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Statement by Mr. Abdoulie Janneh, UN Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of ECA

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
4 November 2007

Dr. Asha-Rose Migiro, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations

Dr. Maxwell Mkwezalamba, African Union Commissioner for Economic Affairs

Professor Firmuno Mucavele, Chief Executive of NEPAD

Mr. Attala Hamid Bashir, Executive Secretary, IGAD

Distinguished Colleagues from the United Nations system, the African Union, the African Development Bank and the Regional Economic Communities

I am pleased to have this opportunity to welcome you all to Addis Ababa for this 8 th Regional Consultation Meeting of United Nations agencies working in support of the African Union and its NEPAD programme.

We are greatly honoured to have Dr. Asha-Rose Migiro, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations and a very distinguished daughter of Africa as chair of this meeting and I wish on your behalf to thank her taking time from her very busy schedule to be here with us today.

Our last meeting was significant because it marked the reactivation and revitalization of the RCM. This gathering is equally significant because it provides us with the opportunity to build on the sterling work that we all did last year and also to further demonstrate our commitment to deepening our partnership with the African Union and NEPAD.

The RCM now reflects the expanded nature of UN system support for the African Union Commission and its NEPAD programme. It is therefore expected to combine its support for NEPAD with the Ten Year Capacity Building Programme for the African Union which cuts across areas such as peace and security; human rights; social, economic and cultural development; food security and environmental protection.

Indeed, supporting vision for African development contained in the African Union's NEPAD programme remains at the core of our concerns especially as it is inextricably linked to achieving the Millennium Development Goals in the continent. As we all know, the Secretary-General of the United Nations places great premium on supporting African countries to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, as evidenced by the setting up of the MDG Africa Steering and Working Groups, chaired by the Secretary-General and the Deputy Secretary-General respectively.

It is against this background that we are very pleased to have Dr. Maxwell Mkwezalamba, here with us as representative of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission and also coordinating the Commission's participation in this meeting. His presence and that of his colleagues here is testimony to the excellent relations that the United Nations system enjoys with the African Union which is set to be deepened and strengthened through the implementation of the Ten-year capacity building plan with the African Union.

We are also delighted that Professor Firmuno Mucavele, Chief Executive of the NEPAD Secretariat has made a special effort to join us today. This meeting will surely benefit from his insights as well as those of our other partners from the African Development Bank and the regional economic communities, several of whom are represented here today. In this regard, I want to thank Mr. Attala Hamid Bashir, Executive Secretary of IGAD for being personally present at this meeting.

The high-level presence of our colleagues from the African Union, NEPAD Secretariat, regional economic communities and from across the UN system affords us a great opportunity to take stock of what has been accomplished since we last met. This meeting will also enable us to address issues that will improve our work. The agenda before us captures all these elements and I trust that in addition to strengthening our processes the outcome of this meeting will be more programmatic and substantial.

We will now listen to Dr. Maxwell Mkwezalamba, African Union Commissioner for Economic Affairs who will be followed by Professor Firmuno Mucavele, Chief Executive of NEPAD. The Deputy Secretary-General will then make her opening remarks and lead the substantive part of our meeting. Thank you.