African Union

Paul Mavima, Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare, Zimbabwe, with ECA staff and Zimbabwe delegates at the close of ARFSD 2020 On the final day of the sixth Africa Regional Forum on Sustainable Development (ARFSD 2020), delegates distilled key messages from discussions over the week, culminating with the adoption of the Victoria Falls Declaration on the UN Decade of Action and Delivery for Sustainable Development in Africa, as well as an outcome document containing a summary of the deliberations, and key messages emanating from the Regional Forum. The ARFSD 2020 outcomes will be submitted to the UN High-Level Political Forum in July 2020, as part of the session on reports of regional forums for sustainable development. Among other messages, the Victoria Falls Declaration calls on African Member States to: Urgently revisit frameworks for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and Agenda 2063, align their national development plans with the principles of the two agendas. It also calls on African stakeholders to set in motion programmes and projects to deliver on the 10 commitments for action outlined in the political declaration of the SDGs Summit, which convened under the auspices of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, US, from 24-25 September 2019. Develop and implement people-centered and inclusive national strategies to support the UN Decade of Action and Delivery for Sustainable Development, strengthen mechanisms for the mobilization of resources at the national level, and make efficient use of funding for the two agendas; and Implement the key messages of the Regional Forum. The Declaration also calls upon the UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and other partners to scale up their support of member States’ capacity development for the implementation of the two agendas, and establish and implement a regional strategy to support the UN Decade of Action through targeted interventions and capacity development in transformational areas, including: climate action; youth education, entrepreneurship and innovation; women’s empowerment; food systems; data and statistics; trade; evidence-based voluntary national and local reviews and integrated planning, monitoring, evaluation and reporting tools; science, technology and innovation; and stakeholder engagement. The plenary decided that the Republic of Congo will host the next session in 2021. During the closing plenary, Paul Mavima, Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare, Zimbabwe, thanked African member states for the opportunity to host the meeting, emphasizing that the Forum provided a firm launching pad for a decade of action for accelerating implementation of the SDGs. He noted that the Victoria Falls Declaration and its ambitious work plan should find traction in sustainable development processes and expressed commitment to working to realize the commitments made at the Forum. Calling on Africa to “rise and shine”, he closed the meeting at 6:35pm. IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB+ Meeting Coverage, provided daily web coverage and daily reports from ARFSD 2020. In addition, IISD Reporting Services has published a summary report from the session in HTML and PDF. Photos by IISD/ENB | Francis Dejon For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page L-R: Paul Mavima, Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare, Zimbabwe; and Oliver Chinganya, ECA Delegates from Benin Edlam Abera Yemeru, ECA Allan Mukungu, ECA Linus Mofor, ECA Evelyn Ndlovu, Minister of State in the Office of the Vice President, Zimbabwe Sellami Mokhtar, Algeria Blessed Mathe, Youth representative and student from Mosi-Oa-Tunya High School, Zimbabwe Jean-Paul Adam, ECA L-R: Hubert Gijzen, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, (UNESCO); Amon Murwira, Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development, Zimbabwe; and Ellen Gwaradzimba, Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution Manicaland, Zimbabwe Jimmi Ocitti , ECA Stephen Chacha, Africa Regional Civil Society Engagement Mechanism L-R: Oliver Chinganya, Charles Akol, and Jimmy Ocitti, ECA L-R: Joseph Mpunga, Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA); and Sidi Ahmedou, Arab Maghreb Union L-R: Rosette Nyirinkindi Katungye, African Union Commission, and Munyaradzi Chenje, UN Development Coordination Office L-R: Armand Akoula and Vivien Parfait Moutou, Congo, presented their government's intention to host AFRSD 2021 Maliki Slimane, Morocco, receives a gift presented to heads of delegation by Paul Mavima, Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare, Zimbabwe Jacqueline Amongin, Member of Parliament, Uganda Farah Bouqartacha, Rapporteur, Morocco Oliver Chinganya, ECA, on behalf of Vera Songwe, Under Secretary-General, and Executive Secretary, ECA Paul Mavima, Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare, Zimbabwe, officially closed the meeting at 6:35 pm. Family photo of ARFSD 2020 Bureau and ECA staff  

