African Consensus and Position on Development E Ectiveness Preface
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
African Consensus and Position on Development E ectiveness PREFACE AFRICA PLATFORM FOR DEVELOPMENT EFFECTIVENESS - TAKING THE CONTINENT BEYOND BUSAN Inspired by the quest for Africa’s Operating under the custodianship of renewal, APDev was endorsed by the the AU and jointly coordinated by the 15th African Union (AU) Summit of AU Commission and NEPAD Agency, July 2010 and officially launched in APDev underscores the vital impor- March 2011, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia tance of promoting the core principles as a country-driven mechanism for of African ownership and leadership knowledge exchanges and mutual in the design and operationalization learning. Focusing on South-South of the Continent’s knowledge-sharing Cooperation (SSC) and Aid Effective- and mutual-learning engagements. ness (AE) with Capacity Develop- Through APDev, more effective ment (CD) as the core driver, the knowledge sharing across countries Platform is a multi-stakeholder forum and institutions on the Continent will to support the building, nurturing and form the basis for monitoring and AT THE CORE OF CONSOLIDATING harnessing of requisite transforma- evaluating progress of post-Busan AFRICA’s VOICE in reshaping the global tional capacities and partnerships to commitments on AE through the partnership and development coopera- make development more effective prism of DE. tion architecture is the African-led and in Africa. owned approach to making develop- The AU Commission and NEPAD ment more effective. The 4th High Lev- As the flagship development pro- Agency extend sincere appreciation el Forum (HLF) on AE in Busan, Korea, gramme of the AU, NEPAD, in its base to all policy makers and stakeholders offers a strategic and historic oppor- framework of 2001 proposes that the who contributed to this African Con- tunity for Africa to share perspectives Continent “will establish a forum of sensus and Position on Development on the necessary policy shift towards African countries so as to develop a Effectiveness. We are most grateful to situating aid in the broader context of common African position on ODA re- Stakeholders drawn from Countries, development. In particular, this is the form, and to engage with the Develop- Parliaments, Regional Economic Com- first time ever that Africa is presenting ment Assistance Committee (DAC) munities and institutions, Civil society, a Consensus and Position on the issues of the OECD and other partners in including Business, Women and Youth relating to Aid Reforms and Develop- developing a charter underpinning groups, UN Agencies and Develop- ment Effectiveness (DE). the development partnership”. From ment Partners. this mandate, the AU and its NEPAD Drawing on the outcomes of the Programme is promoting Develop- Africa is making a stand for Develop- Africa regional processes of Pretoria, ment Effectiveness as the Continent’s ment Effectiveness and is ready to Tunis, and Addis Ababa organized approach for transforming the region. shape the global development archi- between March 2010 and September This involves the effective utiliza- tecture as equal partners. 2011, as well as the Bogota High Level tion of both domestic and external Event, the Continent’s stakeholders resources aligned to the priorities under the Africa Platform for Devel- of African countries towards more DR. IBRAHIM ASSANE MAYAKI opment Effectiveness (APDev), are sustainable outcomes and results. NEPAD CHIEF EXecUTIVE OFFIceR taking forward key messages and a Thus, Africa is inclusively and effec- position consensually arrived at on the tively partnering through APDev for a On Behalf of the African Union Development Effectiveness agenda. stronger coalition. Commission and NEPAD Agency Fourth high level forum on aid effectiveness, Busan, Republic of Korea AID REFORMS FOR AFRICA’S DEVELOPMENT PREAMBLE We, the representatives1 of the Member States of the African Union, Parliaments, Regional Economic Communities and institutions, Civil 1. Society including Women and Youth groups, Business and Academia are presenting for the first time, a common Position and Consensus on Development Effectiveness in Africa; Underscoring that Africa is inspiring change through comprehensive political and 2. socio-economic reforms driven by the shared prime values of ownership, leadership and partnership in the transformation agenda, based on the African Union vision of “an integrated, forward-looking, prosperous, dynamic and peaceful Africa, representing a dynamic force in global arena”; of the Member States of the African Union, Parliaments, Regional Economic Communities and institutions, Civil Society including Women and Youth groups, Business and Academia are presenting for the first time, a common Position and