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| REPORT
OF THE FIFTH MEETING OF THEINTERGOVERNMENTAL COMMITTEE
OF EXPERTS
CONTENTS I. ATTENDANCE II. OPENING OF THE MEETING (Agenda item 1) A. Election of Officers (Agenda item 2) B. Consideration of the Draft Agenda and Organization of Work (Agenda Item 3) C. Consideration of the Report of the Acting Director ( Agenda item 4). D. Reports of Cooperating Partners (Agenda item 5)
E. Reports of Meetings of Technical Committees and Experts organized by the Centre (Agenda item 6):
F. Technical Reports (Agenda item 7):
G. Information and Communication Technology for Development in Africa: The Role of ECA (Agenda item 8). H: Progress Reports on Implementation of Decisions from Global, Regional and Subregional Conferences (Agenda item 9):
I. Regional Priorities and Programme of Work of SRDC-SA (Agenda item 10)
J. Any Other Business (Agenda Item 11) K. Date and Venue of the next Meeting (Agenda item 12) L. Adoption of the Report (Agenda item 13) M. Closure of the Meeting (Agenda item 14) 1. The Fifth Meeting of the Intergovernmental Committee of Experts (ICE) of the Subregional Development Centre for Southern Africa (SRDC-SA), was held from 5 to 8 October, 1998 in Lusaka (Zambia). The opening statements were delivered by His Excellency, Advocate W.T. Thabethe, the South African High Commissioner to Zambia, as outgoing Chairman of the ICE; the Acting Director of the SRDC-SA, Mr. R.M. Okello; and the Deputy Minister of Commerce, Trade and Industry in the Government of Zambia, Hon. Jazzman Chikwakwa. 2. The Meeting was attended by representatives from Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, Zimbabwe and Zambia. In addition, COMESA, OAU, SADC, MEPC, PAID-ESA and IOC were represented as were such UN agencies as UNDP, UNFPA, IMF, UNICEF and ILO. II. OPENING OF THE MEETING (Agenda item 1) 3. The outgoing Chairman, His Excellency, Advocate Thabethe, welcomed the participants and drew their attention to changes since the 4th meeting that was held in Pretoria in 1997. Among such changes was the transformation of the former Multinational Programming and Operational Centres (MULPOCs) into the current Subregional Development Centres (SRDCs) as part of the process of renewal and restructuring of the Secretariat of the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA). He noted that the Subregional Development Centre for Southern Africa (SRDC-SA) would be limited to Southern Africa and would therefore serve eleven member States, as opposed to the 21 countries which its precursor, the Eastern and Southern Africa MULPOC, served. He stated that the new arrangement would enable the SRDC-SA to serve its member States more effectively, but cautioned that this would depend much on the support member States would themselves give the Centre. 4. The outgoing Chairman noted with satisfaction that the staff of the Centre was strengthened through redeployment from ECA Headquarters which he commended for having taken such a step, and he expressed his appreciation of the presence of representatives of most of the substantive divisions from ECA Headquarters at the Meeting. Whilst pledging support to the SRDC, he appealed to the Meeting to pay particular attention to the discussion of its proposed work programme in order to ensure that it reflected the priorities of the member States. He highlighted the importance of partnership among the Centre, SADC, COMESA, IOC, the governments, civil society organizations (such as the NGOs) as well as the need to coordinate the activities of the various partners. He expressed the need for all the partners to be brought together and discuss complementarities of their programmes and activities and added that the SRDC was an ideal forum for facilitating cooperation among the various partners. 5. In closing, the outgoing Chairman thanked the Government of the Republic of Zambia and its people for their generous hospitality and for providing excellent facilities for the Meeting. He also thanked the Acting Director of the SRDC-SA, his staff and their colleagues who had joined them from Addis Ababa for providing the necessary documents and for servicing the Meeting. Having duly acknowledged the presence of participants from OAU, SADC, COMESA and IOC, he ended his statement by wishing the Meeting very fruitful deliberations. 6. Mr. Robert M. Okello, Acting Director of the ECA/SRDC-SA, also welcomed in his statement the participants to the Fifth Meeting of the Intergovernmental Committee of Experts, on behalf of Mr. K.Y. Amoako, United Nations Under-Secretary General and Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Africa. He noted that was, in fact, the first meeting of the experts under the Subregional Development Centre (SRDC). He paid tribute and expressed sincere gratitude to His Excellency President F.J.T. Chiluba, the Government and the people of the Republic of Zambia for having accepted to host the Meeting and thanked the Hon. Chikwakwa, Deputy Minister for Commerce, Trade and Industry in the Government of the Republic of Zambia for sparing the time to officiate at the opening of the Meeting. 7. Regarding the renewal process of ECA, Mr. Okello noted that it was indeed part of the general reform undertaken by the UN Secretary General, Mr. Kofi Annan, a reform designed to create a United Nations that is more coherent, more responsive and more cost-effective. In this regard, he commended the team work by the United Nations agencies in Zambia. He outlined some of the decisions taken by the ECA Conference of Ministers at its Twenty-third Meeting held from 5 to 8 May, 1997 in Addis Ababa, among which was the decision to retain the ICE as one of only three remaining organs of the Commission: the other two were, as stated, the Conference of African Ministers responsible for Economic and Social Development and Planning (i.e. the Commission) and the Conference of African Ministers of Finance. He informed the Meeting that all the other conferences of ministers had been transformed into technical committees. 8. Another relevant decision of the Conference was to strengthen ECA's subregional presence. This had resulted in the redeployment of additional resources to the subregional offices and the transformation of the former MULPOCs into the new Subregional Development Centres. In this regard, Mr. Okello noted that the Lusaka-based SRDC would serve only Southern Africa while another SRDC had been created for Eastern Africa. He further reported that professional staff posts in the SRDC had been increased from the previous average of 5 to 12 and that efforts were underway to strengthen the support services as well. He said that although these resources were still not sufficient to adequately address all the socio-economic development needs in the subregion, ECA headquarters would continue to complement SRDC activities and he noted that the presence at the Meeting of colleagues from other ECA divisions was evidence that such would be the case. 9. The Acting Director emphasized that the theme of the Meeting, Building Effective Partnership, was one of the guiding principles in the operations of the renewed ECA and stressed the importance of the role of various partners in development in the subregion, including individuals, informal sector business, big business, the civil society (particularly NGOs), IGOs, United Nations agencies, and bilateral partners. He appealed for effective coordination of efforts to build viable and effective partnerships. This was the reason, he stated, why the key subregional players (COMESA, IOC, OAU, SADC and others) were present at the Meeting. Mr. Okello emphasized, however, that partnerships was a two-way process. 10. Mr. Okello further thanked the Government of the Republic of Zambia for its continued hosting of the SRDC and support to the Eastern and Southern African Development Information System (ESADIS), but expressed concern that, although ESADIS was conceived as a subregional project, only the Government of the Republic of Zambia had provided support to it so far. He also acknowledged the generous contribution of US$50,000.00 by the Government of the Republic of South Africa to the United Nations Trust Fund for African Development (UNTFAD) and appealed to other member States to emulate the spirit of partnership shown by both Zambia and South Africa. 11. In concluding, Mr. Okello informed the delegates of two up-coming meetings of ECA: (a) the First Subregional Follow-up Meeting for Eastern and Southern Africa on the implementation of the outcome of the World Social Summit, to be held in Nairobi, (Kenya) from 7 to 9 December, 1998; and (b) a Subregional Follow-up meeting to the implementation of the Dakar and Beijing Platforms of Action on Gender issues, scheduled to be held in the first quarter of 1999. He appealed to the member States to consider these two events seriously and to plan their participation in them. 12. The Hon. J. Chikwakwa, MP, Deputy Minister of Commerce, Trade and Industry opened the Meeting on behalf of the Government of the Republic of Zambia. The Deputy Minister pointed out that the presence of several delegations representing member States and institutions in the subregion was a clear indication of the commitment of their respective governments and institutions to the cause of economic cooperation and integration, not only in the Southern African subregion but in Africa as a whole. He underlined two important topics on the agenda, namely: partnership, and development information and communications technology. He noted that in a given situation where success had to be achieved, effective partnership of the stakeholders was critical. The globalization of the world economy had boosted the need for partnership in view of the tremendous challenges of global competitiveness, and he recalled the prominent role that COMESA and SADC were called upon to play in attaining the goal of achieving the African Economic Community to which the Heads of State and Government had agreed in signing the Abuja Treaty in June 1991. 