Countries asked to ensure full representation towards achieving SDGs #ARFSD2021

The Seventh Session of the African Regional Forum on Sustainable Development (ARFSD) has ended with a call on African countries to pursue full representation of all citizens, including women, children, and the disabled, irrespective of background, belief or geographic location, in efforts to attain the sustainable development goals without leaving anyone behind.

During the four-day Forum, discussions showed that efforts by countries, including achievements made in achieving the SDGs and Agenda 2063, have been severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, setting back strides in addressing the continent's development needs.

The Forum, hosted by the Government of Congo Brazzaville and held virtually, also called on governments to ensure peace and human security, remove restrictions on spaces for activists and journalists and work to avoid election violence.

The Forum also emphasized the importance of data which is a key component of tracking the SDGs. In this regard the UN Resident Representative in Zambia, Ms. Coumba Mar Gadio stated that the UN has worked with the Zambian government to mainstream the SDGs and provided support to localize SDGs and national planning.

That, she said, was to ensure that the national plan followed a strategy to apply the SDGs.

Ms. Joy Kategekwa, Head, UNCTAD Regional Office for Africa, called for a regional approach in procurement as the continent continues to fight COVID-19; urged the continent to fight corruption; and added that the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) should also work for women and young people.

In spite of the challenges, there are some success stories, as narrated by Ms. Micheline Baussard of the UNDP. She indicated that cooperation among regional groups has led to new initiatives and called on countries to develop a roadmap for attaining the SDGs.

“There is need to invest in human capital in the implementation of this roadmap,” she said, adding that “90 per cent of the goals are related and therefore impact from one goal will affect the other.”

Ms. Edith Madela-Mntla of the University of Pretoria urged that the process of implementing the SDGs should be people-centred and inclusive. The homeless, disabled and marginalized should be included in the process, she added.

Ms. Madela-Mntla also called on countries to pay attention to climate change and the environment; and look at how to manage COVID-19 related waste, think of how to deal with disasters, cyclones, floods and disasters and ensure low carbon emissions.

Among the key highlights of the Forum’s resolutions, which would be reviewed by member-countries till March 14, 2021, include the need for countries to pay attention to data collection and the Voluntary National Reviews and Voluntary Local Reviews. The need for the SDGs to address poverty and gender across all sectors; reducing illicit financial flows, reinforcing small-holder farmers and looking at using the AfCFTA to create jobs in the agriculture sector.

Participants also called on governments and the private sector to enhance value chains across the continent and the use of innovative financing to address climate change.

The forum was held under the theme; "Building forward better: towards a resilient and green Africa to achieve the 2030 Agenda and 2063".

Combating inequality in Africa crucial as fight against COVID-19 continues

Poverty and inequalities remain a major challenge in Africa raising the need for all stakeholders to do more to address widening disparities that have worsened due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

This is shared by participants at a parallel meeting at the 7^th Session of the Africa Regional Forum on Sustainable Development (ARFSD).

Deeply entrenched anomalies and inequalities in most African countries require sound policies to promote economic inclusion of all regardless of sex, race or ethnicity, they agreed as they called on governments to do more to lessen inequities to reduce poverty, especially during this global Decade of Action.

Bearing the brunt more are women, youth and vulnerable populations including refugees, migrants, indigenous people, older persons, the disabled and children. Many said inequalities were widening in their countries with a small portion of the continent’s population getting richer as the ranks of the poor kept growing.

Solutions, they agreed, include improving regulation, encouraging development assistance and foreign direct investment to regions where the need is greatest; facilitating safe migration and mobility of people as a key to bridging the widening divide.

During the parallel session focusing on SDG 10 on “Reduced Inequalities”, participants agreed there were linkages to SDG 1 on “No Poverty”, SDG 2 on “Zero Hunger”, SDG 3 on “Good Health and Well-being”, SDG 4 on “Quality Education”, SDG 5 on “Gender Equality”, SDG 8 on “Decent Work and Economic Growth” and also Aspiration 1 of African Union’s Agenda 2063 which calls for “a prosperous Africa based on inclusive growth and sustainable development”.

