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.

+ Visit the web coverage for Wednesday, 26 February 2020

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.’


+ Visit the web coverage for Tuesday, 25 February 2020

The sixth session of the Africa Regional Forum on Sustainable Development (ARFSD 2020) opened on Monday, 24 February at the Elephant Hills Resort, Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. Pre-event workshops, stakeholder consultations and special sessions took place throughout the day exploring the Forum theme, “2020-2030: A Decade to Deliver a Transformed and Prosperous Africa through the 2030 Agenda and Agenda 2063.”

Highlights included: the 2020 Africa Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) Forum; an exchange on country experiences with Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs) of the global and regional agendas; and ARFSD 2020 preparatory meetings and capacity development workshops for major groups and other stakeholders.

Sharing their experiences with the VNRs, country representatives and technical experts highlighted, among other issues: the need for addressing weak capacity in accessing and using quality and relevant data; better aligning national development efforts with lessons learned from regional workshops; strengthening local action, and transforming it into budget and policy frameworks; and stronger alignment with local, regional and national levels, including through collaboration with city authorities.

The second African Regional STI Forum convened under the theme, “2020-2030: A decade to deliver a transformed and prosperous Africa through the 2030 Agenda and Agenda 2063.” Following a series of high-level dialogues in the morning, parallel discussions took place in the afternoon exploring the five SDG sub-themes of: people, prosperity, planet, peace, and partnerships.

A number of special sessions also took place, in the presence of UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed. They included: