9:15 – 10:00 hours Opening of the meeting
• Opening remarks by the Chairperson of the outgoing Bureau of the Committee of Experts, the Ambassador of Burkina Faso, His Excellency, Mr. Bruno Nongoma Zidouemba
• Opening remarks by Mr. Abdoulie Janneh, United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Africa
• Opening statement by His Excellency, Mr. Mekonnen Manyazewal, State Minister of Finance and Economic Development, Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia
10:00 – 10:30 hours Election of the Bureau
Adoption of the draft agenda and programme of work
10:30 – 10:45 hours Coffee/Tea Break
10:45 – 11:45 hours Session I: Overview of recent economic and social developments in Africa
11:45 – 12:45 hours Session II: Follow-up to the last session of the Commission: Annual report on the work of the Commission, 2007
12:45 – 14:00 hours Lunch Break
14:00 – 15:00 hours Session III: Assessment of progress on regional integration in Africa
15:00 – 17:00 hours Session IV: Sectoral policy issues
• Aid for Trade
• Statistics and statistical capacity
• Support in the implementation of the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD)
17:00 – 17:15 hours Coffee/Tea Break
17:15 – 19:00 hours Session V: Progress report on the follow-up to major global and regional conferences and summits
• Review of the implementation of the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation of the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD)
• Review of the implementation of the Monterrey Consensus on financing for development
• Review of progress in the implementation of the Brussels Programme of Action for the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) for the Decade 2001-2010
• Review of progress towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in Africa
9:30 – 11:00 hours Session VI: Presentation and discussion on the theme of the Conference – Accelerating Africa's growth and development to meet the MDGs: emerging challenges and the way forward
11:00 – 11:15 hours Coffee/Tea Break
11:15 – 13:00 hours Session VI: (Continued) Presentation and discussion on the theme of the Conference – Accelerating Africa's growth and development to meet the MDGs: emerging challenges and the way forward
13:00 – 14:30 hours Lunch Break
14:30 – 16:00 hours Session VII: Statutory issues
• Review of the Intergovernmental Machinery of the Commission
• Report on the external review of the African Institute for Economic Developm e nt and Planning (IDEP)
• Proposed programme of work and priorities for the biennium 2008-2009
• Other statutory issues
16:00 – 16:15 hours Coffee/Tea Break
16:15 – 17:30 hours Session VII (Continued): Statutory issues
17:30 – 18 hours Any other business
11:00 – 12:30 hours Session VIII : Consideration and adoption of the draft report of the Committee of Experts and draft resolutions
12:30 – 13:00 hours Closure of the meeting
• Closing remarks by Mr. Abdoulie Janneh
• Wrap-up by the Chairperson of the Bureau of the Committee of Experts
13:00 – 18:00 hours Finalization of the report by the secretariat