Delegates from Norway and the UK during a break in negotiations The second meeting of the Working Group on the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework (WG) resumed on Wednesday, to continue negotiations on the zero draft of the post-2020 global biodiversity framework (GBF). In the morning, delegates continued their discussions in Contact Group 2, on reducing threats to biodiversity, co-chaired by Wadzanayi Goredema-Mandivenyi (South Africa) and Gabriele Obermayr (Austria).During lunch, delegates attended an information session on resource mobilization and the financial mechanism, which provided briefings from two teams of experts conducting related studies on the assessment of resources required for the period of the Eighth Replenishment of the Global Environment Facility Trust Fund (GEF-8) and on resource mobilization for the GBF.On the GEF-8 needs assessment, Ravi Sharma, independent consultant, outlined that consultations for the study will include a questionnaire, interviews with key stakeholders, and potentially regional and sub-regional consultations with Stephanie Mansourian, Mansourian Consultancy, outlining the details of the questionnaire. Yasha Feferholtz, EcoHealth Alliance, noted that the financial needs assessment will use econometric models to predict financial expenditures and needs of parties. Considering options for a four-year framework of programme priorities for the GEF aligned with the GBF, Yibin Xiang, CBD Secretariat, highlighted disconnections between guidance to the GEF and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) planning processes, and noted that this is a good moment for re-connection. Outlining findings of the review of the strategy for resource mobilization, Jeremy Eppel, the World Bank, noted that the underlying structure of the resource mobilization strategy is valid, but questions arise around its operational effectiveness. On options for the future strategy, Tracey Cumming, independent consultant, outlined components for resource mobilization essential for transformative change in support of the GBF.In the afternoon, Contact Group 3 convened to negotiate text on targets of the zero draft clustered under the topic, “Meeting people’s needs through sustainable use and benefit-sharing,” co-chaired by Jorge Murillo (Colombia) and Anne Teller (EU).In the evening, Contact Group 1 on the goals of the GBF, convened for its second meeting to consider the first draft of a non-paper summarizing progress and text submissions since its first meeting on Tuesday.As contact groups built further momentum on Wednesday, with three out of four groups having met already, delegates felt a sense of pride for what some considered good progress. Learning from the previous day’s negotiations, Contact Group 3 Co-Chair Murillo, suggested, and delegates agreed, that rather than resorting to general statements followed by tedious and painstaking line-by-line negotiations, parties take 30 minutes to provide views on each target, which would allow even faster progress. This proved effective in some instances, and some were heard saying, “it’s like speed-dating for targets.” Whether this positive attitude sustains through the week remains to be seen, as delegates pouring out of contact group meetings, expressed concern on the rapid spread of the coronavirus, and whether it might impact smooth completion of the meeting. IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB Meeting Coverage, provided daily digital coverage. Α summary and analysis report from the 2nd Meeting of the Open-ended Working Group on the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework is available in HTML and PDF. Photos by IISD/ENB | Mike Muzurakis For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page Contact Groups From L-R: Worku Damena Yifru, CBD Secretariat; and Co-Chairs for the Contact Group on Meeting People’s Needs Anne Teller, EU and Jorge Murillo, Colombia Stefan Leiner, EU Lena Chan, Singapore Andrea Cruz-Angón, Mexico SBSTTA