13. The Deputy Minister suggested that while discussing the issues of partnership and economic development in the subregion, the question of increasing trade among African countries in general, and the SADC and COMESA subregion in particular, should be seriously considered, in view of the fact that most of the provisions under the Lome Convention would cease in the year 2000 and that Africa's exports would face higher landed costs and stiff competition from developed countries exporting to the same markets as African countries. He encouraged African countries to start exploring alternative markets within Africa itself for their products. 14. He further emphasized that within COMESA and SADC growth in the volume of trade could only be enhanced if member States kept an open-door policy and reduced duty to levels which would encourage fair competition between domestic products and those imported from fellow member States. In this regard, he noted with satisfaction the efforts made by COMESA towards the elimination of tariff and non-tariff barriers by the turn of the century which would make the subregion a free trade area and lead to increased economic activities among the member States. 15. The Deputy Minister also noted that information and technology are becoming a key driving force in development as part of the globalization process. He emphasized the fact that his government had always considered information critical to economic and social development and that was why it had agreed to support the establishment of the Eastern and Southern African Development Information System (ESADIS) at the ECA office in Lusaka. He therefore invited member States to consider seriously the future role of ESADIS which had been hitherto sponsored single-handedly by the Government of the Republic of Zambia. 16. He concluded by emphasizing that economic development and growth in the subregion needed mutual cooperation and the concerted efforts of all, and he called upon member States to put in place appropriate measures and mechanisms which would stimulate the foreign direct investment necessary for real capital formation in the subregion. This, in turn, would bring increased trade relations and reduce barriers to trade which hindered progressive business transactions. This should be materialized by supporting the subregional economic communities of SADC and COMESA in their efforts to improve trade and development which would lead to stability, increased employment opportunities and the general improvement in the lives of the people of the subregion. At the end of his speech the Deputy Minister declared the Meeting open. This was followed by a vote of thanks which was moved, on behalf of the participants, by Mr. Viswanathen Valaydon, the representative of the Indian Ocean Commission (IOC). In so doing, Mr. Valaydon praised the people and the Government of the Republic of Zambia through its representative, the Deputy Minister for Commerce, Trade and Industry, Hon. J. Chikwakwa, for their hospitality and their acceptance to host this important meeting. A. Election of Officers(Agenda item 2) 18. The Meeting then unanimously elected the following countries to the Bureau: Zambia - Chairman Zimbabwe - Vice-Chairman Botswana - Rapporteur Consideration of the Draft Agenda and Organization of Work (Agenda item 3) 19. The Meeting adopted the following agenda:
2. Election of Officers 3. Adoption of the Agenda and Organization of Work 4. Report of the Director of ECA/SRDC-SA 5. Reports by Cooperating Partners 6. Reports of Meetings of Technical Committees and Experts organized by the Centre: (a) High Level Policy Seminar on Gender Equity, Social and Economic Development of Women; (b) Ad-hoc Expert Group Meeting on Managing Issues in the Nexus of Population, Food Security and Environment in Southern Africa: A Regional Policy Framework; (c) National Workshop on the Informal Sector Project in Zambia. 7. Technical Reports: (a) Economic and Social Conditions in Southern Africa, 1996-1997; (b) Institutional Framework for Cooperation in Minerals Development in Southern Africa; (c) The African Road Safety Initiative: A Framework for Road Safety Programme Development in Southern Africa; (d) Proposals of Self-Financing Mechanisms for Regional Economic Communities: Case Studies on Best Practices in Africa; (e) Ensuring Food Security and Sustainable Development in Southern Africa: ECA's New Approach; G. Information and Communication Technology for Development in Africa: The Role of ECA. 9. Progress Reports on Implementation of Decisions from Global, Regional and Subregional Conferences: (a) World Food Summit Declaration on Food Security; (b) Dakar/Ngor Declaration on Population, Family and Sustainable Development and Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development; (c) African and Global Platforms for Action and the Beijing Declaration on Gender; (d) Eleventh Meeting of the Conference of African Ministers of Transport and Communications; (e) Abuja Treaty establishing the African Economic Community; (f) The New World Trade Arrangements with Special Focus on Post-Lome Period: Implications for Southern Africa; 10. Regional Priorities and Programme of Work of SRDC-SA: (a) Review of the Work Programme for 1998-1999; (b) Consideration of the Draft Work Plan for the year 2000-2001; 11. Any Other Business; 12. Date and Venue of the Next Meeting; 13. Adoption of the Report; 14. Closure of the Meeting.
20. The Meeting decided to have morning and afternoon sessions as follows: Morning Sessions: 08.30 hrs - 12.30 hrs. Afternoon Sessions: 14.30 hrs - 18.00 hrs. C.Consideration of the Report of the Acting Director Agenda item 4) 21. The Meeting considered the Report of the Acting Director, March, 1997 - October, 1998 (Doc. No. ECA/SRDC/SA/ICE/98/4) on the activities of the Centre covering the period since the last meeting of the ICE. 22. The report presented a detailed background to the reform programme of the Commission, including the new programme focus, organizational restructuring, and rationalization of the policy organs. The structure and functions of the SRDC as well as the terms of reference of the ICE were also outlined. The report also contained a summary of activities carried out during the period under review, with particular emphasis on partnership, which was the theme of the Meeting. 23. In the ensuing discussions on the overall presentation of the report, the Meeting commended ECA for ensuring that resources would be made available for the implementation of programmes focusing on priority issues in the subregion. Member States would undoubtedly benefit a great deal from partnership among the various regional economic communities and institutions. 24. Extended debate took place on the reform programme of ECA with special reference to the programme direction on the "promotion and advancement of women". Some delegates felt that the programme would deflect ECA's focus away from "gender" towards "women". It was also stated that programmes on Youth were not reflected in the priority areas. 25. In response to the above, the Secretariat explained that, while the promotion and advancement of women was a new area of focus as given in the revised Medium Term Plan presented to the First Meeting of the Ministerial follow up Committee of the Conference of Ministers responsible for Economic and Social Development and Planning held in Addis Ababa, (Ethiopia) in April 1998, gender issues would continue to cut across the entire programme of the Commission. The Secretariat added that SRDC's programme was so flexible that the concerns of the youth could be accommodated within the programme on "supporting subregional activities for development". In the course of the debate, the Meeting was given an update on the recent appointment of gender programme officers at the SADC Secretariat. 26. The Meeting raised the issue of non-inclusion of Tanzania, Seychelles and the Democratic Republic of Congo in Southern African SRDC, whose membership it was noted, was incongruent with geographic coverage of SADC. There was concern that this might create problems in the development of cooperation programmes. The Secretariat, in response, informed the Meeting that ECA had the ability of transcending the boundaries of the SRDCs which should not be seen as barriers to integration since the SRDC for Southern Africa could draw on the expertise of other SRDCs. 27. The representative of PAID-ESA highlighted his institution's training programme which focussed on the nexus issues and expressed readiness to work on joint programmes with ECA and RECs. The COMESA representative reiterated the need for ECA/SRDC-SA to take charge of programme harmonization in the subregion within the framework of the African Economic Community. 28. The Meeting noted the importance of networking and coordination in joint programme development. D. Reports of Cooperating Partners(Agenda item 5) 29. Three reports were presented by cooperating partners under this agenda item.
