Talking points for a Goodwill Message for H. E. Mrs Rhoda Peace Tumusiime, Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture at the African Union Commission

on the occasion of the Post 2015 Thematic Consultations on Water

29 January 2013, Monrovia Liberia

Protocols
• Your Excellency Ellen Sirleaf Johnson, President of the Republic of Liberia, Goodwill Ambassador for Water and Sanitation in Africa and Co-Chairof the High Level Panel on Post-2015 Development Agenda
• Honourable Sarah Reng Ochekpe, Minister for Water Resources, Federal Republic of Nigeria;
• Honourable Samuel K Woods, Minister of Public Works of Liberia
• Mr Girish Menon, Director of International Programmes and Deputy Chief Executive, Water Aid
• Mrs Kitty van der Heijden, Director of Environmnt, Climate, Water and Energy, The Netherlands
• African Constituency
• Partners
• Members of the Diplomatic Corps
• Distinguished Participants, Ladies and Gentlemen

Courtesies
• I wish to commend the host country, Liberia, for the hospitality and excellent arrangements.
• I would like to salute Yourr Excellency President Sirleaf Johnson in both your roles as a co-Chair of the High Level Panel of Eminent Persons on the post-2015 The World We Want; and also as the Goodwill Ambassador for the Water Sector in Africa
• My appreciation to the African constituency for the collaboration to take forward water and sanitation
• Many thanks to the technical staff for the facilitation
• I am also grateful to the partners for support and cooperation

1. The African Union accords high priority to issues of development and transformation. In this respect, the AU Member States and its institutions have made advances towards the achievement of Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Although some countries are not on track to achieve MDG targets by 2015, considerable progress has been registered as evidenced by:
• considerable reduction in hunger and poverty amongst many countries in Africa
• increasing primary school enrolment
• visible gender parity in primary school enrolment
• the rising proportion of seats held by women in national parliament
• the falling prevalence rates of HIV and AIDS

2. This development-oriented prioritisation and progress as well as the remaining development challenges formed the premise for the July 2012 Decision of the AU Assembly of Heads of State and Government on the Post-2015 Development Agenda.

3. The AU also espouses, among its principles, the collective development and championing of common positions at international fora. Accordingly, the above-mentioned AU Assembly Decision mandated the AUC and its Specialised Technical body, AMCOW, with the support of UNDP, UNECA, AFDB and other Partners to lead Africa's multi-stakeholder preparations for the Post-2015 Development Agenda.

4. It is expected that the outcomes will be considered and endorsed by African Ministers of Finance, Economy and Planning in March and subsequently by the AU Summit in May so that Africa speaks with one voice at the 68th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in September

5. For the consultations of the Africa Water Community, the AUC and AMCOW will be convening a special session of all key stakeholders on 4 March in Tunis to finalise Africa’s common position for timely input into the global process for the post-2015 development framework.

6. In this connection, the AU salutes the initiatives taken by the United Nations Secretary General (UNSG) to advance the process to formulate global development agenda beyond 2015, by establishing, among others, the High-level Panel of Eminent Persons.

7. Through the continent-wide consultations, the African Union stresses that the process to formulate the post 2015 development agenda should complement rather than substitute the MDGs and other related existing frameworks.

8. The AU further emphasises that in order for Africa to reap the rewards of its increasing population and impressive economic growth, its post MDGs agenda must prioritize:

- building skills for tomorrow's job market
- fostering efficiency and accountability in services
- building social and financial systems for inclusive growth
- mobilising of domestic resources
- prioritising rural development; and,
- bringing together the social, environmental and economic dimensions of sustainable and equitable development

9. As you are all aware, the seventh goals of the MDGs focused on sustainability of development; environment and access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation. Many countries are not on track to meet these targets, in part because some were formulated as moving targets. The other challenge was contained in the fact that they were lumped and lacked disaggregation to ascertain concreteness.

10. The African Union is now leading discussions on detailed and concrete commitments to advance equitable economic growth and development as an instrument and catalyst to eliminate hunger and poverty. For these aspirations, the vitality of effective management of Africa’s water, environment and natural resources systems cannot be overemphasised.

11. This work will build upon the commitments, goals and targets enshrined in the Africa Water Vision 2025. The same goals should form the basis for Africa’s common position in the process to formulate water related goals and targets for the post 2015 development framework.

12. I would also like to reaffirm the African Union’s commitment not to limit Africa’s common position to the development of the broad framework of the post MDG development agenda. We intended to extend the process to eliciting commensurate financial and technical support towards the implementation of the agreed goals.

I thank you