Africa is one of the themes of the
current cycle of
the Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD-16/17), which
also examines
agriculture,
rural development,
land,
drought and desertification. These other themes are of
particular relevance to Africa, where most economies continue to
heavily rural-based and agriculture-dependent, and where poverty
eradication will depend on boosting the productivity of the
agricultural and rural economy.
Since the
United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in Rio
(1992), sustainable development has remained elusive for
many African countries. Poverty is still a major challenge, as
41% of the Sub-Sahara African population (or roughly 300 million
people) were living on one dollar a day or less in 2004. Most
countries on the continent have not managed to reap fully the
benefits of globalization. Besides, multiple armed conflicts,
insufficient access to education and widespread pandemics, such
as HIV and malaria, have undermined Africa's efforts to achieve
sustainable development. The region is also challenged by
serious environmental threats, including desertification,
deforestation and climate change.
Over the last years, African countries have been strongly
committed to mounting an effective response to these threats and
challenges. The New Partnership
for Africa's Development (NEPAD), which was launched by
African heads of state in 2001, provides a framework for
sustainable development to be shared by all Africa's people. It
emphasizes the role of partnerships among African countries
themselves and between them and the international community, and
proposes a shared and common vision to eradicate poverty through
sustained economic growth and sustainable development.
African governments have also reinforced the pace of regional
integration through the rationalization of existing regional
economic communities. They have increased the power of the
African Union,
especially in the field of security and peace management. These
efforts have been supported by the international community, with
financial and technical contributions to regional communities
and specific initiatives to foster African development. Thus,
the
Heavily Indebted and
Poor Countries (HIPC) program was initiated by the
International
Monetary Fund and the
World Bank in 1996,
providing debt relief and low-interest loans to reduce external
debt repayments to sustainable levels. Nominal debt service
relief under HIPC to the 29 countries that have reached their
decision points has been estimated to amount to about US$62
billion, a significant share of which benefited Sub-Saharan
African countries. In 2001, the World Trade Organization member
states launched the Development Round of negotiations which, if
concluded with decisive measures to liberalize agricultural
trade, could provide significant benefits to some African
countries. The 2008 Qatar meeting to review progress with the
2002 Monterrey Consensus on
Financing for Development will provide an opportunity for
the international community to refocus on the financing needs of
African countries if they are to make significant progress
towards meeting the
Millennium Development Goals.
Africa is a priority area for United Nations’ activities, as
illustrated by the establishment of the
Office of the Special
Adviser on Africa (OSAA) by the Secretary-General on 1 May
2003 and the reference to Africa’s sustainable development as a
cross-cutting issue in the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation
(see
chapter VIII) which emerged from the
World Summit on
Sustainable Development in 2002. The special needs of the
African continent have been systematically identified there.
The strategic importance of international and regional
cooperation has been stressed, especially in integrating markets
for goods and services, building cross-border infrastructure,
developing new crop varieties and other agricultural
technologies for African growing conditions, managing shared
water and other natural resources, tackling transboundary
pollution, and addressing climate change, including through
adaptation.
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