Excellencies,
Distinguished participants,
Ladies and gentlemen,
On behalf of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, it is my pleasure to welcome you to the opening of this regional workshop on “Accelerating the Implementation of the 2030 Agenda and AU Agenda 2063 in Africa: Building Resilient Institutions for the SDGs in the time of COVID-19”.
This is the second regional workshop we are organizing with the African Peer Review Mechanism in collaboration other partners. The first workshop was held in Pretoria at the end of October in 2019, and we are very happy to be co-hosting this follow-up event in Cape Town at this critical time.
The COVID-19 crisis has dealt a devastating blow to all countries around the world. The pandemic has laid bare once again the global inequalities in access to life saving vaccines and to the means to build back better and re-kindle sustainable and inclusive economic growth.
Resilient and inclusive institutions are a cornerstone of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, as well as Africa’s Agenda 2063. The role of effective institutions has become even more evident as the COVID-19 pandemic has exacted its toll in countries and communities around the world. The health, economic and social consequences of the pandemic on the African continent are devastating.
The pandemic has plunged millions into extreme poverty, derailed the schooling of millions of children, decimated jobs, and has strained food systems. The climate crisis has also not spared African countries.
Our failure to address these challenges as well the worsening inequalities within and among nations is contributing to the loss of trust in governments and institutions.
But Africa is complex and solutions to the myriad challenges it faces, including those related to governance, poverty, exclusion, and peace and security must be responsive to the diverse contexts of African societies. We have witnessed how the pandemic has challenged institutions to adapt and innovate. Many have risen to the challenge and have continued to deliver basic public goods and services, including to those at most risk of being left behind.
As the Secretary-General stated in his report to the General Assembly, we face a choice between business as usual, with ever more crises, or we can set ourselves on a path heralding a breakthrough to a greener, better, and safer future for all. Accountable and effective institutions are part and parcel of that commitment!
The course has been set for the Decade Action for the SDGs, reminding us to keep 2030 in our sights. The pandemic has set back the achievement of the SDGs, with more people at risk of falling into poverty. We need to redouble our efforts and create decent jobs and opportunities for all as we recover from the pandemic.
The UN Committee of Experts on Public Administration (CEPA) has adopted 11 Principles of effective governance, which are designed to ensure effective, accountable and inclusive government. The Principles have been endorsed by the UN Economic and Social Council, and DESA is in the process of producing strategy guidance notes for operationalizing them. This effort will support countries around the globe to find conceptual and practical advice around the principles of effective governance, and I encourage participants to examine these on the DESA/DPIDG website.
At the Pretoria workshop in 2019, we discussed how best institutions can be equipped to implement the two most powerful instruments of change in Africa: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the SDGs; and AU Agenda 2063, and how best to harmonise and create maximum synergies for their implementation. We drew from that event important lessons such as inter-institutional communication and collaboration, inclusive whole-of-society approaches and horizontal and vertical integration for sound policymaking.
In the context of the ongoing climate change and COVID-19 crises, this workshop intends to take this work forward and aims to examine how to build resilient institutions which can adapt and innovate to cope with pandemics and other crises.
The implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the Agenda 2063 requires their integration and mainstreaming into national policy frameworks. In this regard, the 2019 SDG Summit called on countries to “mainstream the 2030 Agenda into our national planning instruments, policies, strategies and financial frameworks”.
While progress has been achieved, the integrated and interlinked nature of the SDGs needs to inform and guide their mainstreaming into national policy frameworks. The transformational vision of the Agenda depends on such an integrated approach.
This workshop is designed as an opportunity to exchange lessons learned and good practices. DESA, working with the APRM and other partners, actively supports strong and effective institutions and the integration of the SDGs into national development plans and strategies. We are committed to translating Member States’ normative commitments into practical guidance where relevant and to conduct targeted capacity development activities.
I wish to extend our gratitude to our partners, the APRM, the African Union Commission and our colleagues in the UNCT. Without the collaboration of the APRM, this work could not go forward. I wish to thank Ms. Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi, Chair of the Committee of Experts on Public Administration (CEPA) for her collaboration with us on this initiative and her ongoing efforts to promote the principles of effective governance for sustainable development in Africa.
I wish you a successful workshop.