Chair Hesiquio Benítez Díaz Martha Mphatso Kalemba, Malawi, with Lactitia Tshitwamulomoni, South Africa Contact Group on Reducing Threats to Biodiversity Co-Chairs Wadzanayi Goredema-Mandivenyi, South Africa, and Gabriele Obermayr, Austria Ana Kobašlić, EU Joséphine Thérèse Eloundou, Cameroon, and Melesse Maryo Salamo, Ethiopia Vinod Mathur, India, and Rosemary Paterson, New Zealand, co-chaired the Contact Group on Goals, Mission, and CBD Decisions Shirley Ramírez Carvajal, Costa Rica Hlobisile Sikhosana, Eswatini Makiko Yanagiya, Japan Carolina Díaz Acosta, Colombia Ilham Atho Mohamed, Maldives Martin Krebs, Switzerland, with fresh products from the Biodiversity for Food Diversity farmers' market Janne Kotiaho, Finland Delegates from the Philippines conferring CBD Deputy Executive Secretary David Cooper, with Alexander Shestakov, CBD Secretariat From L-R: Martha Mphatso Kalemba, Malawi; Lactitia Tshitwamulomoni, South Africa; and Ntakadzeni Tshidada, South Africa Information Session: Resource Mobilization and Financial Mechanism View of the dais during the session Yibin Xiang, CBD Secretariat Tracey Cumming, independent consultant Jeremy Eppel, World Bank Pierre du Plessis, African Union Biodiversity for Food Diversity Exhibition  

L-R: Veronica Mwanza, Deaf Zimbabwe Trust; Vera Songwe, Under Secretary-General, and Executive Secretary, UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA); Gertrude Gatsi, Deaf Zimbabwe Trust; and Oliver Chinganya, ECA   On the third day of the sixth Africa Regional Forum on Sustainable Development (ARFSD 2020), participants “knuckled down” to critically assess Africa’s performance across all 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In the morning, two plenary sessions addressed two of the “5P” clusters, People (SDGs 1-5), and Partnerships (SDG 17). In the afternoon, three parallel sessions convened to address the remaining three Ps: Prosperity (SDGs 10-11); Planet (SDGs 6, 12, 13 and 15); and Peace (SDG 16). Building on background studies for each sub-theme, the discussions sought to go beyond enumerating problems to interrogate the reasons for Africa’s mixed performance across the SDGs. Drawing on practical lessons learned, the panels paid particular attention to interlinkages among SDGs in each cluster and explored innovative approaches to scale up implementation in the Decade for Action. Discussions on the five “people-centered” SDGs underscored the need to address the underlying causes for the slow pace of change. Panelists stressed the need to move beyond “tallying numbers” to analyze why some groups are consistently being left behind. Representatives of people living with disabilities, and older persons, made a strong case for inclusive approaches that take into account the needs of all citizens. In the discussions on partnerships, some of the key issues raised included the importance of basing projects on empirical, and context-specific, data, and building African capacity to not only mobilize diverse funding sources, but also effectively make us of, and account for SDG funds. Under the prosperity theme, speakers highlighted good practices in promoting decent work and social protection, underscoring the importance of good governance, as well as infrastructure, education and capacity building for increasing productivity. Many welcomed the launch of the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), as a catalyst for industrial transformation. Discussions on the planet theme focused on climate-related crises, noting they are not only impeding implementation of the SDGs, but also rolling back gains already made across many development indicators. Stressing the urgency of the issue, ECA Executive Secretary, Vera Songwe, cited estimates that some countries are spending the equivalent of 2-3% of their GDP on unplanned response weather and climate impacts, and reported on efforts to craft a common regional position for the 2020 UN Climate Conference. On peace, discussions focused on transformative actions for peace, justice and strong institutions, with many noting that governance is a key enabler for all SDGs. In the context of the African Union “Silencing the Guns” initiative, participants stressed the importance of robust mechanisms to manage conflict, protect the most vulnerable, and promote human rights and the rule of law.   