Statement by H.E Erastus Mwencha Deputy Chairperson of African Union Commission on the Occasion of Africa-Turkey Women Entrepreneurs Trade Bridge; 27 February– 1 March 2014, Istanbul, Turkey.
Dates:
February 27, 2014
English
AU FrontPage
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Statement Delivered by her Excellency Tumusiime Rhoda Peace Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture on the Occasion of Africa Health Lifestyle Day,28 February 2014
Statement Delivered by her Excellency Tumusiime Rhoda Peace Commissioner for
Rural Economy and Agriculture on the Occasion of Africa Health Lifestyle Day,28 February 2014
Dates:
February 28, 2014
English
Statement by H.E Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, Chairperson of the African Union Commission at the African High level Conference of Green Economy Read for her by H.E. Tumusiime Rhoda Peace, Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture 22 – 24 February 2014
Dates:
February 22, 2014
English
Statement by H.E. Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma Chairperson of the African Union Commission at the Visit of H.E. Mr. Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz President of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania and Chairperson of the African Union to the Headquarters of the Africa
Dates:
February 26, 2014
English
Speech by His Excellency the Deputy Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Mr. Erastus Mwencha at the Seventeenth Summit of the COMESA Heads of State and Government
Dates:
February 26, 2014
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English
Address by the Deputy Chairperson of the African Union Commission, H.E. Erastus J. O. Mwencha, on the Ocassion of the Launching of the 20th Anniversary of the Commemoration of the Rwanda Genocide, African Union Commission Headquarters, Addis-Ababa, Ethio
Dates:
February 20, 2014
English
Statement H.E. Tumusiime Rhoda Peace Commissioner, Rural Economy and Agriculture FDI, Agriculture and Land Conference on Feeding the World 2014: Sustainable solutions for a global crisis
Africa Union Commission
FDI, Agriculture and Land
Conference on Feeding the World 2014: Sustainable solutions for a global crisis
Statement
H.E. Tumusiime Rhoda Peace
Commissioner, Rural Economy and Agriculture
13 February, 2014
London, UK
Statement
Thank you Emma Duncan, Deputy Editor, The Economist, for your kind introduction.
The African Union Commission, which I represent here, welcomes and appreciates this opportunity to discuss with you the critical issue of ‘Feeding the World.’ Indeed, the AU considers food and nutrition security among its top priorities given its positive multiplier effects on socio-economic development, politics and peace. As you are aware, the African leaders declared and launched 2014 as the year of agriculture and food security in Africa. So, this conference is extremely timely and pertinent, and we thank the Economist for organizing it and inviting us.
Let me say that in spite of the central role of Agriculture, and the vast potential that Africa is endowed with, the continent continues to face challenges of hunger, malnutrition and the high import bill. Africa’s natural resources including its minerals, oil and forests have not benefited its people, with Africa getting only a fraction of the proceeds from the wealth generated by these resources. Challenges which have already been highlighted by previous speakers have also prevented Africa from realizing its enormous potential from its land and water resources in the agricultural sector.
African leaders and citizens have now resolved that it is high time that these challenges were addressed head on. We are determined to promote the transformation of Africa’s agriculture, especially smallholder producers, through interventions that lead to increased mechanization, rural electrification, infrastructural development and irrigation, among others.
I know that this morning, my sister, Lindiwe Majele Sibanda, CEO of FANRPAN, talked about the importance of technology. The Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) is the continent’s overarching framework for ensuring these interventions are made systematically, and I am delighted to report that 40 countries have signed CAADP ‘compacts,’ with many having credible National Food Security and Investment Plans (NSFSIPs). This is a positive sign of political will and commitment to transform agriculture, yet challenges remain with regard to meeting the investment target set by the Maputo Declaration –i.e. 10% allocation of the public budget to agriculture. And even more work is needed to attract high levels of private sector involvement and Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) needed to transform Africa’s agriculture.
