelo p men t Inter-Governmental Authorityon Development Internation al LabourOrganizacion

Intern at ionalMane-caryFund InternationalMaritime Organization Imernarion al Organizatio nfor Migration Intern at ion alTradeCentre

Industry,Trade and MarkerAccess InternationalTelecommunicationsUnion Int egrat edWater ResourceManagement JointInspection Unit

MonitoringandEvaluation Millennium Development Goal Memorand um of Understandin g NewAfrican Initiative

NewPartnershipforAfrica'sDevelopmen t NEI'ADOffice for Scienceand Technology Non-Governmental Organization

Organization of African Unity

Office for the CoordinationofHumanitarian Affairs

United Nations Office of the High Comm issioner for Human Rights

Office of the Specia l Advisor onAfrica Peace-Building SupportOffice

Posr-C o nflicrReco nstr uctionandDevelopm ent PovertyReduction SeraregyProgramme RegionalConsulta tionsMeeting Regional EconomicCommuniry

Sou rhe m AfricanDevelopmentCommunity Sub-Saharan AfricanTransport PolicyProgramme Short-Term AcrionPlan

WesrAfrican EconomicandMon etary Union Arab MaghrebUnion (I'Union du MaghrebArabe) UniredNations

UnitedNado ns JointProgramme on HIV/AID S Unired Nations Conference on Trade andDevelopment UnitedNationsDepartmentofEconomicand SocialAffairs UnitedNations DevelopmentProgramme

UN-Energy/Africa

UnitedNationsEnvironment Programme

Un ired NationsEducational,Scient ificandCultural Organiz.ar ion

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UNFPA UNGA UNGASS UN-H AB ITAT UNHCR UNICEF UNlDO UNlFEM UNLO-AU UN-NAD AF UNOHCHR

UNO N UNSIA

UNUIINTECH UNUIMERIT

UPU WFP WHO WHOIWAC W1PO WMO WSSD

wro

United NationsFundforPopulation Affairs UN General Assemb ly

UnitedNatio nsGeneralAssembly Special Session on HIVIAID S UnitedNations HumanSetrlernentsProgramme

Officeof theUnitedNationsHigh Commission for Refugees United Nations Children'sFund

UnitedNationsIndustrial Development Organization United Nations DevelopmentFund for Women United Nations Liaison Officewith the African Union United Nations New Agenda forthe Development of Africa

United Nations Office of the High Cornrnissioner for Human Rights

UnitedNationsinNairobi

UnitedNations System-w ideSpecial Initiative on Africa UnitedNationsUniversityInst itutefor New Technologies

United NationsUniversiry-MaastrlchtEconomicand SocialResearch and TrainingCentre on Innovation and Technology

Universal POstal Union World Food Programme World Health Organizatio n

WorldHealthOrganizatio nOfficeat theAUandECA World Intellect ual Property Organ izatio n

World Meteorol og ical Organizatio n World SummitonSustainableDevelopment WorldTrade Organizatio n

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Section 1:

Introduct ion and Background

Africa'seconomic and social challenges arebothsevere and perslstenr, andtheyarc draw- ing increasingintern ational attention anda significam expansion of the activities of the United Nations (UN) in Africa in recentyears'. But the seriousness of the challenges and the response to them require the UN organizations working in Africa[Qreassess the way they do business in the region.Thirty yars ago.a UN General Assembly(U l" GA) resolution!first gave great importance to coordination and collaboration to achievemea- surableprogress.Collaboration within the UN system in Africa is being strengthened.

andclosely relates^[⁰ the progress of the continentalbodies. especiallythe African Union (AU) and its programme.the New Partnership for Africa's Development(N EPAD).

The African Union and its New Partnership for Africa 's Development (NEPAD) programme

The NEPAD programmeoriginated from three separate initiativesarou nd the startof the new millenni um.TheMillen nium ActionPlanwas led by SouthAfrican President ThaboMbeki andunveiledat the WorldEcono micForum (D ave s. january2001).Sen- egal's Presid entAbdo ulayeWade presented anOmega Plan ro a summirof francophone African leaders (Cameroo n.Janu ary 200 1). About the same time. the UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) was preparinga "Compaa JOr African Rtrowry" on in- struction from the African Min isters of Finance (2000). All three aimed to increase thepace andim pactof Africa's developm entand were eventuallymerged intoonepro- gramme, NEPAD.Thus, NEPAD became one of the first conrincnra l initiativesthat originated with African lead ers and govern ments.

NEPAD was adopted in July2001at the Summitof Heads of State and Government of the former Organizancn of Africa Unity (OAU), now AU, and acquired its present name in Octobe r2001. The Programme hasbeen recognizedhymost leading interna- donaldevelopmen tagencies asthe way and framewo rk through which they can best supportAfrica's development efforts. Ir is an African initiativeaimed at solving Africa's development challenges.Its originsarein a uniquely African vision of development and the principleofpartn erships based on mutua! respect.dignity, shared responsibilityand

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mutual accountab ility between Africa and therest of theworld,and between African govern me ntsand peoples.

At the same time that NEPAD was taking shape, the former OAU was being trans- formedint o rhe AUroface rhe challenges of a new development agenda.The OAU was in itiallyset up in 1962 asa largely politicalforumand made huge progress in achieving and sup po rt ing African independencemovementsand struggles.The Constitutive Act of rhenew African Union (adopted in Lome, June 2000) outlines some of the major changesto the new AU,devoted to pursuingregional cooperation and integration in economics, social aspects, culture and politics. The AU's long-term vision is African integration,to beach ieved through the Regional Economic Com mun ities (RECs)that play akeyroleinsub-regiona l inregrarion .ThefirstAU summit of July 2002 formally endorsedNEPAD.

NEPAD is envisagedasan Africa-own ed and Africa-leddevelopmentprogrammc3 .Its long-term objectivesare: to eradicate poverty; to place African countries, both indi- viduallyand collectively.onapath of sustaina ble growthand development; to hair the marginalisation of Africainthegloballsation process and enhanceits full and beneficial in tegratio n into the globaleco no my; and toaccelerate the empowerment of women4 . Itsgoals includethe ach ievem ent and sustena nce of an averagegrossdomesticproduct (GD P)growth rate ofover7per cent ayear over the next 15 years and toensure that Af·

rica achievesthe agreedMillenniumDevelopment Goals,including halving the propor- tion ofpeopl elivinginextreme poverty by2015.Accordingly, the expectedoutcomes of NEPAD areecon om icgrowth.development and increased employment; reduced poverty and inequa lity; diversification of productive activities, enhanced international compe titivenessand increased expo rts;and increasedAfricaninregrarion.

