Summary: September 16, 2002: Statement by H.E. Dr. Per Stig Møller, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Denmark, on behalf of the European Union, at the High-level Plenary Meeting to consider how to support The New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD), Fifty-Seventh Session of the General Assembly (New York)
Mr. President, Your Excellencies,
I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union. The countries of Central and Eastern Europe associated with the European Union - Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and the Associated Countries - Cyprus, Malta and Turkey, as well as the EFTA country of the European Economic Area - Iceland, align themselves with this statement.
The European Union is greatly encouraged by the new hope and prospects for Africa presented by NEPAD and by the creation of the African Union in Durban on July 9, 2002. These two landmark events offer an historic opportunity for Africa to take control of her destiny - and to lay a new foundation for development in Africa. In this respect, the EU regards the African Union and NEPAD as mutually reinforcing.
The development challenges facing Africa are enormous. A little more than two years ago, world leaders here at the United Nations committed themselves to working together to meet a series of Millennium Development Goals. The overarching goal is one of halving the proportion of people living in extreme poverty by 2015. A vast number of these people live in Africa. The special development challenges facing Africa were recognized in the Millennium Declaration. The primary responsibility for facing
these challenges lies with Africa. But Africa cannot address them alone. A renewed development partnership between Africa and the international community is needed to support Africa in its efforts.
The EU is also reassured by the support given at the Johannesburg Summit on Sustainable Development welcoming NEPAD and pledging its support for the implementation of this vision.
The EU considers that NEPAD is the best basis for such a renewed partnership. For this reason, the EU is a strong supporter of NEPAD and the promise it holds for African development. NEPAD is crucial to Africa in many senses. First and foremost it can be seen as an African spearhead for reinforced development of the continent, effectively breaking the deadlock of the past. And NEPAD can be very important to the newborn African Union in helping to shape its course and giving it real content.
Seen in this light, the EU considers NEPAD a crucial initiative that should provide the overall policy framework for the international community's relations with Africa.
A central feature of NEPAD is that it recognizes an operational link between economic growth, development and the NEPAD principles of political and economic good governance, the rule of law, democratisation and respect for human rights. In the opinion of the EU, the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) will be central in making these NEPAD principles become a reality. Good governance cannot be imported from outside. It is the will and ability of individual African nations that will carry the
day.
Another central feature of NEPAD is the African ownership and the progressive leadership that it embodies. It is vitally important that the new partnership with Africa reinforces the African initiative in a complex policy, implementation and coordination process.
A third central feature of NEPAD is that it is first and foremost an initiative taken by Africans, for Africans. In this sense, it is for African nations to demonstrate their commitment to give real content to NEPAD. However, African ownership and leadership does not mean that Africa can and should go it alone. Delivery of commitments on the African side must be matched with delivery of commitments on the part of the international community. It will take partnership to get NEPAD off the ground
and show concrete results.
At the Financing for Development Conference in Monterrey in March, developing countries and developed countries agreed to enter into a new mutually binding partnership. This partnership is important for making real progress in combating global poverty and creating a dignified and safe future for all. In Monterrey, an additional 12 billion US Dollars per year was pledged for global development assistance.
NEPAD, as a programme of the African Union, has an important role in assuring the convergence of African nations on the NEPAD principles and on their priorities for action. Another role is to be a catalyst for accelerated mobilization of resources. It is first and foremost at the national and sub-regional levels that NEPAD will be translated into action. The EU looks to further clarification and increased co-ordination among all development partners on the implementation of NEPAD, through the
national Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers, the sub-regional organisations as well as at the continental level. The EU envisages supporting NEPAD primarily through existing cooperation frameworks, namely the Cotonou Agreement, MEDA and the EU/South Africa Agreement. The European Commission is ready to work with NEPAD on defining priorities, not least in human resources development and infrastructure.
At the G8 summit in Kananaskis the G8 Africa Action Plan was adopted as a framework for action in support of NEPAD. The G8 members agreed that half or more of their new development assistance commitments announced at Monterrey could be directed to African nations that govern justly, invest in their own people and promote economic freedom. They also committed themselves to providing sufficient resources to eradicate polio by 2005 - in addition to their ongoing commitments to combat Malaria,
Tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS - and to working with African partners to deliver a joint plan by 2003 for the development of African capability to undertake peace support operations. The implementation of the G8 Africa Action Plan will be reviewed at the next G8 summit in Evian, 1 - 2 June 2003.
The EU will also work on securing Africa conditions for fairer trade. The Doha round must be a true development round. In this respect, mainstreaming development concerns into all areas of the trade agenda is essential. Likewise, developing countries must mainstream trade in their national development strategies.
The United Nations have for many years been an important partner and advocate for Africa's development. The UN will continue to be central in making sure that Africa remains on the global agenda. A thorough review of the United Nations activities in Africa in the 1990ies is to take place during this session of the General Assembly. I hope that one outcome will be an agreement to adopt NEPAD as the overarching framework for the UNs future relations with Africa. The UN should recognize NEPAD as a
programme paving the way for the implementation of the Millennium Declaration, including its development goals and its specific chapter on meeting the special needs of Africa.
The EU is in the process of preparing a platform on further developing relations between the EU and Africa to be discussed at the EU/Africa Ministerial Meeting to be held on 28 November in Ouagadougou and at the next EU/Africa Summit in April 2003. In this context, the EU very much looks forward to developing relations with NEPAD. NEPAD, as a new pan African context, gives a new political opportunity to strengthen and develop the EU/Africa dialogue and partnership. It will be discussed with the
African side in the context of the EU-Africa dialogue. In these discussions, the EU will remain responsive to the wishes of NEPAD and of the African Union for dialogue and cooperation. It is our hope that we together can create a new foundation for our mutual relations.
In conclusion, let me say that business as usual will not promote development in Africa. The African leaders and people have raised the stakes with the adoption of NEPAD. The international community should be prepared to match this.
Thank you.
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