Friday, October 9, 2015

EVENT: Africa Week at the UN General Assembly (12-16 October, 2015)

Africa Week at the UN General Assembly

 

Africa Week at the UN General Assembly

Oct 12 2015 - Oct 16 2015, New York, United States



Monday, October 12


High-Level Event - Role of African Regional and Sub-regional Organizations in Achieving Regional Integration: The Continental Free Trade Area within the Context of the First 10-year Implementation Plan of Agenda 2063
9:30 am - 1:00 pm | ECOSOC Chamber
Agenda [DOWNLOAD]
Concept note [DOWNLOAD]

This high-level event, which will serve as the formal opening of the Africa Week activities, will focus on the importance of African regional and sub-regional organizations in achieving integration for Africa’s development. The event will focus on highlighting progress made towards regional integration, next steps, and the role of the international community in supporting Africa’s integration efforts. The event will particularly highlight the 10 June 2015 launch of the Tripartite Free Trade Area as the first step towards the achievement of the Continental Free Trade Area envisaged by Agenda 2063 and its First 10-Year Implementation Plan. In addition to featured speakers, the event will provide an opportunity for engaging with Permanent Representatives of Member States and other relevant stakeholders. The event will be structured in two parts, consisting of both an inaugural and a thematic session.

Media Roundtable with African Regional Economic Communities on “Silencing the Guns in Africa: the Nexus between Peace, Security, Governance and Development”

1:30 pm - 2:30 pm | Permanent Observer Mission of the African Union to the United Nations
Agenda [DOWNLOAD]
This will feature the USG OSAA, the Chief Executives Officers or Senior Representatives of the RECs, the Adviser to the AUC Chairperson on the RECs and the AUOM. The event will be moderated by the Director of the AUC Directorate for Information and Communications.

Annual High-Level Briefing by African RECs on “Silencing the Guns in Africa: the Nexus between Peace, Security, Governance and Development”

3:00 pm - 6:00 pm | ECOSOC Chamber
Agenda [DOWNLOAD] 
Concept note [DOWNLOAD]
This annual briefing, which marks a new approach of engaging the RECs in the Africa Week, will focus on the African Union’s Silencing the Guns agenda – a theme that was agreed with the RECs in January 2015. The overall thrust of the briefing will be anchored on Agenda 2063’s First 10-Year Implementation Plan, as Silencing the Guns constitutes one of its flagship projects. The briefing will specifically focus on the role of the RECs as implementing agencies in addressing the four interrelated dimensions of the agenda, highlighting persistent challenges and the role of the international community in supporting the RECs in this regard. The meeting’s structure as a “briefing by the RECs” will be maintained, although the Chairs of the RECs as well as the delegations from the AUC, NEPAD and the APRM will also participate. As is the practice, the event will provide an opportunity for Member States and other relevant stakeholders to directly engage the RECs.



Tuesday, October 13


UN Interdepartmental Taskforce on African Affairs: Briefing on Agenda 2063 and its First 10-Year Implementation Plan and PAIDA
3:00 pm - 6:00 pm | ConferenceRoom 8
Agenda [DOWNLOAD]
This briefing will aim to raise awareness of PAIDA and highlight the next steps in developing the PAIDA action plans as well as the role of UN system entities in this process. The briefing will also provide insights on the process of reconfiguring the RCM-Africa cluster system to enhance its effectiveness in delivering UN system support to Africa in the implementation of Agenda 2063. This briefing will be a closed meeting comprising mainly of IDTFA members and the key African implementing bodies of PAIDA - AUC, NEPAD, APRM and the RECs. In addition to featured speakers, the event will allow for interactive discussions and exchanges between members of the IDTFA and the delegations from ECA, AUC, APRM, NEPAD and the RECs.
 **This briefing will be a CLOSED meeting of UN System Principals and Representatives of the AUC, NEPAD, the APRM and the RECs**