NEPAD'S principles' arc:

• Good governance asa basicrequirement for peace, secu rity and sustainable politi calandsoc io-econom ic development

• African ownership and leadership , aswellasbroadand deepparticipationby all sector sof society;

• Anchoringthe development of Africa on its resourcesand resourcefulness of itspeople;

• Partnersh ipbetweenand amo ngst African peoples;

• Accelerati onof regionaland cont inent al integration;

• Building thecompetitiveness of African countriesand the continent;

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The NEPAD Objectives and Structures at a Glance

ObJe_e. 01 NEPAD

• Poverty eradication SustainabledeveIoplrent

• RegionalandgklballntegrationofAfricaand

• ErnpoNerment ofwomen

Priority Area. 01 NEPAD

Establishingtheconditionsforsustainabledevelopment:

• Peaceandseo.mty

• Deliloaacyand goodgovernance(poIrtical,eco'olilicandcorporate).ndudlng theAfricanPee<ReviewM_ (APRM)

Regionai co-operationandintegration

• Gapacitybuilding

Policyreformandinvestmentinpriority sectors:

• InfrastructureOnformationandConmunicalionsTecI1noIogy OCTs).Energy,Trans- portandwaterandSanitation)

• Human resourcedeIIeIopment (povertyreduction.reversingthebraindran. heaittl andeducation)

• Agriculture

• Environment

• Culture

• SCienceandted .dogy

Increased mobilizalionofrasoun:esthrough:

• Mar1<etacoass

Increased domesticsavingsandinvestmoot

• Improvedmanagement ofpubflCfinanoces

• IncreasingAfrica'ssharein globaltrade

• Attractingmorelcmgn direct investment(FOI)

Increasing capitalflowsto Africathrough furtherdebtreductionandincreasedot- flcialdevek>pmentassistance(ODA) inflows

Slaering Organs 01 NEPAD

• TheHeads ofState and Government Imi>ernentation Commttee(HSGIC)

• The SteeringConmittee

• The NEPADSecretariat

• Sub-regionalNEPADorgansandfocalpoints The NationalNEPAOorgansandfocalpoints Implementing Organs of NEPAD

• Countries

• Regionai Economc Conmunrties

• DevelopmentInstrtutOls

• BilateralandMultilateralorganizations NEPAD Partners

• Memberstates,Africanprtvatesector,civilSOICiety,youth.etc.

• RECsatthesub-regionallevel

• TheUN

• G8andOECD,othercountriesOndia,China.Brazil. South-South)

• International privatesector

• InternalionaicivilSOICiety

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• Forginga newinternational partnership thatchanges theunequalrelationship betweenAfricaandthe developedworld;and

• Ensuring that all Partn erships with NEPAD are linked to the Millennium DevelopmentGoals and otheragreed developm ent goalsandtargets.

NEPAD adopted the following three-pronged strategyofprioritiesto turn goalsinto actions:

(i) Promoting preconditions for developm ent (peace and security, democracy and good governance. regional co-operation and integration and capacity building);

(ii) Identi fyingsectoral priorities, including agricultu reand market access, human resource develo pment,infrastructure. information and communication technology(leT)andenvironment;

(iii) Mobilizingresou rces (increasing domesticsavingsand investments;improving managementofpublicrevenueandexpenditure; improvingAfrica'sshare in global trade;attracti ng foreign direct investment; and increasing capital Rowsthrough furtherdebt red uctionandincreasedaid Rows).

The UNGeneralAssembly"hailed NEPADas"an AfricanUnion-led. -owned and-rnan- agedinitiative" and"aprogramm eof theAUthat embodies thevisionandcommitment ofallAfrican Governments and peoples for peace and development",The Assembly resolutionendorsedtheUN Secrerary-C eneral's recomm endationthat NEPAO"should betheframeworkwith inwhich theinternation al community,includingtheUNsystem, should concentrateitsefforts forAfrica'sdevelopment"andalater Resolut ion?calledon UN organization s. within their respective mandates,to"align their activitiesinAfrica with thepriorities of theNewPartnership",

Under the NEPAD framework, progress has been made in the areas ofhealth, ICT, education, environmentandscienceand technology.In the frameworkofNEPAO,the AUhasmobilizedmoreresourcesfor Africa.includ ingsupportat"Group of 8"sum- mits.debt reliefand pledgesby 15 Europeancountries to increasetheir development assistanceto 0.7 per cent of theirGOP by 2015, Theyhaveencouraged the US to introd uce the Millennium ChallengeAccount grants and brought newsupport from countries suchas China, IndiaandBrazil,although the extraaid isonlya fraction of that required^(Qmeetthe MDGs. TheNEPADSecretariatsays'thatAfrica invested over US$68billion(ofaUS$111 billionbudget)initspriorityareas,morethan halfof which was contributedbyAfrican govern ments.The money wasinvestedby govern mentsand

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secto rs includinginfrastru cture, agriculture.health,education andhumanresources.

Other AU/ N EPAD achievemen ts include steps cowards continentalintegration.Some RECshavecue tariffssubsranrially⁽⁰encouragetrade withintheirsubregionsand have encouraged the movemen t of people acrossborders (for example in ECOWAS).Some are form ing monetary un ion s suc has UEMOA and UMOA.ManyREG are helping developregion alinfrastru cture, often inlinewith NEPADpro jects, focusingon tran s- pontwater,powerandtelecom municat ions,Theyrecognizethatphysical infrastructure iskeyco regionalintegrat ion, Examplesof success include:countr iescompleting sec- don s ofmeTrans-AfricanHighway system,implementi ng the YamoussoukroDecision coliberalize and improve airtransport,andeffor n toimprove links between pons and land -lockedcountriesin the EAC.ECOWASandCOMESA.Economiesof scale.priva- tization andcompetitio n have imp rovedservicesandcross-bordersystems are beinges- tablished.Examples include the powerpools inmost subregionswhichshareelectricity and infrastructure; variouscontinenta lteleco mmunicationssubmarinecables,including NEPAD'sUS$2billionproject; andatleast 22 projectsinseven riverbasins.Theprivate sectorisplaying itspan .including Celrel'sOne Network which providesborderless cellphoneto 400million Africansliving in12countries.

A2005 WorldSum mitcalled for development and imp leme ntat ionof a 10-year programme ofUNsuppo rttotheAU .In November2006,UN Secrerary-Cene ralKofiAn- nan, visitedtheAveandsigned a declarationentitledUN-AUCooperation:Framnvork forth~ Ttn-Ytoar Capacity--BuildingProgrammefir tbeAfri~an Union.This evo lvingbur

comprehensive framework aims toclarify the areas, forms, and scale ofhow the UN system respondsto the capacity needsof the AU.includingthe integrati on of NEPAD.

In orderto coordinate and streamline programmes and effectivenessfurther. thefunc- tions andprocessesof NEPAD and its Secretariat are being integrated in the AU e.In 2007.a proposal waspUt forward tofullymakeNEPAD aprogramme of theAU, atask that isbeing taken forwardby an Implement ation Commi tteeof HeadsofStatewhich met in April 2008.

The United Nation s system has long called for coherence and coordination between UN agenciesandorganization workingin Africa andother regions. lhis mandatehas evolvedinto the Regional Consultatio n Mechani sm(RCM),which now meetsannually and isco-chaired bythe African Union. The ECA isthe strategic coordinatorof the Re Manditsninethematic clusters..