A full programme of side events also took place on the margins of the Forum, covering, among other topics: how to institutionalize youth-led accountability for people, prosperity and planet; nature-based solutions for accelerated actions and transformative pathways to the SDGs; partnering with faith groups to achieve sustainable development in Africa; enhancing data-driven actions for accountability; and strengthening national evaluation capacities for the Africa We Want. IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB+ Meeting Coverage, provided daily web coverage and daily reports from ARFSD 2020. In addition, IISD Reporting Services has published a summary report from the session in HTML and PDF. Photos by IISD/ENB | Francis Dejon For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page Plenary Roundtable on Sub-Theme of the Regional Forum: People L-R: Paul Mavima, Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare, Zimbabwe; and Anne Therese Ndong-Jatta, Regional Director for Eastern Africa, UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) L-R: Julitta Onabanjo, UN Population Fund (UNFPA); Humphrey Karamagi, World Health Organization (WHO); and Parfait Elendou-Enyegue, Cornell University L-R: Margaret Agama-Anyetei, African Union Commission (AUC); Abebe Haile-Gabriel, Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO); Amon Murwira, Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development, Zimbabwe; and Fatou Kinteh, Minister for Women's Affairs, Children, and Social Welfare, The Gambia Fatou Kinteh, Minister for Women's Affairs, Children, and Social Welfare, The Gambia Gertrude Gatsi, Deaf Zimbabwe Trust Amon Murwira, Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development, Zimbabwe Joshua Teke Malinga, Special Adviser on Disability Issues, Office of the President, Zimbabwe Family photo of the plenary round-table panel on the sub-theme of people Plenary Roundtable on Sub-Theme of the Regional Forum: Partnerships L-R: Juliet Wasswa-Mugambwa, Office of the Special Adviser on Africa (OSSA); Alexander Trepelkov, Officer-in-Charge, Division for Sustainable Goals, UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA); and Moulay Abdeljebbar Salim, High Commission for Planning, Morocco L-R: Jacqueline Amongin, Member of Parliament, Uganda; Laura Marie-Therese Ahtime; Chief Executive Officer, National Bureau of Statistics, Seychelles; Lucy Edeh Okpanachi, Ministry of Finance, Planning, and Economic Development, Nigeria; Fatou Kinteh, Minister for Women, Children, and Social Welfare, The Gambia; and Amon Murwira, Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development, Zimbabwe Jacqueline Amongin, Member of Parliament, Uganda Family photo of the plenary round-table panel on the sub-theme of partnerships Parallel Sessions on Sub-Themes of the Regional Forum: Prosperity Dais of the parallel session on the sub-theme on prosperity Judith Kaulem, Executive Director, Poverty Reduction Forum Trust, Zimbabwe Freda Prempeh, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Ghana Parallel Sessions on Sub-Themes of the Regional Forum: Planet L-R: Samba Harouna Thiam, UN Environment Programme (UNEP); Jean-Paul Adam, ECA; and Gabriel Ajedra Aridu, State Minister of Finance and Economic Development, Uganda L-R: Domingos Neto, Secretary of State for University Education, Science, Technology and Innovation, Angola; Washington Zhakata, Zimbabwe; and Elizabeth Gulugulu, Youth Climate Advocate, Climate Action Parallel Sessions on Sub-Themes of the Regional Forum: Peace Hagar Monsif, African Affairs and SDGs Unit, Egypt Gilles Fabrice Zoh Ondo, Ministry of Justice, Cameroon Youth participants reading information on the SDGs Local staff visiting the exhibition space of the UN Population Fund Delegates from Kenya at the SDG Village  

L-R: Kwesi Quartey, Deputy Chairperson, African Union Commission (AUC); Amina Mohammed, Deputy Secretary-General of the UN, and Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa, President of Zimbabwe   The official opening of the Africa Regional Forum on Sustainable Development (ARFSD 2020) took place on Wednesday morning, with opening statements by Amina Mohammed, UN Deputy Secretary-General, and Emmerson Mnangagwa, President of Zimbabwe, among other high-level speakers. Vera Songwe, Executive Secretary, UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), emphasized the need for “collective wisdom,” in order for Africa to go “faster and higher,” and lauded youth for generating future solutions for sustainable development. Kwesi Quartey, Deputy Chairperson, African Union Commission, (AUC), hailed 2020 as “an important milestone for Agenda 2030 and its twin sister Agenda 2063.” He emphasized