From Africa Recovery, Vol.12#2 (November 1998), Briefs page

General Assembly debates progress on UN New Agenda

African ambassadors at the UN recently argued that economic and political reforms carried out by many African countries -- often in spite of the adverse external environment -- outweighed the efforts of the international community in carrying out the contract of partnership under the UN New Agenda for the Development of Africa in the 1990s (UN-NADAF). These were among the main views expressed during a late October General Assembly debate on progress in implementing the New Agenda since its mid-term review in 1996.

Debate participants acknowledged that some progress had been made by the UN system in implementing measures and recommendations agreed at the mid-term review. However, African ambassadors urged the international community to provide more development aid, debt relief and improved market access for African products.

Many participants echoed the point made by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan in his recent progress report on the New Agenda that the inadequacy of financial resource flows to Africa poses a major constraint to the New Agenda's implementation. Mr. Annan noted that "Africa's share in total resource flows to developing countries not only halved, from 15.4 per cent in 1992 to 7.4 per cent in 1996, but also fluctuated from year to year."

Several representatives of non-African states were among those making the most vocal calls for increased financial flows to Africa -- particularly in the form of increased foreign direct investment. While not discounting the importance of development assistance, Mr. Hasmy Agam, Malaysia's Ambassador to the UN, referred to foreign direct investment and the associated acquisition of skills and technologies as the "way forward" for the development of Africa.

"Our deep concern is with the problems encountered from the external environment which often frustrate delivery and undermine constructive efforts in the implementation of the New Agenda," remarked Mr. Khiphusizi J. Jele, South Africa's Ambassador to the UN. Along with declining financial resource flows, Mr. Jele cited the "negative impacts of globalization on the fragile economies of Africa" as particular constraints in this context. Ms. Regina Montoya, representative of the United States, added that the international financial crisis and adverse weather conditions threatened to derail the substantial economic gains of some African countries.

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