Consensus on Development Effectiveness in Africa; Reiterating that the Continent is an indispensable resource that has served 3. humankind with global public goods for centuries, bringing to the world invaluable human and natural assets, which include the rich complex of land, agricultural, mineral, oil and gas deposits as well as the ecological lung provided by its rain forests; Emphasizing that, over the last decade, African Governments have accelerated 4. reforms and created the enabling environment that have led to unprecedented high growth rates while making significant progress in governance policies culminating in sound macro-economic performance, despite the adverse impact of the current global financial and economic crises; Noting that democratic, just and accountable governance is pivotal to the 5. attainment of Africa’s Development Effectiveness agenda, including the critical role of the African State and non-state actors; 1. Under the umbrella of Africa Platform for Development Effectiveness (APDev), the African Union (AU) established a Continent-wide coordinating and coalition building mechanism aimed at mobilizing and consolidating African participation and voice, towards articulating positions on the inter-related themes of Aid Effectiveness (AE), South-South Cooperation (SSC) and Capacity Development (CD) as core driver. In 2010, the 1st and 2nd Africa Regional Meetings which convened in Pretoria and Tunis, and the 3rd Meeting in 2011 in Addis Ababa, came up with the key messages contained in this Position Paper. 1 Recognizing and reinforcing the ultimate and indispensable need for the Continent 6. to take full responsibility for its own development, through the effective utilization of both internal and external resources, to attain Africa’s development priorities, and international targets including the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs); Recognizing further that human rights, gender equality, women and youth 7. empowerment and social justice are cornerstones of an inclusive development agenda for the achievement of Africa’s transformation; Acknowledging that Aid continues to play a role in development financing in 8. the short- to medium-term and that African countries2 are intensifying efforts to enhance domestic resource mobilization and reduce reliance on Aid in the long run3; Further recognizing the improvements in Africa’s natural resource 9. management, particularly through the current policy focus on increasing the Continent’s capability on value addition, as a means to reduce Africa’s dependence on Aid; Noting that the frontiers of development are being re-defined by new opportunities, 10. emerging actors and creative relationships, through increasing South-South exchanges which have given rise to new orientations, innovations and non- traditional forms of development partnerships at all levels; Further noting that Africa’s interface with the evolving global development 11. cooperation architecture demands as its central ethos, genuine and value-driven partnerships that requires re-prioritization of relationships aligned to rights- based approaches, transparency and the re-positioning of global structures and targets, towards creating sustainable conditions for Africa’s long-term wealth creation and prosperity; Also cognizant that, while we live in a highly integrated global economy, 12. regional integration is a fundamental tool for actualizing Aid and Development Effectiveness in Africa. Advances in national productive capabilities will not happen in isolation, hence the Continent is poised to emerge as a new growth pole on the basis of strong sub-regional potential for mutually beneficial economic relationships in addressing existing global imbalances; 2 Reference to “countries” as used is inclusive of domestic stakeholders and supportive of regional organizations as these have direct influence on national development. 3 Second Joint AU Conference of Ministers of Economy and Finance and ECA Conference of Ministers of Finance, Planning and Economic Development – Cairo, Egypt, June 2009. 2 Fourth high level forum on aid effectiveness, Busan, Republic of Korea Recognizing the importance of taking forward global consensus on Aid 13. Effectiveness as reflected especially in the 2005 Paris Declaration (PD) and 2008 Accra Agenda for Action (AAA) for uniform standards and common basis of engagement on the quality and management of Aid delivery; Reaffirming Africa’s commitment to the transformation of its economies 14. to achieve shared and inclusive growth by leveraging national, regional and global resources as well as new partnerships, thereby contributing to global development; Appreciating the increasingly prominent role being played by Africa’s domestic 15. private sector in advancing economic development, facilitating Southern-led technology exchanges