TENTATIVE
PROGRAMME OF WORK Thirty-seventh session of the Commission/Conferenceof African Ministers of Finance, Planning and Economic Development Kampala, Uganda Friday, 21 May 15:00 - 16:30 hours: Opening Session
16:30 - 16:45 hours: Coffee Break 16:45 - 17:00 hours: Election of the Bureau The election of a new Bureau will be followed by a short statement by the new Chairperson of the Commission and the adoption of the agenda and programme of work. 17:00 - 18:30 hours: Session I Consideration of the Report and Major Recommendations of the Committee of Experts The Conference will have before it the report of the twenty-third meeting of the Committee of Experts held in Kampala from 19 to 22 May 2004 (E/ECA/CM.37/9). The report will highlight the major issues considered by the Committee and endorse the conclusions and recommendations. Under this agenda item, ECA's proposed biennial programme plan for the biennium 2006-2007 will be also presented to the Conference for its endorsement. Saturday, 22 May 09:00 - 11:00 hours: Session II Ministerial Policy Debate on the theme of the Conference: Mainstreaming trade policy in national development strategies Under this agenda item, a panel discussion will be organized, with the participation of some Ministers of Trade. It is proposed that the panel discussion examine the contribution of trade in achieving higher economic growth and poverty reduction in Africa, and the factors inhibiting Africa's effective participation in global trade. The panel will also propose measures for mainstreaming trade into national development policies and programmes. This will be followed by general discussions and an exchange of views and experiences on best practices in addressing the challenge of expanding trade and mainstreaming trade into national development strategies. The Conference will also explore recent developments in the area of trade in the aftermath of Cancun, as well as the ongoing preparations for UNCTAD XI to be held in June 2004. Chair: Mr. Alec Erwin, Minister of Public Enterprises, Republic of South Africa (suggested) Discussants:
11:00 - 11:30 hours: Coffee Break 11:30 - 13:00 hours: Session II (cont'd) General discussion on the theme of the Conference 13:00 - 15:00 hours: Lunch Break Session III 15:00 - 16:30 hours: Consideration and adoption of the Ministerial Statement. 16:30 - 17:00 hours: Any other business Session IV 17:00 - 17:30 hours Resource mobilization: Announcement of contributions to the United Nations Trust Fund for African Development (UNTFAD). In recent years, the financial outlays for the regular budget have been approved on a zero growth basis. At the same time, extrabudgetary resources have continued to decline. To reverse this trend, ECA has intensified efforts to mobilize extrabudgetary resources from traditional and new donors. As part of these efforts, the Ministerial Follow-up Committee, at its second meeting in Abuja in May 2000 adopted a resolution calling on member States to renew their commitment to Africa's development by increasing their contributions to UNTFAD and requested that the Pledging Conference be transferred back to ECA and held in conjunction with the annual session of the Commission. In response to that resolution, member States and their development partners will be invited to announce their contributions to the Fund. Session V 17:00 - 18:00 hours: Closing Session
|
