NEW PARTNERSHIP FOR AFRICA’S DEVELOPMENT SPURS SUSTAINABLE GAINS ON CONTINENT, GENERAL ASSEMBLY TOLD, AS IT CONCLUDES DEBATE ON AFRICAN STRATEGY, CONCERNS

Sixty-first General Assembly

Plenary

30^th Meeting (AM)

NEW PARTNERSHIP FOR AFRICA’S DEVELOPMENT SPURS SUSTAINABLE GAINS ON CONTINENT,

GENERAL ASSEMBLY TOLD, AS IT CONCLUDES DEBATE ON AFRICAN STRATEGY, CONCERNS

The historic New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), five years since its inception, was bringing about sustainable advances for Africa, the General Assembly heard today, as it concluded its two-day debate on causes of conflict and the promotion of peace in Africa, sustainable development on the continent and efforts to roll back malaria there.

Several speakers said the debate had illuminated the way forward in accelerating the Partnership’s implementation.  Among the many participants from Africa, the representative of the Democratic Republic of the Congo today said that a key factor in NEPAD’s success had been the mobilization of world opinion by Africa’s development partners in the continent’s favour.  More initiatives such as debt relief were needed, however, to spur the NEPAD process.

He noted that the Secretary-General’s report had contained the recommendations for giving a brand new impetus to NEPAD, the essence of which was to set down concrete steps for action.  Those included, among others, the integration of NEPAD into the structures of the African Union, as well as development of the private sector, delivery on the development partners’ commitments, assisting Africa to diversify its economy and increase exports, and improving the quality of United Nations support of NEPAD.

Angola’s speaker pointed to the encouraging progress during the past year in resolving and preventing conflicts in Africa, saying that concrete steps had been taken to “consolidate peace where previously established, and re-establish peace where needed”.  That had been due, in large part, to the strong leadership of the African Union Peace and Security Council.  African countries were participating in and leading peacekeeping operations on the continent, in accordance with clear mandates from the Security Council.  The two new United Nations Peacebuilding mechanisms -– the Peacebuilding Commission and related Fund -- would fill an operational gap in establishing durable peace, particularly in Africa.

Several speakers commended the African Peer Review Mechanism as a sign of the commitment of African countries to good governance.  So far, 25 nations were subscribed in the process, in which missions led by regional organizations and institutions were carried out to evaluate national capacity for self-assessment and to prepare national action plans, aimed at improving governance.  The process also sought to establish an African Peer Review Forum.

Venezuela’s representative asserted that the United Nations was the correct venue to streamline international aid for NEPAD, and he urged all United Nations programmes for Africa to follow the African Union and NEPAD guidelines, adopting development perspectives initiated by African nations.  He also called for strengthened South-South cooperation, saying his country had recently opened 12 new diplomatic offices in Africa.  An office of the Economic and Social Development Bank of Venezuela would open in Mali in the near future.

Echoing the broad support for the Africa-led and owned Partnership, the United States representative said that NEPAD had helped to improve economic growth and good governance across sub-Saharan Africa.  Indeed, the Partnership had become the pillar for United States’ assistance to Africa.  There was strong support globally to attend to Africa’s development needs.

In Monterrey, he said, his country had pledged to increase foreign assistance to the continent by 2006.  That pledge had been met three years early, when United States overseas development assistance (ODA) reached $16.3 billion in 2003, and assistance for 2005 had continued to go up and increased by 27 per cent over 2004 levels.  The United States was also expanding trade opportunities through its Africa Growth and Opportunity Act, with African imports up by 40 per cent since 2000.

Statements in the concluding debate were also made by the representatives of Thailand, China, Benin and Israel.

The Permanent Observers for the Holy See and the International Committee of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies also spoke.

The General Assembly will meet again at 3 p.m. this afternoon to consider a draft resolution on the appointment of the next United Nations Secretary—General.

Background

The General Assembly met this morning to conclude its joint debate on the 2001-2010 Decade to roll back malaria and on the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD).  (For background see Press Release GA/10512 of 12 October).

Statements

SANSANEE SAHUSSARUNGSI (Thailand), aligning himself with the statements made on behalf of the Group of 77 developing countries and China, and that of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), expressed his country’s continued support of, and appreciation for, the global efforts to promote achievement of the Millennium Development Goals.  Thailand remained committed to fully participate with the international community in further initiatives.  Towards that end, it was currently carrying out technical cooperation programmes for Africa, in wide-ranging fields of common interest, through which it was offering scholarships for training courses and experts exchanges.

