Background
As a statutory deliberative body, the Intergovernmental Committee of Senior Officials and Experts for North Africa is responsible for the strategic direction of the activities of the Subregional Office for North Africa. The Intergovernmental Committee holds an annual session to consider the results achieved by the Subregional Office, its forthcoming work programme and its strategic orientations, as they relate to the development priorities of North African countries. The session also provides a forum for high-level experts from national government bodies, researchers, representatives of the private sector and civil society and other stakeholders to discuss and share their experiences of evolving economic and social conditions across the subregion and to make practical recommendations on ways to accelerate the fulfilment of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and Agenda 2063: The Africa We Want, of the African Union.
The theme of the forty-first session of the Intergovernmental Committee will be “Strengthening economic resilience mechanisms to address the repercussion of simultaneous global shocks in North Africa”.
Against a backdrop of significant volatility in fuel, fertilizer and food prices, the global economy is experiencing a slowdown driven by a series of overlapping and recurring shocks, including pandemics, climate change-related events, armed conflicts, trade tensions and disruptions to global supply chains. North African countries have also been affected by these shocks and, since 2020, have incurred economic costs amounting to at least tens of billions of dollars.
The subregion has experienced substantial losses owing to reduced economic growth, increased import bills, declining purchasing power, higher fiscal deficits, rising public debt and worsening food insecurity. The burden has been particularly severe for net importers of energy and cereals, such as Egypt, Mauritania, Morocco, the Sudan and Tunisia, which have faced sharp increases in the cost of wheat, fuel and agricultural inputs. In contrast, net exporters of oil and gas, such as Algeria and Libya, have partly offset these shocks by increasing their hydrocarbon export revenues.
The forty-first session of the Intergovernmental Committee will be held in Rabat from 3 to 5 November 2026. The session will provide a platform for senior officials and experts to share experiences, lessons learned and best practices in mitigating the impact of multiple and overlapping shocks. It will offer an opportunity to explore innovative, practical and long-term policy solutions aimed at strengthening economic resilience, enhancing diversification and fostering sustainable and inclusive growth.
Objectives
The forty-first session of the Intergovernmental Committee will serve as a platform for participants to review and discuss statutory reports and strategic issues relevant to the subregion. These reports include the North Africa subregional profile, which provides a comparative assessment of economic and social developments; progress report on the implementation of major regional and global development agendas; report on activities undertaken and results achieved by the Subregional Office; and the future work programme and strategic priorities of the Subregional Office. The session will offer an opportunity for policymakers and experts to exchange views, assess progress, identify emerging challenges and provide guidance on the strategic direction of interventions by the Subregional Office in support of development objectives in the subregion.
In addition, the session is intended to provide participants with an opportunity to identify practical measures and strategic policy recommendations to strengthen economic resilience and promote sustainable, inclusive and diversified growth in line with the development priorities of North African countries. It will provide a valuable platform for peer learning and knowledge exchange among policymakers and experts, fostering discussions on action-oriented solutions and effective policy responses to the impact of simultaneous global shocks. Participants will also identify mechanisms and best practices that can enhance the resilience of the subregion, support long-term economic transformation and accelerate progress towards implementing the 2030 Agenda and Agenda 2063.
Expected results
It is expected that participants at the forty-first session of the Intergovernmental Committee will:
- Review the statutory reports from the Subregional Office, along with its achievements and planned interventions, and the future work of the Economic Commission for Africa in support of its members;
- Discuss the status of economic resilience mechanisms across North African countries and progress in their enhancement with a view to mitigating the impact of simultaneous global shocks. Particular emphasis will be placed on the role of regional integration, economic transformation and sustainable finance in supporting the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and on the contribution to that process made by the diaspora, development, innovation and technology;
- Identify practical actions and adopt strategic policy recommendations to strengthen economic resilience mechanisms, accelerate sustainable development in the subregion and foster regional integration;
- Draw up a separate report on the outcome of the forty-first session for submission to the Conference of African Ministers of Finance, Planning and Economic Development at its 2027 session.
Participation
Participation is open in particular to high-level representatives of national ministries, administrations, central banks and institutions responsible for planning and economy, finance, industry, trade, agriculture, social development, employment, energy and the environment.
Representatives of the general secretariat of the Arab Maghreb Union and other regional intergovernmental organizations based in North Africa, representatives of civil society and the private sector, universities and research institutions and representatives of United Nations agencies and other development partners can participate as observers.
Date and place
The session will be held from 3 to 5 November 2026 in Rabat.
Working languages
Arabic, English and French will be the working languages of the session.
Contacts
Further information may be obtained from the following officials of the Subregional Office:
Focal point and coordinator
Samia Mansour Hamouda
Economic Affairs Officer
Email: samia.hamouda@un.org
Logistics, finance and secretarial services
Claude Wilondja Kapilukwa
Administration and Finance Officer
Email: wilondjaclaude@un.org
Fouzia Assou Qaddou
Administration Assistant
Email: assouqaddou@un.org
Telephone enquiries to be directed to the Subregional Office for North Africa at :
+212 537 71 56 13 or +212 537 71 78 29