Nairobi (ECA) — A three-day conference for Eastern and Southern African countries convened as part of the follow-up process to the 1995 World Summit on Social Development (WSSD) has concluded that while tangible progress has been made since Copenhagen, a number of major constraints, among them financial, have limited the ability of Eastern and Southern African countries to fight poverty.
"What we have learned this week is that while there has been some tangible progress, the four years since Copenhagen has been too short a time to demonstrate major impact in poverty reduction," explained Mr. Yousif Suliman, Senior Economic Affairs Officer of the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA).
"There have been a number of constraints, significant among these financial and the sheer volume of the Copenhagen agenda. What is more, the rate of growth of African economies has not been enough to provide sufficient income-generation that will impact positively on the social sector. A number of constraints have affected the capacity of countries to take off, among them international commodity prices, debt, dwindling flows of capital and aid into the continent, and capital flight. The efficient use of capital has also not been too high".
Key recommendations from the Conference - organized by the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in collaboration with the Government of Kenya - include:
* Poverty eradication and alleviation policies, programmes and strategies should be holistic, well targeted, participatory, owned by the country including the poor, sustainable and implementable within national resources, and should include social safety nets.
* Financial resource mobilization and utilization requires coordinated national and regional approaches for debt negotiations, as well as improved access to micro-finance and credit.
* Social stability must be achieved as a necessary condition for poverty alleviation and eradication of absolute forms of poverty in all countries.
* Priority must be given to the fight against HIV/AIDS, which must be recognized as a not just a health problem but a development issue that touches all sectors with ultimate impact on quality of life.
* The role of the media is essential for disseminating information on development activities, and as such Governments should provide regular development information to the media.
* Governments should provide free and compulsory primary education, and employ innovative approaches to facilitate greater access.
* Governments should revisit macro-economic reform packages to ensure that they are country-specific and reflect social objectives and assess the impact of employment.
* Civil Society Associations and Media should advocate for an immediate end to conflicts in Eastern and Southern Africa, so as to redirect available resources to employment creation. Their efforts should be extended beyond urban areas
* Development partners should support the implementation of the 20/20 Initiative with emphasis on employment development programmes as well as construction of economic and social infrastructures.
* Regional institutions such as the Organization of African Unity (OAU) and ECA need to be strengthened to make their interventions more effective in reversing Africa's deepening crisis.
* Sound governance systems should be established which guarantee public and private sector conduct to minimize corruption. Civil society organizations also need to develop self-regulating codes of conduct to increase their credibility, transparency and accountability.
* Partnerships among public, private sector, government and civil society stakeholders must be based on a relationship of equality, trust, accountability and mutual respect. All countries need to establish consultative mechanisms at all levels, involving all stakeholders. These forums should meet at regular intervals to engage on socio-economic, political and governance issues.
* Given the paramount role of the media in highlighting the efforts of all stakeholders in implementing the Copenhagen Commitments, Governments should regularly provide information on progress at national level;
The Conference was attended by some 350 delegates from 24 countries. Fifteen of the country delegations were led by Ministers, with participation cutting across NGOs, subregional organizations, representatives of bilateral development partners, and multilateral institutions, among others.
The Conference is the first of three subregional follow-ups to Copenhagen taking place in Africa in 1999. A subregional conference for North Africa is due to take place in Marrakech, Morocco from 23-25 March 1999. Preparations are also underway for a similar conference covering the West and Central Africa regions.
The Conference recommendations took into account contributions from civil society, who participated either as stand-alone regional and international NGOs, or as umbrellas represented as part of the country delegations. A Civil Society Forum on the last day highlighted the importance of civil groups in development.
For English and French language documents relating to the subregional conferences, please visit our Website at : http://www.un.org/depts/eca
The Draft Conference Report and a full list of participants will be available on the website within 48 hours. For hard copies or further information, please contact:
Peter K.A. da Costa Senior Communication Adviser Office of the Executive Secretary Economic Commission for Africa C/o Nairobi Safari Club Nairobi, Kenya Tel: +254-2-251333 Fax: +254-2-224625 E-Mail: dacosta@igc.apc.org dacosta@africaonline.co.ke