30. The Meeting considered the above report presented by the Indian Ocean Commission and presented in Doc. No. ECA/SRDC/SA/ICE/98/14(e). The presenter explained that regional cooperation and economic integration had become indispensable to the development process, a process which experience shows to be fraught with numerous institutional, structural, economic, political and even socio-cultural problems. The report explained that within the context of the Abuja Treaty establishing the African Economic Community and similar treaties, the diversity of cooperation institutions in African countries such as the Indian Ocean Commission should have led to greater complementarity between sectors and their gradual integration. 31. The potential role of ECA as a catalyst in implementing regional treaties, the building blocks to the African Economic Community, was highlighted. In this regard, the Indian Ocean Commission had open-door policy to collaborating with partners such as SADC, COMESA, OAU and ECA. The report recommended that the necessary conditions should be created for an effective partnership which ensured flexibility in approach, stronger political will, and avoidance of overlapping and wastage of scarce resources and enabling environment. ECA's role in providing technical inputs in building effective partnerships was also emphasized. 32. In the discussion which followed, delegates noted that the report raised important issues, most of which were relevant to the subregion. The Meeting stressed the need to avoid wasteful duplication and overlapping in the development programmes of the various institutions. 33. The Secretariat clarified the role of ECA in the development process of the subregion in relation to the RECs. To this end, it was stressed that ECA/SRDC-SA was not a new integration group, but that it was an organizational arrangement of the ECA designed to support member States as well as RECs to perform better in their respective endeavours. In a nutshell, ECA's role was to supplement efforts by member States of the various RECs such as SADC, COMESA and IOC. Progress Report on Priority Programmes of COMESA (Agenda item 5(b)) 34.A representative of COMESA Secretariat presented a Progress Report on Priority Programmes of COMESA (ECA/SRDC/SA/ICE/98/14(i)). 35.The report highlighted efforts and progress made by COMESA in implementing its Treaty since its inception. Notable areas were said to be the liberalization of the rules of origin, and the establishment of the COMESA Court of Justice. With regard to the rules of origin, the presenter stated that COMESA recently reduced the threshold for local content from 45 per cent to 35 per cent in order to harmonize with the prevailing rate in SADC and in bilateral arrangements among the countries of the subregion. The rules of origin have also been simplified to take into account developments at the WTO and WCO. The representative of COMESA added that recently, the newly-created COMESA Court of Justice would be instrumental in resolving disputes which might arise in implementing the Treaty. 36. Finally, the presenter highlighted areas of cooperation between COMESA and ECA. First and foremost, she pointed out that the Acting Director of the Centre sat on the Board of COMESA High Commissioners and Ambassadors which met every three months. Secondly, she explained that COMESA worked hand in hand with ECA/SRDC in implementing a High Level Policy Seminar on Gender Equity, Social and Economic Empowerment of Women, among other things. Cooperation Between SADC and ECA/SRDC-SA(Agenda item 5(c)) 37. A presentation was made by the SADC representative on the report on cooperation between SADC and ECA/SRDC-SA (Doc. ECA/SRDC/SA/ICE/98/14(h)). The presentation highlighted the assistance rendered to SADC by the latter and by the Regional Cooperation and Integration Division at ECA, Addis Ababa. Among the examples of assistance rendered by ECA to SADC was the development of a SADC Website which was now functioning under the address: www.sadc.int. 38. The report explained further that SADC was disposed to further cooperation with ECA within the framework of the Abuja Treaty establishing the African Economic Community (AEC). The presentation also highlighted a Memorandum of Understanding signed by SADC and ADB and a similar agreement with ECA was about to be concluded to cement the relationship between the two institutions. 39. Finally, the report outlined a number of areas for further cooperation between SADC and ECA/SRDC-SA. These areas included: facilitating the development and ratification of protocols in specific sectoral areas; joint preparation of annual reports on major political, economic and social developments in the subregion; and assistance of the ECA/SRDC-SA to SADC in several areas, such as preparations for the 1999 Consultative Conference, SADC Gender Programme, Population and Housing Census 2000 Round, National Statistics in SADC, Informal Sector, the Y2K problem and mining investment forum. E. Reports of Meetings of Technical Committees and Experts organized by the Centre(Agenda item 6):
40. Under this agenda item, the Committee considered the "Report of the Subregional High Level Policy Seminar on Gender Equity, Social and Economic Empowerment of Women" (Doc. No. ECA/SRDC/SA/ICE/98/6). The seminar was organized in Lusaka (Zambia) from 6 to 8 April, 1998 on " Women's Access to and Control of Productive Resources" in order to provide a forum for policymakers and main stakeholders in which they would address gender equity, social and economic empowerment of women, build alliances and partnerships and establish gender networking in the subregion. It was also intended to facilitate the exchange of information and experiences as well as promote the sharing of best practices in the subregion. 41. The seminar dealt with four sub-themes, namely: (a) the impact of globalization and regional integration on women enterprises in Eastern and Southern Africa; (b) land reform in Southern Africa; (c) strategies for enhancing favourable legal environment to promote women's access to and control of productive resources within framework of the family ; and (d) social and economic empowerment of women in the interest of gender equity in Southern Africa. The four sub-themes were selected from among the critical areas of concern contained in the African and Beijing Platforms for Action. The seminar was also convened as part of the preparatory process of and as an input to the International Conference on African Women and Economic Development: Investing in our Future, which was held in Addis Ababa from on the occasion of the 40th Anniversary Celebrations of the Economic Commission for Africa. 42. The following recommendations from the seminar were submitted to the Committee for consideration:
43. In the discussions that followed, the Meeting noted the actions taken at various levels to implement some of the elements of these recommendations at the subregional level and, in particular, efforts by COMESA and SADC (such as the promotion of National Women Business Associations) aimed at enhancing the capacity of women to compete effectively within the framework of WTO rules and procedures and to educate themselves about the potential benefits and responsibilities arising therefrom. 44. The Meeting suggested that in order to ensure their effective implementation the various recommendations on gender issues should be reformulated to reflect concise and focussed presentation with goals and benchmarks which could be easily understood. The Meeting encouraged member States to follow up on the implementation of the recommendations.
45.The Secretariat presented two documents: "Report of the Ad-hoc Expert Group Meeting on Managing Issues in the Nexus of Population, Food Security and Environment in Southern Africa: A Regional Policy Framework", (Doc. No. ECA/SRDC/SA/EXP/98/13); and a "Note by the Secretariat" on the same report (Doc. No. ECA/SRDC/SA/ICE/98/7). 46. The SRDC-SA had convened an Ad-hoc Expert Group Meeting on Nexus Issues as one of the priorities of the work programme for 1998-1999. The meeting was held from 7 to 10 September, 1998 in Lusaka (Zambia). Sixteen experts from the subregion and three United Nations agencies (United Nations Population Fund Country Support Team in Harare, the Food and Agriculture Organization's Subregional Office for Eastern and Southern Africa, also in Harare, and the United Nations Environment Programme's Regional Office for Africa in Nairobi) participated in the meeting. The experts were requested to formulate a Regional Policy Framework on Nexus Issues in Southern Africa so as to assist member States in the integration of Population, Food Security and Environment in their National Development Strategies and to increase efforts on sustainable development. 47. The Policy Framework adopted by the Expert Group Meeting had three major components: demographic transition to ease pressure on the environment; transition from old methods to new technological methods to augment agricultural production without destroying the environment; and environmental management for sustainable development. The Ad-hoc Expert Group Meeting underscored the need to integrate poverty alleviation strategies into the policy framework on nexus issues as poverty was of central concern to all countries in the subregion. 48. The Ad-hoc Expert Group Meeting made recommendations on the implementation of the Proposed Regional Policy Framework, which addressed such specific areas as: capacity building, institutional arrangements, gender issues, advocacy and public awareness. 49. The Committee was invited to: (a) Review the proposed policy framework and recommendations for their implementation; (b) Provide guidance to the SRDC-SA on follow-up actions for the implementation of the Policy Framework; and (c) Give any other specific direction for actions to be undertaken on the Proposed Policy Framework.
