Burkina Faso to Host 20th Session of the Intergovernmental Committee of Experts for West Africa

6 April 2017
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United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (Addis Ababa)

Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso — The Economic Commission for Africa's Sub-Regional Office for West Africa and the Government of Burkina Faso will in May co-host the 20th Session of the Intergovernmental Committee of Experts (ICE) for West Africa in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.

The ICE would be held from May 18-19 under the theme; "Implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and Agenda 2063 in West Africa: The role of development planning".

Participants will spend the two days discussing how the region is doing in implementing the two crucial agendas, especially the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as the world fights to eradicate all forms of poverty and improve the people's well-being.

The meeting will look at recent trends that impacted the economic and social development of West African countries to identify the main challenges that need to be tackled and come up with recommendations that will accelerate growth and the economic transformation of the sub-region.

The ICE, a body set up by the United Nations General Assembly, brings together high-level decision-makers from Member States annually to discuss economic and social performance in a region and also propose relevant actions needed to improve the situation in the form of recommendations.

It also reviews activities and supervises the development and general implementation of the sub-region's Programme of Work, including the formulation of priority objectives.

The ICE will be preceded by an Ad Hoc Experts' Group Meeting, also set for Ouagadougou on May 16-17, 2017. This meeting will be held under the theme; "Impact of the Economic Partnership Agreements and the ECOWAS Common External Tariff on the structural transformation and the dynamics of integration in West Africa".

Delegates from 15 West African States will attend the 20th Session of the ICE. High-level representatives and experts from ECOWAS, the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU), the Mano River Union (MRU) and other Inter-Governmental Organisations in the sub-region are also expected to attend.

Officials from the African Development Bank (AFDB), the World Bank and NEPAD will also attend the meeting as will representatives from other United Nations agencies.

Read the original article on UNECA.

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