United Nations
ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL
Economic Commission for Africa
Distr.: Limited ECA/PADIS/RTC/8 24 April 1991 Original : English
Fifth Meeting of the Regional Technical Committee for PADIS Addis Ababa, Ethiopia 24-25 April
Draft
Report
I. ORGANIZATION AND ATTENDANCE
1. The fifth meeting of the Regional Technical Committee for the Pan African Develop ment Information System (PADIS) took place at the Headquarters of the Economic Com mission for Africa (ECA) in Addis Ababa from 24-25 April 1991. The meeting was opened by the Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Secretary of the ECA Prof. Adebayo Adedeji.
2. The meeting was attended by the following members of the Committee: Algeria, Ethiopia, Niger, the Organization of African Unity, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
II. OPENING
Opening of the meeting (agenda item 1)
3. In opening the meeting, Prof. Adedeji, who serves as chairman ex officio of the Committee, noted that since PADIS was entering its second decade an examination of its accomplishments to date and trends for the future was in order. Progress had been made in the establishment of its network and in the utilization of advanced information technol ogy. The recent UNDP evaluation mission affirmed that PADIS' objectives remained worthy of support. The role of the Committee, he stressed, was to re-examine PADIS' approaches to providing and promoting development information in Africa in terms of its users and their changing needs, in the context of the African economic situation and of changing information technology in Africa and in the world outside.
4. In opening remarks the representative of Unesco reviewed the decade-long history of Unesco collaboration with PADIS. He noted that Unesco's Priority Africa (1990-1995) programme and its Third Medium-Term Plan with emphasis on communication showed many possibilities for co-operation with ECA/PADIS; in that context he urged the rapid convening of a meeting between Unesco/General Information Programme (PGI) and ECA/PADIS, at which OAU would also participate because of its role in the RASCOM project. He also underlined the importance of users in information activities.
5. The representative of UNDP emphasized his organization's commitment to PADIS,, evidenced by its support of PADIS projects for both North and Sub-Saharan Africa.
PADIS, along with other information and communications projects UNDP was funding at ECA and OAU, could help to reduce African's technological retardation, he felt. Ways and means should be found, he said, to allow all the African countries who wished to benefit to take part in PADIS' activities.
Adoption of agenda (agenda item 2)
6. The following agenda was adopted, as per document ECA/PADIS/RTC/1:
1. Opening
2. Adoption of agenda
3. Matters arising from ECA meetings
ECA/PADIS/RTC/8 Page 2
4. PADIS activities since the Fourth Meeting of the Regional Technical Committee
5. Report of the UNDP Evaluation Mission 6. Financial situation of PADIS
7. PADIS Programme Budget, 1992-1993 8. Adaptation of PADIS to changing needs 9. Any other business
10. Adoption of report 11. Closing
II. GENERAL DEBATE
Matters arising from ECA meeting (agenda item 3)
7. The secretariat presented document ECA/PADIS/RTC/2 on this item, which chronicled decisions taken by the sixth session of the Joint Conference of African Planners, Statisticians and Demographers, the Sixteenth Meeting of the Conference of Ministers Responsible for Economic Planning and Development and the Third Meeting of the Standing Committee on the Harmonization and Standardization of Documentation and Information Systems at Regional and Sub-Regional Institutions in Africa. The document was supplemented by the reports of the recent meetings of the subregional Technical Committees for PADIS for West and for East and Southern Africa, where recommenda tions had been made for member States to support the PADIS subregional centres.
PADIS activities since the Fourth Meeting of the Regional Technical Committee (agenda item 4)
8. Relating to this item the secretariat introduced document ECA/PADIS/RTC/3 which detailed PADIS' activities undertaken since the last meeting of the Committee in training, advisory services and other forms of technical co-operation for ECA member States, data base development, network building, user services, servicing of legislative and other meetings including expert groups, undertaking of studies and issuance of publications.
The meeting expressed its satisfaction in the progress PADIS had made over the last two
years.
Report of the UNDP Evaluation Mission (agenda item 5)
9. The secretariat introduced document ECA/PADIS/RTC/4 which provided a sum
mary of the UNDP Evaluation Mission and its recommendations. (The report of the
Evaluation Mission and of the subsequent Tri-Partite Review were provided as back ground documents to the meeting, ECA/PADIS/RTC/BD/1 and ECA/PADIS/RTC/BD/2.) In the debate on this issue, UNDP signaled its readiness to continue to lend assistance to PADIS in its fifth programming cycle (1992-1997); in thiscontext, the UNDP representative stressed that PADIS should strengthen its relations with
its national participating centres in the context of its network which could contribute tothe development of an African economic community, in which intergovernmental or ganizations should play a part as well. In the fifth cycle, he urged PADIS to place emphasis on users and co-ordinate its activities with others interested in development information both throughout the Region and well as throughout the United Nations system.
10. UNDP urged PADIS to develop its income-generating activities. The Chairman also supported the need for PADIS to develop its capacity for self-sustainment and suggested that a document be prepared, in consultation with other organizations which had ex perience in this area, for the next Committee meeting on this subject. While some felt that such emphasis might discourage national participation and that financial regulations constrained PADIS7 activities in this regard, the consensus was that such obstacles could be overcome.