Ladies and Gentlemen, Africa has very low levels of foreign direct investments (FDI) when compared to other parts of the developing world. In 2010, FDI in Africa was about 39 billion for Africa, compared to 442 billion for developing countries in Asia, and 133 billion for Latin America and the Caribbean. The positive correlation between high levels of agricultural investments and poverty reduction is well established, yet unlike the ‘green revolution’ in Asia and parts of Latin America-- which saw massive increases in seed and fertilizer use, accompanied by investments in irrigation, rural roads, marketing infrastructure and financial markets-- Africa has experienced slower growth in these important ingredients for dynamic agricultural markets and, indeed, agricultural transformation
The demand for agricultural land by domestic and foreign investors following the 2008 food and energy crisis was welcomed by some African governments as an opportunity to increase investments and FDI in the sector. As you are aware, the majority of currently available agriculture land (60%) is in Africa. An assessment of land transactions between 2000 and 2013 by the African Union’s Land Policy Initiative (LPI)—conducted as part of the implementation of the Nairobi Action Plan on Large scale land based investments-- shows a record of 685 cases of large scale land based investments ---those involving over 200 ha. These investments covered over 40 million acres and constitute 45% of all such cases globally. There is, therefore, no doubt that there has been a lot of activity related to large scale land acquisitions in Africa, the majority of which are by domestic investors.
The concern is that most of these land deals have not really succeeded in generating the investment that was envisaged. In some cases, even when deals are signed and land is transferred to the investor, minimal land is brought under production and hence the benefits do not materialize as expected or stipulated in the contracts. For instance, only 42% of the 474 LSLBI deals signed in Africa since 2000 are operational, covering 29% of the total cases, and only 19% of the land area is under investment. Furthermore, only 8.6% of the land area under contract in Africa is productive (under cultivation). In other words, in spite of the interest in Africa’s agriculture land and the efforts by governments to engage investors, the evidence indicates that little is achieved in reality.
The assessment report by the LPI documents well, the risks of engagement in large scale land based investments. They include weak land governance and administration which fails to protect land rights of communities, including women; poor land use maps; records and information systems which do not adequately document land, land rights and claims; weak capacities of institutions --leading to a lack of transparency and accountability; and marginalization of smallholder producers in favor of large scale investors who receive better protection in the context of fiscal and trade regimes that favor globalization/liberalization.
What we have learned is that most investment models that have involved the transfer of land have led to the least favorable outcomes as they have deprived local communities of their livelihoods without due compensation; they have also failed to generate meaningful employment, infrastructure and other expected benefits. And, from the perspective of investors--the difficulty of doing business, volatility of institutional arrangements, high transaction and settling costs, are some of the reasons that have led to the failure of these investments.
In implementing the AU Declaration on Land Issues and Challenges, and drawing on the Framework and Guidelines on Land Policy in Africa, the tripartite initiative of the African Union Commission, the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa and the African Development Bank--have recently drafted guiding principles on large scale land based investments. We believe that this is a useful tool and reference for AU Member States as well as investors in negotiating sustainable investments in land.
The guiding principles note the importance of contextualizing these investments within the existing strategy for agricultural development, recognizing the centrality of smallholder producers to ensure their interests are safeguarded by investment models that minimize land transfers and lead to shared prosperity at local and national levels.
The investments should ideally be informed by holistic cost-benefit analysis of economic, financial, social and environmental benefits throughout the entire period of the land allocation to minimize the likelihood of failure which has plagued previous acquisitions.
It is crucial that these deals respect, protect and fulfill human rights recognized by national constitutions and relevant continental and national conventions and instruments. Rights pertaining to women and small scale producers are especially important as noted by Dr, Kanyao Nwanze, President of IFAD, said this morning.
It is clear that some investments have failed. The Land Policy Initiative is in advanced stages of developing a monitoring framework with clear benchmarks and indicators for tracking progress to allow for collective learning and sharing of best practices.
As the African Union Commission, we encourage African governments, stakeholders, investors and investor governments to commit to upholding high standards of cooperation, collaboration and mutual responsibility and accountability to ensure the success of these investments.