Wednesday, October 14


High-Level Event - 15 Years of the Women, Peace and Security Agenda in Africa: Stocktaking & Perspectives
9:00 am - 11:00 am | ConferenceRoom 12
Concept note [DOWNLOAD] 
Agenda [DOWNLOAD]
This high-level event is being organized in the context of the African Union 2015 “Year of Women's Empowerment and Development towards Africa's Agenda 2063” and the 15-year review of the United Nations Security Council resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security. As the world gathers at the United Nations Headquarters to celebrate the 15th Anniversary of UNSCR 1325, the event provides an opportune moment for Africa to share her experiences in the implementation of this landmark resolution, including with respect to resulting AU instruments. It also creates an opportunity for reflection on ways to accelerate the implementation of resolution 1325 and its subsequent resolutions in the face of new and emerging threats to women, peace and security in Africa, such as terrorism and violent extremism, and climate change. In addition, it provides an opportunity to strategize on transformative actions to address women’s peace and security in a comprehensive and integrated manner in the context of implementation of the remaining years of the African Women’s Decade, Africa’s Agenda 2063 and the global 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The event will culminate in the launch of a booklet on Africa & UNSCR 1325. The event will feature participation of a wide range of stakeholders, including Member States, regional and multilateral organisations, civil society, and global and regional women’s organizations. 

Africa Week 2015: Press Briefing
12:30 pm - 1:00 pm | Press Briefing Room, Second Floor, Secretariat Building
Agenda [DOWNLOAD]
This press briefing will feature the USG for OSAA; AU Commissioners; the CEO of the NEPAD Agency; the Chairperson of the APR Panel; and the Permanent Observer of the AU to the United Nations. The event will be moderated by the Director of the AUC Directorate for Information and Communications.

“African Continental Framework on Youth Development: Mainstream into Agenda 2063”
3:00 pm - 6:00 pm | Conference Room 6 (CB) 
Concept note [DOWNLOAD] 
Agenda [DOWNLOAD]
This high-level event will focus on the forthcoming African Continental Framework on Youth Development, which aims to assist African Member States to define national employment policy schemes with operational action plans in line with the objectives of inclusive growth and the creation of decent and sustainable jobs. In this context, the event will also highlight progress and challenges in the implementation of the African Youth Charter (2006) as well as the important role of youth employment in accelerating achievement of the aspirations of Agenda 2063. The event will also address the role of global, regional, sub-regional and national actors in youth development on the continent, including the role of the NEPAD Planning and Coordinating Agency in forging partnerships between stakeholders and in mobilizing public and private sector support for youth development.



Thursday, October 15

Annual Briefing to UN Member States on Two Reports of the Secretary-General and Presentations by NEPAD and the APRM
10:00 am - 1:00 pm | ConferenceRoom 6
Agenda [DOWNLOAD]
This annual briefing will be structured in two parts. The first will be a presentation of the UN Secretary-General’s reports: “New Partnership for Africa’s Development: thirteenth consolidated progress report on implementation and international support” and “Causes of conflict and the promotion of durable peace and sustainable development in Africa.” This segment will also feature remarks by partners on the two reports: namely by the Executive Secretary for ECA and the Permanent Representative of Senegal to the United Nations (in his capacity as Chair of the African Group for the month of September). The second segment will feature thematic presentations on “The Key Role of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development in Implementing Agenda 2063” and “The Role of the African Peer Review Mechanism in Monitoring of Agenda 2063 and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”. This annual briefing, based on OSAA’s mandated reports, is aimed at raising awareness of Member States and UN system entities on Africa’s emerging issues on peace, security and development and providing in-depth analysis and policy recommendations. Interactive Q&A discussions will follow each part.

NEPAD Lecture at Yale University- Implementing the African Union’s 50 Year Vision: NEPAD’s role in Agenda 2063
04:15 pm - 05:45 pm | Room 4400, Evans Hall, Yale School of Management, 165 Whitney Avenue, New Haven, CT
Flyer [DOWNLOAD]
This lecture will be delivered by the CEO of NEPAD at the Yale University.



Friday, October 16

70th UN General Assembly Debate on the Development of Africa
General Assembly Hall
Development of Africa based on the Secretary-General’s Reports on: Progress in the Implementation of NEPAD; and the Causes of Conflict and the Promotion of Durable Peace and Sustainable Development in Africa

For more information on Africa Week, go to:
English: http://www.un.org/en/africa/osaa/events/2015/africaweek20151012.shtml
French: http://www.un.org/fr/africa/osaa/events/2015/africaweek20151012.shtml

Event Information

Event Location

New York, United States

source: http://www.nepad.org/conferences/africa-week-un-general-assembly

Thursday, October 8, 2015

STORIFY Feature: What you missed from the Press Briefing of African Union's Commissioner for Rural Economy & Agriculture

#STCAgric: Nepad, AU Want STC to Focus on COP21

Nepad, AU Want STC to Focus on COP21

George Mhango
October 06, 2015

A meeting of experts convened by the African Union and Nepad aimed at establishing specialized technical committee (STC) has agreed to present agriculture, water, rural development and environment as major issues during the Cop21 in Paris, France.

