Special Initiative: highlights of progress

Since its launch two years ago, the Special Initiative has focused mainly on political mobilization, coordination and harmonization of UN system assistance in the priority areas, and promotion of African leadership of the effort. This has contributed to some progress on the ground in certain priority areas, including education, governance and information technology.

EDUCATION:

• Aiming for a 75 per cent primary school enrolment rate by 2000, Senegal has reached agreement on primary education goals and implementation strategies with the UN country team and the World Bank. This has led to the adoption of arrangements for coordinating donor backing for a medium-term primary education programme which Senegal is formulating.
• Discussions with the UN team in Mozambique led to a July 1997 consultation on education in Paris, organized by UNESCO, which generated bilateral support for Mozambique's efforts to place basic education firmly within an overall development framework. Primary education will be an important component in the country's presentation to a World Bank Consultative Group meeting later this year.
• Zimbabwe has requested a consultation on its education sector, similar to the one organized for Mozambique by UNESCO. It is also working with the UN country team on a strategy to strengthen the sector and on attracting donor support. This work is expected to lead to the formulation of an education programme similar to the one being developed by Senegal.
• Fifteen countries -- Angola, Burkina Faso, Chad, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Mozambique, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal and Somalia -- have reached agreement with the World Bank and UNESCO, the Initiative's lead agencies in the education sector, on action plans to increase primary school enrolment.

GOVERNANCE:

ECA and UNDP, lead agencies for the governance component, have launched an annual series of Africa Governance Forums to facilitate the exchange of information and experience among governments and civil society organizations; to build partnerships; and to promote replication of "best practices." The first forum, held in Addis Ababa in June 1997, was attended by the governments of 14 countries, as well as representatives of civil society organizations and donors. Eventually, all sub-Saharan African countries are expected to participate in the series.

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY:

ECA has launched the African Information Society Initiative and is encouraging African countries to draw up five-year programmes for information and communications infrastructure. Projects already implemented or under way include UNDP's Internet Initiative for Africa, a $6 mn project to improve connectivity in 12 countries and UNCTAD's TradePoints initiative for developing trade efficiency networks in Africa, for which the European Union has pledged $33 mn.

COUNTRY RETREATS:

The Initiative emphasizes country-driven strategies as a basis for donor assistance. The basic method is for all UN agencies in a country to meet together, and with the government, in order to coordinate their programmes in general and to work out in detail how they will contribute in specific sectors. Such retreats in Ethiopia, Ghana, Mozambique and Togo have helped define ways of harmonizing programmes and implementation procedures.

WHAT IS THE SPECIAL INITIATIVE?

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