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About this Booklet

This general booklet outlinesthe work of the UN ReM and the them aticdusters of UN agenciesinsupportof the AU anditsNEPAD Programme.Sectio n 2outlines the evolution of theReMand theactivities of theninedun cesas wellastheir sub-d usters, mem bership s and achie veme nts. Recommend ation s on improvingthe effectivenessof UN system-widesupportthroughtheReMand clusters areoud ined in Seetion 3.based onthelessons learnt in thelast eightyears.A sho rt list ofreadin gand resources, as well asthe curren tcluster contac t people is given inSectio n4.

Thebooklet isbased largely onofficial repons, expert reviews.issuespapers, presenra- tionsandotherdocu ments,as well aswebsires andother inform ation sources.Effortsto coordinateUN developm ent assistancearewell docum en ted.The:histor y of UN coordi- nationeffortsin Africa datesback to 1977.morethan 20 years before NEPAD wasborn and[heAUevolved fromOAU.

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Section 2:

Regional Consultation Mechanism and its C lusters: Coordinated

Support in Action

Over the past30years. the UN system hasdeveloped two structures to improve co- ordination among UN agencies: the Regional Consultation Meeting (RCM) and the Thematic Clusters.

An early step towardscoordinationwasanUNGA resolution' which declared that the five regional commissions.including the UN EconomicCommission forAfrica(ECA), should exerciseteam leadership and responsibility for coordination and cooperation at regio nal level.They shouldconvene meetings.including between agencies. to improve coordination between the UN organizations' workprogrammesin theregions.TheUN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)IOtook i, further, callingfor regular regional consultations amongUNagencies.

Thefirst series ufRe M meetings were held in 1999 in the fiveregions. chaired bythe DeputySecretary-General,From 2000, the RCM meetingswere convened by rhe re- spective ExecutiveSecretariesof the UN'sfive regional commissions. 111e thirdReM meeti ng of UN agencies working in Africa (Addis Ababa,October 200 I) agreed that NEPAD is the framework andvision forthe UN system to improve its collective re- sponse inaddressingthechallengesfacingAfrica. TheSecretary-Genera lestab lished the Office of theSpecial Adviseron Africa(O SAA) inMay 2003 to incr ease interuariuna l supportfor NEPAD,coordinate UN effortsin support ofNEPAD andrepo rt annually

to the GeneralAssemblyon progressin implementing NEPAD and getting interna- tional support forit.The Office has two units:i)Policy Analysissud Munitoring and ii) Coordination. Advocacy and Programme Development.

ECAis appointed to coordinate the work of the UN system in Afria for effectively implementing NEPAD at the regional and subregional levels, including with the regional organizationssuch as AU, African Development Bank (AfD B) and the Regional EconomicCommunities(RE Cs) . I, is creating channels for dialogueand working with the AU and NEPAD, so rhar their officers dn nor have

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UN Thematic Clusters and Conveners

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representatives of UN agencies. Iralsofellows- upon actions to implement decisions taken at coordination meetings. The ECA signed a Memorandum ofUnderstand ing with NEPAD in September 2006 to boo"collaboration in joint strategic policy and research, mobilizing resources, buildingcapacity at NEPAO, memberStates andREG.

and lnregraring NEPAD into national development plans.

The7" RCM meeting(November 2006)was mended by39 UN agencies and instiru- rions and wasco-chaired bythe AU. A Progress Report" saidit provided a basisfor moving UN support to NEPAD "from debate, assessments and recommendations to tangible actions". It

also

provided "aplatform for improved coordination and coopera- tion between UNagenciesand the African continental organizations, suchasthe AUe, the MOB and <he RECs·. I, recommended thatECA's mandate be moved from con- venor of ReM meetings to the strategic coordinator of UN system support to AU and its NEPAD prog<amme.It brought the AU more closely inro the work of the clusters.

invited the Heads of <he eight RECs recognized by the AU and resolved rhe AU to co- chair the next meeting.Itresolved that ECA subregional offices should bringotherUN agencies together in support of AU/NEPAD a' subregional level(sec Section 3 below).

Iralso called for more communication and advocacy and for ECAtomonitor processes andacrivitles.

The8· RCM meeting (November2007)repeated'!commitment

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the evolving UN- AU cooperatio nframework document(UN-AUCooperation: Irameworkforthe Ten-Ytoar Capacity-BuildingProgramme for tht Aftican Union).I, said this would be the basis for UN assistancetotheAU,undertheleadership oftheAVe,and that UN wouldsuppOrt AU internalcapacityto coordinatesupportunderthe programme.Itheld discussionson theneed forcoordinatedandeffective Post-C o n flict Reconstruction andDevelopment and implementation of the AU'spoli cy on this.

The ReM putspecialemphasisonthe effectivefunction ingof the"cluster system",which organizes thejointworkefforts

by

grouping the UN agenciesand their partnerswithin the AU and its NEPAD programmeintothematic groupings toimprovecoordination. It crlginaresfrom a UN GeneralAssemblyReso lutionIJto "organize the activitiesof theUN system around thematic clusterscovering the priorityareas of(he New Partnership".The fourthRCM meeting (October2002) set up five clusters ofUN agencies. initiallylinked to the structure of NEPAO's programmes. In search of grearer efficiency, (he structure increased to seven inter-agency<hematicclusters by the6· RCM meeting Uuly 2004).

The 7'"RCM meeting made Peace andSecurityand Industry,Trade and Mark" Access into separateclusters, bringingthe total to the current nine clusters(secbelow), some with

SC'VCral

"sub-clusters" to coordinate UN agencies' workon specificareas.

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Thecluster system isalso used byUN agencies and organizarions at nationallevelto

coordinateand wo rktogether on joint programmingand programmes, often linked to

thepriorities ofthenationalPovertyReductionStrategy Programmes,in turnlinked to theMDGsframewo rk.At thecontinental level.the regionalclusters structureisevolv- ingto linkto AUprogrammes and prioritiesandtheregionaldusterswillalsoneed to takeaccountofsub-regionalcoordinationand workwithRECs.

Cluste r Convener Sub Clusters Members

Infrastructure EGA • Waterand ÂIDS,ÂU,^FÂO,ÎAEA^{, IMO}^.

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EGA, Sanitation NEPAO,UNCTAO,UNDP, UNEP,

• Energy UNESCO,UNICEF,UN·HABITAT,UPU,

• ICT WHON/AC,WIPO.WMO,WorldBank

• Transport

Governance UNDP • Politi"'" AfDS.AU, EGA.IMF,NEPAO. OSAA,

• Economic UNDESA.UNDP, UNFPA,World Bank Agriculture,Food FAO AU, ECA,FAO, IAEA,IFAD, NEPAO,

Security& Rural UNCTAD,UNDP, UNESCO.UNIDO.

