SECRETARY-GENERAL STRESSES POSITIVE TRENDS IN AFRICA IN MESSAGE TO ANNUAL SESSION OF ECA
Press Release
SG/SM/5978
ECA/670
SECRETARY-GENERAL STRESSES POSITIVE TRENDS IN AFRICA IN MESSAGE TO ANNUAL SESSION OF ECA
19960503 ADVANCE TEXT Following is the text of the message of Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali to the thirty-first session of the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and the twenty-second meeting of the Conference of Ministers responsible for Economic and Social Development and Planning, in Addis Ababa on 6 May:It gives me great pleasure to extend my greetings to those attending this annual session of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa and the Conference of Ministers responsible for Economic Development and Planning.
It is significant that your session is the first official meeting to be held at the newly completed United Nations Conference Centre at Addis Ababa. The Centre is a major symbol of African cooperation and international understanding. Your theme is "Meeting the Challenges of Africa in the twenty- first century: the role of the Economic Commission for Africa". It reflects both the conviction that African cooperation will be critical in enabling the continent to benefit fully from the rapidly changing international economy and, equally, that ECA -- the regional arm of the United Nations dedicated to promoting economic and social development in Africa -- has a major role in assisting Africa at this time of great transformation.
Today -- four years before the dawn of a new century and a new millennium -- Africa shows greater promise than at any time in the course of the past 15 years. Average rates of economic growth in Africa in the past two years have improved, compared with those prevailing at the beginning of the decade. Political liberalization, slow and uneven though it might be, is taking hold. Rehabilitation and reconstruction are gaining momentum in many previously conflict-torn countries. Economic reforms are giving new dynamism to the entrepreneurial African spirit and laying the foundation for rapid and sustained growth. All these trends are cause for optimism about Africa's future.
But there are also reasons for concern. In some countries, conflicts are rending the social fabric and damaging economic production. The disruptive effects are felt in neighbouring countries. The United Nations is
deeply committed to working with the Organization of African Unity to find durable solutions to these conflicts. I urge the governments of your countries to give support to these efforts. All Africans share a stake in peace and stability in the continent. Today's real challenge for Africa is to reinforce the promising trends and overcome impediments to accelerated development. Through such efforts lies the possibility for a stable and prosperous transition to the twenty-first century.
The United Nations determination to assist Africa to achieve its vision of a better future has been dramatically demonstrated by the launching, on 15 March 1996, of the United Nations System-wide Special Initiative on Africa. The aim of the Special Initiative is to add momentum to Africa's development at this time when prospects for economic recovery are greater than ever. A coordinated and collaborative effort among all agencies of the United Nations system, the Special Initiative could mobilize billions of dollars in external resources over 10 years for financing such activities as basic health, basic education, governance, food security, water and sanitation, and comprehensive peace-building. The Special Initiative will complement the United Nations New Agenda for Development of Africa (UN-NADAF) in 1990s. The Special Initiative is on your agenda at this session. Your deliberations on this issue can provide impetus and support for the United Nations System-wide Special Initiative. The Economic Commission for Africa has been entrusted with several specific responsibilities in the implementation of the Initiative. The ECA will lead or co-lead action in several sectors. The Executive Secretary of ECA is co-chairman, with the Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), of the Steering Committee of the Special Initiative. ECA's role in the Special Initiative reflects my personal commitment that the regional commissions must be reinforced to exercise a lead role in the economic and social development of their respective regions.
To play that role effectively, ECA must adapt creatively to changing circumstances, particularly in its member States. The renewal process under way in ECA responds precisely to the need to serve the member States rather than to any bureaucratic imperative. Because ECA is an integral part of the United Nations Secretariat, its reforms are an essential component in the effort to meet the increasing demands of Member States for greater value for money, cost-effectiveness and economy in the way the United Nations delivers its services. These are legitimate concerns at any time; in the current climate, they assume particular significance. ECA's renewal process, led by its Executive Secretary, has my strongest support, endorsement and encouragement. It complements my efforts to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the Organization. If the United Nations is to achieve these objectives, all departments and the regional commissions must join in the effort. In many important respects, ECA is at the vanguard of renewal and reform in the United Nations.
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In conclusion, I would like to underline my earnest hope that the delegates to this annual session of the Commission will give their full support to the programme and management reforms at ECA, the scope and details of which are carefully outlined in the "new directions" documents before you.
I wish you success in your deliberations, and in particular in your efforts to ensure that ECA continues to provide ever better service to Africa.
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