He said his country was providing technical cooperation to African countries to combat the HIV/AIDS epidemic, for which it was transferring technology to help set up factories to effectively produce medicine at a low cost.  Additionally, his country was sharing its experience in avian influenza prevention and control, for which it had set up an information sharing system to help monitor outbreaks and report them quickly to relevant international organizations.

LIU ZHENMIN ( China) noted that the African economy, in recent years, had maintained a strong momentum of growth, thereby creating certain conditions for poverty eradication and sustainable development.  The international community, for its part, had given greater priority and aid to Africa’s development, and some developed countries had taken practical steps for increased aid and debt relief.  South-South cooperation between African and other developing countries was expanding.  All of those were positive elements conducive to Africa’s development, and now, the main task of the world community was to consolidate that momentum and further fulfil existing commitments.

He urged the African countries to further pursue their national development strategies, strengthen coordination among them, and mobilize all forces to jointly promote Africa’s development.  The international community should fulfil the aid commitments to African countries, and coordinate and support them in their development endeavour.  The United Nations should strengthen collaboration in its support to NEPAD, and international financial inputs should be increased.  The international community should act from the long-term perspective, and help African countries build capacity, so as to attract more foreign direct investment.

International efforts should also be made to help the Partnership make full use of economic globalization, given the Partnership’s pragmatic nature, he said.  For example, the international community needed to adopt a series of measures, including steps to correct the trade distortion and expand African countries’ trade opportunities.  Full use should also be made of the current favourable climate when commodity prices were high, to allow African countries to benefit from their resource advantage, which would improve their economic diversification.  In addition, aid-for-trade should be implemented.  South-South cooperation could also help those countries in their development.

In 2005, he said, the bilateral trade volume between China and Africa reached $39.746 billion, with $2.38 billion of Chinese deficit.  The Chinese Government also conducted 63 aid projects for 48 African countries and regions, sent 54 batches of goods, and focused on agricultural development, infrastructure, human resources training and medical and health cooperation.  Following the zero-tariff treatment given by China to some imported commodities from 25 least developed countries in Africa, beginning 1 January 2006, Equatorial Guinea, Angola and Senegal joined that list.  The Chinese Government also encouraged capable Chinese enterprises to invest and build factories in Africa, he added.

JEAN-MARIE EHOUZOU (Benin), aligning himself with the statements made on behalf of the Group of 77 and China, and the African Union, said Africa was an unpredictable continent, capable of the best and the worst, but that, as the Secretary-General’s reports had illuminated, profound institutional reforms were being carried out, creating a better environment for economic and social progress.  The development of any country, however, was a long-term process and the development of Africa could not be fast.  Long-term solutions should include the promotion of good governance, the elimination of corruption and respect for human rights.  National efforts needed to be backed by the international community.

He said also that the international community could not ignore external forces, which contributed to conflict in Africa, such as the circulation of illegal weapons.  He urged the international community to support NEPAD because it contained the elements that would help Africa’s recovery, including its programmes on the environment, agriculture and technology.  Countries that had received debt forgiveness would also continue to need assistance, so they did not relapse into renewed debt.  A lot still remained to be done, for which bold action was needed, because Africa still had 34 least developed countries.

FRANCISCO JAVIER ARIAS CARDENAS ( Venezuela) said that the United Nations was the correct venue to streamline international aid for NEPAD, and in that regard, his Government had given the World Food Program (WFP) a grant of $3.8 million, destined for the countries of Burkina Faso, Gambia, Mali, Mauritania and Niger.  It had also provided an emergency food grant of $4.3 million for Kenya, Gambia, Western Sahara and Somalia.  He urged that all United Nations programmes for Africa follow the African Union and NEPAD’s guidelines, and adopt development perspectives initiated by African nations.

Aware of their ancestral links with Africa, the Venezuelan Vice Ministry for Africa had developed an African Agenda, which included several diplomatic, cultural, educational, health and other types of cooperation, he said.  His country had also signed the Durban Convention of 2001, which fought all forms of racial discrimination.  South-South cooperation was being strengthened:  12 new diplomatic offices had opened in Africa in the past two years, and an office of the Economic and Social Development Bank of Venezuela would open in Mali in the near future.  All cooperation agreements were being made with the idea that it was possible to create a world different from the one that was being imposed by the economic centres of world power, he stated.

