Source: Accra Daily Mail - http://www.accra-mail.com/mailnews.asp?id=13262
During the just ended peer review forum in Abuja, Nigeria, the leaders issued the draft resolution presented below on a basket of issues for discussion later in the year.
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Progress in addressing food security and hunger in Africa
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We note with satisfaction the progress that has been accomplished over the past three years towards the implementation of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) as a common framework for agricultural sector development and conduit towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals in Africa.
In this regard the emerging ownership of CAADP by Regional Economic Communities (RECs) as well as the private sector, civil society organizations, including farmers organizations has paved the way for the articulation of a new agricultural development agenda for Africa.
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We are particularly encouraged that the RECs and member countries have now been able to define their long and medium term CAADP action plans and the 12 month early action programmes which were endorsed at the Accra Summit in May 2005. These plans and early actions have laid the ground work for the acceleration of a coherent implementation of CAADP.
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We also welcome the support that many bilateral and multilateral development partners have provided and continue to provide to the implementation process, as reflected by their strong presence at the Accra Summit on the implementation of the CAADP agenda.
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We reaffirm our commitment in ensuring a successful implementation of the CAADP, including implementation of the Maputo Pledge of allocating 10% of national budgets to the agricultural sector.
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Millennium Development Goals (MDGS)
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The 13th HSGIC Summit called on the NEPAD Secretariat to continue to work closely with the Africa Union Commission for the production of a single MDG Report for African leaders in July this year.
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We, therefore, note with great appreciation the collaborative efforts of UNDP in convening 3 sub-regional workshops aimed at consolidating sub-regional views on progress and challenges in the attainment of MDGs.
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We commend the AU Commission and the NEPAD Secretariat on their efforts and are encouraged by the progress made in the development of the Africa MDG Review Report and the conceptualization of an Africa Common Position on MDGs, which will be presented at the AU Summit in July 2005.
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Accelerating the implementation of NEPAD in partnership with the G8 and the International Community.
We recognize and appreciate the considerable efforts by the international community; however given the development challenges facing our continent we reiterate our call to the G8 and all our development partners to reaffirm commitments to strengthen the partnership with Africa and to build on the evidence presented and actions proposed by the Commission for Africa and the UN Millennium Project to address the obstacles that have impeded progress.
We therefore call on the G8 and the international community to take the following actions:
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Commit to provide increased budgetary support for the Peace and Security programme of the African Union on a predictable multi-year basis.
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Double development assistance in three years and schedule thereafter further increases to ensure that Africa meets the MDGs by 2015.
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Establish an AU/NEPAD Development Fund of US$20 billion at the AfDB by the end of 2005 and agree on the necessary governance mechanisms to ensure the proper speedy disbursement of funds.
The fund would finance:
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NEPAD infrastructure projects;
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Other NEPAD priority programmes including agriculture, health, water, and sanitation, education and skills development, capacity building obligations arising out of the APRM process.
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While acknowledging progress recently made with the cancellation of debt for 14 African countries, we call for steps to be taken to include all highly indebted African countries.
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Agree on a timetable to do away with agricultural subsides.
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African Commitments
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We acknowledge and reaffirm the commitment of African Heads of States and Government to accelerate political, social and economic reforms in line with the NEPAD plan.
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We are also encouraged by the remarkable progress made in many areas, including on the African Peer Review Mechanism as well as in efforts towards the eradication of conflicts throughout the continent.
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However, we are also mindful of the actual and perceived shortcomings from the African side and, therefore, commit ourselves to the following:
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Continue to strengthen the political will required for success and personal involvement in driving the agenda.
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As a matter of extreme urgency, give the necessary political leadership in the preparation of short and long term national development plans and/or expanded PRSPs that are ambitious enough to achieve the MDGs by 2015. This requires incorporation of NEPAD's agriculture, rural development, integrated health systems, education and skills development, water and sanitation and science and technology in national development plans or expanded PRPSPs.
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Commit ourselves not to divert domestic resources from those sectors that receive increased development assistance.
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Promote better mobilization and increased use of domestic resources to accelerate development. An initial investigation has shown an amount of US$127 billion under management in the Government Employee Pension Funds of fourteen African countries. As a result, Heads of State and Government have already instructed Ministers of Finance to find mechanisms to invest these funds into high priority infrastructure projects.
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Give urgent attention to capacity building at both the national and sub-region levels, with particular attention to the resolution of inefficiencies caused by the multiplicity of regional groupings.
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Continue to improve political and economic governance and speed up peer review.
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Progress with the establishment of the Pan-African Infrastructure Development Fund
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We note with appreciation the findings of the initial study commissioned by the NEPAD Secretariat which shows that African countries have under their control pension funds which can be invested in some of the high priority NEPAD projects. A pilot study of 14 African countries has shown that they have under their control more than US$127 billion.
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We note that this matter has been referred by the NEPAD Secretariat to the African Ministers of Finance and that the ministers are leading the development of possible mechanisms for mobilizing and investing a percentage of the African pension funds in NEPAD high priority projects. We therefore take note of the presentation by Hon. Minister of Finance of Nigeria, Ms Ngozi Iweala, and call on the ministers to continue their work and report to the next NEPAD HSGIC later this year.
Please note:
The NEPAD website carries both the official communiquй (http://www.nepad.org/2005/files/communiques/communique_21605.pdf) and the welcoming speech by General Obasanjo (http://www.nepad.org/2005/files/communiques/speech_19605abuja.pdf) to the Abuja meeting of the NEPAD Heads of State and the African Peer Review Mechanism.
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