that without peace and security, it would not be possible to achieve the SDGs. UNDSG Mohammed called for kickstarting the Decade of Action on the SDGs, highlighting progress on: the proportion of people living in poverty declining in 10 African countries; strides in peace and security; and gains in health outcomes. In his address, President Mnangagwa called for leveraging Africa’s comparative advantages to improve life on the continent, noting that reforms could not be undertaken without the requisite financial support. He stated that “if one country in Africa is left behind then we are all left behind.” A high-level ministerial panel then convened to reflect on Africa’s progress as well as priorities and entry points for accelerating implementation of the SDGs. Opening the discussion, Ncube lamented that “we are not incubating the SDGs fast enough,” and proposed four focal areas for accelerating delivery: Strengthening the financing architecture through domestic resource mobilization, including “crowding in” of the private sector; Strengthening the policy and institutional architecture through increased alignment of national development plans with the 2030 and 2063 agendas; Strengthening results-based analysis of speed of SDG progress and enhanced synergies in reporting at different levelsframeworks; and Improving communication and advocacy on the SDGs, both internally and externally. In the afternoon, following a presentation of regional progress reports on the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and Agenda 2063 at the regional and subregional level, participants held discussions in two plenary roundtables to reflect on country progress and lessons learned from the Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs) as well as voluntary local reviews. Various events convened by UN entities, major groups and stakeholders, and other partners, took place on the margins of the meeting, including: the African Women Leaders Network (AWLN) Launch and Dialogue; ‘The Food Security-Nutrition-Poverty Nexus: Progress, Challenges and Opportunities to Achieve SDGS of 2030 Agenda and Commitments of Agenda 2063/Malabo Declaration’; ‘Ending Discrimination and Changing the Terms of Inclusion: Making the SDGs Meaningful for all in Africa’; and ‘Accelerating the Promise to Leave No One Behind: Enhancing Partnerships to Advance Population and Development in Africa.’ IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB+ Meeting Coverage, is providing daily web coverage from ARFSD 2020. In addition, IISD Reporting Services will publish a summary report from the session on Sunday, 1 March 2020. Photos by IISD/ENB | Francis Dejon For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page L-R: Chair of Outgoing Bureau of the fifth session of the ARFSD, Nezha El Ouafi, Morocco; Kwesi Quartey, Deputy Chairperson, African Union Commission (AUC); Amina Mohammed, Deputy Secretary-General of the UN; Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa, President of Zimbabwe; Paul Mavima, Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare, Zimbabwe; and Vera Songwe, Under Secretary-General, and Executive Secretary, Economic Commision for Africa (ECA) Vera Songwe, Under Secretary-General, and Executive Secretary, ECA Nkosilathi Nyathi, Climate advocate and youth representative, Zimbabwe Chair of Outgoing Bureau of the fifth session of the ARFSD, Nezha El Ouafi, Morocco Kwesi Quartey, Deputy Chairperson, AUC Amina Mohammed, Deputy Secretary-General of the UN Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa, President of Zimbabwe L-R: Mthuli Ncube, Minister of Finance, Zimbabwe; Bartholomew Armah, UNECA; and Vannesa Chivhizhe, Junior Parliament Member, Zimbabwe Vannesa Chivhizhe, Junior Parliament Member, Zimbabwe Family photo of outgoing and incoming ARFSD Bureau members Paul Mpuga, ECA Mesfin Tessema, AUC A video message from António Guterres, UN Secretary-General Langton Mabhanga, President, National Business Council, Zimbabwe Jacqueline Amongin, Member of Parliament, Uganda Magliore Agustin Aguessy, Director General, Ministry of Planning and Development, Benin Lila Pieters, UN Resident Coordinator, Tunisia Maria Ribeiro, UN Resident Coordinator, Zimbabwe July Moy, Minister of Local Government, Zimbabwe L-R: Priscila Asio, Representative of Ngora District Local Government, Uganda, and Manuel de Araujo, Mayor of Quelimane, Mozambique L-R: Aminata Adamor, Niger; Noura Fatchima Djibrilla, Niger; and Pauline Matchim, Cameroon ARFSD 2020 participants at the SDG Village