Addis Ababa — The fourth African Development Forum (ADF IV) will take place from 7 - 11 March 2003 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on theme 'Governance for a Progressing Africa'.

ADF IV, organized by the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), is being co-sponsored by the African Development Bank (ADB) and the African Union (AU). The Forum will present an important opportunity for more than 1,000 participants to gain a deeper understanding of the dimensions of governance, address key challenges, coordinate the various existing initiatives, and develop strategies for the implementation and monitoring of good governance practices at the national, sub-regional and regional levels in Africa.

The ADF IV process has started at the national level through a wide consultative process, mobilizing constituents through ECA's 28-country study on 'Measuring and Monitoring Progress toward Good Governance in Africa'. The Forum will be enhanced by the empirical findings and resulting analysis from the study -- which will be published in the inaugural Africa Governance Report that will make its debut at ADF IV. Three sub-regional workshops are scheduled to take place prior to ADF IV to broaden perspectives and synthesize lessons, which will be presented at the Forum.

The African Development Forum (ADF) is an initiative led by the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) to set up an Africa-driven development agenda. It is designed to advance dialogue, build consensus, and mobilize partnerships on issues is key importance to Africa's development.

Previous ADFs were held in 1999 (The Challenge to Africa of Globalization and the Information Age), 2000 (AIDS: The Greatest Leadership Challenge), and 2001 (Defining Priorities for Regional Integration).