The Conference of Parties (COP) 21 is expected to be held in December this year with continental experts likely to present what they perceive as challenges following thorough research and consultations.

Cop21 Logo

News has it that COP21 will be a crucial conference, as it needs to achieve a new international agreement on the climate, applicable to all countries, with the aim of keeping global warming below 2°C.

To this effect, the STC, which comes into effect this week following revision and examination of terms of reference (ToRs) is expected to do just that on behalf of the continent with clear backing of Nepad and AU.

Head of Comprehensive African Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) Dr Augustin Wambo Yamdjeu said in an exclusive interview on Monday in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa that the idea to have the STC makes the work of the department easier because water, agriculture, rural development and environment are directly linked.
The STC will have to have something in their folders ahead of the COP meeting. This also follows what the Malabo Declaration called for and that is multisectoral approach as backed by the AU decision in 2011 to have a fully-fledged integrated governance structure to champion such matters,” he said.
The Malabo Declaration, which calls on African leaders to walk the talk on championing agricultural matters, is a follow up to the Maputo Declaration which called on various governments to commit 10 percent of their budget towards agriculture.

Initially, Malawi is one of the shining examples of a country in which has over the years committed about 10 percent towards the annual budget for the farm input fertilizer subsidy programme (FISP), according to local and international economists.

Dr Yamdjeu said a lot of research findings show that climate change has had an impact on food security, water and environment, despite that CAADP is advocating for climate smart agriculture (CSA) and conservation agriculture.
We hope that after Paris something will be agreed upon for Africa and other countries. Africa needs to critically rethink on the matter, hence the need for the committee to come up with pertinent issues to be presented to COP21,” he said.
He said ministers responsible for agriculture, water, rural development and environment as part of the specialized technical committee will take the matter to the conference of parties (COP) 21 as an area that needs more attention.

Currently experts through the established bureau are behind closed doors to craft a working template for the STC.

The STC, which will comprise ministers from member states of the AU will have a mandate of examining, reviewing and considering adoption of policies and strategic frameworks designed to develop agriculture, water, rural development and environment on the continent, among others.

Notes from the 2011 meeting also show that STC’s shall be responsible to the executive council of African Union in championing water, agriculture, among others for the betterment of the African continent.

source: http://waterjournalistsafrica.com/2015/10/06/1858/

West Africa Launches Regional Police Info System to fight Organized Crime

ACCRA, Sept.30 (Xinhua) -- The West African Police Information System (WAPIS) has been inaugurated in Ghana's capital, Accra, to fight organized crime and terrorism in the sub-region.


The WAPIS Programme’s third phase will see its implementation in all ECOWAS member states and the development of a regional police data sharing platform under the aegis of ECOWAS. -- INTERPOL

Experts believe one of the main challenges in fighting transnational organized criminality is inaccurate statistics and data on reported occurrences.

The initiative is therefore aimed at creating a common police-information system across West Africa to share criminal information on a timely basis.

It will also ensure greater law enforcement cooperation within the region and the rest of the world in fighting organized crime and terrorism.

The European Union is providing funding to the International Criminal Police Organization for the development and implementation of the initiative for member-countries within the region and Mauritania.
Addressing the media, the Minister for the Interior, Mark Owen Woyongo, said the center stemmed from the sub-regional bloc's concern over the spate of transnational crimes and terrorism affecting the area.
"WAPIS will enable police officers in west African countries to access critical police information from their national criminal databases, thus improving the identification of criminals and supporting ongoing investigations," he said.

Woyongo said his ministry had signed a contract with Ahui Communications Services Limited, a subsidiary of China Communications Services International, to carry out a feasibility study on the introduction of CCTV cameras on roads in Ghana at no cost to the government.

He said the project would help the police maintain discipline on the roads and also reduce crime.

Copyright2015 Xinhua News Agency

source: http://www.globalpost.com/article/6660071/2015/09/30/west-africa-launches-regional-police-info-system-fight-organized-crime 

also: http://www.interpol.int/News-and-media/News/2015/N2015-150
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