African ministers to meet in Burkina Faso to discuss job creation
ECA Press Release 07/2006, 02 May 2006
Addis-Ababa, 02 May 2006 (ECA) -- African Ministers of Finance, Planning and Economic Development are due to meet in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso from 14 -15 May, to discuss how to enhance the implementation of employment generating strategies in Africa.
A technical preparatory meeting of the Committee of Experts will precede the Conference from 10- 13 May. In addition to Ministers and government policymakers, more than 300 participants -- including central bank governors, representatives from the African Union Commission, the African Development Bank (ADB), and the Regional Economic Communities -- are expected to attend.
The 2006 Conference of African Ministers of Finance, Planning and Economic Development is organized by the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) under the theme Meeting the challenge of employment in Africa '. It will focus on taking stock of the implementation of the
"Ouagadougou Declaration" Plan of Action that was adopted at the Extraordinary Summit of African Heads of State and Government on Employment and Poverty Reduction in Ouagadougou in September 2004. During the Extraordinary Summit in Ouagadougou, the Heads of State discussed ways and means of promoting employment and poverty alleviation in Africa. They also highlighted lack of implementation of policies in this field as one of their main concerns.
The 39th ECA Conference of African Ministers of Finance, Planning and Economic Development will provide an opportunity to take stock of progress made since the adoption of the "Ouagadougou Declaration" by African Heads of States in 2004, identify the constraints faced by Member States in this process, and consider policy options for an effective implementation of the Plan of Action. During the session, ministers will discuss how best to operationalize a framework for mainstreaming employment; the policies needed to enhance employment generation and absorption; and the ways to achieve the objective of broad-based and inclusive employment. A policy position in the form of a Ministerial Statement will be adopted at the end of the session.
The ECA Conference in the capital of Burkina Faso will be held back-to-back with the 41 st Annual meeting of the African Development Bank Board of Governors and the 32 nd Annual Meeting of the African Development Fund Board of Governors. The two meetings will be bridged this year by a joint ADB/ECA high-level seminar on the theme 'Infrastructure Development and Regional Integration: Issues, Opportunities and Challenges" on May 16th.
Over the past years, African countries have made significant progress in achieving improved economic performance. However, despite average real GDP growth rates at about four per cent for the last decade, the region continues to suffer from chronic and rising poverty.
One important element contributing to poverty in Africa is the fact that too many people have no jobs or secure sources of income. In this context, unemployment constitutes a serious threat to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in the region.
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For the Issues Paper, Programme of Work, and other documents related to this year's Conference, visit http://www.uneca.org/cfm Documents from previous conferences, including Ministerial Statements, are also available at the same site.
Issued by the ECA Communication Team P.O. Box 3001
Addis Ababa Ethiopia
Tel: +251-11-551 58 26 Fax: +251-11-551 03 65 E-mail: ecainfo@uneca.org Web: www.uneca.org
