Transcript Africa-EU Strategic Partnership: State of Play and Way Forward

Africa-EU Strategic Partnership:
State of Play and Way Forward
2nd Joint Annual Meetings of the AU Conference of
African Ministers of Economy and Finance and
ECA Conference of Ministers of Finance, Planning and
Economic Development
Cairo, Egypt
2-7 June 2009
Baboucarr Koma
Department of Economic Affairs
African Union Commission
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Presentation Outline
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Africa-EU Dialogue: Milestones
The New Strategic Framework
The Joint Strategy
The First Action Plan
Implementation architecture
• The process
• Stakeholders
• Architecture
6. Progress to date
7. Challenges
8. Way ahead
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1. Africa-EU Dialogue: Milestones
 Long history of relations (Yaounde, Lome,
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Cotonou Partnership Agreements)
2000: First Africa-EU Summit, Cairo, Egypt
2002: Transformation of the OAU into the AU
2004: Enlargement of the EU
2005: Adoption of the EU Strategy for Africa
2007: Second Africa-EU Summit (Lisbon
Summit) and adoption of the Africa-EU Joint
Strategy/First Action Plan
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2. New Strategic Framework
 Strategy jointly developed by Africa and EU
 Takes account of new and emerging
challenges:
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Facing Africa
Facing the EU
Facing the whole world, e.g. globalization
 Long term approach
 New approach
 Complements existing bilateral relations
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3. The Joint Strategy
Context
• Common values: Respect for human rights,
freedom, equality, justice, democracy, etc.
• Emerging challenges
Principles
• Unity of Africa; one and undivided Africa
• Interdependence between Africa and EU
• Ownership and joint responsibility
• Equality
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3. The Joint Strategy
Objectives
• To reinforce and elevate the Africa-EU political
partnership to address issues of common concern
e.g. peace and security, migration
• Address challenges facing Africa e.g. sustainable
economic development, regional integration, MDGs
• Jointly promote a system of effective multilateralism
and address global challenges and common concerns
e.g. climate change, terrorism, HIV/AIDS
• Facilitate and promote broad-based and wideranging people-centred partnership by empowering
non-state actors and creating the enabling
environment for their effectiveness
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3. The Joint Strategy
The four clusters
• Peace and security
• Governance and human rights
• Trade and regional integration
• Key development issues
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4. The First Action Plan
1. Africa-EU Partnership on Peace and Security
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Enhance dialogue on challenges to peace and security;
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Full operationalization of the African Peace and Security
Architecture;
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Predictable Funding for African-led Peace Support Operations.
2. Africa-EU Partnership on Democratic Governance and Human
Rights
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Enhance dialogue at global level and in international fora;
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Promote the African Peer Review Mechanism and support the
African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance;
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Strengthen cooperation in the area of cultural goods.
3. Africa-EU Partnership on Trade and Regional Integration
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Support the African integration agenda;
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Strengthen African capacities in the area of rules, standards, and
quality control;
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Implement the EU-Africa Infrastructure Partnership.
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4. The First Action Plan
4. Africa-EU Partnership on the Millennium Developments Goals
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Ensure the finance and policy base for achieving the MDGs;
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Accelerate the achievement of the Food Security Targets of the
MDGs;
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Accelerate the achievement of the Health Targets of the MDGs;
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Accelerate the achievement of the Education Targets of the MDGs.
5. Africa-EU Partnership on Energy
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Implement the Energy Partnership to intensify cooperation on
energy security and energy access.
6. Africa-EU Partnership on Climate Change
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Build a common agenda on climate change policies and
cooperation;
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Cooperate to address land degradation and increasing aridity,
including the "Green Wall for the Sahara Initiative".
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4. The First Action Plan
7. Africa-EU Partnership on Migration, Mobility and
Employment
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Implement the Declaration of the Tripoli Conference on Migration
and Development;
Implement the EU-Africa Plan of Action on Trafficking of Human
Beings;
Implement and follow up the 2004 Ouagadougou Declaration and
Action Plan on Employment and Poverty Alleviation in Africa.
8. Africa-EU Partnership on Science, Information
Society and Space
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Support the development of an inclusive information society in
Africa;
Support S&T Capacity Building in Africa and Implement Africa's
Science and Technology Consolidated Plan of Action;
Enhance cooperation on space applications and technology.
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5. Implementation architecture
- The Process
• Following adoption of Joint Strategy/First Action
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Plan, the problem of implementation emerged
AUC proposed an implementation architecture and
embarked on consultations:
– Member States, RECs, other stakeholders
– Civil society
– Pan-African Parliament
10th Ministerial Troika endorsed the
implementation architecture in September 2008
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5. Implementation architecture
- Stakeholders
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The two Commissions
Member States
PAP and European Parliament
Civil society, ECOSOCC, EESC, research institutes
and think-tanks
Regional Economic Communities (RECs)
The private Sector
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5. Implementation architecture
- Architecture
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6. Progress to date
• Implementation architecture endorsed
• JEG guidelines adopted
• 8 JEGs have been set up
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Member States actively participating
4 of 8 RECs have joined the implementation process
12th Ministerial Troika paved the way for civil society
participation in JEG activities
• First round of JEG meetings held prior to 11th
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Ministerial Troika
Technical discussions (including identification of
key action areas) held and first progress report on
implementation prepared and adopted
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6. Progress to date cont.
• Draft implementation roadmaps prepared by JEGs
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Outlining activities, state of play, source of financing,
next steps and timing, deliverables and actors
• Joint website launched: www.africa-eupartnership.org
• Workshop on the financing of the Joint
Strategy/First Action Plan slated for September
2009
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7. Challenges
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Respecting the principles agreed in the Joint Strategy
e.g. the one Africa principle
Full involvement of all stakeholders, including
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civil society,
PAP
RECs
Private sector
Capacity of the JEGs to deliver
Adequate financial resources for:
– The architecture
– Implementation of the projects/activities
Rate of implementation
Ownership
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8. Way ahead
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JEGs to finalise Implementation Roadmaps
Address the issue of financing
Ensure adequate participation of all stakeholders
Bring on board all the RECs
Strengthen the JEGs
Effective communication, including
consequences of failure
Develop common understanding (between
African and EU sides) of expectations
• Need for the EU to amend existing instruments to
fit the new framework
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8. Way ahead cont.
We request
Member States
• to own the process
• to Provide high calibre experts to ensure effectiveness of
JEGs
• to Provide financing for projects/activities and the
architecture
• to integrate the Joint Strategy in their development plans in
line with the Minimum Integration Programme
RECs
• to own the process
• to actively participate in the work of the JEGs
• to integrate the Joint Strategy in their development plans in
line with the Minimum Integration Programme
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Thank you for your kind attention.
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