List of Acronyms... v. I. Introduction II. Key Activities and Results within the Cluster... 2

Transcription

1 Aide-Mémoire

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3 13th Session of the Regional Coordination Mechanism of UN Agencies and Organizations Working in Africa in Support of the African Union and its NEPAD Programme (RCM-Africa) Addis Ababa, Ethiopia November 2012 Aide-Mémoire

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5 Aide-Mémoire Table of Contents List of Acronyms... v I. Introduction... 1 II. Key Activities and Results within the Cluster... 2 III. Key Activities and Results in Inter-Cluster Collaboration IV. Key Activities and Results in Mainstreaming Cross-Cutting Issues V. Key Projects, Actions Taken, and Results of Implementation of Capacity Building Work Programme for AU & RECs VI. Challenges, Lessons Learned and Way Forward iii

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7 Aide-Mémoire I. Background 1. The 13 th Session of RCM-Africa is scheduled for November 2012, and the venue is the United Nations Conference Centre (UNCC), in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The annual meetings of the Regional Coordination Mechanism for Africa (RCM-Africa) provide a platform to present concrete outcomes and results of coordinated United Nations (UN) support to Africa s development in partnership with African Union (AU) organizations. These meetings have proven their effectiveness as a forum for: Regular reviews of progress made in improving cooperation, collaboration and coordination between the UN and AU organizations, with the aim of enhancing the effectiveness of UN support to Africa s development; Deepening discussions on topical and emerging issues of importance to Africa s development aspirations and charting the way forward; and Enhancing awareness of issues and challenges in the implementation of programmes for the development of Africa, including the New Partnership for Africa s Development (NEPAD). 2. RCM-Africa annual meetings have become an important event attracting participation at the highest level from officials and representatives of UN system organizations and agencies, the African Union Commission (AUC), the NEPAD Planning and Coordinating Agency (NPCA), Regional Economic Communities (RECs), the African Development Bank (AfDB), the World Bank, and other regional and sub-regional organizations working in Africa. For the first time in 2011, bilateral organizations based in Addis Ababa also attended the annual session. 3. The 12 th session took place under the theme Capacity Building, following recommendations emanating from the first triennial review of the Ten-Year Capacity Building Programme for the AU (TYCBP-AU), which included: development of a work programme for building the capacity of AUC, NPCA, other AU organs and RECs, with clearly defined activities, expected outcomes, timelines, monitoring and evaluation frameworks, 1

8 13 th Session of the Regional Coordination Mechanism of UN Agencies and Organizations Working in Africa in Support of the African Union and its NEPAD Programme (RCM-Africa) and resources for its implementation. The capacity building work programme of AUC was successfully presented and adopted at the 12 th session. The 13 th session will examine the post 2015 development agenda for Africa, and the role of UN and AU organs in shaping and implementing this agenda. 4. The Millennium Declaration - adopted on 8 September led to the formulation and implementation of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which runs up to The 13 th session of RCM-Africa will reflect on the post-2015 development agenda for Africa taking into account all the on-going regional and subregional consultations on Africa s post-2015 development agenda. Because of the multidimensional nature of development efforts and in light of outcomes of Rio+20, the post 2015 reflection would need to address issues of sustainable development in a holistic manner, including demographic dynamics, governance, conflict, food security and nutrition, inclusive growth, trade, and social inequalities. 5. An open and broad-based consultation process on the post-2015 development agenda for Africa involving all stakeholders has already started. And at the global level, different structures are working on clear assignments with a view to developing one development agenda for Africa after 2015, with sustainable development and universal applicability at its centre. 6. Ongoing consultations on the post-2015 development agenda have provided the following views on the current MDGs: limited focus on economic growth and development, inadequate attention to the role of domestic resource mobilization in Africa s development, weak attention to quality components of public service delivery, and poor specification of the drivers of development, in general. Emerging views call for a post agenda that focuses on domestically driven development initiatives, growth and transformation, equity and social inclusion as well as institutional capacity development, domestic resource mobilization, participation and ownership, governance and leadership, peace and security, and regional integration and trade, among others. 7. Sessions of the RCM provide an appropriate forum where UN and AU entities in particular could make their contributions, at the African 2

9 Aide-Mémoire regional and sub-regional levels, to this post-2015 development agenda particularly considering that: AU s NEPAD programme adopted the MDGs as one of its priority objectives in 2002; NEPAD projects and programmes are being transformed into a wholistic development framework informed by the continent s potential as a global growth pole and answering to the quest for a post-2015 development agenda that is Africa owned; The MDG Africa Secretariat and RCM-Africa Secretariat, in collaboration with the secretariat of the UN Development Group, are jointly reviewing modalities for developing stronger synergies between RCM-Africa and the MDG Africa Working Group, including integrating the work of the MDG Africa Working Group into the work of RCM-Africa clusters; and RCM-Africa has been involved in the preparatory work for the UN conferences on sustainable development revisiting issues, commitments and progress in the implementation of Agenda 21. RCM-Africa particularly supported efforts to mobilize African ideas for Rio+20 in a way that ensured an African Common Position in the final outcome document. II. Objectives of the 13th session 8. The 13th Session of RCM Africa will provide the opportunity to highlight the achievements of the RCM and its clusters in promoting peace and development in Africa through coordinated UN support to the African Union and its NEPAD programme as well as efforts being made to strengthen the effectiveness of the mechanism at the regional and subregional levels. The meeting will also focus on the Post-2015 Development Agenda for Africa as its main theme and provide an opportunity for a better understanding of ongoing processes, dialogue and emerging views on Africa s post-2015 development agenda to determine how best UN Agencies and Organizations can best contribute to the process. 3

