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| Regional Review- Abdoulie Janneh, Exec Sec, UNECA | |
14 Mar 2006
Regional Review of the Implementation of the Programme of Action for the Least Developed Countries for the Decade 2001-2010 Statement By Abdoulie Janneh- UN Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Africa Bangkok, Thailand The Honourable Bounnhang Vorachith, Prime Minister of Lao People's Democratic Republic, Mr. Kim Hak-Su, UN Under-Secretary General and Executive Secretary of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, Mr. Anwarul K. Chowdhury, UN Under-Secretary General and High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States, Mr. Minh Pham, Manager, Regional Centre Colombo, United Nations Development Programme. Mr. Edouard Aho-Glele, Chairman, Global Least Developed Countries Coordination Bureau, Excellencies, Distinguished Participants, Ladies and Gentlemen: First of all, I wish to express my appreciation and thanks to Mr. Kim Hak-Su, Executive Secretary of ESCAP, and to the government of Thailand for hosting this event and inviting me to be part of it. I also wish to thank them for the warm hospitality accorded to my delegation and me. Less than three weeks ago, we had the privilege of hosting the ESCAP delegation at the Economic Commission for Africa’s headquarters in Addis Ababa, for the regional preparatory meeting of 3frican LDCs for the comprehensive midterm review of the Brussels Programme of Action. Our mutual presence in these very important meetings comes at a propitious time, representing as we do blocks of nations from the South. Today, the South holds a vast store of knowledge and experience that has been accumulated through years of experimentation and investment in governance and economic reform, education and healthcare, experiences which have yielded rich dividends in countries across the developing world. Increasingly, it is understood that South-South cooperation has a critical role to play in addressing the development challenges of least developed countries. Let me use this occasion to salute the efforts of the Government of Thailand in its support and promotion of this cooperation particularly between Africa and Asia. Combined, our experience in trade, debt and ODA negotiations, for example, can add greater value to the cause of the LDCs, contributing to development effectiveness. Distinguished participants, Ladies and Gentlemen: You are about to undertake a discussion that is of the utmost importance to Asia, but also to Africa and the world. With very little disposable income and a growing population, if we do not immediately lift the LDCs from the cradle of poverty, humanity will be taking a step back in the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals. Poverty eradication is more than ever our overarching goal in Africa. Over the last few years, international partners have understood the reality and needs of Africa. More recently, the international community has been vocal about the need to help Africa finally break the bonds of poverty. As a result, we are seeing important decisions about increasing and targeting development assistance, canceling foreign debt and opening markets. Still, the resources Africa generates and those Africa receives as development assistance or capital investment, must be well spent. My vision is that of a proud and prosperous continent, enriched through its own abundant resources, energized by democracy, governed by accountable leadership, and by comprehensive national development programmes. African States are themselves realizing this dream, shedding new light into dark corners, and demonstrating the political will for reform. This became clear in our meeting last month in Addis. LDCs in Africa have grown at an average 5.4% a year, since 2001, exceeding the average for Sub-Saharan Africa as a whole, at 3.9%, and the global LDC group, at 5.1%. Largely fuelled by oil exporting LDCs, this economic growth has been volatile and has not yet led to broad-based employment creation, poverty reduction or human development on the continent. Despite the entrenched poverty, there are considerable differences among Africa’s 34 LDCs, showing that progress and development can happen when appropriate programmes are adopted and implemented. In this context, some post-conflict and non-oil producing countries such as Mozambique, Rwanda, and Uganda continue to show improvement in all areas, especially in combating corruption and HIV/AIDs, and fostering gender parity, trade and food security. Distinguished Prime Minister Honourable Bounnhang Vorachith: Post-conflict LDCs in Africa face constraints in accelerating economic growth, and serious challenges in providing social services whilst maintaining macro economic stability. At least 14 of African LDCs are in a post conflict era. Their reconstruction has often proven difficult. In this context, the experience of Asian LDCs in similar historical circumstances such as Cambodia and Lao could be shared with Africa. Mr. Kim and distinguished participants, in this regard it would be fruitful for our two Commissions to share notes and experiences, in order to better assist our member States. Ladies and Gentlemen: The African Brussels Programme review meeting showed us mixed outcomes from LDCs in Africa: in education, gender equality and HIV/AIDs. In the area of education, an issue that is central to the success of any development programme, and certainly at the heart of both the Brussels Programme and in achieving the Millennium Development Goals, primary enrolment rates fail to match completion rates. In effect, while 65.0% of Africa’s children enrol in school programmes, approximately only two-thirds complete the primary school cycle. On a positive note, youth literacy has increased by more than 1% per year from 1990 to 2002. The downside to this being that given low salaries and conditions, many of Africa’s young talented professionals continue to seek jobs elsewhere. But the real challenge is getting girls and young women to school, and then ensuring they stay in school. Unfortunately, few