NEW YORK, NY - February 08, 2010
-- The global food and energy crises and climate change, and coupled
with the financial and economic crises, have eroded economic and social
gains made in Africa over the past decade, Secretary-General Ban
Ki-moon warns in a new report, calling for a stronger partnership for
Africa's development.
In his
report entitled
Social Dimensions
of the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD), the
Secretary-General wrote that the adverse social consequences of these
crises are likely to remain for much longer in Africa, even after the
recovery gathers pace in advanced countries.
"African economies
will likely experience decelerated growth, high unemployment and
poverty rates and diminished prospects for achieving NEPAD goals and
other internationally agreed development goals, including the
Millennium Development Goals," the Secretary-General wrote.
To
mitigate these effects, the Secretary-General recommended that African
countries bear the majority of responsibility for their own development
by continuing to integrate and mainstream NEPAD priorities - such as
infrastructure, agriculture and food security, science and technology,
trade, and environment - into their national development plans.
Governments concerned should also take advantage of North-South and
South-South experiences and best practices.
The report also
called on Africa's development partners to continue to integrate NEPAD
priorities, values and principles into their development assistance
programmes. In particular, the international community should assist
African countries in addressing the challenge of climate change by
raising the resources needed to support adaptation and mitigation
actions.
"For Africa to leapfrog dirty energy solutions,
strengthen its adaptive capacity and pursue sustainable low-carbon
growth strategies, it will need financial assistance and technology
transfers. The region will need not only additional funding but also
timely and predictable delivery on existing ODA commitments," the
Secretary-General wrote.
The report noted that although African
countries contribute the least to climate change and sea-level rise.
Extreme weather phenomena results in a "growing numbers of climate
refugees, social disintegration as a result of social and political
instability and conflicts over land-based resources, and new health
threats that emerge as a result of the changing frequency and intensity
of extreme weather events such as floods and droughts."
Adopted by African leaders in 2001, NEPAD lays out an agreed vision of social and economic development on the continent.
The
NEPAD report is on the agenda of the 48th session of the Commission for
Social Development, which began last week in New York and continues
until Friday.