Development UNHCA.WFP,WIPO,WorldBank Environment.Pop ula- UN·HASI· AU,ECA,10M,NEPAD. UN·HABTAT,

tion&Urbanization TAT UNEP, UNESCO.UNFPA,WMO

HumanResources UNICEF • HumanPe- AU,EGA,FAO, IAEA,ILO.10M, Development.Em· sources NEPAO,UNAIDS,UNDP,UNESCO, ployment&HIV/AIDS • Employment UNFPA,UNHCR,UNICEF.UNIDO,

• HIV/AJDS WFP.WHON/AC.WlPO

Science&Technology UNESCO AU,EGA.FAO,ILO, NEPAO,OSAA, UNCTAD,UNDP, UNEP.UNESCO, UNIDO,UNUIMERfT,WIHO,WlPO Advocacy&Correne- OSAA AIDS.AU, DPI,NEPAO,OSAA, UN·

nications HASITAT, UNAJDS, UNDP.UNESCO,

UNHCA,UNICEF

Peace & Secunty DPA • Peace&

secu-

^AU,^DPKO, ^{ECA, FAO.}^{ILO, 10M}^,

rityArchrtecture NEPAD,OHCHR,PBSO,UNAJDS, of the AU UNEP, UNHCR.UNLO·AU.WFp,WHO

• Post-Conflict Reconstruction

& Development

• HumanRights.

Justice & Rec- onciliation

Industry,Trade& UNIDO AIDS,ARSO,AU,ECA,FAO, IAEA,

MarketAccess ICF,ILO, fTC, NEPAO, UNCTAO.

UNEPUNESCO,UNIDO,WIPO,WTO, WorldBank

Sourer:ECAandclusterconvmors

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Infrastructure

ECA convenesthe cluster,which hasfour sub- clus ters:Water and Sani tation ,Ene rgy.

Informacion and Com m unicacion TechnologySystems (lC r.), and Transport. Clus- cormembers are:AlDB, FAa, IAEA, IM O, ITU, UNCTAD, UNDP, ECA, UNEP, UN ESCO, UNIC EF, UN- HA BITAT, UPU, WHOIWAC (WHO Office a' the AU andECAl,WIPO and WMO.

m.tn- anJ Sanitation(UN m.rn-/Africa)

The initia laimis to support the Integrated Water ResourceManagement (lW RM)principlesof theAfrica~ttTVision 2025and[0 assist river basin developmentini tia tives.

The UN-Water/Africagroup'sjointactivit iesinclude:

• Sustain ed institutionalsuppo rtto theAfria n Ministerial CouncilonWater

(AMCOW),

• Developingcom mo npositionsonwater issues.

• Developingnational strategies onwater,includ ingin countriessuchas Sierra Leone.emerging from conflict,

• Publishingpolicydocuments suchason water policychallengesinAfrica,Af rican~t"DeuelapmmtRipon.African\f!au rjournal.anAtlasoffreshwater agreements in Africa, groundwater assessmentreports and theAfrican Water InformationClearing House: mechanism.

• Cont rib ut ing to the work of MiCQW's Afrie-om WOl ter Facllhy financ ing mechanism,whichhas mobilizedmillionsof dollarsforprojects sub mitted by Min ister sof Water on behalf of theirgovernments.

• During 2007.the group'smembersstrengthenedcollaboratio n with the water units of the respective RECs and the African Networkof BasinOrganizations aswellasworking with individual river/lake basinorgan izationssuch asLake Victoria. Chad and Niger.

The AUC and NEPAD Secretariat are closelyinvolved in [he activities ofUN·Waterl Africa.which alsoworks closely with theConference of Ministers ofHuman Settle- mentsand Urban Development. the grouping of African energy ministers. the AVC Department for Rural Economy and Agriculrure,AIDB, rho African Network ofCivil SocietyOrganizations dealingwithwater. and others.Itisdiscussing closercooperatio n with UN-En<rgy/Afr ica.

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Energy rUN-EnrrgyIAfri<a}

The membersincludethe AUC. ECA.IAEA.NEPAD.UNO?,UNEP.UNESCO.UN- HABITAT and UNIOO .Wbilestrengtb ening UN interagencycollaborati on.theinitial aim wastosupport theimplementation ofthe: outcomes of theWorld SummitonSus- tainable Developm ent (WSS D) and the ninth UN Committ ee on Sustainable Devel- opment (CSD9). to makethe African EnergyCommission(AFREC) operational and assist memberStatesco provide an enabling environment[0 att ract investors,withinthe framework ofthe NEPAD energy infrastr ucture. Atthefifthmeeting(November 2007).

a keyprojectin the 2006-2 009 workplan was tosupport the preparationofAfricanEn- ewVision2030. ledbytheAUe. Sofar.thepartnershave set up a WorkingGroup of Expertsand developedthe group'sterms of reference.anelectronic discussionforumand adraft work plan.TheAUewill partly fundit.Othercluster work includes supporting African ministerialbodies responsible forenergy through strengtheningcapacitiesto

makedecisions at national andsub-regional levels.AnECA-Iedstudyon ruralenergy accessscale-up mechanismis afirst step in resolving institutionalgaps in address ing the limitedaccess ofmanypeopletoenergy, especiallyin rural areas.Future steps include regional workshopson ruralenergy, Practical support hadincluded a trainingcourse basedon IAEA'sModelfor Analysis ofEnergy Demand software package.UNEAhelps developAfrica's perspectivesand positionson key issues andassist in policy-making, for instance throughpreparing abook for the lyrh UN Committee on Sustainable Development (New York. April2007).Duringrhe2008-2009 bienn ium, UNEAand NEPADwillwork together todeterminethe need forbuildingcapacityinsubregional organizations responsiblefor energy integration. Otheractivities aimat addressingkey issues insustainable biofuel development,CleanEnergyFinance Facilityproposed by the Africa n DevelopmentBank,and training of African journalists and press officers in reportin g on climatechange.ledbyUNESCO.

Other achievements include

• Developing a UN Energy!Africa websiteandan electronicforum;

• Developing the first mini/ microhydropower capacity-building and invest- mentproject inAfrica;

• A study:Making Africa,Pow," Sector Sustainabie:

• Theimplementation of ahigh-levelStakeholders'PolicyDialogueForumon power sector reformsin Africaiand,

• Joint programmingbetween IAEA and ECA for implementinga regional training programmeon capacitybuilding in Integrated ResourcePlanning (IR P).

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len

The mainobjectiveof thesub-clusteris^[0narrow the digitaldividebyhelpingimple- ment the NEPADShort-TermAction Plan(STAP)onInfrastruct u re.ECA plays alead role inclose cooperation with the relevantUN agencies. the AUC. [he NEPAD Sec- retariat and the AfDB.The sub-clusterhasenhancedAfrica'sparticip ationinaglobal ICTpolicy. and decision -m akin gforum and follow -up [0:theWorld Sum mi t on In- formationSociety;the African RegionalActionPlan on the Knowledge Economy;and CONNECTAfricaSummit.Ir helped harmonizepolicyand regulatoryframewor ksat theregion al levelandimproved availability andusc of information fordevelop mentof geo-spadal technologies.

