HSGOC (NEPAD) and CAHOSCC pre-Summit meetings in Kampala
NEPAD, now the Heads of State and Government Orientation Committee (HSGOC) held its 23rd Meeting on 24th July before the Summit, and subsequently Prime Minister Meles as Chairperson of the HSGOC presented a report to the Assembly, which was fully endorsed. Last February’s Summit approved the integration of NEPAD into the structures and processes of the African Union, including the establishment of the NEPAD Planning and Coordination Agency (NPCA), and the change of name to the Orientation Committee, which now operates as a sub-committee of the AU Assembly. The meeting was addressed by Gordon Brown, former UK Prime Minister and a representative of the Canadian Prime Minister, on Africa's Economic Partnerships and the outcome of this year’s G8 session.
There were four key agenda issues for the HSGOC meeting: progress on the NPCA; its activities between February and June; the promotion of regional infrastructure to accelerate Africa’s economic growth and development; and on Africa’s engagement with the G8 and G20 groups. The meeting noted the NPCA’s adoption of AU rules, regulations and practices and the harmonisation between the AU Commission and NPCA. It endorsed the NPCA's activity report and requested it to scale up support to AU Member States on agriculture and food security by providing technical guidelines on access to global financing. In the discussion on the promotion of Regional Infrastructure, the committee noted that the primary responsibility for implementing NEPAD priority programmes and projects lies with National Governments and Regional Economic Communities (RECs). The Orientation Committee agreed to set up a High-Level Sub-Committee on Infrastructure comprising South Africa (Chair), Algeria, Benin, Republic of Congo, Egypt, Nigeria, Rwanda and Senegal, tasked with prioritising and consolidating infrastructure sub-sector programmes and projects. The sub-committee is requested to report to the next meeting of the HSGOC in January 2011. The Orientation Committee welcomed the G8 Muskoka Initiative on Maternal, Newborn and Under-5 Child Health, the G20 enlargement of Africa's participation to two seats, and the G20 inclusion of development of low-income countries in its mandate. The Committee recommended that the Chairpersons of the AU and of the Orientation Committee itself be designated as Africa's representatives in the G20. It called for Africa to participate at all levels of the consultations and decision-making processes of the G20. It expressed its support for additional individual African Countries to become members of the G20.
The HSGOC welcomed the inclusion of low-income countries and Africa in the mandate of G20 and the establishment of the Working Group as positive developments. It recognised that the NEPAD programme provided a sound and adequate framework within which Africa can pursue its partnership with the G20. It reiterated the critical need for delivery on commitments by development partners for the sustainability of partnerships. The meeting underscored the paramount importance of the partnership principle of mutual accountability and welcomed the mutual accountability mechanisms being put in place within Africa's partnership processes. It emphasised that the Mutual Review of Development Effectiveness (MRDE) should form the primary basis of Africa's monitoring of G8 partnership commitments.
Prime Minister Meles’ report on HSGOC/NEPAD was followed by a heated debate which subsequently ended with the Heads of State and Government expressing full support for the excellent work done by the Ethiopian Prime Minister. The President of Senegal who had originally, raised some issues about the report, said he was fully satisfied by the explanations given by Prime Minister Meles.
The Committee of Heads of State and Government on Climate Change (CAHOSCC) met the same day. The opening session was addressed by AU Chairperson and President of Malawi, Mr. Bingu Wa Mutharika; the President of Mexico, Mr. Felipe Calderon; the Chairperson of the AU Commission, Dr. Jean Ping; and the Commissioner for Rural Development and Agriculture, Mrs. Rhoda Peace. President Bingu Wa Mutharika, emphasised that climate change is one of the most challenging issues that needs to be addressed collectively, and congratulated Prime Minister Meles on his nomination by the UN Secretary-General as Co-Chair of the High-Level Advisory Panel on Climate Change Financing. Dr Ping observed that Africa with its united leadership is now being taken seriously. He thanked Prime Minister Meles for his leadership in the climate change negotiations, and reminded the meeting that it was vital that the developed countries met their historical responsibilities and fulfilled their financial pledges. President Calderon of Mexico said his main reason for attending the Summit was to pursue an inclusive process and to understand what the main obstacles were. Mrs. Rhoda Peace informed CAHOSCC of the outcome of the ministerial meeting in Bamako in June on setting up a single negotiation structure at ministerial and experts’ level. The CAHOSCC endorsed the ministerial recommendations.
The CAHOSCC reviewed the process of negotiations leading up to Cancun in Mexico. It felt that significant momentum has been lost since Copenhagen; and Mr. Calderon said that the majority leader of the United States Senate had indicated that there wouldn’t be any decision on climate change this summer by the US. At the same time, the CAHOSCC is convinced of the need to push for an ambitious agreement in Cancun, including a deal for the management and maintenance of the Congo basin, and for a final and binding agreement in South Africa. The CAHOSCC also made clear the need to reach agreement on long-term climate financing based on the Copenhagen Accord, and this financing had to be predictable, accessible and real. Two separate funds should be established, under the African Union Commission Board of Directors, each amounting to US$150 billion. Management would be by the African Development Bank. The first fund would be utilised for investment in clean energy on the basis of concessional loans; the second would be for adaptation, and be disbursed on a grant basis.
Prime Minister Meles subsequently presented the outcome of the CAHOSCC meeting to the Assembly. The Assembly commended the efforts of the African negotiators under the leadership of CAHOSCC in promoting the African Common Position on Climate Change. It endorsed the recommendations of CAHOSCC on the streamlined single negotiation structure at Ministerial and Experts’ levels to ensure effective coordination of negotiations on climate change prior to the 16th Conference of Parties in Cancun, Mexico later this year and the 17th Conference in South Africa next year. Algeria will serve as Coordinator at Ministerial level, together with Mali, in its capacity as current Chairperson of the African Ministerial Conference on Environment; and the Democratic Republic of Congo and Nigeria as Co-Coordinators at the Experts’ level. The Assembly accepted recommendations for South Africa to continue in CAHOSCC, as well as the inclusion of Congo in its capacity as the Chairperson of the African Group of Technical Negotiators, and agreed that the CAHOSCC should hold a meeting before Cancun, Mexico in December.