In a presentation, Ms. Phumza Manqindi, Migration Policy and Liaison Officer with IOM Ethiopia, noted that the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) offered African an opportunity to increase returns from remittances. She said governments need to encourage the free movement of persons within the continent.

In Africa, women participation and representation remained a key challenge with most women lacking access to equal opportunities as opposed to their male counterparts. Rwanda is the exception with over half of its parliamentary seats held by women.

Mr. Mabingue Ngom, Regional Director for UNFPA West and Central Africa Regional Office (WCARO), for his part highlighted the challenges heightened by crisis situations. He noted the Sahel region where the majority of poor children were out of school due to security issues. Education, health, security and climate change were key areas that need to be addressed to ensure reduced inequalities, said Mr. Ngom.

The UNHCR promotes inclusivity and forges partnerships in this regard with the Global Compact on Refugees (GCR) seeking to address inequalities, said Mr. Cosmas Chanda, UNHCR's representative to the AU, for his part.

The UNHCR also supports economies which host refugees, he said, adding the UN agency had invested in initiatives to collect data, for example through the World Bank-UNHCR Joint Data Center on Forced Displacement. Mr. Chanda emphasized the need for partnership to work towards poverty reduction, especially now through COVID-19 response strategies.

Participants also rallied behind the call for Africa to produce her own COVID-19 vaccines. The continent was called on to invest in policies that will shore up its health and economic sectors and invest in interdisciplinary research for inclusive development. Africa also needs to close the technological gap, the participants agreed, adding the pandemic had brought to the fore glaring rural-urban digital capabilities gaps.

Participants called on governments to reduce taxes levied on mobile money transfers; push for digitization and reducing inequalities that arise from lack of access to water, in particular.

They were agreed that despite all the challenges the continent is facing, there was an opportunity in it all for Africa to build back and forward better and recover from the pandemic. Africa has a booming young population, increasing connectivity through transport and communications and increasing freedom of movement within regional blocs, which offer a comparative advantage as the continent continues to tackle COVID-19 and remain on track to reduce inequalities.

Africa is not on track to achieve zero hunger by 2030, #ARFSD2021

Africa is not on track to achieve zero hunger by 2030, Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) Regional Representative for Africa, Abebe Haile-Gabriel, told a meeting reviewing progress made by the continent towards attaining that goal so far.

Co-organised by the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and the World Food Programme (WFP), in collaboration with the Government of the Republic of Congo, the meeting is part of the Seventh Session of the Africa Regional Forum on Sustainable Development (ARFSD) that is underway in Brazzaville.

“The results remain unsatisfactory and there are many challenges due to climate change, the poor economic situation and the negative impacts of COVID 19, as well as the lack of public investment,” said Mr. Haile-Gabriel.

He, however, said the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) was a unique opportunity for the transformation of the continent’s food system.

To address the issue of hunger in Africa, Mr. Haile-Gabriel said political will and commitment at the highest level was key, adding national and local level actions and investments were also critical.

He said there was an urgent need for the continent to build back and forward better after the COVID-19 pandemic, with governments being called on to invest in social protection measures to save the most vulnerable in society. The transformation of the African food system is crucial to help end hunger, he said, adding the adoption of holistic multi sectoral approaches was needed.

Chris Toe from the WFP said African countries need to prioritize and scale up investments in rural transformation, sustainable infrastructure and human capital development as they work towards eliminating hunger and food insecurities.

This, he said, will not only help to sustain ongoing progress, but also assist in the continent’s quest to achieve zero hunger as espoused in the SDGs and Africa’s 2025 commitment to end hunger and Agenda 2063 aspirations.

A Congolese government official, M. Mukena Bantu, an adviser in charge of cooperation and projects, speaking on behalf of Agriculture Minister, Mr. Joseph-Antoine Kasongo, said the new administration was determined to accelerate the development of agriculture to end hunger.

“We have declared that the soil must take over the subsoil,” he said, adding, “There is political will to carry out all the actions necessary to achieve food security.”