Transport

Thesub-clusterwassetup tohelpimplementtheSub-SaharanAfricaTrOlI1SpOn Policy Programme(SSAT P)and liberalize access to air transportmarkets in Africa.inacco r- dancewiththe YamoussoukroDecision.ECA.workingclosely with the AUC,Ieadsthe subcluster. In 2007 thesub-cluster focused on key decisions ofregionalinstitut ions, including: [he Durban Declaradon of the First AU Con ferenceofMin isters responsible fo r Road Transport (South Africa. October 2007); [he NEPAD program me on transport;a MinisterialRoundTableandConferenceon Road Safety in Africa(Ghana.

February 2007); and aCon ference ofAfricanMin isters of AirTransport (M ay2007).

Governance

The Governance dusteris convened by UNDPand its participants arc:AmB. AU. ECA. IMF. NEPAD. OSM. UN D ESA. UND[~ UN FPA and the World Bank. The mainobjective is:

Promotinggoodgowrnanc~ through developmentof indicatorsfortheAfrica Peer R~

viewMechanism (APRM:); developingjoin tcapacityro facilit atenationalpeer review!

self-assessment processes;developing a common frameworkfurencou raging different countriesto fed ownershipof the NEPADproc~ss; supporti ng localgov~rnance;and enhancing thecapacity ofregion alorganizations.RECsandnational institutions.

UNDP has worked closely with ECA and AIDB to givehigh -level advice to [he NE·

PADSecretariatand has participated.withothercluster mem bers,in NEPADSteering Committeemeetings.Heads ofScareandGovem menr meetin gs,and Africa Partnersh ip Forum. UN D P workedclosely with partners. to develop both theCapacity Develop.

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ment StrategicFramework,whichwas endorsed by MinistersofPublicService,and the Comm unicationand Advocacy Strategy.

The sub-dusteralsosupports the Secretariat oftheAfrican Peer ReviewMechanismand theAPRM process at region al andcoumry levels.The UN D P manages andimplem ents theAPRM Trust Fund with a bud get ofover US$1 5 million of which US$7 million has been mobili zed fora period ofthree years (UND Pcontrib utesUS$Z.75 million whichsuppo rtsthestaff oftheAPRMSecretariat and the activitiesof the Panel and the Secretariat. such as meeti ngs and publishing repor ts.) UND P.ECA and theAfDB give techn ical suppo rt, includinghelpingto launch theAPRM. in 14count riesandimple- menting the country reviews of Ghana, Rwand a, Kenya, Sout hAfrica, and Algeria.

ECA's extensivesupport includesa databaseofexperts forthegoverna ncereviews.The three organizat ions hack faster implemen tationoftheProgramm e ofActio nincountries and irs integration into nationaldevelopmentstrategies. Theyhave giventechn icalsu p~

portto consultationsondevelopinga monitori ngandevaluatio n process.

A multi-agency Steering Committee organized the AfricaGovernance Forum VII,ti- tled "Build inga Capab leState"(Ouagadougou. Octob erZOO7)which feat ured a media dialogueandaHeads of State segment facilitatingopen discussionwith all theparti ci- pams.

The APRM. proces.~encourages African countries tocreatea good climatefor business.

The 27 countries that have signedupforAPRMareeligible forfinancin g andassistance fromthe Invesrment ClimateFacility(lCF)forAfrica.TheYeF'sfirstproject ,in Rwan - da,is helping the governmen testablisha commercialco urt tospeed up theresolution

of

business disputesandcreatinganew agencytohandle allstepsfor registering a company or smallbusiness.

Agriculture, Food Security and Rural Development

The Agricult ure. FoodSecurityand Rural Development cluster is convened byThe UN Food and AgricultureOrganization(FAD) is the convener and IFADthevice convenor.

Othermembers are:the ECA. IAEA. UNCTAD. UNDP,UNESCO. UNIDO . UN- HCR. WFp, WIPOand the World Ban k.The clustersupports theNEPAD/AUagenda on agriculture. food security and rural development .The key target is to implement the ComprehensiveAfrica Agricultu re Developme nt Programme (CAADP). adopted by NEPAD. UNEP suppo rted Cameroo n. Ethiop ia. Ghana. Libyaand Mozambique toactas pilotsindrawingup theCAAD Pand relatednation al strategies. TheCAADP targets6 percentannua lgrowth in agriculture. Many governmentsagreed toincrease the share of agricultureto10 percentoftheir budgets by 2008.Related programmes are

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the\Y/orld Bank'sMulti-CountryAgriculturalProductivityProgramme and itsfisheries seed programme,as well as NEPAO'sNational Food Fort ificationprogramme .

The cluster suppo rted an FAO/AUTechnicalandMinisterialMeeting(Libreville. Nov- Dec 2006) to deliberateandagree on concretemeasuresto accelerate CAADP imple- mentation, focusing on waterconrrcl, infrastructure developm ent and intra-African trade for food security.The cluster also has helped th eNEPADSecretariat topromote land reclamation, investment in agriculturalproduction .public-private partnershipat sub-regional level,improving ruralinfras tructure, reducingpost-harvest lossesanden- hancing wom en'sparticipation and entrepreneurialactivities, including in ruralareas.

The cluster supported a SpecialSummiton Food Securityin Africa(Abuja, December 2006) and helped with the implementation of pastAU Summi t Decisions relatedto foodsecurity,agriculture development andachieving MDGson foodsecu rity.

FAG, IFAD, UNICEF and WFP sup ported the NEPAD Secretariat in launchingthe Home-GrownSchoolFeeding Programme underCAADP. focusingoneradicating hun- gerand poverty throughincreasedagricultural producti vity,well-int egratedmarketsand expanded purchasing power of vulnerablegroups. FAG, IFAD and WFP have been supporting CEN-SADin implementing the SahelAgriculrural and RuralDevelopment Initiative. In 2007,the cluster supported consultation saimed atfaster implementation, which involved regionalorganizations.trade unions,farmers' associations,government agencies and donors.Cluster memberssupport the AUC-E CA-AfDB initiativeon Cli- mate Information for Developmentin Africa.rheAfricaFertilizerSummit, AfricaLand Policy and Land Reform, and the "Green Wallof the Sahara" initiative.In May2008the AIDB announced a further USSI billionin loanfundingforagriculcural development totacklethe food crisis.

FAO, IFAD, WFPand WB arecollaboran ngonthree interlinked initiativesinsupport of theCAADP.Theseare:

i. A thematic working group on agricul tur e and food securityofthe MDG- AfricaInitiative, jointlycoordlnared bythe AU and FAG,

ii. An initiative onsoaring food prices, and

iii. Inputsintothe Fourth TokyoInternational Con ferenceon AfricanDevelop- ment (TICA D-IV - Yokohama, May 2008). Food security and agriculture development,particularlyCAADP. featuredhigh in the TICAD-IV Declara- tionand ActionPlan.The fouragenci esjointlyorganizedaside event,"Facing the Challenges and Opportunitiesof HighFood Prices"featuring atop-level paneldiscussion.