50. During the discussions which followed, the Secretariat was requested to provide more information on the policy framework as some of the participants were not familiar with the issues raised. The Secretariat provided the information requested, and the report and the recommendations for its implementation were endorsed by the Committee.
51. The above Report was presented to the ICE by the National Coordinator, Ms. Elizabeth Mbeza Simonda. It emphasized the need to link informal sector operators to the formal sector. The linkage was crucial for self-development of informal sector operators and helped develop skills required for enhancing the ability to tap available local resources. The report observed that dependence of informal operators on donor funding was not conducive to the vibrancy of the informal sector. 52. In the discussions that followed, the Meeting affirmed the need for self-development by informal sector operators in order to increase their ability to tap and manage resources. The Meeting also observed that in some cases, even where they were supplied with money, women failed to use resources for project purposes. 53. The Meeting recognized the need to train informal sector operators in various areas that affected their businesses. One such significant area was taxation. The Meeting expressed the need for the informal sector operators to understand the concept and the application of tariffs. It also noted that some institutions like COMESA already trained women on tariff structures and application. These institutions employed communication strategies which were simple enough even for illiterate operators to understand. 54. In wrapping up the discussions, the Meeting emphasized the need for the African governments which continued to take bold measures to deal with issues concerning the informal sector. Conventional approaches were no longer to be entertained: bold and practical approaches were needed to teach people how to go into business and manage it. The Meeting, however, noted the need to provide the necessary structures to enhance the sustainability of informal sector projects. F. Technical Reports (Agenda item 7)
55. Under this agenda item, the Committee considered document ECA/SRDC/SA/ICE/98/5, entitled "Report on Economic and Social Conditions in Southern Africa, 1996-1997". The report noted that although overall GDP growth rate in 1997 was positive at 2.4 per cent it was, nonetheless, 20 per cent lower than in 1996. There was noticeable variation and differentiation in performance among countries and between economic sectors. The growth in agricultural production had declined to 6.8 per cent in 1997 from 10.3 per cent in 1996, owing mostly to the adverse weather conditions that persisted in the subregion throughout the year. The performance of the mining sector in 1997 was rather poor, however, particularly in the mineral and metal subsector which arose essentially from low demand in the world market. On the other hand, there was improved performance in the transport and communications sector as reflected in the upgrading of roads, ports and railways infrastructures, and better telecommunications services in the subregion. 56. Poverty remained critical, particularly in the rural and peri-urban areas, with the sluggish growth in job creation opportunities worsening the poverty situation in the subregion. The problem of HIV/AIDS pandemic has also continued to cause grave concern. It was noted, however, that there were several initiatives and actions being undertaken by nearly all member States in addressing the issue of poverty. 57. Regarding the outlook for economic performance in Southern Africa in 1998, it was estimated that it would once again be determined, not only by weather conditions, but also by the extent to which the governments persist with a vigorous implementation of domestic policy reforms, sound macro-economic management and the maintenance of peace and political stability, coupled with favourable developments in the international economic environment. Should these conditions prevail, the subregional output is likely to grow by 3.0 per cent in 1998. 58. It was noted that performance in the subregion was also a reflection of the weakened growth-momentum in Africa as a whole, which was particularly constrained by adverse developments in the international environment. Worse still, the dangers of a global recession were now real and the forecasts by a number of institutions painted a bleak picture. It was noted that perception did not arise from the decline in economic activity in East Asia alone, as many emerging markets elsewhere were undertaking preemptive measures to reduce their vulnerability to a reversal of capital flows. For Africa, in addition, there was the reality of the continent's particular financial resource constraints, which were compounded by the debt burden. The initiatives now pursued to alleviate the debt problem were proving inadequate. Even the recently-launched "Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Initiative" was being criticised for being too slow and too stingy, and would probably leave benefiting countries still heavily indebted. The agony of the debt problem should be ended. All these factors, it was suggested, should lead to a comprehensive solution to the debt problem and a far-reaching reform of the international financial system and institutions. There was also need for a fundamental reform of the international assistance process itself. At the domestic level, there should be a matching need to formulate more effective economic and social policies. 59. In discussing these matters delegates made some observations on a number of issues, notably: (a) modalities for data collection; (b) the debt problem; and (c) resource constraints. The meeting acknowledged the need for supporting ECA with up to-date data for preparation of the survey on Economic and Social Conditions. It also noted that there was need to harmonize the data collection exercise among various interested parties in order to minimize disrupting the activities of member States being visited. In response, the Secretariat undertook to revisit the data collection modalities, although it would still be necessary to visit member States on missions in view of the peculiarities and uniqueness of data originating from each country. 60. On the issue of external debts, delegates were unanimously convinced that the problem still remained one of the major constraints in economic development. There was a general movement in many parts of the world towards urging donor countries to cancel all Third World debts, but there has been resistance also. The Meeting expressed the need for a new approach which identified crucial development areas which may benefit from savings realized by debt cancellation by donors. The continued servicing of debts at the expense of social services infrastructure should be discontinued or at least halted. In general, the delegates took note of the problems of resource constraint to economic development. Resource constraint was found to be a common problem to all member States of Southern Africa and, indeed, to the whole of Africa, and it was felt that concerted efforts were needed in solving it. 61. The delegates from Namibia and Zambia pointed out corrections to some factual data in the report. The former explained that the Trans-Kaprivi Highway was actually completed contrary to what was stated in the Report. The latter pointed out that "sensitivity" was not a criterion used in selecting parastals for privatization; rather, its viability was the major criterion.
62. An ECA consultant presented document ECA/SRDC/SA/ICE/98/10 on the above item. He summarized in his presentation the results of a study undertaken to assess the institutional framework for cooperation in mineral resources development in Southern Africa. The study focussed on the integration of present cooperation structures and processes, their appropriateness in deepening Regional Economic Integration (REI), the available capacities and competencies for REI, the consultative platform and the definition of areas of common interest. The study also drew parallels between REI in Southern Africa and integration practices in the European Union (EU). 63. The study identified weaknesses in institutional structures and processes of cooperation and construction in the consultative platforms. The study further pointed out that capacities for integration were not fully utilized in the subregion while the capacity to manage integration efforts required to be buttressed by skills in strategic policy planning. 64. The study concluded that there was need to reform institutional structures in order to provide for: increased stakeholder participation; increased use of the collective capacities and competencies; and undertaking a number of studies to assess the relevance of subsidiarity, variable geometry and limited forms of supranationality. A conceptual framework for REI in mineral resources was proposed. 65. In discussing the report, the Meeting commended the Consultant for preparing a good report and recommended that it should be submitted to the sub-committees of the SADC Mining Sector Coordination Unit, which would deliberate further on the findings and draw therefrom recommendations to be tabled to the SADC Committee of Ministers Responsible for Mining. Furthermore, since the study covered consultations in six countries, the Meeting recommended to extending consultations more widely to cover the remaining countries so that every country's viewpoint could be included in the report. 66. The Meeting noted that the recommendations of the Review and Rationalisation of the SADC programme of Action had been endorsed and that the SADC Secretariat was directed to explore further the issue of establishing commissions in some sectors. It also took note of the structures of the SADC Mining Sector Coordinating Unit and welcomed the Minerals and Energy Policy Centre's (MEPC) readiness to go for partnerships in further studies to deepen REI in mineral resources in Southern Africa.
67. A representative of the Secretariat presented the report on the "African Road Safety Initiative - A Framework for Road Safety Programme Development in Southern Africa" (Doc. No. ECA/SRDC/SA/98/11). The report gave an overview of the African Road Safety Initiative (ARSI) from which the framework was developed in collaboration with Southern African Transport and Communication Commission (SATCC) and COMESA Secretariats. 68. The framework entailed the undertaking of in-depth road safety studies at country level which would be followed by a seminar to disseminate the findings and draw up action plans therefrom. The implementation of the findings would be supervised, monitored and evaluated by SATCC, COMESA and ECA. In conclusion, the report gave the conditionalities for the successful implementation of the framework by member States. 69. During the discussion a question was raised as to whether the project envisaged fostering partnership with other regional economic groupings in the various Subregional Development Centres of ECA. In response, it was stated that the programme on the initiative was Africa-wide and would involve stakeholders in its implementation through regional economic communities. This approach was adopted to create some form of ownership of the programme by member States. The programme would be evaluated after a period of about five years to asses its impact.
