ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL HOLDS DIALOGUE WITH UNITED NATIONS COUNTRY TEAM FOR SENEGAL

ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL HOLDS DIALOGUE WITH UNITED

NATIONS COUNTRY TEAM FOR SENEGAL

Discussion Focuses on Senegal’s Success in Fighting

Spread of HIV/AIDS, Joint United Nations Agencies Programme in Tambacounda

(Reissued as received.)

GENEVA, 4 July (UN Information Service) -- The Economic and Social Council this afternoon held a dialogue with the United Nations Country Team for Senegal under its consideration of the operational activities of the United Nations for international development and cooperation.

Ahmed Rhazaoui, Resident Coordinator and Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programme in Senegal, said that there were no less than 22 funds, programmes and agencies involved in the Country Team for Senegal.  The Team had worked to make rural development an underlying objective of Senegal’s Government and to build the capacity of local populations to manage their own affairs.

Niane Thierno Seydou, Coordinator of the Unit on Follow-up to the Programme to Fight Poverty at the Ministry of Economics and Finance of Senegal, noted that the level of poverty in Senegal was 53.9 per cent; four out of five poor households were classified as rural.  The strategic pillars of Senegal’s Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSP) were wealth enhancement and sound macroeconomic policies, the promotion of access to social services, and the improvement of living conditions for vulnerable groups.

Cheikh Mouhamady Cissoko, Honorary President of the National Council for Rural Cooperation, a Senegalese non-governmental organization, said that because of the diversion of agricultural proceeds –- which constituted a large share of Senegal’s wealth –- towards the building up of the new State after independence, which had focused primarily upon urban areas, there had been insignificant investment in rural areas and agriculture.

In response, Mr. Rhazaoui pointed out that because of the limited resources available for Senegal, the United Nations Team had forged ahead with an experimental joint programme in Tambacounda.  Elaborating on this plan, Alain Nickels, a representative of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), said that its priority was to ensure that United Nations action made a sustainable impact in fighting poverty and achieving the Millennium Development Goals.

In the interactive dialogue which followed the Country Team representatives’ presentations, much of the discussion focused upon Senegal’s success in the fight against HIV/AIDS and the lessons learned from its experience therein, as well as the nature and funding of the United Nations system’s experimental project in Tambacounda, Senegal’s slow economic growth, the relationship between the United Nations system and the World Bank, and the future of international and national efforts for rural development and poverty eradication in Senegal.

Representatives of the following countries participated in the interactive dialogue:  Sweden, Germany, Denmark, France and Senegal.  Also participating in the dialogue were representatives of the World Bank and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

The Council will meet again at 10 a.m. on Monday, 7 July, to continue its discussions under its segment on the operational activities of the United Nations for international development cooperation.

Statements

AHMED RHAZAOUI, Resident Coordinator and Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programme in Senegal, said that there were no less than 22 funds, programmes and agencies involved in the Country Team for Senegal.  Although there had been a decline in the amount of aid to Senegal since 1995, its proportion to overall aid, including aid from the United Nations system and the World Bank, had risen.  The United Nations system team had helped to better establish development programmes in Senegal by encouraging the Government to focus its efforts on rural development.  Conceptually and technically, there was no problem linking Senegal’s goals in terms of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs).  The original elements included in Senegal’s United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) had proved to be too complex, so a simpler strategy -- concentrating on the three elements of poverty alleviation in Tambacounda, Education For All and re-launching development in Casamance -- had been adopted.

In the context of rural development, public aid constituted approximately 27 per cent of aid for rural development, with the United Nations system's part comprising 24 per cent.  The United Nations had worked with the Government of Senegal to make rural development its underlying objective for the achievement of MDGs.  The United Nations Country Team had worked to build the capacity of local populations to manage their own affairs through projects to allow individual villages to supply their own energy, combat desertification and preserve natural resources.  In the Casamance region, only the World Food Programme had been conducting operations during the ongoing conflict.

NIANE THIERNO SEYDOU, Coordinator of the Unit on Follow-up to the Programme to Fight Poverty at the Ministry of Economics and Finance of Senegal, introduced the Poverty Reduction Strategy for Senegal and said 53.9 per cent was the level of poverty in Senegal determined by a survey.  The level of poverty had decreased somewhat but aside from qualitative surveys, quantitative surveys had been carried out which showed that 60 per cent of families in Senegal described themselves as poor.  On the one hand there was economic growth, on the other, poverty had not reduced significantly.  He said that out of every five poor households, four were rural, and that the lack of infrastructure had made transport costs much higher.  Poverty was located for the most part in rural areas, but more particularly in regions of the south and south-east.  Areas that had irrigated crops suffered less poverty than regions depending on rain for their crops.  Another characteristic of poverty was the low level of education of the heads of households, showing the correlation between poverty and education.  Basic capacity and access to primary education, therefore, needed to be ensured.  Households headed by women were not as poor as households headed by men, which showed that women were more generous than men since they had a tendency of reinvesting proceeds into the household.