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Environment, Population and Urbanization

UN-HABITAT convenes the cluster, and themembers arc ECA,10M , NEPAO ,UNEp, UNESCO, UNFPA and WMO.The objectivesarc to address the challengesof growing populationsandmovementof people;rapid growthoftowns;environmental degrada- tion and pollution;and the lackof demographicstatistics.Activitiesarc focusedon

me

following thematic areas:

I. SustainableNEPAD Cities,with UN· HABITAT as leadagency.Theconcept of a"NEPADCiry" refers⁽⁰an Africancitythatis

fit

and prepared todeliver onthe MD Gs.TheFinal Reportfor PhaseIof the NEPAD Cities Programme was launchedinVanco uverinJune 2006.The clusterconvened an African Ministers'Councilon Ho usingandUrban Development (AM C H U D)and a meeti ng in April2007on"SustainableUrban ization: Local Action forUrban PovertyReduction" with anemphasison finance and planning.

2. Data monitoringandevalua t ionof progresstowards ach ieving NEPADgoals inenviron ment.population and urbanization. UN FPAand 10M are

me

^lead

agencies.The report2007Stat«ofWorldPopulation: Unkashing th< Potmtialof Urban Growthinformsreaderson the currentsituation ,analyzes trends such asthedoubli ng ofthedeveloping world'surban populat ionand their implica- tion s, andcalls for appropriateactions.

3. ECAproduced a repon on InternationalMigration and D~lopmmt: Impli- cations forAfrica,with 10M, UN Ep, UNFPA and UNOESA in September 2006.

4. Develop ing and implemen tingNEPAD'senviro nment initiative, with UNEP as lead agency.TheAfrican MinisterialCouncil on the Environmem (AM: - CEN) emphasized the importance of building capacity to impleme nt the Initiative. UNEp, its Global Env ironmcnt Facility (G EF) and the NEPAD Secretariatgave financialandtechnicalsuppo rt so the RECshad capacity to developSubregionalEnvironmentalActionPlansfor NEPAD'sEnvironment Initiativ e. UNEPand AfDB also support a feasibility studyto establish the African Environ me n tFacility asa financial mechanismfor implementingthe NEPAD Action Plan.UN EP/ GEFand UN-HABITAT developed aregional climate changeandadaptation project forCape Verde,the Comoros,Mada- gascar,Maldives,Mauritius,Seychelles, Sao Tome and Principe. Thisaimsto make urbancoastalzo nes lessvulnerabletotheim pactsof climatechange.The cluster collaborated with the AUtodevelop the"Great Green Wall for Africa"

initiative against desertification and land degradation. It also helpsmonit or andevaluate the implementatio nofi ntem atio nally agreed development goals contai ned in the Internation al Conferenceon Popul ation and Developm ent (lCPD) Programme ofAction.

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Human Resources Development, Employment and HIV/AIDS

UNICEF and AU co-convene the clusterand the members are: ECA.FAO.IAEA.Il O. 10 M.NEPAD .UNAIDS. UNDP,UNESCO. UNFPA.UNHCR.UNI CEF,UNIDO.

WFP,WHO IWAC and WIPO.The workingobjectivesare based on theAUand NE- PAD^priority^areas,whichin turn areconsistent with

me

MDGs.the UN General As- sembly SpecialSessiononHIV /AID S(UNGASS).and the 2001 AbujaDeclarationon HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis,malaria and other relateddiseases.

Prioritiesfor cooperation include:

• Coordinated capacity-building forAU:

• Supporting the AU plansof action on HIY/AIDS. em ployment and human resourcesdevelopment;

• Supportinga Social PolicyFramework forAfrica.developedbytheAU;

• Enabling the UN system to havecoordinated andcoherent input, including institutionalmechanismsandadvancingparmer bestpractices suchas pool- ing aidand long-term support basedonmutualaccountability;

• Idemifying prioritiesforcollective action at nationalandregionallevels;

• Establishing andoperatingjoint monitoringandevaluationsystems to mea- sure progresstowardthe MDGsand meet NEPAD principlesof peerreview andmutualaccounrabiliry,

• Identifying at leastone NEPAD-related pilotprojectin RECs; and

• Expandingthe terms of referenceof the HealthDesks at RECsto include othersocialsectorconcerns.

The clusterincludesthree sub-clusters:

1. HumanResources Development. convened

by

UN ESCO withsupportfrom UNICEF.This promo tes gender mainsrream ing in all thedusteractivities.

The clustercontributed toimplementing thePlan of Action ofthe Second Decadeof Educationfor Africa;

2. Emp loyment. convened byIl O . Work includesjointaction with otherclus- terstoaddressthe impactof the"braindrain";and

3. HIY/AIDS. with UNAIDS as convener.This mainstreams HIY/AJD Sinto allNEPADsecrc ral programmes.Clustermembersworked with rheAUCto develop indicesand acompendium to measureprogressand commitment on HIVdeclaration s. andto strengthenfollowup.

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The dustergained newmoment um during 2007-2008, holdingacrucia l retreat where thecluster proposed to rename itselfme Human and Social DevelopmentClusrer", andform new sub-clusters.The clusterwas guidedbytheprinciplethatthe UN should notcreate new agendasfor Africa, butsho uldsuppo rt programmesthe

A U

hasalready developed.The participaroryapproachof themeetingsincludes a joint AU/UN work plan whichincludesspecific deliverablesalignedtoAUINEPADpriorilies andisguided by theTen- Yrar Capacity-Building Programme.Clustermembersparticipated in theAU Healt h Ministers' meeting; Africa Commi tteeof Experts on the Rightsand Welfareof Children: celebrations for the Day ofthe AfrianChild;AU PopulationCouncil meer- ing;Africa Prosecutors' Association Meeting;and AU Educatio n Ministers meeting.

Key results included promotingan integrated rights-basedstrategy focusingonChild Survival. Development. Prorecrion and Participation and puttingchildren and young peopleat thecent re of all programmes.

The cluster suppo rtS AUe touse Documentationand Management Information Sys- tems in monitoringprogress made towardsCSDPP using the"DevInfo"softwareand toreview the implementation oftheDeclaration and Actio n Plan ofAfricaFitforChil- dren (AFFC); aten-year review ofthe GracaMachelStudyonChildren inSituatio ns of Conflicu theAUintegratedstrategyon prevention,response andsu ppa " for victims and survivors of violenceagainst ch ildren and wom en;and theTen-Year Capacity- De- veloprnentProgramme.

Science and Technology

UNESCO is conve nerand ECA isvice-con venerof the Science and Technology Clus- ter.Thememb ers arc:FAa, ILO, OSAA,UNCfAD,UN D P, UNEP, UNID O, UNUI MERIT.WHO and WIPO .The Cluster hasbeenregroupedinto a newAfrican Science and TechnologyCluster that bringstogether theUN Science and Technology Cluster, theAUCDepartment of Human Resources,Science and Technology and NEPAD'sOf- fice ofScienceandTechnology.