Ladies and Gentlemen, all is not lost. The good news is that there are positive lessons to draw from moving forward, to ensure that large scale investments are more successful and equitable. Certain countries in Africa have conducted reforms to guard against arbitrary appropriation of land and to facilitate more inclusive development—an example is Tanzania where land acquisition requires approval and consent from the villagers all the way to the President. This is the idea behind the Grow Africa Programme, referred to by Jorgen Haselstad, President and CEO of Yara International.
There are also examples of inclusive investment and development models that go beyond rethoric in efforts to include local populations. For instance, Mozambique, through its Pro-Parcerias project developed procedures for land-based investments based on partnerships among central and local government, communities, civil society and investors and initiated at village level.
There is also evidence of more favorable negotiations of investment agreements and bilateral treaties, which better reconcile investment protection with a wider range of policy goals. These agreements now have more restrictive clauses on fair and equitable treatment, include provisions on adherence to international standards of corporate social responsibility, and recognize the need for transparency and public scrutiny.
We are also fortunate, ladies and Gentlemen, that we have continental and international guidance for future investments in agriculture. These include the AU Framework and Guidelines on Land Policy and the forthcoming AU Guiding Principles on large scale agricultural investments—to be published this year. In partnership with FAO, IFAD, EU and other development partners, we will promote the application of the AU guidelines alongside the Voluntary Guidelines on Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land.’
As I conclude, I would like to thank The Economist, our convener, and my fellow panelists as well as other participants for the attention you accord to issues of strategic importance to Africa including agriculture and land, food and nutrition. I look forward to our productive discussions and continued collaboration especially in this 2014 year of agriculture and food security in Africa and the international year of Family Farming.
Thank you.
Could add the following somewhere:
Smallholder Agriculture:
Ladies and Gentlemen, smallholder agriculture is and will remain the foundation of Africa’s agriculture for a long time. However, ladies and gentlemen, the challenges of smallholder agriculture must be addressed in efforts to seek sustainable solutions for feeding Africa and the world. Let us keep in mind that there is no contradiction between smallholder agriculture and commercialization of Agriculture. Smallholder farmers, pastoralists and many others need to be respect and supported in order to improve productivity per hectare; and facilitate access to markets.
Women and Agriculture:
Ladies and Gentlemen, recent data shows that improving land and property rights for women would greatly increase agricultural production (by as high as 6% in Burkina Faso). In addition, equal access to agricultural inputs by men and women would increase maize yields by 1/6th in Malawi and Ghana, and indeed most of Africa, given that the female share of agriculture labor force is higher than 55% in countries like the Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Gambia, Mozambique and Rwanda. This is why the African Union, through the Land Policy Initiative (LPI), has generated knowledge for advocacy and further guidance to its member states on how to facilitate access to land and secure the land rights of African women.
Dates:
February 13, 2014
English
Statement by Her Excellency Tumusiime Rhoda Peace, Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture on the occasion of the Special Meeting of the Agriculture Development Working Group (ADWG) Leaders and CAADP Managers of NAIPs on Country Post-Compact
CAADP 10 YEARS ON:
DIALOGUE TO IMPROVE IMPLEMENTATION, COORDINATION AND
ALIGNMENT WITH NATIONAL AGRICULTURE INVESTMENT PLANS (NAIP)
Statement by Her Excellency Tumusiime Rhoda Peace, Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture on the occasion of the Special Meeting of the Agriculture Development Working Group (ADWG) Leaders and CAADP Managers of NAIPs on Country Post-Compact and Investment Plan Implementation
VENUE: Medium Conference Hall
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Dates: February 11-13, 2013
Honorable Minister of Agriculture of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia;
Honourable Sam Sesay, Minister of Agriculture of the Republic of Sierra Leone;
Honourable Minister of the Republic of Mozambique;
Distinguished Representatives of Development Partners both from Headquarters and from countries;
Chair of the CAADP Partners Group, the EU;
Permanent Secretaries from AU Member States and their representatives;
Officials of the Commission of the African Union and the NEPAD Planning and Coordinating Agency and other partner institutions
I welcome you most warmly and I present to you best wishes for a Happy and Prosperous New Year.