70. This item was not presented because the author could not arrive in time for the Meeting on account of travel difficulties. The Secretariat informed the Meeting, however, that the relevant document was available and that the author would discuss it first with COMESA officials and then send it to the member States.
71. This report examined the food security situation in Southern Africa and the need for a closer look at the policy responses for addressing that situation in the subregion. It pointed out that food security and environmental issues were linked in a very complex manner in Africa as a whole but particularly South of the Sahara. Regrettably, the nature of these linkages had not always been well-understood by many policymakers which led to sectorally focused policy responses in finding appropriate solutions to the food security and sustainable development problems of the subregion and indeed the Sub-Saharan Africa. 72. In its efforts to create awareness and foster greater understanding among African policy-makers on the complex linkage between population, food security and the environment in Sub-Sahara Africa and the urgency to integrate those variables in national development plans, ECA was developing a population (P), Environment (E), Development (D) and Agriculture (A) (PEDA) Model that would demonstrate the inter-relations between the challenges of population growth, environmental degradation and agricultural stagnation. The development of the model would be followed by meetings and workshops to be convened at the SRDCs to demonstrate the model and train policymakers, development planners, NGOs, the private sector and all those involved in decision-making and implementation of agricultural, population and environmental policies and strategies in the use of the model. 73. Considering the importance of sharing experiences and building consensus with other stakeholders on the nexus and recognizing the need for all stakeholders to co-ordinate their efforts in order to avoid duplication and waste of resources, ECA proposed a meeting of stakeholders in early 1999 in the subregion to deliberate on the major issues mentioned above. 74. The Meeting re-affirmed the need for quest of alternative approaches to address the problem of food security. The Meeting strongly felt the need for a framework to develop appropriate strategies to tackle challenges of food security. It also noted that food security issues were cross-cutting and consequently required multi-sectoral involvement. It noted further that food security was too expensive to come by since it needed substantial subsidies which African governments could hardly afford. The delegate from Zambia presented a comprehensive account of the initiatives his country embarked upon in 1996 to address the issue of alternative approaches to food security. 75. The representative of the Secretariat paid compliments to the efforts of Zambia and emphasized the need to determine technological parameters for increasing agricultural productivity. He pointed out that modernisation of agriculture required enormous investment which would essentially involve scientific methods that ensured better quality of agricultural products through competitiveness. G. Information and Communication Technology for Development in Africa: The Role of ECA(Agenda item 8). 76. Under this agenda item, the Committee considered the document bearing reference No. ECA/SRDC/SA/ICE/98/13(a), and entitled: "The Role of Information and Communication Technology in Africa". 77. The report, which was presented by the Secretariat, noted that recent developments in the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) were positively changing how development activities were being carried out in the world and particularly in Africa. It indicated further that with the advent of the Internet and the World Wide Web (WWW), cheaper means of information acquisition, dissemination and exchange were becoming more and more available and Africa could no longer be left behind. The report stated, however, that effective use and application of ICT required a coordinated telecommunications policy at both national and regional levels. The report stated that the African Information Society Initiative (AISI) was an appropriate framework to build Africa's information and communications infrastructure. The Initiative called, inter alia, for the elaboration and implementation of national information and technological policies in all African countries and the pursuit of priority strategies, programmes and projects which could assist in the build up of sustainable information society in Africa. The report underlined priority areas on which the Initiative was focussed, namely: job creation, health, education and research, culture, trade and commerce, tourism, food security, gender and development and man-made crises and natural disasters. 78. The report gave an overview of the "Information Age", its challenges and opportunities as identified by AISI as well as the constraints inhibiting AISI's smooth implementation. It stated also the important role of "Partners in Information and Communication Technology in Africa (PICTA)" and the "Technical Advisory Committee (ATAC)" in planning and implementing ICT activities in member States mainly in the field of training, policy development, content creation and community information centres (telecentres). 79. The report concluded by describing the roles and functions of the Subregional Development Information Centres with particular emphasis on the Eastern and Southern African Development Information System (ESADIS) with a description of its funding and staffing problems, and requested member States to emulate Zambia in funding of ESADIS. 80. In the discussions that followed, participants asked about the specific role of ECA towards the Y2K. The Meeting was informed that a panel discussion was held during the Global Connectivity Conference for Africa where ECA and its partners decided that the Y2K issue should be solved at national level. To that end, the Secretariat also informed the Meeting that funds have been made available at the World Bank to support individual countries projects in this regard. Mauritius and South Africa were mentioned as potential countries to lead this program. 81. The Meeting expressed concern about the insufficient use of information technology in Africa owing to inadequate infrastructures such as electricity, telephone and other equipment necessary for connectivity. The Meeting was informed, in reply, that in order to make information technology more accessible to people, tele-centres were being set up in some 10 pilot countries in Africa where people would have access to the Internet, fax and other modern communication facilities. These same tele-centres would also be used for technological access for education in rural areas. 82. The Committee was further briefed on the ESADIS project. In this respect, a representative of the SRDC-SA indicated that ESADIS was set up in Lusaka (Zambia) to enhance the exchange of development information among the countries of Eastern and Southern Africa. The Committee was further informed that ESADIS was so far relying for its existence solely on the Government of Zambia. 83. The Secretariat requested the meeting to make recommendations on the future of ESADIS, whether to continue in its current form in view of the lack of financial support by member States except the host country, Zambia. The Committee was further informed that the current agreement between the Government of Zambia and ECA on ESADIS would expire early in 1999. The representative of Zambia proposed that the Government of Zambia had played its role and that, given the importance of information technology, ESADIS should be fully integrated into the SRDC-SA programme activities. There being no contrary views, it was considered that ESADIS will come to an end in January 1999 when the current agreement with the Government of the Republic of Zambia comes to an end. H. Progress Reports on Implementation of Decisions from Global, Regional and Subregional Conferences(Agenda item 9):
84. In presenting the above report, the representative of the Secretariat highlighted the follow-up actions on the implementation of the Rome Declaration on World Food Security and the World Food Summit Plan of Action in Southern Africa. He said that the report was based on progress reports which had been submitted to the Food and Agriculture organization of the United Nations (FAO) by three member States of ECA/SRDC-SA, namely: Malawi, Mozambique and Zambia. 85. In addition, the report highlighted departures in the individual country reports from the framework reflected in the Plan of Action, and drew the attention of member States to salient issues and challenges pertaining to food security. It then concluded with a number of recommendations for subsequent follow-up. The Secretariat stated further that it expected that the report would not only stimulate discussion on follow-up action to the World Food Summit but would also provide member States an opportunity to update information on relevant progress in their respective countries. 86. In the ensuing discussion, questions were asked as to why the report was based on progress reports from only three countries out of the eleven in the subregion. The Secretariat explained that after consulting various sister agencies, including FAO, only three reports were received just two weeks before the Meeting commenced and a decision was made to base the main report on those reports as they were the only ones available. 87. The Meeting further expressed concern at the lack of commitment to decisions made at various fora which may be costly in terms of time and resources involved in following up and reporting. The Secretariat explained that a meeting was scheduled for December, 1998 to develop a strategy for a follow up to the various global fora. It was hoped that future meetings would be more focussed and would take less time.
