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MEDIA ADVISORY The ECA Subregional Office for Eastern Africa is to hold its annual Intergovernmental Committee of Experts Meeting in Addis Ababa , Ethiopia Kigali , 21 March 2008 (SRO-EA) : The 12th Intergovernmental Committee of Experts (ICE) Meeting of the ECA Subregional Office for Eastern Africa will be held from 24 to 25 March 2008 at the UN Conference Centre in Addis Ababa . This 2008 ICE Meeting will be organized at a time when the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa will be celebrating its 50 th anniversary and starting a new phase for promoting regional integration in support of the African Union' s vision and priorities. The major objective of the meeting will be to analyze economic and social conditions in Eastern Africa , in particular with regard to achievement of the millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and define strategic modalities for accelerating the achievement of those objectives, including through regional integration process and appropriate mechanisms for resource mobilization for financing for development. . In that framework, an Ad Hoc Expert Group Meeting on Assessing Financial Sector Reforms in East Africa will be held from 24 through 25 March 2008 and will examine the report based on a case –study prepared on the East African Community ( EAC) and the Economic Community on Great Lakes Countries ( CEPGL). Finally, the Committee will consider the Report on Programme Performance of the Subregional Office for Eastern Africa as well as priority programmes for 2008-2009. The Regional Economic Communities (COMESA, IOC, EAC, IGAD) building blocs of regional integration, Regional Groups (ICGLR and CEPGL) and other partners will be invited to the meeting as resource institutions. Background The Intergovernmental Committee of Experts (ICE) is a steering organ mandated by the ECA Council of Ministers to supervise the activities of its five subregional offices covering Eastern, Southern, Central, Western and North Africa . The Intergovernmental Committee of Experts of these Offices meets every year in view to consider the report on activities of the SROs and the medium-term plans of action, programmes of work, as well as strategic orientations for the subregions. The Sub-Regional Office for Eastern Africa is located in Kigali (Rwanda) and serves 13 countries : Burundi, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, Rwanda, Seychelles, Somalia, Tanzania and Uganda. Almost all these countries show a low level of development and a high level of poverty. Although this sub-region has the biggest share of African population (30%), it represents only 10% of the GDP of the continent. Five out of 13 countries in Eastern Africa are landlocked, 5 have access to sea and 3 are islands in Indian Ocean. More than 50% of the populations in the sub-region live on less than one dollar per day. The Eastern Africa subregion is considered as one of the poorest in Africa . For more information, please contact in Addis Ababa : Mr. Patrick Bugembe, Director
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