I wish to begin by registering the appreciation of the African Union Commission to the leadership of AU Member States - and especially the decision-makers at political level, particularly the Heads of State and Government and the Ministers and also the Leaders at technical level, notably the Permanent Secretaries, most of them represented here today. We applaud you for your personal contribution to the progress made in advancing agricultural development efforts in your respective countries and on the continent as a whole through the over-arching framework, the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP).
You really deserve to be commended because we know that advancing agricultural transformation through CAADP as an instrument was not easy in almost all AU Member States but you remained focused. For example, it was not automatic for countries to see the added value of CAADP and signing of Compacts and, therefore, this explained the initial slow buy-in from most Member States. I must say, though, that the experiences were diverse. Those countries that showed interest but raised a series of challenging questions on the efficacy of CAADP in their own efforts were later to become early and fast adopters while those that moved straight to embrace CAADP met challenges of advancing the efforts. Either way, it was no easy task but what is exhilarating is that Member States stayed the course and you were at the core of driving this process thereby demonstrating ownership and leadership.
And, as such, the lessons and experiences you created and accumulated have since shaped the current progress and with no doubt, the continent is on course to real transformation through agriculture. Bravo.
We are now proud of the fact that from 1 CAADP country compact in 2007 to now 40 compacts and most of these accompanied by credible national investment plans under implementation is a sign that the commitments that our Heads of State and Government made in 2003 in Mapuo, Mozambiqueare being taken seriously with your sustained support.
So, in reality, your countries’ experiences of CAADP implementation have not only shaped the progress registered in the last ten years but are also helping to clarify goals, actions and targets for the next decade.
On the whole, the performance of agriculture in our economies has recently been remarkable. However, we have to recognise the fact that we have yet to achieve the CAADP agricultural GDP growth target of 6 per cent and nearly a quarter of our populations are vulnerable to the challenges of malnutrition. We obviously need to sustain the momentum of raising agricultural growth, but also must ensure that we put in place a robust system of social protection that productively integrates vulnerable social groups into the growth agenda. I know that a number of AU Member States including the host, Ethiopia, have done this. Your guidance on this and other issues will be most welcome.
While significant progress has been made, we need to make sure that we build from this progress to actions and results and to create wealth, jobs and guarantee food and nutrition security through increased agricultural productivity, competitiveness, trade and as an instrument for regional and continental integration. Now that we are here together we would like to see how we can collectively and vigorously ensure that compliance by Members States and Regional Economic Communities to CAADP goals and targets gets heighted if we are to achieve the gains enshrined in the African agricultural transformation agenda. As Pan African Institutions, AUC, NPCA, RECs and others, we have noticed that we need to reach out more to foster better and faster compliance with the commitments made by our Heads of State and Government. This is part of our broader role and mandate.
In furtherance of this drive, the 2014 AU Year of Agriculture and Food Security declared in July 2012 and launched in January 2014 by the Assembly of the Heads of State and Government of the African Union was a huge opportunity by all Member States to determine that the next 6 months are used to effectively discuss inherent issues and propose concrete goals, actions and targets for advancing agricultural development for the next decade.
It is remarkable that the continued celebrations of the 50th Anniversary of the OAU/AU are going to overlap at least for the next six months, with the commemoration of the 2014 AU Year of Agriculture and Food Security. It is also remarkable that we commemorate the Year of Agriculture and Food Security at a time when we are deliberating on the thrust of the African Union Agenda 2063: “A Shared Strategic Framework for Inclusive Growth and Sustainable Development”. The agenda of agricultural transformation is strategically positioned to provide enormous opportunities for inclusive and sustainable development in Africa.
As stated by His Excellency Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, President of Mauritania at the launch of the Year, ‘‘for most of our countries, agriculture, indeed, constitutes the development battlefield where we can win the war on poverty, hunger and indignity’’.
