Aide-Memoir. RCM - Africa. Background

Transcription

1 Tenth Session of the Regional Coordination Mechanism (RCM) of UN Agencies and Organizations Working in Africa in Support of the African Union and its NEPAD programme Addis Ababa, Ethiopia 5-6 November 2009 I Background The 10 th Session of the Regional Coordination Mechanism (RCM) in Africa will take place on 05 and 06 November 2009 within the framework of UN support to the implementation of the New Partnership for Africa s Development (NEPAD) and to the UN-AU Cooperation Framework and its Ten-Year Capacity Building Programme for the African Union. The meeting is significant for a variety of reasons. It marks the tenth time that UN Agencies and Organizations are holding consultations with key African institutions on strengthening coherence and delivering a more coordinated UN support to development in Africa. This tenth anniversary represents a notable point in the evolution of the Mechanism and provides an opportunity to take stock of progress in order to determine how to move forward in a more effective manner. A lot has been achieved by the RCM both in terms of support from the RCM Secretariat and coordination of clusters. The RCM Secretariat is providing more strategic coordination and support to the Mechanism, while coordination of clusters has become stronger with an increasing number of jointly implemented programmes leading to tangible results. Significant momentum is also being generated on the part of UN Agencies and Organizations to accelerate their support for the African Union and its NEPAD programme in the RCM. Several clusters of the RCM, notably the Peace and Security and Social and Human Development clusters have realigned their structure for more effective support to the AU and its NEPAD Programme. Likewise, other clusters including Agriculture and Food Security; Environment, Population and Urbanization, Science and Technology and Governance have all intensified their efforts to meet more regularly and establish business plans to embark on interagency joint programming and joint implementation of specific projects. In addition, important action and firm steps are being taken toward concretising the idea of sub-regional coordination and toward the operationalizing of sub-regional mechanisms in support of the RECs in line with the recommendations made at the 7 th, 8 th, and 9 th Sessions of the RCM. This welcome development will provide more coherent support at that level and will establish the missing link between the regional and country levels, including with the Regional Directors Team (RDT). Furthermore, the UN Ten-Year Capacity Building Programme for the AU - established under the UN-AU Framework Agreement - is now due for review, three years after it was established in 2006, in line with its provisions. The implementation of the Ten-Year Capacity Building Programme faces significant challenges and the third-year review should provide an opportunity to address these challenges. Hence it will be important for the RCM to pronounce itself on the modalities of this review process. Finally, the 10 th RCM session is taking place at a time when significant changes are occurring in NEPAD in its focus, orientation, institutional arrangement and relationships within the context of Sirte HSGIC/AU Summits outcomes of June/July 2009 on NEPAD integration into the AU. In 2009, the process of integrating NE- 1

2 PAD into the structures and processes of the AU intensified and decisions to move the AU towards the AU Authority were pronounced. The implications of these institutional, organizational and operational realities need to be better understood by members of the RCM. Hence the 10 th Session of the RCM will focus on these issues while recognizing the importance of emphasising outcomes and achievements as was decided during the 9 th Session of the RCM. The internal organization of the AU needs to be structurally and functionally strengthened and concretised to enable the AU Commission to function better within the RCM and fully harness its benefits. The concrete efforts hitherto achieved in integrating NEPAD into the processes and structures of the AU and the resultant re-orientation of NEPAD need to be better reflected and harnessed within the RCM framework to maximize efficiency and impact. On the part of the UN agencies and organizations there is a need for a better understanding of these new realities to better respond to the needs of the AU and its NEPAD programme. Furthermore, there is need to strengthen the role of the African Development Bank within the RCM. The outcomes of previous sessions of the RCM provide an important basis for the way forward. The 10 th Session of the RCM will build on the achievements of the 8 th and 9 th meetings of the RCM and will, as usual, engender participation at the highest level, including the Deputy Secretary- General of the UN, who will chair the Session. Unlike the previous two Sessions, the 10 th Session will not focus on a theme. Instead it will concentrate on a deeper discussion and understanding of the key issues and contextual realities that have been outlined. A day before the 10 th Session, each cluster will meet to discuss cluster-related issues. On 07 November, the day after the Session of the RCM, there will be an Open Forum on NEPAD to provide a platform for dialogue on ways of enhancing ownership and partnership on NEPAD through wider and deeper involvement of a large crosssection of stakeholders in the society. II Objectives of the 10th Session of the RCM The central objective of the meeting is to strengthen UN system-wide support for the African Union and its NEPAD programme at the regional and sub-regional levels. Building on the achievements of the 8th and 9 th meetings of the RCM, the meeting will deliberate on results and outcomes in three main areas. The first is on progress made in enhancing coherence, coordination and cooperation among UN agencies and organizations in supporting the implementation of NEPAD and the UN Ten-Year Capacity Building Programme for the African Union. The second is on progress made in deepening partnerships and improving cooperation and coordination between the UN and African regional and subregional organizations (AUC, AfDB and RECs). The third is on progress made in the operationalizing of sub-regional coordination mechanisms. The meeting will place particular emphasis on the implementation of NEPAD within the context of integration of NEPAD into the structures and processes of the AU and upcoming review of the UN Ten-Year Capacity Building Programme for the AU. It will also provide a platform to discuss UN support to climate-related actions at the regional level in line with the mandate given by the Chief Executives Board (CEB). 2

