SRO-EA launches ERA 2009 in Kigali

Transcription

1 SRO-EA launches ERA 2009 in Kigali The UN Economic Commission for Africa Sub-Regional Office for Eastern Africa (SRO-EA) is located in Kigali (Rwanda) and serves 13 countries : Burundi, Comoros, Djibouti, Democratic Republic of Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, Rwanda, Seychelles, Somalia, Tanzania and Uganda. SRO-EA launches ERA 2009 ICGLR/SRO-EA meeting on food security in Bujumbura Workshop on enhancing domestic financial resources in Africa s development Rwanda hosts the intergovernmental meeting on Delivering as One UN Reform SRO-EA Director A. Pedro (left) and Rwanda Finance Minister Musoni (right) The Economic Report on Africa 2009 (ERA2009) was officially launched in Kigali, Rwanda on 14 August The event attracted more than 200 representatives from Rwanda s government institutions, UN Agencies, African Development Bank (AfDB), diplomatic missions, international organizations, NGOs, private sector and academia. ERA 2009 was launched alongside the presentation of Rwanda s Annual Economic Report 2008 and the Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy (EDPRS) Annual Progress Report. H.E. James Musoni, Rwanda s Minister of Finance and Economic Planning officiated the event. In his speech, Minister Musoni stated that the three economic reports are contributing directly to the current economic policy making in Rwanda given the comprehensiveness of the data and analysis they contain. He presented the 2008 Annual Economic Report as a guide to Rwanda s economic performance reflecting on what was achieved, how it was achieved and the remaining challenges faced by the country. Minister Musoni said that 2009 was expected to be a challenging year as Rwanda s economy was already affected by the global financial crisis.

2 However, he indicated that the country would still grow at about 5.3%, a rate relatively high compared to the rest of the world. In his statement, Mr. Antonio Pedro, Director of SRO-EA outlined the role of ECA as a regional and knowledge-based institution. He stated that in choosing Developing African Agriculture through Regional Value Chains as the theme of ERA 2009, the Commission wanted to underscore the importance of agriculture to Africa s development and offer a blueprint to foster the transformation and modernization of the agricultural sector on the continent. Mr. Pedro added that the theme of SRO- EA 2010 statutory meeting, the Intergovernmental Committee of Experts (ICE), will be Enhancing Food Security in Eastern Africa. He suggested that the ICE 2010 would provide another opportunity to deepen the understanding of the concept of regional value chains and discuss how to operationalize it in Eastern Africa. Burundi, from 14 to 15 September The Regional Economic Communities (RECs) and Intergovernmental Organizations (IGOs) invited to join the initiative included the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), the East African Community (EAC) and the Economic Community for the Great Lakes Region (CEPGL). Opening ceremony: Amb.Mulamula, ICGLR (centre) with Ms. D. Bragante of ECA (left) and Mr. Ndayiragije (Burundi) The objective of the workshop was to discuss a program on food security for Eastern Africa with a view to achieving harmonization and fostering synergy among related plans, strategies, projects and experiences being spearheaded by the RECs/IGOs active in the subregion. ICGLR and SRO-EA hold a workshop on food security in Eastern Africa The International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) in collaboration with the Sub- Regional Office for Eastern Africa of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (SRO- EA) held a Workshop for Partners on the Feasibility and Implementation of a Joint Program on Food Security for Eastern Africa, in Bujumbura, Partners appreciate the value of a harmonized food security program in Eastern Africa The meeting was attended by representatives from Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda as well as international partners identified through preliminary consultations carried out by ECA/SRO-EA and bilateral partners based in Burundi. The Bujumbura workshop also attracted key partners including the United Nations Food and Agriculture

3 Organization (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the African Development Bank (AfDB), three centres of the Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) (i.e. the World Agro-forestry Centre (ICRAF), the International Centre for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI)), In their opening statements Ambassador Mulamula, ICGLR Executive Secretary and Mr. Pierre Claver Ndayiragije, Burundi National Coordinator for ICGLR, both expressed hope that the workshop would help to respond to the plea to fight hunger and boost food security in the sub-region. Group photo: Participants to ECA/ICGLR meeting on food security the Inter-African Bureau for Animal Research of the African Union (AU/IBAR), the International Land Coalition (ILC), the International Fertilizers Development Centre (IFDC), the Institute for Agronomic and Zootechnic Research (IRAZ), the Foundation for Environmental Security and Sustainability (FESS), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the German Cooperation Agency (GTZ). Conclusions and recommendations The Bujumbura workshop was successful in achieving its two main objectives of information sharing and brainstorming among participants. The event ended with the adoption of a road map for the formulation of a coherent and harmonized food security program for Eastern Africa. All partners expressed a strong interest and commitment to contribute towards the formulation and