Poverty engendered delinquency and violence, and many children were begging in the streets.  Those who had made up the middle class in the past could today be qualified as poor.  Poverty also engendered violence against women, and the prostitution of women and children.  The rate of growth obtained from 1960-1993 was lower than the rate of demographic growth.  Since 1994, Senegal had experienced an average growth of 5 per cent.  Yet, poverty had not been significantly reduced as a result of the unequal distribution of wealth.  A large strata of the population was, therefore, excluded from social services and monetary income.  The growth of Senegal since 1994 had also not been generated from a sector that created jobs, but from the tertiary sector.  The growth had, therefore, not significantly impacted poverty eradication.  In addition, the debt burden and debt servicing continued to be a factor preventing growth.  It was in line with these findings that the objectives and strategies of the poverty reduction policies had been determined.

The design, implementation and follow-up to the poverty-reduction policy was based on wealth generation; strengthening capacity and promotion of social services; improving living standards; and provision of machinery to implement and monitor policy implementation.  The Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSP) for Senegal included three major strategies.  The first was wealth enhancement and sound macroeconomic policies.  Secondly, it aimed to promote access to social services, including the development of infrastructures for education, health, drinking water, transport, natural resource management, sanitization, good governance and decentralization.  The third part of the strategy was based on improving living conditions for vulnerable groups, including children, women, older people, people with disabilities, and internally displaced persons and refugees.  Concerning the implementation and follow-up to the PRSP, he said the State realized it was not the only stakeholder and had promoted a participatory approach involving civil society.

CHEIKH MOUHAMADY CISSOKO, Honorary President of the National Council for Rural Cooperation, a Senegalese non-governmental organization, noted that Senegal’s Government had made a conscious choice to open itself up to elements of civil society, so that today there existed a partnership through which the Government had yielded funds to various civil society groups.  Yet, the poverty level of Senegal had not significantly improved, which led one to ask why.  There had been a diversion of agricultural proceeds –- which constituted a large share of Senegal’s wealth –- towards the building up of a new State.  However, this State building had benefited urban areas more than rural areas, leaving rural areas poor; there had been insignificant investment in rural areas and agriculture.  Among the most urgent priorities of Senegal as a newly independent State had been to cover Dakar and other large cities.  Moreover, structural adjustment policies had encouraged Senegal to cut its expenditures, which were of course taken out of rural expenditures.

It was only now that focus was turning to rural areas, he said.  And although the United Nations was now aiding Senegal in rural development, no one defended farmers –- who did not begin poor, but were made so by State policies that impoverished them.  Years of focus on the production of cash crops instead of staples had led to a situation in which Senegalese no longer consumed products that they had a comparative advantage in producing, but those that they needed to import.  Senegal had become a net-importer of its foodstuff, so that even its producers were forced to consume imported food.  Urging the United Nations system Country Team to do more for his country, he said that the main problem was a lack of respect for the farmers as workers within Senegal and the wider African continent.

Mr. RHAZAOUI, responding to Mr. Cissoko’s comments, said that the resources available to the United Nations system Country Team were relatively limited.  This had engendered a struggle to decide what should be done.  Feeling that more could be accomplished at the field-level, the United Nations Team had forged ahead with an experimental joint programme in Tambacounda.

ALAIN NICKELS (United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO)) introduced the work of the United Nations Development Assistance Framework in Tambacounda (UNDAF-TAMBA) which aimed to ensure that efforts undertaken by the United Nations system in Senegal promoted sustainable development, particularly in the region of Tambacounda.  This region, where resources were being pulled together to ensure the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals and Poverty Reduction Strategy Policy, covered a third of Senegal.  It was also the region of the country that was the poorest.  He underscored that even though activities were also carried out in the Casamance area, the priority for the United Nations was Tambacounde.  The main priority was to ensure that action made a sustainable impact in fighting poverty and achieving the Millennium Development Goals.  An important meeting would be held in Tambacounda on 17 July, where the current practices, challenges and remaining obstacles of UNDAF-TAMBA would be discussed.  One of the main challenges ahead was the need to disseminate information on the good practices of UNDAF-TAMBA, and ensure further participation, as well as more resources.  It was stressed that one could not eradicate poverty over one day; it was a long-term process that needed to be sustainable and included the generation of wealth, as well as an improvement in human resources.

Interactive Segment

Following the presentation of the four panellists, the floor was opened for the discussion.  In response to one delegate’s question regarding the financing of the United Nations system’s experimental programme in Tambacounda, Mr. Rhazaoui noted that United Nations agencies’ mandates did not yet allow them to pool resources into one fund, so thus far the agencies had used the modest coordination fund to implement this programme.  Hopeful that the coordination fund would be increased, he noted that its size had only enabled the commissioning of studies for the joint programme, not the financing of projects themselves.  The United Nations system Country Team had, however, asked for additional funding for joint programming from donors.