10 13 th Session of the Regional Coordination Mechanism of UN Agencies and Organizations Working in Africa in Support of the African Union and its NEPAD Programme (RCM-Africa) Finally, the meeting will address other pertinent issues of importance to African Union and its NEPAD programme, including capacity building support and the outcomes of Rio + 20 III. Expected Outcomes 9. The meeting is expected to lead to the following outcomes: Consensus on recommendations to deepen and sustain key achievements of coordinated UN support to Africa s development and ways to strengthen the implementation of the comprehensive work programme of UN support for AUC capacity building; Better understanding of the ongoing regional and subregional consultation on the post-2015 development agenda for Africa and the role the UN system organizations can play in this regard; Better awareness among UN agencies of AUC, NPCA, other AU organs and RECs, and their programmes and projects, including opportunities and capacity challenges. IV. Outputs 10. The following outputs will be delivered: Outcome document; Meeting report; Implementation of the TYCBP-AU, with particular attention to AUC and NPCA; 4

11 Aide-Mémoire Press releases; and Web publications. V. Format 11. Pre-RCM-Africa meetings, to be held on November 2012, will be devoted to reaching consensus among clusters and sub-clusters on key messages to the annual session of RCM, reviewing draft consolidated report including inter-cluster and cross-cutting issues, and mounting exhibitions. Pre-RCM-Africa meetings provide a platform for clusters and sub-clusters to show-case joint implementation of activities guided by successful cases of collaboration. For example, the UN system contribution to Africa s preparations for the Rio + 20 Summit, including support to the preparation of the African Common Position, ensured that Africa s concerns were well articulated. The Naivasha meeting of cluster coordinators that took place on 26 and 27 July 2012 in Naivasha, Kenya, identified several possibilities for strengthening or building synergies and linkages between clusters and sub-clusters and provided examples of potential inter- and intra-cluster collaboration. 12. As in the past, the annual session to be co-chaired by the UN Deputy Secretary General and Deputy Chairperson of the African Union Commission, will have presentations and discussions on concrete achievements of RCM clusters resulting from joint activities undertaken in the reporting period in support of AU organs; the constraints and challenges; and agreements on the way forward. 13. In addition to a special focus on the theme of the meeting, the post development agenda for Africa, the meeting will also review a progress report on capacity building support to the AU and its NEPAD programme, progress report on Sub-regional Coordination Mechanisms (SRCMs), and the outcomes of Rio+20. Discussions will focus on capacity building and development related issues as well as cross-cutting matters. 5

12 13 th Session of the Regional Coordination Mechanism of UN Agencies and Organizations Working in Africa in Support of the African Union and its NEPAD Programme (RCM-Africa) VI. Meeting Documentation 14. The meeting documents will include the following: i. Aide Mémoire; ii. Work programme of UN support to Capacity Building of AUC; iii. Consolidated progress report on the activities of the RCM-Africa Secretariat and the clusters; iv. Outcome of the Naivasha meeting aimed at enhancing intercluster and intra-cluster collaboration, and identifying ways of mobilizing resources to accelerate the implementation of the TYCBP-AU; and v. Promotional materials on UN system-wide support to the AU and its NEPAD Programme. Participants 15. Participants will include: i. The African Union Commission (AUC); ii. The NEPAD Planning and Coordinating Agency (NPCA); iii. Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS); iv. Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS); v. East African Community (EAC); vi. Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA); vii. Southern African Development Community (SADC); viii. Community of Sahel-Saharan States (CEN-SAD); ix. Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD); x. Arab Maghreb Union (AMU); xi. The African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) Secretariat; xii. The African Development Bank (AfDB); xiii. All UN system agencies and organizations working in support of Africa, including the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund; and xiv. Partners and friends of RCM-Africa, including bilateral organizations. 6

13 Aide-Mémoire VII. Dates and Venue 16. The 13th Session of RCM-Africa will be held at the United Nations Conference Centre (UNCC) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on 14 and 15, November It will be preceded by intra-cluster and inter-cluster meetings on 12 and 13 November VIII. Contact Names and Addresses 17. For further information about the meeting, please contact: Mr. Adou Jean Yves NEPAD Coordination Unit Office of the Chairperson African Union Commission Tel: , Fax: , Ms. Rawda Omar Clinton Economic Affairs Officer NEPAD Support Section, Economic Development and NEPAD Division (EDND) United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) Tel: , Fax: IX. Administrative Arrangements 18. The attached Information Note provides details of administrative arrangements and logistics related to the meeting. 7

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