3 In this regard, the meeting will: Review progress on the RCM and the achievements, outcomes and results of activities undertaken in the context of the cluster system of the RCM; Discuss UN support to climate related policies and actions at the regional level and the coordination of such support in the context of the RCM; Review progress in the implementation of Sub-regional Coordination Mechanisms to support the RECs; Discuss the emerging institutional and structural changes in the AU and NEPAD and their implications for the RCM as well as AU/NEPAD strategic and action plans depicting what the AUC and NEPAD Secretariat expect from UN agencies and organizations to enhance partnership and achieve development goals; and Discuss and reach agreement on how to proceed with the review of the Ten-Year Capacity Building Programme for the AU. III Format of the 10th Session of the RCM The 10 th Session of the RCM will be preceded by individual cluster meetings which will take place a day before the main meeting of the RCM begins. The 10 th Session of the RCM will be divided into seven parts: 1. Review of progress on the RCM and the outcomes and achievements of activities undertaken in the context of the cluster system of the RCM The RCM Secretariat will present a progress report on the RCM. This will be followed by presentations by the Coordinators of the nine clusters highlighting their achievements and outcomes of their activities. Presentations will include innovations in cluster coordination and resource mobilization for the effective implementation of the Cluster Business Plan. Discussions will follow and main issues and recommendations will be synthesized from the discussions. 2. Discussions on UN Support to Climate-related Actions at the Regional Level The Environment, Population and Urbanization cluster will provide progress on the CEB decision on ensuring planning and delivery of coherent support and synergistic UN-support to climate-related policies and actions at the regional level. This is also in line with the recommendation of the 9th Session of the RCM requiring the cluster to develop a work plan for climate-related activities of the RCM. Discussions on the issues raised and on how effective coordination could be achieved in the context of the RCM will then take place Review of progress on the Sub-regional Coordination Mechanism ECA Sub-regional Offices (SROs) will present progress report on the Sub-regional Coordination Mechanisms. This is in line with their mandate to promote and support subregional priorities and programmes and coordinate United Nations system activities for subregional integration as outlined in the SG s report to the sixty-first session of the General Assembly (2006) and the recommendations of the 7th, 8th and 9th Sessions of the

4 RCM. Discussions on the presentation will then follow on main issues and lessons to be considered for the establishment of a Sub-regional Coordination Mechanism in the five subregions. 4. Discussions the relationship between the RCM and RDTs The relationship between the RCM and RDTs will be discussed to provide a better understanding of the operations of the two mechanisms in order to enhance collaboration and complementarity. 5. Discussions on the emerging institutional and structural changes in the AU and NE- PAD, AU/NEPAD strategic and action plans and expectations of the UN agencies and organizations to enhance the partnership and achieve development goals The AU Commission and NEPAD Secretariat will provide information on the ongoing integration of NEPAD into the structures and processes of the AU and the transformation of the AU into an Authority and their implication for UN support. They will also present their strategic and action plans and their expectations from the UN agencies and organizations. 6. Discussion on the review of the Ten-Year Capacity Building Programme for the AU The RCM Secretariat will provide a brief overview of the Ten-Year Capacity Building Programme for the AU and highlight its challenges and prospects. Discussions will follow on how best to undertake the review of the Programme as required by its provisions. 7. Presentation of the Main Issues Arising and Recommendations of the Meeting The RCM Secretariat will present the main issues arising and recommendations, and record agreed amendments. This will be finalized after the meeting and from which, an outcome document will be prepared. IV Expected Outcomes The meeting is expected to lead to: Well-articulated documentation of progress in supporting the AU and its NEPAD Programme with the framework of the RCM and its cluster system, clear understanding of the constraints and challenges, and agreements on the way forward; A better understanding of the new AU and NEPAD organizational structures and AU/NEPAD Strategic and Action Plans A clear articulation of the process of reviewing the Ten-Year Capacity Building Programme for the AU; Progress made in the area of coordinated UN support to climate related policies and actions at the regional level within the framework of the RCM; and Increased commitment and actions for support to the AU and its NEPAD programme. 4

5 V Outputs A number of outputs will be delivered at the end of the meeting: Agreements on practical measures to enhance the functioning of the RCM for the accelerated implementation of NEPAD and the UN-AU Cooperation Programme; A set of proposals on coordinating UN support to climate-related policies and actions at the regional level; Agreement on how to proceed with the review of the UN Ten-Year Capacity Building Programme for the AU; A well-informed set of practical and action-oriented recommendations on the way forward; Press releases; Policy papers; Web publications; Meeting report; and Outcome document (to be prepared after the meeting). VI Meeting Documentation Session documents will include: Progress report on the RCM and Cluster Reports on Outcomes and Impacts of their Activities, with special focus on the food crisis challenges at the regional level; Cluster Reports; Paper on UN support to climate-related actions at the regional level; Situation report on the UN-AU Cooperation Framework; Report of the Ninth Meeting of the RCM; Challenges and Prospects in the Implementation of NEPAD; and Promotional materials on UN system-wide support to the AU and its NEPAD Programme. VII Participants The African Union Commission The NEPAD Secretariat The APRM Secretariat The African Development Bank Regional Commissions Regional Director Team (RDT) in Africa Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) Eastern African Community (EAC) Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) Southern African Development Community (SADC) Community of Sahel-Saharan States (CEN-SAD) Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) Arab Maghreb Union (AMU) All participating UN agencies and organizations 5

6 VIII Dates and Venue The 10th Session of the RCM will be held at the United Nations Conference Centre (UNCC) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on 05 & 06 November It will be preceded by individual Cluster meetings on 04 November On 07 November 2009, an Open Forum on NEPAD will take place. IX Administrative Arrangements Kindly refer to the Information Note 6