The three-day seminar convened by the UN Economic Commission for Africa in collaboration with the AUC was held in Dar es Salam Tanzania, under the theme “Towards an ‘Integrated Africa’: Achieving the SDGs and Agenda 2063 for the Continent that We Want”.
The meeting aims to reflect on the achievements and challenges of the OAU/AU in the past six decades and to chart a way forward for the realization of the two development agendas.
The participants examined the linkages between Agenda 2063 and Agenda 2030: the two global frameworks that seek to promote sustainable development and social justice in Africa. They also discussed various issues, such as the role of regional integration, trade, industrialization, peace and security, governance, human rights, digital transformation and financing for development in advancing Africa’s development goals.
The seminar featured a video keynote speech by Mr Claver Gatete, the new Executive Director of the ECA, who reaffirmed his commitment to strengthen cooperation with the AU.
“The next phase of Africa’s journey is for its economic transformation and development. That’s what Agenda 2063 and Agenda 2030 are all about, and that’s why we are all here today to discuss options to speed up the implementation of the two agendas, where progress so far has been uneven,” he said.
Ms Monique Nsanzabaganwa, Deputy Chairperson of the African Union Commission, expressed in a video message her appreciation for the initiative and stressed the importance of advancing the continent towards a “borderless and integrated” Africa.
The Seminar brought together close to 55 UN Officials, AU experts, policymakers, academics, civil society representatives and youth representatives
Said Adejumobi, Director of Strategic Planning, Oversight and Results Division at ECA, highlighted the long history of collaboration between the AU and the UN. He cited several examples of joint initiatives, such as the establishment of the African Development Bank, the regional economic communities, the Abuja Treaty for the African Economic Community, the African Peer Review Mechanism, the Lagos Plan of Action and the Final Act of Lagos, Agenda 2063 and the African Continental Free Trade Area agreement.
The joint framework for the implementation of Agenda 2063 and Agenda 2030 was signed in 2018 by the Chairperson of the African Union and the Secretary General of the UN. The synergy and coherence in the implementation of the two agendas are now referred to as “two agendas, one framework”.