The Cluster'sobjectivesinclude:

• Promoting coordination inUN systemSUpPo"for theAU/ NEPAD Science and TechnologyConsolldared Plan ofAerion (CPA),ado pted bytheAUSum- mit(AddisAbaba,January2007).UNESCO'sGeneralConference(October 2007)adopteda plan tocont ributeto implementi ng the CPA,includingjoint activitieswith other agencies.

14 R.rcommenJ~lionfTom KurifiuCoMrIUUS(aURam«tin~inE.!hiopia.July2(03).

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• Prom otin g joint programming, harmo nization and cooperation in African science andtechno logyactivitieswithin theUN system.

• Promotin gdynamicandaction -o rientedapproachesto supponNEPAD'ssci- enceand techn ology activities.

• Promotinginteraction andcollabo rationwithNEPAD,AU, RECs, academ- ics,knowledge networks, scientificcommuniriesand otherstakeho lderswork- ing on science, technology and innovation forsustainable develo pment in Africa.

Achievements include:

• Tracking/m onitorin gtheNEPADScience& TechnologyPlan ofAction;

• Developingscience,technol ogy and innovation pol icies;

• Awarenessabout intellectual property rights;

• Promotin g scientificengineeringeducation ;

• Support forAfrica's Green Revolut io n;

• Promot ing biotechnology; and,

• Takingmeasures^[0reversethebraindrain.

Advocacy and Communications

The Office of the Special Adviser onAfrica(OSAA)is Convenerofthecluster(ECA is Vice-Conv ener.)Members are the UN Departmentof PublicInform ation (DP!),NE- PAD Secrerariat, the AfricanDevelop ment Bank (AfD B). UN-HA BITAT. UNAIDS. UN HCR.UNESCO,UNDPand UN ICEF. Themain objectivesare:topromote great- er uoderstand ingofNEPAD globally. buildsuppo rtforNEPAD among Africans and theinternation al communityand promote theworkof the UN insuppon of NEPAD.

Among itsactivities, the clusterworkswith the NEPAD Secretariatin preparingand presentingthe report of the General Assembly onimplementatio nofNEPAD. On be- half ofthecluster,DPI providesbroad support toNEPAD through irsradio, television, Internetand print activities.ItplacesstoriesonuN EPAD at Work"inmajor mediain Afrlca and Asia. and during2006 -2007over600sucbstorieswerepublished in more than 90 media outlers.DPIpublishesin Englishand French.theNEPAD Read" .a col- lection ofstoriesonNEPAD'svision, goals, obstaclesand accomplishments. DPIalso hasavailablecopiesin printofThe NEPAD PlaninEnglishand French and islookin g forpartnersto produce this insomeof the majorAfrican languages.Thedepartment publishes storiesabo ut NEPAD'sprogress four times a year inAfricaRenewalmagazine (which has circulationofover250,000 perissue). It alsoprovides strategicand techni- calsupport to OSM in relation to public inform ation and advocacy in sup po rt of NEPAD.

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Several cluster membe rs.in particularECA and OSAA.were involved in theNEPAD- organized. workshop on sharpening NEPA D communicationstrategies (Accra, April 2007).The goalof the workshopwas to make African civilsociety and privatesecto r organizatio nsmo reaware of NEPADand^[0 developaforward-lookingcom rnunica- tion andadvocacystrategy. In October 2008.theclusterplans tohold a "Dialogueon NEPAD"with senio r journalistsworking in Africa and UNDP hasprovided funds for this.

ECAisdeveloping a website toprovideup-to-date info rmationabout nationaland regional projects to implement NEPAD. In Septembe r 2007. ECA launched a weekly newsletter.NEPA D Britfi.which it circulateswidely amongststakeholders ..

Peace and Security

TheDepartment of Political Affairs(DPA) is the convener ofthe Peace and Security Cluster and the members are AU.DPKO. ECA.ECA. FAa. ILO. [OM.PBSO . UN- AIDS. UN Liaison Office with the AU. UNEP, UNHC R. UNOHCHR, WFP and WHO.Thecluster'sTerms of Reference include :coordinated suppo rt to help the AU make its peaceandsecurity structuresoperatio nal;technicalsupport to thePeaceand SecurityCouncil(PSC); assistancein gathering andsharing information and developing an AU websiteon PSc.Theclusterwouldalsohelp AU with expertise for theAfrican Stand by Force (ASF). mobilize tech nical suppo rt for the Panel ofthe Wise and give technical,financialand materialsuppo rtsothatthePSC can liaisewithother AU organs andcivil society. Otherareas of supporttotheAU includehelping(0implement AU's Posr-ContlicrReconstruction and Develop ment policyand helping tomakeAfrica free ofland minesandillicittradeinsmallarmsandlight weapon s.

The cluster isdeveloping integratedprogrammes forconflict preventi on and manage- ment,andpost-conflict recovery/recon struction inSUppOHofAU'sprogrammes.These include joint contingency plann ing,ration alizingtheearly warningindicato rs, jointas- sessment missions,and support for AU post-co nflict initiatives.Achi evements in this field include AU progress towards peace in Democra tic Republic of Congo (D RCl.

Liberia,Rwandaand Somali a.TheAU Peace and Security Council has a strong mandate and resources and there isa Continental EarlyWarningSystcm toprevent conflicts,a Panel

of

theWise(0 mediateconflicts,and the AfricanStandbyForce forpeacekeeping missions, including inSudan and Somalia.There have beenfree.fairandtransparent elections in manycountries.AU helpedavertanunco nstitution al changeof government in Togo.

ThePC:2CCand SecurityClusterhasthree sub-clusters:

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1. PeaceandSecurityArchitectureoftheA

U.

convened bythe UN Depart- ment of Peace-Keeping Operatio ns (D PKO).This is mandated [0 support building capacityin peace-keeping operations;early-warningsystems;conflict prevention (including thePanelof theWise);and the ASF. DPKO has cre- ated an AU PeaceSupportTeam aspan of the Ten-Year Capacity- Building Programme.Ithasbeensupponing the AU PeaceSupport OperationsDe- partment(AU-PSO D) and theAUC in:

• Training:The teamorganizedand deliveredthefirstAu/UN Senior Mis- sionLeadership workshop (Nairobi, June 2007)^[0increase the number of trainedleadersfrom the AUC and theRECs availableforselection for senior managemem pon s in AU /DPKO field missions. The team delivered aworkshop on theASF Civilian Dimension (Addis Ababa, March2007).

• Police:The team helpedplanforthePolice compo nem for AUMission in Somalia (AMISO M).Itsupports theAUin developingstrategicpol- icy ongeneric profilesandother documentsforthe polic ecomp onem ofthe ASF.

• Military: The teamhelpedorganize ajoin t AU~ UN workshop on de- veloping a Concept ofOperationfor the RapidDeployment Capabil- ity oftheASF(Addis Ababa,July 2007) and laterdeveloped working documents. Ir organizedand coordinatedjoint workshops on training supporttothe ASF withother partners.

• Finance: The team helped strengthen the AU's budget and financial management systems to budget forthe ASF and peacekeeping opera- tions, manage financial resources and provide financial reportsto its contributors.