88. Under this agenda item, the Secretariat introduced document bearing the above title and referenced, ECA/SRDC/SA/ICE/98/14(b). It was stated that DND was the outcome of the Third African Population Conference held in Dakar in 1992 and was subsequently endorsed in 1993 by the ECA Conference of Ministers responsible for Economic Planning and Development and by the Heads of State and Government of the OAU in 1994. The Meeting was informed that DND was the African Common Position and input to the 1994 Cairo International Conference on Population and Development which adopted the Programme of Action. It was further informed that DND and the ICPD-PA called for the implementation, monitoring and evaluation of both DND and the ICPD-PA at regional, subregional and national levels. 89. Recommendations in the DND and the ICPD included those focussing on: (a) population and development strategy and policy; (b) gender equity and empowerment of women; (c) reproductive rights and health; (d) partnerships with the NGOs, the private sector and community participation; (e) advocacy and information, education and communication (IEC) strategies; (f) monitoring and evaluation of the DND and ICPD-PA; (g) resource mobilization for the implementation of population policies and programmes. 90. Efforts made by the Southern African Ministers Conference on Population and Development (SAMCPD) in 1996 and 1997 on the implementation of the DND and ICPD-PA were highlighted. The Secretariat apprised the Meeting of the deliberations of SAMCPD in the 1996 and 1997 meetings. 91. SRDC-SA efforts towards the implementation of the DND and ICPD were related to the convening of: (a) a High Level Policy Seminar on Gender Equity, Social and Economic Empowerment of Women from 6 to 8 April, 1998; and (b) an Ad-hoc Expert Group Meeting on Managing Nexus Issues of Population, Food Security and Environment in Southern Africa, 7-10 September, 1998. 92. The Secretariat informed the Meeting of the outcome of the Third Follow-up Committee Meeting on the implementation of the DND and ICPD-PA which was held from 23 to 25 September, 1998 in Addis Ababa. Such outcome was a set of recommendations on the "Way Forward" for further implementation of these two population and development frameworks. 93. The Secretariat also informed the Meeting that the report of the Third Follow-up Committee would be submitted to the ECA Committee on Sustainable Development in January 1999 and to the Third General Assembly of the African Population Commission to be held in Abuja in April 1999. A statement would be submitted to the International Forum on the implementation of the ICPD-PA in the Hague in February 1999 and to the OAU Summit in June 1999. Furthermore, the Secretariat stated that the United Nations General Assembly would review the implementation of the ICPD-PA at a special session from 30 June to 2 July, 1999. 94. The Secretariat called on the Intergovernmental Committee of Experts to appeal to member States to rededicate themselves to the implementation of both the DND and ICPD in view of the recommendations of the Third Follow-up Committee Meeting on the DND and ICPD-PA. 95. The Meeting endorsed the report without discussion.
96. Under this agenda item, an ECA/SRDC-SA representative presented the report on progress made in the implementation of the African and Global Platforms for Action which were adopted by member States at the African and global conferences on women in 1994 and 1995 respectively. The report highlighted initiatives and programme activities that had been undertaken at the regional, subegional and national levels. 97. It placed emphasis on steps taken by member States to formulate national action plans based on priorities identified by each member State as well as the establishment and/or strengthening of institutional mechanisms for the implementation of the Platforms for Action. The review revealed that most governments in the SADC subregion had formulated national action plans and that national gender policies and institutional mechanisms were in place. 98. According to the report, priority areas identified by member States in the SADC region were more or less similar across the subregion. They included: poverty and economic empowerment; women in decision-making and power; education and training; human and legal rights of women; violence against women; and women in health and peace. Within these priority areas, governments, NGOs and other organizations had initiated legislative actions, enacted laws and adopted policy measures to address the rights of women. The report also stated that women had made use of quota systems in political parties and state legislatures and that there was a noticeable increase in women's interest in politics. 99. The Secretariat said that at the subregional level, SADC had established a gender unit and that a "Draft SADC Gender Plan o f Action" had been developed and was presented to the SADC Council of Ministers which was held in Mauritius in September, 1998 for consideration and endorsement. 100. At the regional level, it was reported that ECA had upgraded the Status of the African Centre for Women (ACW) to the level of a division and had consequently increased the number of its staff. Gender Focal Points in each of the substantive divisions of ECA and in each of the subregional development centres had also been designated to ensure that gender concerns were fully integrated in the analytic and policy work of each division and the SRDCs. Moreover, activities undertaken so far by ECA to implement and monitor the implementation of the platforms were highlighted. 101. In conclusion, the report pointed out some of the constraints which member States had faced and continued to face in the implementation of the Platforms. It put forward some recommendations aimed at accelerating the implementation of the Platforms for Action, and to be carried out by national governments, NGOs, civil society and ECA's Subregional Development Centre for Southern Africa. 102. In the course of discussion, the Meeting asked to be given examples of countries where concrete actions had been made on addressing problems of violence against women. The Secretariat replied that countries that had initiated or taken actions included South Africa, Mauritius, Zambia and Malawi. The Meeting was informed that a law had been passed to punish severely those involved in violence against women. In the case of Malawi, a law was recently passed to prevent "property grabbing" so that women and children would not be dispossessed upon the death of the head of the family. 103. The Meeting was unanimous in its opinion that enacting laws per-se was not sufficient and that there was need for civic education and promoting awareness of the rights of the individuals. In this context, efforts were needed to bring about a change in the beliefs and customs impinging on the way women should be treated. It was felt that such would facilitate the implementation of laws aimed at improving the conditions of women and children. The Meeting also agreed that while women needed better protection, men needed to be protected by similar laws; hence the need to address gender issue in general. The ICE recommended that efforts should be continued to update the implementation of the African Platform for Action and the Beijing Declaration.
An ECA representative made a presentation describing the outcome of the Eleventh Meeting of the Conference of African Ministers of Transport and Communications held in Cairo, (Egypt) from 25 to 27 November, 1997. The document related to the agenda item was referenced as (ECA/SRDC/SA/ICE/98/14(d)) and was entitled "Outcome of the 11th Meeting of the Conference of African Ministers of Transport and Communications, held in Cairo, Egypt from 25 to 27 November, 1997. 105. He highlighted the objectives of the meeting which entailed the consideration of regional projects such as the Transport Data Base, and the report of the Second Mid-Term Evaluation of the Second United Nations Transport and Communications Decade for Africa 1988-2000 (UNTACDA II). The representative gave an overview of the framework for building efficient transport and communications systems in Africa for the 21st Century. The framework included a programme drawn up in two phases: Phase I (1998-2000) and Phase II (beyond 2000). It was expected that the priorities for the subregion in transport and communications programmes would be drawn from the two phases. 106. He also presented modalities for cooperation, resource mobilization for implementation of the programme and the institutional framework for coordination and monitoring of the UNTACDA II Programme. 107. In the discussions that ensued, a question was asked if Regional African Satellite and Communications (RASCOM) had still a role to play with the advancement of new information and communications technology in Africa. The Secretariat responded that, as conceived earlier RASCOM had been taken over by new advancement in technology, but that there were some required adjustments to enable RASCOM play a role in the new millennium; hence, the bids for RASCOM privatization had been finalized. However, the problem of ownership arose due to Build, Operate and Transfer (BOT) schemes which may put the control of RASCOM under non African institutions. 108. The ECA Secretariat indicated that there was fruitful cooperation between it and SATCC as reflected below: (a) ECA was a member of the SADC Committee on Integration Study for binding of regional projects; (b) ECA and ESAMI were assisting some member States in implementing the Transport Protocol; (c) The SATCC data base project constituted part of the wider African Transport Data Base Project being implemented by the World Bank and ECA. 109. Further clarification by the SADC Secretariat indicated that 11 member States had then ratified the SADC Transport Protocol with the first seminar on its implementation co-organized with the European Union scheduled to take place from 15 to 17 October, 1998.