The Chair of the Union further assured that ‘‘Agriculture has been and will continue to be at the centre of economic and also political stability in Africa’’. If this were not to be the case, hungry stomachs, unemployed youth and poor citizens would end up influencing hungry and poverty-induce anger and, thus, fuel more political conflicts in our countries. Food is a political issue. It is, therefore, imperative that for us to overcome most of these conflicts on our continent, we must invest in agriculture. Agricultural development will certainly also be complemented by industrialization. Nevertheless, as Africa pushes for industrilaisation to generate the desired benefits, we must remember that Africa’s potential and comperative advantage is, and will continue to be, in agriculture-based industrialization.
This is why we are meeting today as part of those commitments our leaders made recently. All African stakeholders and in equal opportunities are, therefore, requested and expected to be part of this broad-based dialogue. This meeting is part of the preparations for specific actions for the next decade and for consideration by our Leaders who will meet at the June/July 2014 Summit to make concrete decisions on agricultural transformation for the next decade in the context of the Africa Agenda 2063 premised on the 50 years of existence of the OAU/AU. It is, therefore, our responsibility to ensure that the views of stakeholders are solicited and submitted to be reflected in those decisions. The African leaders have launched a strategic “Public Campaign” to target all national stakeholders on the continent so that the people of Africa can learn and capitalize on the gains that have been realized and the progress made through CAADP.
During this consultative period, we must strengthen the partnership between CAADP outcomes and the Results Framework that will be outlined to you later in this meeting and with a commitment to measure results that will demonstrate impact on reducing hunger and malnutrition, creating jobs and raising incomes of our population and other critical issues.
We will also commit this period to conducting a well-facilitated dialogue with Africa’s strategic partners – to demonstrate more commitment to coordination, alignment, harmonization, of national priorities and ensure mutual accountability for the desired results and impact.
As you will notice from the agenda of the meeting, we need to make sure we discuss how to effectively implement our national investments plans so laboriously formulated. You did put in a lot; we must see how we can harvest results. We want to be concrete on what are the inherent issues and challenges but also propose concrete solutions. As countries, there are a lot of experiences and lessons that can be leant and shared amongst you and, therefore, your meeting today is as critical. Some of these will relate to how to concretely identify policy problems and put in place concrete policy actions to respond to them. Others will be on how to effectively establish and operationalize institutions for better service delivery and appreciating issues and challenges of inter- and intra-institutional coordination. More challenges have also been on donor coordination, harmonization and alignment to country priorities and commitments. This meeting, therefore, will help us to propose solutions to such issues and develop a guide to better support countries in their implementation efforts in a more robust fashion.
Since our focus is on implementation for results and impact, we will emphasize some key instruments to help us achieve this objective and will largely focus on monitoring and reporting progress in line with jointly agreed commitments and targets as well as mutual accountability. We will be discussing how instruments like the Joint Sector Reviews will better characterize our CAADP roll-out in countries to make sure that resources, policies and institutions get in better position to deliver these results and impact.
As I conclude, let me emphasise that the 2014 Year will be one that we should all seize as an opportunity to reflect on the journey we had taken together over the last decade or so, evaluate the current state of affairs, and chart the way forward for the next decade on the agenda of “Transforming Africa’s Agriculture for Shared Prosperity and Improved Livelihoods, through harnessing opportunities for inclusive growth and sustainable development”. This is the theme we have chosen for this year.
Transformation through sustained inclusive agriculture growth for shared prosperity and improved lives and livelihoods, as a key plank of Africa socio-economic development strategies in the next decade must address the concerns of:
a. Increased agriculture production, productivity and value addition;
b. Functioning agricultural markets at both national and regional levels;
c. Increased investment financing, both public and private, along structured agriculture value chains;
d. The challenges of ending hunger in Africa by 2025 as committed to by our Heads of State and Government; and
e. Building resilience to address vulnerability to risks.
These are packed; they need to be unpacked.
Such a structural transformation should not only enable Africa feed itself, but also contribute significantly to overall economic growth and job creation, and to turning the continent into a major player in the global agri-food economy.
