From Africa Recovery, Vol.12#2 (November 1998), page 5
Debt and exports top Africa's agenda
High-level UN panel calls for harmonization of international initiatives
By Mehri Madarshahi
"I have not only continued to encourage African countries to assume greater responsibility for building durable peace and promoting sustainable development, I have also urged their development partners to provide the necessary support," declared UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan at the inaugural meeting of the reconstituted Panel of High-Level Personalities on African Development, held in New York on 15 October 1998.
Mr. Annan opened the meeting by noting the forum's role in providing a timely "opportunity for high-level experts of diverse background and experience, from Africa and other regions, to exchange views on development challenges and opportunities on the continent."
Drawing Panel members' attention to his recent report, The Causes of Conflict and the Promotion of Durable Peace and Sustainable Development in Africa, Mr. Annan urged the Panel to focus discussions on report recommendations concerning debt relief, market access and greater export capacity, and the harmonization of international and bilateral initiatives on Africa. To facilitate discussions, the Office of the Special Coordinator for Africa and Least Developed Countries (OSCAL) in the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs prepared background papers on these issues.
OSCAL's paper on Africa's external debt, echoed Mr. Annan's call for "more flexibility in the implementation of the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Initiative (HIPC) so as to increase the number of beneficiary countries." Agreeing on the need to strengthen debt management capacity, the Panel discussed ideas such as the creation of an independent body to analyze debt sustainability, and clearer linkage of debt relief with poverty reduction.
Turning to the topic of Africa's access to export markets, the Panel noted the need to address the high and escalating tariffs imposed on Africa's major exports, such as agricultural products, textiles and clothing, and leather goods. Speakers affirmed the importance of building supply capacity to take advantage of market opportunities. Specific Panel recommendations on this issue included improvements to infrastructure, product packaging and marketing skills.
The Panel also urged more trade-related technical assistance to Africa to strengthen African countries' negotiating capabilities in the World Trade Organization.
Several speakers called for increased intra- and inter-regional trade. Toward this end, the Panel voiced support for regional infrastructure projects to lower transaction costs and facilitate Africa's integration into the global economy.
Panel speakers stressed the importance of harmonizing and coordinating the various international initiatives on Africa, guided by locally owned strategies to ensure added value and synergy. Among other proposals, the Panel recommended more effective coordination among bilateral and multilateral donors and within the UN system. The Panel said African countries and their partners should collaborate to set priorities and realistic targets and define respective responsibilities, while enlarging the role of civil society in the collaborative process.
Citing Africa's improved economic performance of recent years, several Panel participants expressed optimism about the continent's future as well as concern that the good results could be undermined by the effects of the global financial crisis. Underscoring the importance of holding the meeting at a time when Africa's recent economic gains risk being reversed, Mr. Poul Nielson, Denmark's Minister for Development Cooperation and the meeting's chairman, concluded by urging Panel members to prioritize African development issues on the international agenda, and to follow up, in their respective capacities, on the meeting's proposals.
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BOX 1:
Participants in the High-Level Panel meeting
Speciosa Wandira Kazibwe, Vice-President, Uganda
Frene Ginwala, Speaker, South Africa's National Assembly
Ablassse Ouédraogo, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Burkina Faso
Poul Nielson, Minister for Development Cooperation, Denmark
Shinsuke Horiuchi, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Japan
John Vereker, Permanent Secretary, Department for International Development, UK
Cyril Enweze, Vice-President, African Development Bank
James Michel, Chairman, Development Assistance Committee, OECD
Hisham El-Sherif, Chairman of the Advisory Board, Cabinet Information and Decision Support Centre, Egypt
Anthony Lake, Georgetown University, Washington, DC
Kwesi Botchwey, Director, Africa Research and Programmes, Harvard Institute for International Development
Francis Deng, Senior Fellow, Brookings Institute
Ahmed Haggag, Assistant Secretary-General, OAU
James Gustave Speth, Administrator, UNDP
Nitin Desai, Under-Secretary-General, UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs
Rubens Ricupero, Secretary-General, UNCTAD
K.Y. Amoako, Executive Secretary, ECA
Callisto Madavo, Vice-President for Africa, World Bank
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