4 finalization of the proposed Programme for Eastern Africa based on their comparative advantages, expertise and experiences. Participants equally agreed that consultations with partners and the consolidation of partnership agreements would proceed. It was also agreed that SRO-EA and ICGLR would continue their catalytic role in coordinating the overall initiative. The programme will be officially launched and presented at the 14th meeting of the Intergovernmental Committee of Experts of ECA to be held in 2010 in Kigali, Rwanda.. ECA and UNCTAD call African states to mobilize more domestic financial resources The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and ECA jointly organized from 28 to 29 September in Kigali (Rwanda) a workshop to launch the Handbook on Enhancing the Role of Domestic Financial Resources in Africa s Development published by UNCTAD. More than 30 participants from Rwanda Government institutions, civil society, public and private sectors, NGOs, Central Bank, commercial and development banks, research institutions and academia attended the workshop. Participants agreed to start the process with a pilot programme targeting a group of countries including Burundi, DRC, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda. The final evaluation of the pilot group would dictate its extension or not to other interested RECs/IGOs, Members States and partners. Mr. Nkurunziza, UNCTAD Project Manager (left) and Mr. A. Nikwigize, ECA Senior Economic Affairs Officer (right) In his introductory remarks and on behalf UNECA, Mr. André Nikwigize, Senior Economic Affairs Officer stated that the workshop was organized at a time when across the world policy-makers were looking for ways and means to mitigate the effects of the global financial and economic crisis on their economies. He emphasized the need for African states to seek for alternative sources of financing if they were to meet their investment needs and development. He mentioned that domestic resource mobilisation offered several advantages including (I) less volatility and more stability than external finance, (II) country ownership of development policies and outcomes, and (III) less reliance on external flows. Mr. Nikwigize stated that the 2009 Annual Joint ECA Conference of African Ministers of Finance, Planning and Economic Development and AU Conference of Ministers in Charge of Economy and Finance recognized the importance of domes-

5 tic resource mobilization as an additional source of funding given the declining international resources, but also as a valuable tool to boost private savings. Dr. Janvier Nkurunziza, UNCTAD Project Manager informed the participants that the objective of the workshop was to discuss (I) how Africa should generate more financial resources to fund its development needs and (II) what should be done to maximize the efficiency of these resources. He further indicated that at the end of the workshop, participants would have a clearer idea on how to better help African countries adopt strategies that would increase their development, and how to use more efficiently available resources to put the continent on a sustainable growth path. Dr. Nkurunziza said that the key message of the UNCTAD handbook was that the African states should seek to do more to stimulate domestic financial resource mobilization and ensure that resources are efficiently allocated. He further indicated that a number of other workshops would be held in selected African countries in the coming three months. SRO-EA supports the formulation of Rwanda s Mining Strategic Plan SRO-EA together with the Rwanda Office for Geology and Mining (OGMR) organized a one-day workshop on 20 October 2009 in Kigali to review the draft Mining Strategic Plan for Rwanda. The workshop co-chaired by SRO-EA brought together experts from various institutions who contributed actively to the discussions. To inform the discussions, Mr. Antonio Pedro, SRO-EA Director made a presentation entitled Emerging Issues for Mineral Policy Development in Africa. The presentation elucidated the participants on the current views about the mining sector, and the development challenges that policy makers and practitioners are facing. It also offered an insight on the policy options and strategies that the government of Rwanda could consider in its mining strategic plan. In his presentation, Mr. Pedro argued that the Africa Mining Vision adopted by the AU Heads of States and Governments in February 2009 offered a credible framework to promote sustainable development in the mining sector on the continent. The key strategies contained in the Vision include intensification of local processing and value additions of minerals; linking up the mining sector with other sectors of the local economy through minerals clusters and spatial development initiatives (SDIs); and expanding opportunities for local SMEs to participate in the value chain especially to facilitate local procurement of goods and services. Following Mr. Pedro s presentation, Ms. Daya Bragante, Economic Affairs Officer in SRO-EA Mr. A. Pedro, SRO-EA Director (right), Eng. Bidega, OGMR (centre) and Ms. Bragante, SRO-EA

