Summary: September 25, 2002: Statement by Minister Plenipotentiary Ole E. Moesby, Deputy Permanent Representative of Denmark to the UN, on behalf of the European Union. AD HOC COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY FOR THE FINAL REVIEW AND APPRAISAL OF THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS NEW AGENDA FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF AFRICA IN THE 1990'S: AGENDA ITEM 41 (New York)
Mr. President,
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 welcomes this opportunity to undertake a final review and appraisal of the implementation of the United Nations New Agenda for the Development of Africa (UN-NADAF). The timing is indeed very opportune in light of the promising political developments taking place on the African continent. The adoption of the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) and the birth of the African Union (AU) are signalling the determination of embarking on a new path of African-owned
development.
What is most important and innovative about NEPAD is that it is an African agenda, designed and implemented by African leaders and people, within the context of the African Union. The European Union fully supports NEPAD as an overarching and integrated policy framework for African efforts that will no doubt contribute towards the realisation of the United Nations Millennium Declaration and the internationally agreed development goals.
Mr. President,
First of all, I should like to thank the Panel of Eminent Personalities for conducting the evaluation of UN-NADAF and the Secretary General for presenting proposals on the future modalities for the UN engagement with NEPAD.
The evaluation of UN-NADAF provides a thorough analysis of the challenging context within which the activities of the UN system through UN-NADAF have to be assessed: the debilitating effects of armed conflicts on development, the insufficient level of economic growth, inadequate regional co-operation, limited participation of civil society, the lack of integration of Africa in world trade, finance and investment. To this, one should add a severe shortage of resources for enhancing human
development, particularly in the field of education and health, where the HIV/AIDS pandemic remains a serious obstacle to improved economic development in Africa.
Yet, in the period under review there are also encouraging signs of development. The commitment to good governance by African leaders as embodied in NEPAD and also in the Constitutive Act of the African Union, the promising GDP growth rates of 5% a year or more in some 15 African countries, and the recent positive prospects of ending some of Africa's protracted conflicts in Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Ethiopia/Eritrea and Sierra Leone.
Mobilizing additional domestic resources calls for continued economic reforms and capacity building in many areas as brought out in NEPAD, as well as improvement of the environment for the private sector, which is key to sustained economic growth. It also requires improved trading opportunities combined with strengthened trade-related capacity, as well as inward investment in and for African countries. These issues figure prominently on the agenda of the Doha Development Round of the World
Trade Organisation.
Furthermore, additional Official Development Assistance (ODA) is needed, and we have committed ourselves in this regard. But, it is equally important to adhere to the commitment to improve the quality of aid. Also through enhanced governance at the national level.
Additional investments in human resources development, including human and institutional capacity building, are prerequisites for achieving the Millennium Development Goals. In particular, the fields of education and health should receive high priority, not least in view of the devastating impact of the HIV/AIDS pandemic and the commitments undertaken during the UNGASS on HIV/AIDS. We fully encourage civil society and women to participate actively in the promotion of human resources
development, acknowledging their important contribution towards achieving sustainable development in Africa.
Mr. President,
The key questions to be answered by the review of UN-NADAF revolve around how the UN-system respond in an effective manner to the development needs of our African partners. How to make sure that the UN funds, programs and specialised agencies, each in its areas of expertise, live up to the expectations raised by NEPAD? How to make the intergovernmental mechanisms more suitable for keeping track of UN's interface with NEPAD?
We share the view expressed by the Secretary-General that it is imperative for the United Nations system to support "a single Africa-owned and Africa-led framework of action based on the rationalisation and concordance of existing initiatives". We thus fully support the recommendation by the Panel that NEPAD should now provide the development policy framework for such support.
The indisputable linkage between peace, stability and sustainable development requires the adoption of an integrated and comprehensive approach by the African countries as well as the international community. It should be mirrored by close coordination between the Security Council and ECOSOC.
We are interested in studying further the recommendations in the evaluation report of drawing up one single report on the UN in Africa. This could perhaps serve as a basis for a merger of existing agenda items on Africa into one item, allowing for an annual comprehensive review of Africa's development.
An enhanced development partnership with Africa is already evident by the increased numbers of African countries adopting national development strategies. For the EU the Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSP), which have now been embraced by the vast majority of African countries, will be key in giving concrete substance to the partnership at country level.
Furthermore, renewed efforts with regard to coordination and harmonisation amongst all development actors are needed, including the Bretton Woods institutions. With regard to the UN, the United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) should continue to serve as the business plan for the entire UN system and should provide the basis for joint programming becoming the preferred modality for UN system activities in Africa, and in general.
Mr. President,
In conclusion, the European Union finds that Africa's development efforts are best served by a greatly sharpened focus on NEPAD as the basis for partnership between Africa and the international community. In this way we would be responding to the call made by the Secretary General last year in ECOSOC for being less eager to devise and promote United Nations initiatives, and more constructive in finding ways to support local, African initiatives.
The United Nations system should remain a key advocate for African development and continue to facilitate a comprehensive approach to development in Africa, combining peace and security with development. The UN should take advantage of its universal platform to continue to press for progress towards the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals, especially for Africa. But as has been said before, the UN is no stronger than the will of its member states. And we must all be prepared to
mobilise support for helping Africa to be able to claim a success in 2015.
I thank you, Mr. President.
| Top |
European Union Member States
Alerts by email
Email this page
Print this page