11. The Chairman emphasized ECA's important regard for the PADIS project since its inception. In order to increase its sustainability, he emphasized the need to develop enduring structures in the 34 member States which presently have national participating centres and to extend these structures to African States not yet in the network. The national structures had to be re-inforced, he felt, by subregional centres. While the member States had been slow is supporting the subregional centres, he said that it was important to encourage their recent initiatives in this area.
12. As follow-up to the Evaluation Mission, areas were outlined for possible PADIS fifth cycle development Although some members felt that regional-national resource linkages were difficult, others said that member States could be sensitized to the possibility of using country Indicative Planning Figures (IPF's) in support of regional activities, such as PADIS, It was suggested that an extraordinary meeting of the RTC could be convened in the fourth quarter of 1991 to finalize the PADIS project document, which inter alia would elaborate PADIS regional leadership role in development information promotion, before its presen tation to UNDP.
Financial Situation of PADIS (agenda item 6)
13. The secretariat presented document ECA/PADIS/RTC/5 which outlined PADIS financial situation, including its lack of funds for its staff and activities for the second hall:
of 1991. Through rephasing of savings and postponement of the recruitment of the Chief Technical Advisor on RAF/86/053, the 1991 deficit had been reduced from US$650,000 to US$250,000. Alternatives were presented to find funds for this period. UNDP announced that its Regional Africa Bureau would cover the shortfall in the context of a project Revision in line with the recommendations of the evaluation mission, which would allow the project to continue.
PADIS Work Programme, 1992-1993 (agenda item 7)
14. The Secretariat presented document ECA/PADIS/RTC/6 which outlined PADIS' proposals for regular budget activities in the next biennium, for which regular budget assistance had been requested. It was noted that this request had not been accommodated in ECA's programme budget submission to United Nations Headquarters. The Chair stated that this it was regrettable and assured the Committee that efforts would be made at restoration since the programme budget had not yet been finalized.
ECA/PADIS/RTC/8 Page 4
Adaptation of PADIS to Changing Needs (agenda item 8)
15. PADIS outlined its approach to its 1992-1997 activities in the document ECA/PADIS/RTC/7, which emphasized the need for an integrated approach to develop ment information, the expansion of its present databanks and the strengthening of links to other databanks, increased focus on national and institutional participating centres and on harmonization and standardization, improving timely access to information, utilizing . advances in information technology at the same time as adapting to varying levels of technological development and the realities of African economic conditions, promotion of improved levels of information use, improved communication with users, continued emphasis on training and increased efforts at income-generation. Networking and the diversification of information products would be stressed, while the improvement of PADIS' information marketing and training activities would receive due attention. On their part, member States would need to show increased commitment to the project and its objectives.
16. The meeting felt that PADIS' programming for 1992-1997 should be cast in the framework of African economic integration and an African Economic Community. It should also reflect PADIS' role in the co-ordination of sectoral development information.
The document was adopted to serve as the basis for PADIS' orientation and context for the subsequent five years.
Any Other Business (agenda item 9)
17. No other business was raised by the Committee.
List of Participants
MEMBERS
Mr. Abdaoui Abdelhamid 1st Secretary
Algerian Embassy P.O. Box 5740 Addis Ababa Ethiopia
Mr. Afework Temtime Information Science Expert
National S & T Information and Documentation Centre P.O. Box 2490
Addis Ababa Ethiopia
Mr. Atef Wahba Ghabrial Chief, Science & Technology Organisation of African Unity P.O. Box 60236
Addis Ababa Ethiopia
Mr. Awad Idris
UNESCO Representative to Ethiopia and L.O.withECAandOAU
P.O.Box 1177 Addis Ababa Ethiopia
Mr. Ousmane Silla Mr. Carlos Navarro Regional Liaison Office UNDP
P.O. Box 5580 Addis Ababa Ethiopia
Mrs. Mariama Mahamidou, Conseiller Niger Embassy
P.O. Box 5791 Addis Ababa Ethiopia
Annex I (continued) SECRETARIAT
Prof. Adebayo Adedeji
United Nations Under-Secretary General and Executive Secretary of the ECA
Ms. Nancy J. Hafkin Officer-in-Charge, PADIS Mr. Makane Faye
Information Programmes Development Officer, PADIS Mr. Herbert Girkes
Chief, Computerized Documentation Section, PADIS
Mr. Francis Inganji
Training Coordinator, PADIS Mr. Lishan Adam
Project Officer, PADIS Ms. Noelie Akande, PADIS Ms. Bethlehem Teshager, PADIS Ms. Meaza-Ghenet Solomon, PADIS Mr. Frew Dubale, PADIS
Mr. Teffera Woldeyes, PADIS Ms. Mulumebet Arega, PADIS Ms. M.R. Schmelzer
PADIS Programme Manager, PPCO/ECA Mr. Saymah Tuan
Programme Management Officer, TACOO/ECA Ms. Petrina Amonoo
Co-ordinator, POPIN