Another delegate commented that it had been sad to see Senegal classified as a Least Developed Country (LDC), after having started well after independence.  In response to his request for information on the lessons learned from Senegal’s experience, Mr. Seydou said that his country was one of 20 poorest countries in the world, with an extremely low per capita income.  It had taken thirty years to double the per capita income and the country could not wait so long again.  Moreover, admitting that Senegal had been one of best-funded countries in Africa, he said he was not afraid to admit that this aid had not always been appropriately used.

Until 1994, Mr. Seydou continued, Senegal did not have economic growth exceeding demographic growth, without which no country could get ahead.  Since 1994, however, the economic growth rate had evolved substantially, from 2.6 per cent to 5.5 per cent, so that today the Senegalese experience was moving towards sustainable development.  And yet it was worrisome that in breaking down statistics on economic growth, one could see that Senegal’s growth had not favoured an equitable distribution of revenue.

Responding to a question regarding the relationship between the United Nations system and the World Bank in Senegal, Mr. Rhazaoui said that the United Nations and World Bank had worked jointly to fund projects, but that there could not really be cost sharing because of the difference in their funding processes –- that was, the different natures of grants and loans.

A representative of the World Bank said that based upon the Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSP) of Senegal, there could be direct budget support in the future, the first step of which would be the extension of a credit to the country for the realization of the PRSP and which would not be attached to any specific programme.  Posing questions of his own, he asked the United Nations Team to elaborate on its views on what would make for more effective development, and then asked Mr. Seydou how the Team and Senegal’s other international partners could operate more effectively within Senegal.

Responding for the United Nations Team, IAN HOPWOOD, a panellist and Resident Representative of the United Nations Children’s Fund, said that simplified policies, common databases, commonly agreed indicators and joint reporting and joint exercises -– even if money could not be pooled, common budgeting could help -– were among the immediate actions which could help to improve effectiveness on the ground.

For his part, Mr. Seydou responded that in political terms, Senegal wanted help to respond in situations of emergency.  In technical terms, Senegal had certain imperatives based on clear targets and objectives, including the reduction of the poverty level by 50 per cent by 2015.  Senegal’s PRSP was harmonized with the objectives of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD).

Commenting that Senegal had been relatively successful in its fight against HIV/AIDS, one delegate requested further information on the United Nations’ contribution to Senegal in this area, in response to which Mr. Hopwood said that Senegal’s success was due to its authorities’ willingness to act early and with strength as soon as the first cases of HIV/AIDS were identified, mobilizing civil and religious groups.  The United Nations’ contribution had been one of on-going support for this work.

Elaborating on the Government’s part in the fight against HIV/AIDS, Mr. Seydou said that, with the United Nations support, Senegal was in the forefront of information provision on HIV/AIDS.  This could not have been done without the United Nations, as providing information of such a sensitive and possibly sexual nature to a majority Muslim population would always be difficult.  However, Senegal had one of the lowest prevalence rates in Africa, indeed it was striking even in global terms and its way forward would be to go further and faster towards an even better rate.

Disputing the Government’s position, one delegate recalled that in 1986, the main newspaper in Senegal had carried a banner headline denying the existence of HIV/AIDS.  He said the original response in the fight against the virus had come from the civil society sector.

Speaking on the issue of civil society’s involvement in the fight against HIV/AIDS, WORE GANA SECK, Vice-President of CONGAD, a consortium of 160 national and international non-governmental organizations, said that her organization had undertaken many HIV/AIDS initiatives through small-scale action at the grass roots level.  There was a moral responsibility to fight the scourge of the HIV/AIDS pandemic.  About 50 of the 160 organizations were involved in the health work which included roadwork, workshops, and awareness raising.  In this connection, she stressed the importance of launching such information campaigns in schools, an area where the United Nations could play a significant role.

CONGAD was also involved, continued Ms. Seck, in the follow-up work resulting from the Millennium Development Goals, the PRSPs, the Johannesburg Summit and NEPAD in areas such as access to water, without which development was impossible.  There were only three months of rain in Senegal and due to the lack of investment in access to water, farmers could not afford to remain in rural areas.  CONGAD was also working on issues related to desertification and bio-safety.  Civil society had a role to play in monitoring programmes and being the watchdogs to ensure their sustainable development for all.

In conclusion, Mr. Rhazaoui said the United Nations team in Senegal had developed an excellent spirit, which helped its members go beyond their mandates.  Another reason for this productivity was the excellent cooperation the team had with the Government.  Concerning the success in bringing down the rate of HIV/AIDS, he informed ECOSOC that the Government had not become complacent.  This was indicative of the wish of the Government of Senegal to eradicate poverty.

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