• Co mmunicatio ns/IT:Theteam assisted the AU-PSOD withtechnical information related to establishingaWideArea Network fortheASP, andAU Information ManagementSystemsDivision. It alsoassistedthe AUCommissionin developing an AssetsManagem entTracking System and strengthen itsGISUnit

2. Post-Conflkt Reconstruction and Deueiopmen (PC RD) sub-cluster is convened hy the UN HighCommission for Refugees (UNHCR).Thesub- clusterhas established strong workingrelationswith thePeace andSecurity Departm ent of the AUC, supporting the AU to develop a PCRD policy, which provides ablueprint thatpost-confl ict countries could use for plan- ningandimplementing theirown recovery and recon struction programmes, as well as help the AUto coordinatesuchactivitiesaround theco ntinent. The sub-cluster, both as agroupand through the individualeffnns of member agencies.suppo rted variousactivities relatedtotheAUPCRDpolicyinclud- ing thedevelopmentof operational guidelines and resourcepackages.Mern-

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bers have helped build AU capacity throug hfinancial, material andtechnical suppor[ includinginformation systems equipmen t, training,expertsuppo rt and advice.It haspublished 11 post-conflictcoumry assessment reports to document thestatusofrecovery andrecon struction.AnAfrica-widerrporton posr-eonAictreconstructionisalsoexpected (0be completed and published before the end of 2008. UNEP conducted a comprehensive Post-Conflict Environmental Assessmentin Sudan and publisheda report in June 2007.

3. 71uHuman Rights,}ustiuandReconciiiatiensub-cluster.convened

by me

Of- fice of the High Commissioner on HumanRights(O H CHRj, has been examining terms of reference, possible joint activitiesand modalities forimplementing the human rights, justiceand reconciliation components of the

UN-AU

Cooperation:

Framnuork for lh, Ten-!'tar Capadty-Building Programme for lh, African Union.

OHCHR held meetings(March-April 2007)with the AUC Department of Politi- calAffairsand the President of the Human RightsCoun on this.The 41-session of the AfricanCommissionon Human and Peoples'Rights supported this andwillbe closelyinvolved with the work of sub-cluster.During the same month,OHCHR also discussedthe programme with the Pan-African Parliament.

Industry,Trade and Market Access (ITMA)

UNIDO convenes rhe cluster andits members are AfDB, ECA, FAO, lAEA,[LO. lTC, UNCTAD, UNEP, UNESCO,

wro,

WIPO and the World Bank .ARSO and IC F are also members as regionalentities.

Theclusterhas thefollowingobjectives:

i. Strengthening the capacityofthe NEPADSecretariat to leadthe:needsassess- ment,resource mobiliza tion,development,implementationandmonitoring of related NEPAD programmes andprojects,

ii. Enha nc ing UN system suppo rt for capacity-b uild ing of rhe NEPAD Secre- tariat,

iii. Promotingand facilitating closeralignmentof the UN system'sITMA· related programmes and activities in Africa to theplansand prioritiesof the AU and NEPAD,

iv. Monitoring theeffectivenessof the UN system'sITMA-rclJ.ted interventions in coordinating supportto AUiNEPAD. and

v. Fosteringcoordination and integrationof UN activitiesin the subregions,

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Clusteractivitiesin pursuit of this:

• Ensurebetter market access forAfrican export s:AssistAfrican co unt ries in the contextof trade negotiations afterthe Dohaagreement;suggestways that Africanexport s suchasfood and agricultural productscan get bett eraccess to markets; help toset stand ards. includ ingsanitary and phytosanit ary re- quirements,and meetthem with products;build capacityin agriculturaltrade analysis and negotiations;help remove supply-side bottlenecks and increase supplycapacity;and enhanceintra-Africantrade.

• Diversify commodity-depend ent econo mies: Redu ce commodity depen- dence and termsof trade losses; stabilize prices. includi ng measures for sup- plymanagement; enhance co mpetitivenessof African commodities in Africa and internation almarkets;process agriculturalcommoditiesto add value;and diversify into dynamicproducts where thereis comparative advant age or to newmarkets.

UNIDOhasbeen lead agency on the AfticaQualityInfrastructure Survey.Investment Promotion,theprogrammeof industrialupgradin g and modernisation aswell as youth employment.UNCfADwas lead agency on the RegionalTradeProgramm e fo r the East African Community andCapacity Buildin g for Africa-C aribbean and Pacific countries on Econo mic Part nership Agreements negotiations. The Intern ation alTrade Cent re took the lead on a TradeSupport Programmefor CO MESA.Addi tionally.members of theclusterindividuallyunder took numerousactivitiesin2007.

Moving Forward

During 2007.theUN Implemented several recommend ationsfor improvingthework of the clustersystem and the RCM insupport of the AUand its NEPAD programme.

TheReMSecretariatwasreposition ed at ECA.whichbecame the strateg ic coordin ator.

This resulted in enhanced leadership.improvedclustercoordinatio n. increasedinterac- tion within and among clusters. andsharpened thefocus of cluster activitiesforgteater relevance andeffectiveness.

The AUC,AiDB and RECs are participatin gmo re strongly in theReM.TIledustersare increasinglyinvolving the: AVe and the NEPAD Secretariat intheirmeetingsand activities.Thisleadstobetter communication between ECA.the NEPAD Secretariat,the AVeand cluster conveners. Italso meansmorecommunicationandadvocacy forNE- PAD.and increasedsupport forNEPADatthenational.regional and globallevels.UN Agencies are working with the AUe and NEPAD Secretariat^toensure thatthe^{Ten- }'ta}^r Capacity-Building Programme for theAfricanUnionembodiesall priority needsofthe Commission. They have:begun to implement this framework. UN agenciescont inue^to

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commitsubstant ial materialand financial resources insupport of the AU and NEPAD.

The resultismore capacity in both the AVeand the NEPAD Secretariat.

Although the clusterstr ucture works at the regional. level, many of the practical integration projects initiated by the AU in the framework of its NEPAD programme.arc in the subregio ns, including power links. roads. etc. Subregional cooperation is key for implement ing NEPAD projectssuch as cross-border infrastructu re. or harmonization of policiesand rulestoencour agemoretrade. ECA'snetwork of subregionaloffices(SRO s) areworking closely wirh the RECson implementing NEPAD at the subregional level.

Gender Equity:Gender isa cross-enningissue in terms of the thematic clusters.Mrican governments haveadopted protocols to promote gender equity. in line with the key NEPADobjective toachieveequity and empower women. Fifty-oneAfrican countries havesignedtheConvention on the Eliminationof Discrimination againstWomen (C E·

DAW),AfrtcanHeadsofState in 2004 adopted the Solemn Declaration on Gender Equity,and manycountrieshave passedlawsagainst discrimination against women and againstdomestic violence.TheAVC was founded on the principleof equal numbers of men and women in key positions such as Commissioners.UN agencies and especially the ECA supportefforrs suchas gender-sensitive budgeting and the African Gender and DevelopmentIndex(AG D I), piloted in 12 countries.

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