As we look forward to our Ministers and later Heads of State and Government’s lively and productive debate on the theme come next Ordinary Session of the Assembly, we encourage and invite Member States and Regional Economic Communities to take a lead in organising actions and events as part of the yearlong commemorations and dialogue for the way forward.
Let me end here by thanking you for your attention and wishing you successful deliberations.
Dates:
February 11, 2014
File:
English
Statement by Her Excellency Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma Chairperson of the African Union Commission to African Regional Ministerial Consultation on Preparations for the 58th Session of the Commission on the Status f Women (CSW)
Statement by Her Excellency Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma Chairperson of the African Union Commission to African Regional Ministerial Consultation on Preparations for the 58th Session of the Commission on the Status f Women (CSW)
7 January 2014
ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA
Your Excellencies, Ministers of Women and Gender
Our host, Hon. Minister Zenebu Tadesse, Minister of Women, Children and Youth Affairs of the Federal Republic of Ethiopia
Deputy Executive Director of UN Women, Ms. Lakshmi Puri
Representative of Dr. Carlos Lopez, Executive Secretary of the UNECA
Representatives of the Regional Economic Communities
Technical Experts and Representatives of Civil society
Your Excellencies, Members of the Diplomatic Corps and Representatives of International Organisations
Ladies and Gentlemen
I am honoured to address this regional consultation in preparations for the 58th session of the Commission on the Status of Women, to be held under the priority theme Challenges and achievements in the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals for women and girls.
These consultations ahead of time are critical, because it helps to consolidate our common positions, as an integral part of Africa taking its rightful place in the world.
The issues before the 58th Session - access to education, training, science and technology, to full employment, decent work and productive resources - are vital to our transformation agenda for women and girls on our continent, as we embark on the African Year of Agriculture and Food Security.
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen
On all global gender indexes dealing with educational and economic opportunity, individual African countries are beginning to be ranked among the best performers in the world.
For example, Burundi, Malawi, Mozambique, Lesotho and Ghana are ranked in the top 25 best performing countries on the World Economic Forum Global Gender Gap Report 2013, on Economic Participation and Opportunity for women; whilst Botswana, Lesotho and Namibia are amongst the top 25 countries with regards to educational attainment.
At the same time, as a continent, we score consistently low on both these indices, due to large differences across countries and regions.
This means that we have to do more, at country, regional and continental levels to ensure that all girls are in school and stay in school, in order to close the gender gap in educational attainment. In addition, there is still a paucity of girls and women in science, mathematics and technology fields, and in further and higher education more generally, and we have to ensure a concerted push around these areas as well.
As part of Africa’s transformation agenda for 2063, we talk about a skills revolution, but this revolution can only happen if it includes the other half of Africa’s human resources, girls and women.
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen
Large numbers of African women have joined and continue to join the labour markets over the last few decades. They do so as informal traders, as the majority of the agricultural workforce, in the services industry, in the public sectors and slowly but surely, within the professions and as entrepreneurs.
As we talk about Africa’s economic transformation today, to ensure high levels of sustained growth, to ensure growth that is inclusive, lead to economic diversification, industrialization, decent jobs, and greater intra-African trade, we must be conscious that this transformation takes place in the context of “a world economy that has been premised on the exploitation of gender divisions since the dawn of modern capitalism”, as Dr. Amina Mama reminded us last year during the 50th Anniversary summit debate on Pan Africanism and African Renaissance.
She went further:
The terms of women’s integration into development have been based on a flawed premise – that we sit around as a vast underused reserve army of labour. The inclusionary strategies have thus added work to the overworked, women already doing double shifts between their homes and farms.
Economic reforms have simultaneously sapped/zapped state efforts to address poverty, ignorance and disease – through public health, welfare and educational services necessary to sustain and reproduce labour in a waged-based economy.
(However), African women are no longer ignored, as we celebrate a new level of hard-won recognition and global consensus on the importance of gender equality and women’s empowerment.
But, Dr. Mama concluded:
Recognition demands redistribution of resources.
This demand for the redistribution of resources is no more apparent than in the Agricultural sector. African women constitute the majority of the workforce in the sector and are therefore the main producers of food on the continent.
