ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT CALLS FOR RENEWED COMMITMENT TO AFRICA'S DEVELOPMENT
Press Release
GA/SM/76
OBV/74
ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT CALLS FOR RENEWED COMMITMENT TO AFRICA'S DEVELOPMENT
19981120 Following is the message by the President of the fifty-third session of the General Assembly, Didier Opertti (Uruguay), on occasion of Africa Industrialization Day, 20 November:Today, the 20th of November, marks the ninth anniversary of Africa Industrialization Day. It was nine years ago that the General Assembly first proclaimed Africa Industrialization Day to raise public awareness and harness international support for Africa's industrial development. It gives me great pleasure to join in the observance of this important event. For the first time, our celebration of this event in New York is being transmitted simultaneously to our friends and colleagues at the Industrial Development Board of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) in Vienna. I would like to commend UNIDO, as well as the Organization of African Unity and the Economic Commission for Africa for organizing today's events.
Two years ago, the General Assembly declared the period 1997-2006 as the first United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty. In so doing, the Assembly called for concerted and coordinated effort to eradicate poverty through decisive national actions and international cooperation. It is, therefore, fitting that this year's theme of Africa Industrialization Day is "Poverty Alleviation through Industry". We need hardly to remind ourselves that nearly half of the population of Africa live on less than a dollar a day. Of the 48 countries classified as least developed, 34 are in Africa.
Poverty eradication is about giving the poor access to services and opportunities. It is about helping the poor help themselves. Education, health, livelihood, nutrition, sanitation and shelter are all important to reducing poverty. But there is another dimension to poverty eradication that has received less attention in recent years. I am referring to the role that industrialization plays in supporting and sustaining progress in poverty eradication. In today's globalized economy, industrialization remains an essential element in economic and social development. It is the driving force of dynamic and competitive economies. Countries that have achieved a high level of industrialization, particularly those that followed pro-poor policies, have been most successful in eradicating poverty. The experience of the past 200 years has shown that industrialization is closely linked to rapid progress in poverty eradication. Industry creates and expands employment. It raises incomes, adds value to agricultural products and stimulates technological
- 2 - Press Release GA/SM/76 AFR/113 OBV/74 20 November 1998
advances. It creates economic opportunities for women. And it generates revenues for governments to alleviate and eradicate poverty.
Recent economic revival in many African countries has sparked renewed optimism in the economic future of the region. Africa, as a whole, grew by more than 4 per cent annually over the past three years, the highest growth rate experienced by Africa in 20 years. But difficult challenges lie ahead. The effects of the global economic crisis are manifesting themselves in the region. World economic slowdown and falling commodity prices are reducing demand for Africa's exports. So is increasing competition from low-priced imports from other regions. Official development assistance, already on a downward trend, is expected to decline further. Foreign direct investments are also expected to fall next year. High external debt, particularly in the African least developed countries, remains an onerous burden.
How does Africa cope with these challenges and maintain the momentum of growth? The key lies in concerted effort on two fronts: decisive national action and international cooperation.
At the national level, African countries need to maintain sound macro- economic policies and move ahead with economic reforms. They need to create the conditions that would encourage investment and broad-based development. To reduce their heavy dependence on a few commodity exports, they need to diversify and modernize their productive sector. In short, they need to industrialize. Through industrial development, African countries can sell a wider range of goods in the international market. They can compete better and benefit more from the opening of markets. Industrialization can help them participate more fully in the globalized economy.
At the international level, the international community must do more to show its support for Africa's efforts. It must provide immediate debt relief particularly to the highly indebted African least developed countries, improve Africa's access to foreign markets, encourage foreign investments and increase official development assistance to the region. The United Nations family itself must work more closely together to mobilize resources and expertise in support of Africa's development. As the United Nations agency with a mandate to promote sustainable industrial development, UNIDO has an important role to play in supporting Africa's industrialization.
Africa Industrialization Day symbolizes the solidarity of the international community with Africa. It calls to mind the myriad efforts of Africans to lift themselves out of poverty. It highlights African ownership of their development process. But it is also a day for the international community to renew its commitment to Africa's development. In the spirit of partnership and shared responsibility, let us once again express our steadfast support for Africa's industrial development.
* *** *