SECOND BIG TABLE TO REVIEW AFRICA'S RELATIONS WITH PARTNERS

Addis Ababa, 09 October 2001 (ECA) -- Africa's relations with its external partners will be the subject of the second 'Big Table', an informal consultation between Finance ministers from several African countries and their counterparts from Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) development co-operation ministries, to take place in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, from 14 - 15 October 2001.

Finance and Planning ministers from 14 African countries -- Algeria, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Egypt, Ghana, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania and Uganda -- are scheduled to attend the 'Big Table'. OECD development co-operation ministers and heads of aid agencies will attend from 9 countries -- Canada, France, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States of America.

The 'Big Table' is an initiative designed by the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) to promote frank dialogue between African finance ministers and their OECD counterparts. The format and agenda are designed to allow for maximum interactive dialogue, with no formal statements.

The discussions will focus on three thematic clusters. The first, on Governance, will focus on the African agenda of good governance and building a capable and effective state and the importance of peace and security as a precondition for poverty reduction. The second, on Making Aid More Effective, will consider steps to be taken by Africa's external partners towards the harmonization of aid policies and procedures. The third session will discuss an African-owned process for peer review and self-monitoring by governments of progress towards meeting their development benchmarks.

This year's 'Big Table', hosted by Dutch Development Co-operation Minister Eveline Herfkens, takes place in the wake of the recent approval by African leaders of a New African Initiative (NAI) as a single framework to mediate future relations between Africa and its development partners. The meeting will consider issues relating to the operationalizing of the NAI -- which is underpinned by the commitment to macroeconomic fundamentals, good governance, and to mutual accountability of African governments and their partners to shared development outcomes.

Last year's 'Big Table' was held at the ECA headquarters in Addis Ababa, and discussed Pro-Poor Growth Policies and the International Development Goals, lessons learned from the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) process, and Emerging Capacity Building Needs. The first 'Big Table' is credited with placing the focus on transforming Africa's development relationship with its partners.

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ATTN ALL MEDIA: For more information, please contact:

In The Hague - Lucille Merks
Tel: +31-70-348-6576; Cell: +31-6-531-044-08 Fax: +31-70-348-5559
E-mail: lucille.merks@minbuza.nl 

In Addis Ababa - Max Bankole Jarrett
Tel: +251-1-51 62 94 Cell: +251-9-22-17-27 Fax: +251-1-51 03 65
E-mail: mjarrett@uneca.org 

Issued by the Communication Team
ECA
P.O. Box 3001
Addis Ababa
Ethiopia
Tel: +251-1-44 50 98 or 44 31 61 Fax: +251-1-51 03 65
E-mail: ecainfo@uneca.org
Web: www.uneca.org 

COMING SOON ... DEFINING PRIORITIES FOR REGIONAL INTEGRATION ... THE THIRD AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT FORUM... ADDIS ABABA, 9 - 13 DECEMBER 2001 ... FOR MORE DETAILS VISIT www.uneca.org/adf2001