| Conference of Ministers - A Decade of Progress Introduction: The Conference of Africa's Ministers of Finance, Planning and Economic Development is a valued opportunity for ministers and central bank governors to meet every year in order to discuss the challenges facing the continent's development. It serves as a key forum for articulating Africa's common positions on major policy issues. It also plays a vital role in the life of the Economic Commission for Africa. It provides a legislative mandate for ECA's work, endorses its work programme and provides the main mechanism for reporting back to the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) under whose umbrella the Commission falls. It is effectively, ECA's central policy-making organ, providing impetus and guidance, with meetings structured around a significant theme. Over the years, it has evolved from being a low-key statutory meeting into an influential issues-based discussion forum, and attendance has grown significantly. Conferences held over the last 10 years (1996-2005) and key decisions/discussions: 1996 - Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: ECA puts forward its new strategic directions, which are endorsed by ministers. Participants also discuss implementation of the African Information Society Initiative and the second Industrial Development Decade. 1997 - Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: Discussions revolve around promoting trade and investment for Africa's development. 1998 - Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: Intersessional year during which a follow-up committee met to discuss pertinent issues and establish policy continuity. 1999 - Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: Theme concentrates on financing Africa's development, with special focus on policy reform and aid effectiveness, debt, FDI flows and mobilizing domestic resources. Participants crystallize positions on financing for development and reforms of the Heavily-Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative. 2000 - Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: Debt, ODA and poverty linkages are the focus of discussions. ECA puts forward its proposal on a "Global Compact" for Africa's recovery which feeds into the UN Conference on Financing Development in the Least Developed Countries. 2001 - Algiers, Algeria: Meeting agrees to consolidate regional parallel initiatives for Africa's recovery. The merger of the Millennium Africa Recovery Plan (MAP) and the OMEGA initiative, with the technical input of ECA's Compact, sets the stage for the eventual launch of the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD). Decision also taken to combine the hitherto separate conferences of finance ministers and planning and economic development ministers. 2002 - Johannesburg, South Africa: Ministers discuss challenges in implementing NEPAD. Decision taken to coordinate ECA conference with the Annual Meetings of the African Development Bank (ADB). 2003 - Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: Africa's responsibilities within the NEPAD framework, policy harmonization of development partners and requirements for meeting the MDGs form the main focus of the debates. Fifteen countries agree to the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM), a move welcomed by the conference which urges more states to join. Ministers also focus on the HIV/AIDS scourge and appeal for more efforts to combat the pandemic. 2004 - Kampala, Uganda: Theme tackles mainstreaming trade policy in national development strategies. Ministers call on rich nations to remove obstacles to trade talks. 2005 - Abuja, Nigeria: Achieving the MDGs in Africa. Achievements: Ten years ago, it was agreed that ECA needed a fundamental overhaul. Incoming Executive Secretary K.Y Amoako stated at the time that Africa was at a "potential turning point" with the emergence of a new generation of leaders, and the Commission had to respond to these changes. In 1996, he described the Conference of Ministers as the "gateway to the ECA's future". "We have gone far, but without you, we cannot go further," he told participants. Ministers hailed the prospect of a renewed ECA as "a credible and active voice as well as a facilitator in Africa's development". Since then, key areas for deepening the reforms have been identified as:
Since the launch of these reforms in 1996, the Conference of Ministers has had a much greater impact on regional policies and programmes aimed at boosting African development. Statements issued at the end of the ministerial meetings have contributed to the outcome of world forums with regard to Africa, such as the G8 summits, the UN Conference on Financing for Development in Monterrey and bilateral arrangements such as the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). The Conference made a significant contribution to the development of the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD), an African-owned and managed concept. The 2001 meeting in Algiers helped integrate the parallel regional initiatives that culminated in NEPAD. And the following year, the conference in Johannesburg gave African finance ministers an opportunity to consider the operational implications of the NEPAD framework (such as the peer review mechanism). In 2002, a revision to ECA's medium-term plan was proposed to ensure that Africa's evolving development challenges were better addressed. The same year, it was also decided to coordinate the ECA conference with the annual African Development Bank (ADB) meeting. In 2003, the Commission established the Office of Policy and Programme Coordination (OPC), tasked with strategic planning and ensuring the timely response of ECA's various divisions to the needs of member states. It is hoped that this year's meeting will result in commitments to strengthen policy reforms already underway in many countries so that Africa can accelerate progress towards achieving the MDGs. The Way Forward: ECA constantly strives to improve the quality of its work. It is carrying out more internal and external peer reviews, and ensuring that ECA's programmes reflect the needs of member states. Its core activities in research, advocacy and knowledge management focus on eight interdependent areas:
In addition, ECA seeks to further develop its working relationship with the African Union on various levels, particularly regarding support for NEPAD. ECA is closely engaged with the African Peer Review Mechanism, supplying staff to join country missions. This will be an ongoing process, alongside offering technical and analytical backing. Addressing Africa's development challenges requires the full participation of all stakeholders in national decision-making and development planning. To this end, ECA will boost efforts to engage with all its clients and ensure that its policy analytical work is based on the highest quality available data and information. And in its constant efforts to be a centre of excellence, the Commission has undertaken to improve its links with the growing number of research and academic institutions on the continent. Finally, an effective and relevant ECA is a shared responsibility between the member states and the secretariat. It is incumbent on members, therefore, to make available adequate financial resources to support the work of the Commission, in addition to the funds received from outside. In this context, the Secretariat has proposed reactivating the pledging conference of the UN Trust Fund for African Development (UNTFAD) in the near future. This will give African countries an opportunity to demonstrate their commitment and self-reliance, particularly in support of NEPAD and achieving the MDGs. |