6 provided detailed comments on the draft Mining Strategic Plan with a focus on on-going processes led by the Regional Economic Communities (RECs) and Intergovernmental Organizations (IGOs) in Eastern Africa. SRO-EA will continue to assist OGMR in the finalization of Rwanda s Mining Strategic Plan as part of UNECA s contribution towards the implementation of the country s Environment and Natural Resources Strategic Sectoral Plan. ICT joint sector review meeting In the context of the ECA support to the Government of Rwanda in the development of ICT policies and programmes, the Office of the President invited the Sub-regional Office for Eastern Africa (SRO-EA) of Economic Commission for Africa to make a presentation on the ICT4D Process during the ICT Joint Sector Review meeting held on 23 October The Joint Sector Reviews (JSR) fora brought together all stakeholders in specific sectors for in-depth analysis of sector performance (challenges as well as progress) during the and formulation of policy recommendations for 2009/2010. to the country and sectoral levels and the constituents such as information and knowledge development, outreach and partnership. He provided the participants with information on one of the most important programmes supported by AISI, namely the development of National Information and Communication Infrastructure (NICI) plans and strategies. He further explained the ICT4D process including the critical importance of national ICT strategies and the different roles that each stakeholder group has to play in heralding socioeconomic development. He argued that ICT4D should be mainstreamed across all sectors such as health, trade, commerce, agriculture etc, to contribute to the achievement of the MDGs and in support to the EDPRS and various socio-economic development agenda in the country Mr. Seck indicated that since 2001, the ECA has been supporting the Government of Rwanda in the formulation of NICI policies and plans. The presentation made by Mr. Mactar Seck, Economic Affairs Officer, SRO-EA served as an introduction to the important opportunities that the knowledge economy offers for developing countries. In his presentation, Mr. Seck argued that AISI is first a regional framework for ICT development and the attendant translation of the regional vision Muhura School Solar-Powered Computer Center (Rwanda) The ensuing question and answer session emphasized the need for all Member States to develop ICT policies that respond to the needs of marginalized populations and contribute to poverty reduction.

7 AfDB and IOC agree to increased cooperation On 4 September, 2009, Ambassador Calixte d Offay led a delegation of the Indian Ocean Commission (IOC) that visited the African Development Bank (AfDB) in Tunis, Tunisia to strengthen collaboration between the two institutions. At the end of a three-day visit to the AfDB, an Aide-Memoire was signed by AfDB s Regional and Country Operations Vice- President, Aloysius Ordu and by the IOC Secretary-General. Amb. Calixte D Offay, IOC (left) and ADB Vice-President, Mr.Ordu, ADB (right) IGAD and USAID sign agreement to support conflict prevention in the Horn of Africa. IGAD Executive Secretary, Eng.Mahboub M. Maalim and USAID/East Africa s Acting Regional Director, Ms. Larry Meserve, signed on 23rd September 2009 an agreement that provides for $500,000 additional resources to support regional conflict prevention and response in Conflict Early Warning and Response Mechanism (CEWARN). Speaking during the signing ceremony, Ambassador D Offay emphasized regional integration as a core pillar of the IOC. He outlined the various areas where the IOC would like to engage with the Bank, namely: Capacity building for climate change mitigation and adaptation; integration of IOC member States in the global economy; development and support for the implementation of a gender strategy for the region; and development of infrastructure projects such as interconnectivity through submarine cables, shipping line initiatives and the development of ports. IGAD Ex. Secretary Eng. Maalim (left) and Ms. Larry Meserve of USAID (right) signing the agreement During the signing ceremony, Ms. Larry Meserve commented, Over the years, CEWARN has played a vital role in the Horn of Africa Region to communicate conflict mitigation and response policy options to decision-makers through national CEWERUs in IGAD member states. On his part, the IGAD Executive Secretary stated that given the upsurge of violence in pastoralist areas in northern Kenya, and within the Karamoja Cluster, we need strategically placed regional, national and local structures like CEWARN, the National CEWERUs and Peace committees, to help

8 facilitate conflict mitigation and response activities among a wide group of stakeholders... CEWARN works with a network of field monitors, country coordinators, national research institutes, civil society organizations and Conflict Early Warning and Response Units (CEWERUs) to receive and share information concerning potentially violent conflicts and their outbreak and escalation in the IGAD region; and to analyze information and suggest options for early response. ing our Delivering as One efforts, but for advancing broader intergovernmental discussions on the impact of UN system development cooperation, she said. On his part, Mr. Aurélien Agbénonci, UN Resident Coordinator in Rwanda said that It is clear that Rwanda has played a leading role in the DaO initiative and added that the strong support and strategic guidance from the government of Rwanda have been absolutely crucial for the first year of the implementation of the One UN Programme. Rwanda hosts the Intergovernmental Conference on Delivering as One Rwanda hosted from 19 to 21 October 2009 the Intergovernmental Conference on UN DSG Asha-Rose Migiro delivering Delivering as her opening speech One. The event brought together Government ministers and UN representatives of the eight One UN pilot countries (Albania, Cape Verde, Mozambique, Pakistan, Tanzania, Uruguay, Vietnam and Rwanda) and four self-starters (Malawi, Papua New Guinea, Bhutan, and Kiribati). Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro also attended the meeting and highlighted that many lessons are to be learned from the implementation of Delivering as One. These lessons are valuable not just for strengthen- Hon. Bernard Makuza, Prime Minister of Rwanda said that Delivering as One initiative has to respond to the needs and aspirations of the citizens of the Pilot Countries. It is therefore, imperative that (pilot) countries assume greater leadership and ownership of UN system operational activities for development in order to ensure that citizens are better served by this enhanced cooperation between our governments and the United Nations as a whole he emphasized. The main objective of the Conference was to reflect on the progress and challenges in the Delivering as One. In an official Statement of Outcomes and Way Forward, the participants agreed that Delivering as One has increased their access to a wider range of UN system mandates and resources. They agreed that Delivering as One has provided benefits for achieving better development results through in-