110. The Meeting considered a presentation by the OAU representative of the above agenda item together with the relevant document ECA/SRDC/SA/ICE/98/14(f), "Abuja Treaty Establishing the African Economic Country". 111. The presentation brought out the purpose of the document, the stages and major activities undertaken towards the establishment of the African Economic Community (AEC), including the major decisions of AEC organs. The problems and constraints encountered in the implementation were presented, together with the future prospects and role of the Lusaka-based ECA/SRDC-SA. 112. The OAU representative informed the Meeting that the major activities relating to the establishment of the AEC included the organization of two meetings of AEC/ECOSOC and Summits, the major Summit decisions having dealt with freedom of movement of officials of RECs and AEC and the setting up of a consultative forum of African parliamentarians. On the future prospects and role of the SRDC, the representative proposed that greater efforts be deployed to move away from studies, meetings and report preparation to actual project/programme identification and implementation. Studies, where needed, should be focussed and prepared with the support and assistance of the SRDC. 113. In the discussion that ensued, questions were raised on the meaning of "regional economic communities" and their strengthening, as well as their future existence; the proliferation of economic groupings and meetings, and the general approach to integration, which gave an impression of a lack of seriousness and focus. 114. The Meeting was informed that the African Economic Community (AEC) was entrusted with the coordination, harmonization and evaluation of the activities of existing and future regional economic communities. Member States of the regional communities themselves would decide whether their particular community should be considered as a regional economic community. 115. The OAU representative mentioned that the conclusion of a protocol governing AEC-RECs relations is a major step in directing the harmonization of activities. He also referred to the meetings in Harare (June 1997), Cairo (April 1998) and Ougadougou (July 1998) where practical steps were taken to strengthen the operationality of the Treaty. The decision of the OAU Summit to establish a consultative forum of African parliamentarians was significant as it would provide opportunities for African law-makers to contribute to the evolution of the Community. 116. The Meeting voiced concern about the fact that the subregion was often creating institutions without examining the utility of the previous ones. The suggestion was made that the resources of the SRDC be leveraged more effectively in support of subregional institutions. One representative complained that there were too many meetings of subregional institutions (SRDC, SADC, COMESA) and he suggested that all these meetings be combined into one, in order to facilitate attendance and economise on time. The principle of consolidating RECs and other subregional institutions was considered to be fundamental. To that end information flow among RECs and all other institutions was deemed necessary. The Meeting recognized that there were difficulties at the national level to implement fully the Abuja Treaty for several reasons, but the "variable geometry" approach was highlighted in the sense that some countries were progressing, while others were still lagging behind. On the issue of the protocol on free movement of people, the Committee expressed concern about the security aspects arising from the protocol. 117. Clarifications were given to the above issues, after which the Meeting took note of the report and the recommendations contained therein.
118. The Meeting heard the presentation of doc. No. ECA/SRDC/SA/ICE/98/14(g), entitled "The New World Trade Arrangements with Special Focus on Post-Lome Period: Implications for Southern Africa" in relation to the above item. 119. The representative of COMESA introduced the document as a contribution from his organization. He noted in his presentation, that Africa was in ambivalent situation since most African countries had acceded to the WTO Agreement, and yet had not participated in the negotiations leading to the current multilateral trading and investment system despite the obvious fact that the new multilateral trading system under the WTO Agreements was transforming international trade. 120. The paper presented also highlighted the main changes introduced by the WTO Agreements. Those changes included the fact that the WTO Agreement: (a) was binding on all signatories and constituted a "single undertaking"; (b) introduced twelve subsidiary multilateral agreements, each with its own obligations; (c) added new areas such as trade in services, and afforded considerable protection of intellectual property rights in the regime regulating trade in goods; (d) emphasized observance by the Members of the Primary Obligations including MFN, National Treatment, Transparency, Use of the Dispute Settlement System, etc.; (e) incorporated an in-built agenda for continual and future negotiations. 121. The paper also highlighted the main challenges faced by all African states under the WTO Agreement. The challenges were seen to be in two broad areas: (a) The diminished capacity of developing States to benefit from world liberalization of trade because of their limited export capacity, heavy dependence on export of primary products, heavy debt burden, etc.; (b) The lack of human and financial resources to execute their commitments under the complex WTO regime.> 122. The paper also observed that with the conclusion of the WTO Agreement, the existing privileges and preferences extended to developing countries such as the Lome Agreement were likely to be terminated or more closely scrutinised. Most privileges extended to developing countries under the Lome Agreement were also likely to be challenged as being WTO-unfriendly especially since they had been allowed time to adjust to the new trading regime by continuing the Lome trade preferences under a WTO waiver. The waiver would expire on 29th February, 2000 and as a result of the end of the preferential terms facilitating access of European markets for those countries, their products would likely lose their duty free entry into the European Union Market. 123. While various WTO Conferences made several pronouncements on Least Developed Countries, those pronouncements appeared flawed as they were non-contractual and applied selectively. The WTO Plan of Action for the Least Developed Countries, while identifying the problem of institutional capacity-building, lacked a definitive framework and serious follow-up. 124. It was reported that the OAU, ECA and ADB together with the subregional economic communities within the framework of the African Economic Community, had already agreed on various strategies to assist member States particularly in strengthening their negotiating capacity. This was also being done through the pooling of experts to assist representatives of the States collectively in the multitude of negotiations that take place in Geneva and Brussels on the Post-Lome Negotiations. 125. It was felt that resources should be mobilized for organizing seminars and national fora for the training of the various stakeholders in the member States, particularly with the aim of strengthening their negotiating capacity. In that regard, it was noted that COMESA was already arranging regional seminars to train officials from the member States. 126. It was stated that developing countries should maintain their demand that the developed States address the development dimension. Developing countries required complementary measures and resources to improve their production and economic infrastructure so as to enable their goods compete on the world market. 127. The OAU representative reported that the launching of the ACP/EU Negotiations on 30th September, 1998 was closely linked to the ongoing new world trade arrangements under the WTO Agreement. The OAU was continuing in its efforts to set up a group of African experts to support those negotiations and this was being done in collaboration with the ECA and such regional economic communities as COMESA and SADC. 128. The Secretariat observed that the ACP/EU Negotiations, in order to be effective for Africa, should address the development aspects and that the developing countries needed to be allowed special entry points to graduate into the WTO system. The Secretariat also reported that four groups had been formed out of all the ACP States to address four key areas: Trade; Financial Cooperation; Private Sector Development; and the General Developmental aspects. 129. In this respect, the challenges posed by the new world trading arrangements compel African countries to take urgent measures towards building capacities within their public and private sectors so as to enhance the effectiveness of their participation in the millennium round of negotiations. It is also imperative that African countries combine their efforts through regional bodies so as to negotiate effectively under the multilateral trading system. 130. The Committee recognized that there were many difficulties which pushed African countries to negotiate fully and implement the WTO Agreements. However, Africa should not give up but should rather seek alternatives to becoming effective partners. The Meeting noted with appreciation efforts being made by the ACP group in certain areas that could enable African countries become effective negotiators of the WTO Agreements and they should be taken into consideration and discussed further so that African countries would have a common position. I. Regional Priorities and Programme of Work of SRDC-SA(Agenda item 10)
131. The Meeting considered the "Work Programme for 1998-1999: Subregional Development Centre for Southern Africa," (Document ECA/SRDC/SA/ICE/98/15(a)). The report situated the work programme in the context of the vision and mission of the SRDC-SA and outlined the seven programme areas of ECA as: (a) facilitating economic and social policy analysis; (b) ensuring food security and sustainable development; (c) strengthening development management; (d) harnessing information for development; (e) promoting regional cooperation and integration; (f) promoting the advancement of women; and (g) supporting subregional activities for development.> 132. It was noted that the activities already implemented were accounted for in the Report of the Acting Director and it was only the balance of programme activities for the biennium that was reviewed in detail by category of activity, viz: providing technical support to and cooperation with regional economic communities; facilitating networking and information exchange among governments; promoting effective management of development; coordinating services for operational programmes of the UN system; and strengthening the outreach of ECA in Southern Africa. 133. Regarding implementation strategy, it was noted that close collaboration with ECA divisions and UN agencies on one hand, and regular consultation with the RECs and member States on the other hand, should be the modus operandi for the SRDC-SA. 134. The IOC representative made a strong plea for his Organization to be recognized by the ECA/SRDC-SA as a subregional entity aiming at developing an Indian Ocean Community through regional cooperation and economic integration. He requested technical assistance for the implementation of his institution's plan of action and its White Paper entitled "IOC strategies and actions during the next 10 years". Such assistance falls under ECA's programme focus on the theme "promoting regional cooperation and integration" para 14 and 17(d) of the Work Programme for 1998-99. 135. He noted that IOC's close collaboration with SADC and COMESA in furthering their common objective of developing a Free Trade Zone in the subregion through its "PRIDE" Project (Programme Regional Integre' de Development des E'changes) had the same objectives and goals as SACU which is considered by the ECA as a major grouping within the framework of the Abuja Treaty. 36. In conclusion he pointed out that IOC was recognized by the OAU as an active Subregional economic community with specific objectives of promoting regional economic cooperation and integration among island states. In this context , he stated that African Island States Organization would definitely have an important role to play in the implementation of the Abuja Treaty protocol. 137. Some member States raised issues on the operationalization and harmonization of the work programme of the three subregional institutions namely, ECA/SRDC-SA, COMESA and SADC, in order to avoid duplication. 138. In response to this, the Meeting was informed that SRDC-SA was operating in the subregion with the aim of supporting the activities of SADC and COMESA and was ready to respond to the priority areas of these subregional institutions. It was added that SRDC-SA was in regular consultations with SADC and COMESA and that areas of cooperation and joint programmes between SRDC-SA, SADC and COMESA have already been identified. 139. SADC and COMESA also added their views on this issue by informing the Meeting that efforts were already being made to build synergy and develop complementarity. The COMESA representative stated that joint programmes in some specific areas of focus had been developed with SRDC-SA, while SADC pointed out that areas of cooperation with ECA and particularly the SRDC-SA have already been identified. 140. The Meeting felt that harmonization of the programmes of the subregional institutions was really the responsibility of member States in that it was they that dictated and approved the work programme of all these institutions 141. The Acting Director of SRDC-SA took note of the concerns of member States about wasteful duplication and modalities of working together with other subregional institutions.
