1. The nineteenth meeting of the ECA Conference of Ministers adopted by resolution 748 (XXVIII) the Dakar/Ngor Declaration on Population, Family and Sustainable Development. The Conference also established the Follow-up Committee on the Implementation of the Declaration with the following terms of reference:

Functions

2. The functions of the Follow-up Committee derive from guidelines on follow up and implementation mechanism defined in the Draft Dakar/Ngor Declaration on Population, Family and Sustainable Development. These include:

(a) Providing assistance to African countries in the preparatory process of the ICPD, consistent with the directives of the Preparatory Committee of the ICPD, through:

(i) Encouraging them to participate fully and actively in the ICPD;

(ii) Assisting the African Group to further harmonize its views and positions during the ICPD by servicing the meetings of the Group before and during the ICPD; and,

(iii) Ensuring that all relevant outcomes of the Third African Population Conference are made available to the secretariat of ICPD and widely disseminated.

(b) Reviewing progress in the implementation of the Dakar/Ngor Declaration, including:

(i) Sensitizing African countries, international, intergovernmental and non-governmental bodies about the need to initiate and coordinate actions and programmes to implement the recommendations of the Dakar/Ngor Declaration;

(ii) Encouraging all member States to designate a national focal point to follow up and evaluate the implementation of the Dakar/Ngor Declaration;

(iii) Liaising with each member State's focal point for monitoring the implementation of the Dakar/Ngor Declaration; and,

(iv) Collecting relevant data on the implementation of the Dakar/Ngor Declaration from African countries, UN agencies, donor agencies, IGOs and NGOs.

(c) Preparing relevant reports, including:

(i) Preparing annual reports on the activities of the Follow-up Committee;

(ii) Preparing analytical reports assessing (every two years) factors and issues contributing to, or affecting the implementation of the Dakar/Ngor Declaration and suggesting possible solutions to constraints and problems; and,

(iii) Preparing comprehensive evaluation reports (every five years) on the implementation of the Dakar/Ngor Declaration.

3. The above reports will be submitted for consideration and action to the ECA Conference of Ministers of Planning and Economic Development.

4. The Follow-up Committee is assisted in its activities by a Working Group, which will play an advisory role and provide technical support.

Membership

5. The Follow-up Committee will constitute an open-ended Committee of member States with the APC.3 Bureau (Senegal, Rwanda, Egypt, Kenya, Namibia) as core members.

6. The Follow-up Committee will adopt its rules of procedures and elect its Bureau at its first meeting.

7. Selected non-African countries and institutions, IGOs and NGOs will also be invited as observers to the meetings of the Follow-up Committee.

Periodicity of meetings

8. The Follow-up Committee, upon its establishment, will formally meet in Addis Ababa or elsewhere to elect its Bureau and initiate its activities.

9. Thereafter, the Follow-up Committee will meet at least once every two years, to review the implementation of its programme of work and with a schedule which will allow appropriate reporting to the ECA Conference of Ministers of Planning and Economic Development. However, the Chairman may convene special meetings of the Follow-up Committee if the need arises.

Secretariat

10. ECA will serve as secretariat for the Follow-up Committee and will maintain a liaison office at its headquarters among all member States.

1/ As adopted by the nineteenth meeting of the ECA Conference of Ministers of Planning and Economic Development.

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