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| African ministers chart a new way forward | |
26 Mar 2006
Poverty Reduction Strategies: African ministers chart a new way forward UNECA- Meeting says Africa will further enhance education, infrastructure and private sector development, gender, science and technology to reach the MDGs. Cairo, 28 March 2006 - Africa must intensify its efforts to design bold strategies to combat poverty and achieve the Millennium Development Goals, said African ministers and policymakers, gathered in Egypt’s capital for a three-day meeting on poverty reduction strategies. ‘Innovative national poverty reduction strategies must be informed and driven by the specificities of each country that place growth squarely at the center,’ said Abdoulie Janneh,United Nations Undersecretary General, and Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), in his closing statement. Mr Janneh was speaking to a group of over 70 ministers and policymakers from 37 African nations, who met in the Egyptian capital from 26 to 28 March for an ‘African Plenary on Poverty Reduction Strategies and the Implementation of the Millennium Development Goals.’ The meeting was convened as most African nations reach their Highly Indebted Poor Country Initiative (HIPC) completion points. Jointly organized by the African Union and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the meeting highlighted the need for African countries to continue to place strong emphasis on macroeconomic fundamentals with an emphasis on poverty reduction. "We need to see action, action, action after this Plenary,’ said Maxwell M. Mkwezalamba, the AU’s Commissioner for Economic Affairs, in addressing the meeting. Both Janneh and Mkwezalamba stressed the importance of African ownership of the regional development agenda in order to improve progress towards the MDG targets. Ends Background: ‘African Plenary on National Strategies for Poverty Reduction and the Implementation of the Millennium Development Goals,’ is informed by the work and findings of the African Learning Group on Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSP-LG). The LG was set up in 2000 by ECA in order to provide a forum for experience sharing among African countries on the PRSP process and to suggest ideas on how to best address emerging problems. For more details (www.uneca.org/prsps) The Outcome Statement of the ‘African Plenary on National Poverty Reduction Strategies and the Implementation of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)’ is available online at www.uneca.org. A copy can also be obtained at the plenary during the press conference. For further information, please contact: In Cairo: Max Jarrett 012 187 1105 mjarrett@uneca.org Cristina Müller 012 363 4505 cmuller@uneca.org Sophia Denekew 012 187 3182 sdenekew@uneca.org Or for the website on prsps contact ECA Communication Team P.O. Box 3001 Addis Ababa Ethiopia Tel: +251-1-44-58-26 Fax: +251-1-51-03-65 Email: ecainfo@uneca.org Web: www.uneca.org UNECA |
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