The side event provided a platform for member States to reflect and share on transformative actions and investments that will facilitate the building of Africa’s food systems better towards meeting the aspirations and goals of the 2030 Agenda and the African Union’s Agenda 2063.

 

ECA launches Building Forward for an African Green Recovery report

The Economic Commission for Africa has launched the Building Forward for an African Green Recovery report which highlights the continent’s bold post-COVID-19 pandemic recovery strategy.

The report seeks to bolster the continent’s valiant quest for the realization of the sustainable development goals (SDGs), attainment of the Paris Agreement’s climate change targets and achievement of the prosperity objectives articulated in Africa’s Agenda 2063.

The Building Forward for an African Green Recovery will contribute significantly towards achieving and enhancing sustainable trade within the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) over the next decade.

The report shows the African region faces its first recession in 25 years with output losses due to COVID-19 estimated to be 99 billion USD. This is compounded by climate impacts on economic output projected to cause annual losses of between 3-5% of GDP by 2030 under a business-as-usual scenario. In some cases, this will be as much as -15% of GDP.  With credible data available on the impact of climate change, the ECA Building Forward for an African Green Recovery makes a case for Africa to make informed assessments and take knowledgeable decisions. The report calls for the uptake of nature-based solutions at national, regional and continental levels to inspire policies that preserve the global commons.

ECA has been at the forefront of supporting transitions in African countries towards sustainable development pathways illustrated on Green or Blue Economy pillars, which endorse climate-smart agricultural approaches, sustainable fisheries, ecotourism and adoption of cleaner energy sources including solar, tidal, wind and geothermal sources.

“For us to build back better we need a lot of energy. The conversation in Africa is about substituting expensive bad fossil fuels with something that is cleaner and cheaper,” said UN Under-Secretary General and Executive Secretary of the ECA, Vera Songwe.  “We have to replace fuel-based energies with green and sustainable ones.”

This report seeks to galvanise support for Africa’s Green and Blue Economy strategies and mobilise resources to bolster the continent’s climate adaptation and mitigation measures. It summarizes the continental outlook of how collaborative partnerships bringing together development partners, multilateral agencies, private sector, international and non-governmental organisations can boost Africa’s green and blue livelihoods recovery programme.

Ms. Songwe noted that with the impact of COVID-19 and its associated economic contractions coupled with the debilitating impact of the climate crisis, Africa’s focus on recovery was even more essential. According to the ECA Chief, there is an urgent need to roll-out financial aid packages, investments in sustainable infrastructure and structure fiscal stimuli to cushion the expected transition into the green and blue economy.

In the immediate this involves a new issuance of SDRs to boost liquidity for African countries, and extension of the Debt Service Suspension Initiative (DSSI).  The ECA has also been advocating for SDRs to be made available for on-lending to provide cheaper forms of finance for investment in sustainable priorities such as clean energy. Opportunities for green and blue bonds using appropriate credit enhancements should also be considered alongside the opportunity for debt restructuring using debt for climate or debt for nature swaps.

The “circular economy” concept has been defined as one which is restorative, as it heavily relies on renewable energies and eradicates waste and toxic chemicals.  In the same vein the green economy is described as one that improves well-being, promotes social equity, reduces ecological risks and is capable of transforming the global economy towards a low-carbon development uptake. 

In his remarks, Albert Muchanga, African Union’s Commissioner for Trade and Industry, welcomed the launch of the South African case studies.  “The launch of the report and case studies has come at an opportune moment as the AU will work together with the ECA and other partners in fulfilling the objective of an African post-pandemic Green recovery,” the AUC Commissioner said.

“Africa has immense renewable energy potential to boost its economic growth through adoption of cleaner energy pathways which are a boost to adaptation and climate mitigation.”