countries in Africa registered real progress on this front, and gender disparities remain in education. There is also a clear need to push forward the agenda of gender equality in other areas. An excellent example of gender equality in decision making is Rwanda, which at end of November 2005 topped the global chart with the proportion of women in the lower house reaching 48.8% followed by Sweden with 45.3%. This has been possible because of the commitment of the political leadership of that country. Another area of concern for Africa is in the control of transmittable diseases such as malaria, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDs. These pose formidable breaks in the attainment of the MDGs and other development goals. While the average prevalence rate of HIV/AIDs at the end of 2003 was 5.9% in the African LDCs, this does not capture the gravity of the dilemma; their dramatic developmental effect on agricultural production, teacher supply, civil service personnel, and overstretched health budgets. Here, South-South cooperation may be an effective way to ease this burden. For example, as UNCTAD and the WTO have recently indicated, South-South trade is fast developing, with over 40% of developing countries’ exports going to other developing countries. For example, South-South trade in low cost products is generating important solutions to the pressing challenge of providing the poor with access to essential drugs. Least developed countries are often the beneficiaries of this new dimension of South-South exchange. In terms of value, for example, 67% of India’s drug exports, 74% of Brazil’s and 92% of Argentina’s drug exports go to other developing countries. At the organizational level, 60% of UNICEF’s vaccine requirements for its expanded immunization programme are produced in four Southern countries: India, Indonesia, Cuba and Brazil. The effective integration of LDCs in the area of international trade is vital. This is true not only for better access to markets, but also in the mobilization of global investment funds. ECA, through the African Trade Policy Centre (ATPC), provides trade analysis to member States and contributes to develop common trade negotiation positions and strategies in African countries. On that note, the world has recently witnessed developments on the trade front since 2000, in the form of preferential trade agreements such as AGOA and the Everything-but-Arms Agreement. But a lot more needs to be done. Ladies and Gentlemen: Tractable development agendas such as the Brussels Programme are essential tools to assist States in sharpening their focus on combating poverty. As such, the main conclusion we reached in our meeting in Addis Ababa was that it is imperative to mainstream the Brussels Programme in national development strategies. Mandated by the Brussels Programme to provide specific assistance to the LDCs, the ECA has assisted member States in the areas of governance, economic management and partnership, trade and gender parity. In particular, within the Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers Learning Group (PRSP-LG), we have worked with the member States in analyzing the challenges of the first Poverty Reduction Strategies (PRSs), and how they can be enhanced in order to improve development outcomes. At the end of the month, we are holding an important meeting in Cairo to discuss the second generation PRSs. Among the key issues to be addressed in this meeting is the strategy to enhance and sustain growth, while addressing inequality, capacity building and aid effectiveness. We hope to come up with a plan of action, which we will be happy to share with you. Another great challenge Africa needs to address is improving its statistical capacity. Dialog with our partners, both on the continent and abroad, is essential. Earlier this year, under the auspices of the ECA, Africa’s statistical community came up with a comprehensive plan to make statistics an integral part of its development agenda through a Reference Regional Framework for African Statistical Development. Globally, statistics is taking an ever-greater role. The issue is high on the agenda of the United Nations Development Account, and it gives me great pleasure that ECA, ESCAP and ECLAC are closely collaborating on compilation and analysis of informal sector statistics, which as you all know, represent a large part of our economies. Ladies and Gentlemen: Our partners in the endeavour of implementing the Brussels Programme are the funding organizations and donor nations. First of all, they have a responsibility to live up to their commitment of allocating 0.15 to 0.20% of their GNI to LDCs globally, without delay. And second, they must ensure that development resources are channeled properly to build both the infrastructure of development and good governance. These measures should be flanked by total, speedy, and unconditional debt cancellation for African LDCs. Groundbreaking work to ensure mutual accountability has been a collaborative effort between ECA and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development in Europe (OECD), called the Mutual Review of Development Effectiveness. This project has contributed to laying the foundation for a systematic framework and process of monitoring mutual commitments. Achieving the goals spelled out in the Brussels Programme requires vision, political will, planning and resources. I know many African countries already have a clear sense of where they are going. They also have strong and comprehensive national development strategies. Recent decisions by industrial nations mean that more development resources may also be available. Together, Africa’s LDCs and development partners can use the Brussels Programme to reinforce each other’s capacity to eradicate poverty. An old Swahili proverb says that "the pot of water that will be filled to the brim first, is one already half full." African countries have attained that halfway mark on their own: now, it is just a matter of finishing what Africa itself began. Thank you |
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