JEAN MARIE BOSSINA ( Democratic Republic of the Congo) recalled that, the Partnership had been initiated primarily for the dual purpose of reducing poverty in Africa, and facilitating the integration of African countries into the global economy.  Much progress had been accomplished in the five years of implementation of that framework for Africa’s development, despite such obstacles as the flow of illegal arms and mercenaries, which fuelled conflicts, illegal migration, illegal exploitation of natural resources, humanitarian crises and the HIV/AIDS pandemic.  In line with NEPAD’s priorities, progress had been made in such areas as transportation, energy, water, health, education, science and technology and, most significantly, governance.

He said that, a key factor in successfully implementing the NEPAD strategy to bring about durable and sustainable advances was the continuing mobilization of world public opinion, and that of the development partners, in favour of Africa.  More initiatives, such as debt relief, were needed to accelerate the NEPAD process.  The Secretary-General’s report contained the recommendations for giving a brand new impetus to NEPAD, the essence of which was to set down concrete steps for action.  That included the integration of NEPAD into the structures and mechanisms of the African Union, development of the private sector, delivery on the commitments of the development partners, assisting Africa to diversify its economy and increase exports, and improving the quality of United Nations support of NEPAD, by including the holding of regular contacts with the African Union.

THOMAS SCOTT ( United States) congratulated the African Members of the New Partnership for the initiative’s five good years, which had helped to improve economic growth and good governance across sub-Saharan Africa.  NEPAD was the key pillar for United States assistance to Africa.  There was strong support among the world to attend to Africa’s development needs, as had been reflected during the G-8 Summit at Gleneagles, Scotland.

In the 2002 Monterrey Declaration, he said the United States had pledged to increase foreign assistance to the continent by 2006.  That pledge was met three years earlier, when United States official development assistance reached $16.3 billion.  Assistance for 2005 had continued to go up, increasing by 27 per cent over 2004 levels.  Total United States official development assistance had grown by an average of 22.4 per cent over that period, nearly double the 11.7 per cent of the other G-8 nations.  The United States was attempting to help increase Africa’s share of world trade and GDP -— which remained at under 2 per cent -- by expanding trade opportunities, as delineated under the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act.  United States imports from Africa had increased by 40 per cent since 2000, and the United States wanted an increase in non-oil products.

An example of the United States and African development cooperation was a $547 million deal signed by Ghana with the Millennium Challenge Corporation last August to stimulate agriculture exports, among others, he said.  The Millennium Challenge Account program and NEPAD shared the same philosophy, including support for good governance, better delivery of services and economic freedom and liberties.  The United States remained committed to supporting the African Union and NEPAD initiatives, especially the African Peer Review Mechanism, the Comprehensive African Agricultural Development Program, and the power generation project, the West African Power Pool.  On malaria, the United States was working in six highly endemic countries, and planned to expand its reach to 15 countries in the next few years.

DANIEL CARMON ( Israel) noted with satisfaction, the Assembly’s decision to hold a joint debate on all three NEPAD issues, which accurately reflected the link between peace and development, and helped to focus the Assembly’s work.  NEPAD was an example of how regional ownership and cooperation could be harnessed to pursue development and address its challenges.  The acceptance of 25 countries to the African Peer Review Mechanism reflected the continent’s desire to accomplish the goals of NEPAD, namely, good governance, democracy, peace and security, human rights and sound economic management.

He said his Government considered relations with Africa to be of the highest priority, and it sought to build development partnerships with sub-Saharan Africa.  It actively supported international initiatives, such as the World Bank’s International Development Assistance and the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Debt Initiative.  Israel had already forgiven the debt of several African countries, and would consider additional debt relief for others.  Additional bilateral cooperation programmes included several agricultural assistance projects with Ethiopia and South Africa, which sought to lower the risk of subsistence farmers in arid and semi-arid zones, among other targets.  On health, his Government had launched several initiatives on malaria, HIV/AIDS and eye-care.

GASPAR MARTINS ( Angola) noted that the Secretary-General’s report on the causes of conflict and the promotion of durable peace, through sustainable development in Africa, coincided with the fifth “birthday” of the NEPAD Partnership.  Indeed, NEPAD was a demonstration of great political will and commitment at all levels towards achieving Africa’s renewal.  The key challenge was to translate commitments and will into tangible actions, consistent with the Partnership’s framework, throughout the continent.