And yet, their access to productive resources, including skills, training, technology including ICTs, capital, seeds, irrigation, market access, distribution networks, storage facilities and especially land, are negligible.
As we therefore embark on this African Year of Agriculture and Food Security, we must ensure that our practical plans as Member states, Regional Economic Communities, as continental organisations and civil society are implemented, so that Africa’s agrarian revolution, and the much needed gender transformation of this sector becomes a reality.
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen
The progress that women are making in the political sphere is in large part due to a combination of the introduction of proactive and affirmative action policies and programmes; gender aggregated data and monitoring; and the mobilization and activism of the African women’s movement. This is indeed the history behind the emergence of the Commission on the Status of Women.
We must therefore ensure that our national, regional and continental bodies and institutions of women are strengthened, from the Ministerial forums to the AU Commission’s Gender department, to the Pan African Women’s Organisation and civil society in its great diversity. Only through strong institutions and gender activism can we ensure that we push ahead with the challenges that remain, and enable us to implement what needs to be done.
In addition to the CSW review-taking place in March, there are a number of global processes in which women’s voices need to be louder. This ranges from trade and climate change negotiations, to the development of the sustainable development goals and the post-2015 global development agenda.
This quest to mainstream gender in all global policies and architectures, also informs our approach to the post-2015 Agenda, and the proposal from African women that gender be a key pillar (the 6th pillar) of this global consensus.
As we therefore develop our Pan African Development Goals as part of Agenda 2063 first ten-year plan, Africa will certainly ensure that women’s empowerment gets the attention that it deserves in our continental priorities, whether this becomes part of the global consensus or not.
The January 2014 African Union Summit just adopted the consultative framework for Agenda 2063, which will be our roadmap towards an Africa that is integrated, prosperous, peaceful and taking its rightful place in the world. It is also an Africa that must be non-sexist and people-centered.
Through Agenda 2063, we must also articulate our aspirations of what a non-sexist Africa should look like and set milestones towards its realization. Agenda 2063 will therefore of necessity incorporate our short and medium goals as set out in the AU Gender Protocol, and in the African Decade of Women.
AU Heads of State and Governments, emerging from the Summit, decided that they would hold national consultations on the Agenda 2063 framework, and give feedback to the Commission by April this year. It is therefore our responsibility to ensure that women participate in this process, so that Agenda 2063 also leads to the gender transformation of our countries, regions and continent.
As we therefore prepare for the upcoming 58th session of the global Commission on the Status of Women, we have a responsibility to the women veterans who fought against colonialism, for gender equality and who participated in the first Beijing Conference in 1985.
We also have a responsibility to secure the freedoms, security and prosperity of future generations of African boys and girls, of men and women.
I thank you.
Dates:
February 07, 2014
File:
English
Opening Remarks by Her Excellency Madam Rhoda Peace Tumusiime, Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture of the African Union Commission at the Opening of the Fourth Meeting of the Steering Committee of Pan-Spso Consolidation Phase Held.
Opening Remarks By Her Excellency Madam Rhoda Peace Tumusiime, Commissioner For Rural Economy And Agriculture Of The African Union Commission At The Opening Of The Fourth Meeting Of The Steering Committee Of Pan-Spso Consolidation Phase Held At Au-Ibar 6th February 2014 In Nairobi, Kenya
The Director of the Department of Rural Economy and Agriculture (DREA),
The Director of of the Inter-African Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR)
The Director of of the Inter-African Phytosanitary Centre (AU-IAPSC)
Representatives of COMESA, EAC, ECCAS, IGAD, and SADC
Representatives of the European Commission
Representative of OIE
Distinguished Members of the PANSPSO Steering Committee
The PANSPSO implementing team and other AUC staff present
I wish you a Happy New Year.
It is an honor and a pleasure for me to welcome you all to the fourth meeting of the Steering Committee of the Project “Participation of African Nations in the Sanitary and Phytosanitary Standards-setting Organizations Consolidation Phase Two (PANSPSO II)”.