Commenting on the need for urgent global action to support Africa’s green recovery initiatives, Sir Nicholas Kay, the UK regional Ambassador for Africa of the Climate Conference (COP26), said “Global political will is building up as has been seen with the return of the US to the Paris Agreement, commitment of China to net-zero emissions and raised ambitions by the UK, among other developed nations, to pursue a Green Industrial Revolution. All these are a boost for Africa to adopt greener economic pathways for attainment of sustainable development goals.”

“Green energy is the future,” he added.

Speaking during the launch, Julia Bird from the Oxford University, who collaborated with the ECA in producing the report said; “Africa is endowed with some of the world’s richest biodiversity hotspots, and one of the most important natural carbon sinks, such as the peatlands of the Congo basin which can lock in up to 30 billion tons of carbon.”

“This sequestered carbon is equivalent to 3 years-worth of the whole world’s emissions. Carbon off-sets provide an opportunity for Africa to tap into the value of its natural assets by factoring in carbon sequestration values. Uptake of reliable green energy will support Africa’s economic transformation and clean transition.”

Ms. Songwe underscored the need for a “paradigm shift from resource-heavy and inefficient models of production and consumption that incentivise overexploitation, to models that are centred on sustainable use of resources and bring value throughout the production and consumption cycle as part of a circular green economy.”

 

African governments urged to pay attention to impacts of conflict, climate change and COVID-19 on food systems.

Africa, as a food producing continent can produce enough to feed itself and the rest of the world. But instead of being the food basket of the world, the continent is facing increasing hunger and malnutrition due to factors such as the impact of climate change, conflict and COVID-19, described as the ‘Triple Cs’.

These challenges are not only threatening future food production prospects but they are also rolling back achievements in Africa’s food systems.

At a panel discussion held virtually as a side event of the Africa Regional Forum on Sustainable Development (ARFSD) on Monday, the discussants gave vivid images of the threats posed by the ‘Triple Cs’ and made recommendations on fashioning out appropriate responses to dealing with the issues.

According to Dina Saleh of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the interactions between conflict, climate change and COVID-19 negatively impact the food system as well SDGs and Agenda 2063. She urged African countries to build resilient food systems to address the challenges.

In his contribution, Dr. Chimimba David Phiri, the FAO Subregional Coordinator for Eastern Africa and FAO Representative to the African Union, noted that there was no better opportunity to discuss Africa’s food systems than now.

Citing incidents of droughts and floods, Mr. Phiri said what used to occur every 10 years in the past, now occurred every two years.

He said climate change was one of the causes of resource-based conflicts, for example over water, and posed real challenges to food systems by displacing families and farmers.

“The emergence of COVID-19 has worsened the vulnerability of food systems, especially of people living in rural areas,” said Mr. Phiri.

Kafkas Capralzi of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) said a sustainable food system that provides food, is profitable, broad-based and has a positive and neutral impact on the environment.

He said while large scale food producers were able to adapt production practices due to climate change and have food sufficiency, small scale producers could not.

“In the next 10 years if we don’t take action, there will be chronic hunger,” he said. “Risk is a hazard, and when it meets humans, governments have an obligation to act.”

Magadalena Moshi, Deputy Director, African Union Liaison Office in Addis Ababa at UN World Food Programme, said the ‘Tripple Cs’ were key drivers behind worsening food security.

She said the global food system should be inclusive and food production systems must be expanded to reach more vulnerable people.

Amjad Abbashar, Chief, United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) Regional Office for Africa, said Africa experiences at least two disasters per week.

He said the cascading nature of risk can affect other areas of life in multiple ways with ripple effects, impacting development gains in the process.

In his presentation, Gerald Masila, the Executive Director at the Eastern Africa Grain Council, said failure to increase local food production has seen the continent’s food import bill rising. This has discouraged local farmers, affected local supply chains and also deterred investors from investing in agriculture, and in the process weakening the ability of local producers to compete.

He recommended the conversion of small scale farms into large scale farms by bringing them together so they can focus on value chains and lower production costs. He called for improved value chains on the continent and accountability in the way cooperatives are run.

The four-day meeting is being held under the theme “Building forward better: towards a resilient and green Africa to achieve the 2030 Agenda and Agenda 2063”.