Noting improvements in all areas, from infrastructure to gender mainstreaming and involvement of civil society in governance, he said that those were all visible signs of progress, owing to a global partnership, which involved States, the United Nations system, regional and subregional organizations, international and regional financial institutions, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), the private sector and civil society.  The goal now was to integrate the achievements in one sector, or region, into the continent, as a whole.

Africa’s commitment to good governance was borne out by implementation of the African Peer Review Mechanism, he said.  Angola had been one of 25 African countries to have hosted support missions to evaluate national capacity for self-assessment, and to have prepared a national action plan.  That had been an important step towards an African Peer Review Forum.  To maintain the development momentum, African countries must mainstream NEPAD principles and vision into plans and institutions.  Raising public awareness about NEPAD was a critical component for conceiving and implementing projects in areas such as infrastructure and health.  Development partners and the international community must take steps to help Africa integrate into the global economy, through foreign direct investment, while African countries must institute regulatory reforms to improve capital flows to non-traditional sectors, as had been done under an Africa Investment Facility, spearheaded by NEPAD and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).  The official development assistance mechanism must also be reviewed to ensure that development activities were included.

He said he was encouraged by recent progress in resolving and preventing conflicts in Africa.  The past year had seen concrete steps to “consolidate peace where previously established”, and to “re-establish peace where needed”.  The African Union Peace and Security Council had a leading role in that regard.  African countries were participating and leading peacekeeping operations on the continent, following clear mandates from the Security Council.  The Peacebuilding Commission, chaired by Angola, and the Peacebuilding Fund, inaugurated this week, would fill an operational gap in the establishment of durable peace in the world, and, in particular, in Africa.

Archbishop CELESTINO MIGLIORE, Permanent Observer of the Holy See, said that during the past five years, one of NEPAD’s main strengths had indeed been its ability to build cooperative relationships between African Governments and their people, as well as with the private sector and civil society.  The Holy See believed that Africa and the wider international community should continue forging partnerships for sustainable development, but ever more creative thinking was required to make those partnerships more dynamic.  Broader implementation of the NEPAD called for a radically new partnership direction, focusing on solidarity at bilateral and multilateral levels, and premised on the conviction that the well-being of Africa’s people was an indispensable condition for the attainment of the “universal common good”.

He said that achieving that goal called for a new political culture, especially in the area of international cooperation.  Lagging official development assistance, still unresolved questions surrounding some foreign debt, and the reluctance to give some countries special consideration in international commercial relations were all issues that needed to be urgently addressed.  In order to help build international cooperation and strengthen solidarity, the Holy See reiterated its call on Governments to honour their promises regarding debt relief, or debt forgiveness, as well as the timely fulfilment of 0.7 per cent of gross national product for official development assistance.

ENCHO GOSPODINOV, Permanent Observer of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, said the old ways of working had not delivered the solutions that the people of Africa desperately needed and deserved.  Further, too little account had been taken of the expertise available in Africa, so that a lot of well-meaning assistance continued to miss its targets.  Africa presented a clear case for better coordination and partnerships, he said, and went on to provide a few examples of how the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies had combined its expertise with others’ capabilities to make things happen.  The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies had built on its grass roots in-country presence to provide the human resources essential to assisting populations at risk from diseases like malaria.

In Niger, for example, he said that the Societies had worked with the country’s Red Cross unit, the Niger Ministry of Health, and other partners to distribute some 2 million mosquito nets to mothers of children under five, and to vaccinate children against polio throughout the country.  That initiative, which had also included the distribution of long-lasting insecticidal nets, had been made possible, in large part, by the national-level partnerships and community-level volunteers of the International Federation of Clinical Chemistry working with the Niger Red Cross, which had been able to reach households that the Government health systems could not access.  The initiative had also been able to allay the fears and dispel myths surrounding polio vaccination.

Now, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies had taken that experience to other settings, including to African countries affected by cholera, he said.  The Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies had joined together with ministries of health, the World Health Organization (WHO), Medecins Sans Frontiers and local actors to address the cholera threat, by educating the public, and improving water and sanitation conditions, he said.

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For information media • not an official record