As has traditionally been the case, this Steering Committee meeting was initially scheduled to take place in November 2013 in Gaborone, Botswana back-to-back with the Steering Committee meeting of Veterinary Governance (VET-GOV) Programme.
However, due to the timing of the just-concluded mid-term evaluation of the project, it was agreed not to hold the meeting as earlier scheduled. The intention was to enable the members of the Steering Committee to be appraised of the findings of the evaluation; and perhaps also it has allowed me to be here because at that time I was not going to make it.
Ladies and Gentlemen
On one hand, AU-IBAR assumes the overall responsibility of ensuring effective implementation and results-oriented monitoring for the PAN-SPSO project. On the other hand, the Steering Committee provides a three-fold strategic guidance to the project; : one, to ensure coherent implementation of activities in order to avoid duplication of efforts with other projects but ensure synergy and complementarity; two, to establish a process to alert members to any challenges in project implementation and provide the basis for making any needed adjustments for efficiency and effectiveness; and three, to promote discussions between AU-IBAR, the Inter-African Phytosanitary Centre (AU-IAPSC), AU Member States and Regional Economic Communities on remedial actions to be adopted to avert technical irregularities that may otherwise lead to non-compliance with the contractual agreements.
As a Steering Committee, it is gratifying to note that we have done our best to make this project a success for the main beneficiaries, the AU Member States and our building blocks, the Regional Economic Communities However, we recognize that diverse challenges remain especially in respect of Sanitary and Phytosanitary issues. But, at this moment, I wish to congratulate you all for your respective dedication to, and personal active involvement in the Steering Committee to identify the challenges and to propose the recommendations to resolve the issues constraining by the Project Coordination Unit.
We look forward to being appraised of the findings of the evaluation that will be presented to us by the Consultant. This will help inform us about the performance of the project and more importantly provide recommendations for our consideration on the best way forward to achieve the project’s objectives.
As you are aware, the 22nd Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union was concluded last week in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and launched 2014 the AU Year of Agriculture and Food Security also marking the 10th Anniversary of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP). The Department of Rural Economy and Agriculture is, therefore, at the forefront of the year-long programme of consultation, commemoration and consecutively all the related specialized technical Offices and our stakeholders in order to contribute to the renewed momentum for agricultural transformation aimed at a food and nutrition secure and poverty free Africa. In this regard, animal resources shall play an important role and the AU Policy Organs highlighted this point while considering the Report of the AU Ministers of Animal Resources which, as you may remember, was held in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire in April last year.
The African Union Commission and specifically the Department of Rural Economy and Agriculture, will continue to support, promote and sustain, with the involvement of RECs and Member States, the effective participation of African countries in the sanitary and phytosanitary standard setting processes and also encourage them in complying with the global agricultural standards which they participated in adopting. This is in line with the resolutions of the Conference of the AU Ministers responsible for animal resources in 2010 in Entebbe, Uganda, and the decisions of the AU Heads of State and Government related to the common positions and the SPS committees. I would also like to call upon you to go beyond the project boundaries and see how we relate with the globae given the influence of so many products coming from outside, which we need to be sure of their sanitary and phytosanitary standards. We need to enhance capacity to understand them.
In the course of this Steering Committee meeting, we shall be briefed on progress made in implementing the recommendations adopted at the last Steering Committee meeting and the project activities as per the financing agreements. We shall also reflect on the challenges and build consensus on the way forward.
We expect that our implementing partners will continue to foster partnership through:
• Sustaining synergy and complementarity building, making judicious utilization of each partner’s comparative advantages in advancement of our agreed priorities;
• Holistic information sharing;
• Piloting, broadening and sustaining good practices.
In this regard, I look forward to your active participation and valuable contribution to the deliberations. As I end, I would like to add my voice to that of Director AU-IBAR in appreciating the support we continue to receive from our partners, the EU. I now declare open the fourth meeting of the Steering Committee of the PANSPSO Consolidation phase.
I thank you for your attention.
Dates:
February 06, 2014
English
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