142. The meeting considered the document under the title of "Proposed Work Programme for the Biennium 2000-2001: Subregional Development Centre for Southern Africa (ECA/SRDC/SA/ICE/98/15(b) )" in discussing the above item of the agenda. 143. In presenting the item, the Acting Director emphasized that the process of establishing the programme-budget for the biennium 2000-2001 had not yet been completed in ECA and, therefore, it was not possible at that time to be definitive about the programme of the SRDC, for the next biennium. Nevertheless, the "bottom-up approach" required that the process be initiated with the identification of priority areas in the Southern Africa subregion that will, at the appropriate time, inform the upcoming formulation of the work programme of ECA/SRDC. The Meeting, therefore, had the unique opportunity to determine the priority areas of work the of ECA in the Southern Africa subregion. 144. He also noted that the programme would be flexible in order to accommodate differences in programming cycles between ECA and the RECs. While ECA operated on a biennial programme-budget, the RECs generally operated on an annual programme-budget. However, the ECA/SRDC programme review would be carried out on annual basis. He added that the ICE met annually, while COMESA and SADC Councils of Ministers met biannually to review the work programme. In order for the SRDC to be able to harmonize its work programme activities with the RECs, some built-in flexibility would be necessary. In this regard, the SRDC-SA planned to reserve about fifty percent of its programme resources for unprogrammed technical support-cum-advisory services. 145. Finally, it was noted that the work for the biennium 2000-2001 will represent the second half of implementation of the current medium-term plan period, 1998-2001. It would, consequently, be implemented within the framework of the First Revision of the Medium-Term Plan 1998-2001 (Document E/ECG/MC.1/3 of 21 April, 1998) as part of the ECA programme area on Supporting Subregional Activities for Development in the Southern African countries. In this regard, the SRDC-SA would, in close collaboration with all the ECA divisions, endeavour to support the activities of the member States in the subregion both directly and through the appropriate Regional Economic Community (REC), the inter-governmental organizations (IGOs). 46. It was further stated that the programme would also mark the start of a new approach recently adopted by ECA to ensure the relevance of its activities to development efforts on the ground: the "bottom-up" approach to programming. Such approach required that programme formulation and implementation involve dialogue, consultations and interaction with member States, RECs and IGOs, institutions of excellence, as well as with UN and bilateral development agencies. The priority areas of activities would, therefore, be identified by the countries themselves, either through the ICE or through the programmes of the RECs. This would be followed by consultations between the SRDC-SA and the RECs for harmonization of their respective work programmes. 147. Following the above approach, the Meeting was called upon to indicate the areas of priority for development in the subregion so as to guide the formulation of the work programme of ECA/SRDC. In this regard, the Secretariat presented several generic groups of activities which, based on its own assessments, could be considered among possible priority areas for the subregion. These included: monitoring social and economic conditions; community building; strengthening development management; private sector participation; competitiveness in the global economy; minerals and energy development; transport and trade facilitation; gender issues; nexus issues of population, food security and environment; capacity-building for international negotiations; and harnessing information and communications technology for development. 148. In considering the report, the Meeting suggested the inclusion in the respective areas the following issues: the role of science and technology; forum for public-private sector dialogue; quality products for global competitiveness; inclusion of children under gender programme; and resettlement of refugees. 149. The Meeting agreed that the indicated priority areas seemed reasonable, but decided that, in view of the importance of the work programme, further consultations at the national level would be required. In this regard, it was agreed that delegates would take the proposals to their countries for further consultations and submit their contributions to the Secretariat before the end of October, 1998 in order to enable the SRDC incorporate them into its programme of work. The SRDC was requested to consult and harmonize in the mean time, activities with the RECs in the subregion. 150. The Secretariat was further requested to follow up the consultation process through the appropriate national channels. J. Any Other Business (Agenda item 11) 151. No issues were raised under this item.> K. Date and Venue of the Next Meeting (Agenda item 12)> 152. It was agreed that the next meeting of the ICE should take place in October next year but no precise dates were set. As for the venue, delegates were not in a position to commit their respective governments as to the hosting of next year's ICE Meeting. It was agreed, therefore, that in the event that no country offered to host the Meeting next year it should be held at the SRDC-SA. L. Adoption of the Report(Agenda item 13) 153. The meeting adopted the report with amendments and reiterated the need for close coordination of activities of the SRDC-SA with those of the regional economic communities in the subregion. M. Closure of the Meeting(Agenda item 14) 154. The Acting Director of SRDC-SA thanked the Chair and all the delegates for their active participation in the meeting and affirmed the determination of the Centre to pursue the objectives of ECA to better serve the member countries through implementation of programmes which are focused and relevant to the priorities of the subregion. In this regard, the Centre would seek effective partnership with the relevant subregional organizations in order to better coordinate its activities and minimize wasteful duplication. Finally, he thanked the Government and People of the Republic of Zambia for hosting the meeting. 155. The meeting was closed on behalf of the Government of the Republic of Zambia, by Mr. Misheck Mwanza, Director for Regional Cooperation, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who chaired the Meeting. Mr. Mwanza expressed satisfaction with the quality of documents presented and the manner in which the meeting was organized, which reflected the the objective of the Commission to serve the member States better. He also thanked all the delegates for their cooperation and serious deliberations which bode well for the future activities of the new SRDC-SA. 156. The Chairman also reiterated the importance of information and communication technology and called on the member countries to support the SRDC-SA by, among other things, providing the requisite information on social and economic conditions in their countries in a timely manner in order to enable the experts at the Centre prepare the relevant policy proposals. 157. In concluding his remarks, the Chairman called on the delegates to adequately brief their governments so that the relevant experts from the countries will participate in future meetings of the SRDC-SA. He then declared the Meeting closed. |
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