9 creased national leadership and ownership in the development partnership with the UN system. Experience thus far has confirmed that this approach is better than the fragmented UN development system that existed at the country level prior to the adoption of this approach, they said. United Nations DSG Ms. Migiro with Rwanda Finance Minister James Musoni (right) and UN Resident Coordinator A. Agbénonci (behind) visiting a photo exhibition organized during UN week in Kigali High-level Meeting on the Establishment of a Sub-regional Coordination Mechanism (SRCM) for the UN System-wide Support to AU and NEPAD in Eastern and Southern Africa. SRO-EA and SRO- SA will jointly organize, Flags of SRO-EA member countries at its Headquarters in Kigali, Rwanda from 30 November to 2 December 2009, in Kigali, Rwanda, a Highlevel Meeting on the Establishment of a Subregional Coordination Mechanism for the United Nations System-wide Support to the African Union and its New Partnership for Africa s Development Programme. The meeting will be attended by high-level representatives of the Regional Economic Communities and /Intergovernmental Organizations in the Eastern and Southern African Sub-regions, Ministers responsible for regional cooperation and integration in the SRO-EA member States, high-level representatives of UN agencies, and from other international partners operating in the sub-region. The AU Commission and the NEPAD Secretariat will also be represented at high level. Among others, the meeting will discuss the operational framework for the establishment and functioning of the SRCM. It will also define appropriate strategies to promote rationalisation and harmonization of regional integration programmes in Eastern and Southern Africa. Rwanda to host a validation workshop on the International Study Group s (ISG) Framework Report on Mining Regimes in Africa. The ISG validation workshop will be held from 2 to 4 December 2009 in Kigali, Rwanda. The event will be jointly organised by SRO-EA, SRO-SA and the NEPAD and Regional Integration Division (NRID) at ECA Headquarters. The main objective of the validation workshop will be to provide for a detailed review of the ISG Framework Report by various bene-

10 SRO-EA Headquarters in Kigali ficiaries and other stakeholders with a view to improving its usefulness and relevance in developing future generations of development oriented mineral regimes. The meeting will bring together many stakeholders including experts from the AUC, AfDB, RECs, senior government officials in charge of mineral resources development in the member States of Eastern and Southern Africa, the private sector, NGOs and CSOs. team expectations, while strengthening communication, group planning and problem-solving skills. The issues covered during the retreat included: Trust; Conflict; Commitment; Accountability; and Results SRO-EA staff retreat: building a high performance team The SRO-EA staff retreat was held in Gisenyi, Rwanda, from 22 to 24 September 2009 on the theme: "Building a High Performance Team". The three-day retreat was facilitated by Mme Denise Lapointe, Consultant with Human Resources Services UN/ New York. The objective of the retreat was to enable SRO-EA team members to develop a clearly focused vision, mission, and shared Training session with Facilitator Lapointe During the retreat, participants acquired skills to: Build a high performance team; Identify the advantages and challenges of diversity within the team; Develop group process, communication, and group planning and problem-solving skills needed to support team effectiveness; Charter their team vision, mission, values and operating principles;

11 Identify gaps between the group's cur rent functions and the vision; Participate as a coach, leader and team member; and Develop group commitments for achieving the vision. At the end of the retreat, SRO-EA staff were motivated to work harder in the team. Team members developed an individual compact and common vision: SRO-EA is a unique, top quality and creative think tank and service provider aiming to foster regional integration in Eastern Africa through an extended network of clients and partners. Staff members agreed to deploy more efforts so as to achieve their individual goals in the Compact for Change and to openly share the outcomes with the rest of the team and also contribute to the effective implementation of the work programme of SRO-EA. Editors : Contribution : Mr. Antonio M.A. Pedro Ms. Hadija Gava Mr. Julien Bucyabahiga Mr. André Nikwigie Mr. Joseph Baricako Ms. Daya Bragante Mr. Mactar Seck Ms. Hadija Gava Mr. Julien Bucyabahiga Design and Layout : Communication Team Economic Commission for Africa Subregional Office for Eastern Africa P.O Box 4654,Kigali, Rwanda Tel : (250) , Fax : (250) easrdc@uneca.org Website : srdc/ea/default.htm Group photo at the end of the retreat