NORTH AFRICA AND INTERNATIONAL AND REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT AGENDAS

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NORTH AFRICA AND INTERNATIONAL AND REGIONAL
DEVELOPMENT AGENDAS
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Objective of the report

• Remain informed of major international summits
• To be informed on how North Africa is active in
  these events
• In which measure NA countries are taking into
  account these agendas in their national policies

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Themes

• Multilateral trade agreements and trade
  liberalisation (WTO and Doha)
• Environment and Sustainable Development
• Follow up of the World Summit on the Information
  Society (WSIS)
• Financing for Development the Monterrey
  Consensus
• MDGs and Human Development
• NEPAD, Governance and Development
• Barcelona 10 and new Perspectives in
  Mediterranean
• Regional Integration and Economic Cooperation in
  North Africa

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Multilateral trade agreements and trade
liberalisation (WTO and Doha)

• Doha (2001) Launch - development mandate
• Cancun (2003) stock-taking and a reality check
  that ended in
• a deadlock
• The July Framework (2004) progress on issues
  that had
• stalled negotiations
• Hong-Kong Ministerial (2005) Some further
  progress but with
• lower ambition
• Pause (July-Nov 2006) as no agreement on
  modalities by 30
• April 2006 deadline
• Publication of draft modalities (July 2007)

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WTO Positions and Prospects what the Stalement
was about
US moves on Ag. domestic support (12 18
billions US OTDS ?)
Lamys Triangle
EU moves on ag. tariff cuts (G20 54 cuts)
Advanced DC move on NAMA (Swiss 20 ?)
Focus on Domestic Support, Market Access and NAMA
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Environment and Sustainable Development (2)

• ? In preparation of Bali, Tunisia has organised a
  conference on International Solidarity on
  Climate Change Strategies for African and the
  Mediterranean regions, in November 2007
• ? Back to Back, ECA-NA has organised an Expert
  Group Meeting on Sustainable Development
• ? In Bali ECA has presented the Climate
  Information for Development (Clim-Dev Africa)
  programme Clim-Dev will scale up the capacities
  of key institutions and stakeholders to improve
  climate-related data and observation, information
  services, policies and risk management practices
  in all climate-sensitive sectors
• ? ECA announced the establishment of the African
  center for climate policy studies to provide
  African countries with analytical work and
  capacity for mainstreaming climate-related
  concerns in the frameworks of their development
  policies, strategies and plans

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Follow up of the World Summit on the Information
Society (WSIS)

• ICT4ALL Tunis2 organized in Tunis (November
  20-21 2007), on PPP in CIT
• How to increase PPP in developing countries?
• Third Global Knowledge (GK3) conference in Kuala
  Lumpur (December 11-13 2007)
• How can emerging people be supported to be the
  drivers of making the future?
• How can emerging markets overcome the obstacles
  that divide the demand from the supply side?
• How can emerging technologies provide the
  relevant tools to help us achieve a better future
  for all?

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Financing for Development the Monterrey
Consensus

• ? A 2007 General Assembly Resolution (GA
  resolution 61/191) has
• announced a Follow-up International
  Conference on Financing for
• Development to be held in Doha, Qatar
  November 29 - December
• 2, 2008
• ? October 2007 High Level Policy Dialogue was
  held on 23-25 to
• prepare Doha
• ? At this mid-point many countries are not one
  track to achieve
• MDGs
• ? implementing Monterrey commitments is
  sufficient for the MDGs
• realization
• ? Its urgent to fulfill the commitments made at
  Monterrey
• ? At the continental level, ECA with AfDB and
  Ghana have
• organised a Financing for Development
  Conference in may 2007

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MDGs and Human Development

• First African conference on Human development, in
  Rabat 6-7 April 2007
• 45 African countries and 7 NA countries. Focus on
  the role of African cooperation in MDGs
  achievement. Next conference in 2009 in Gabon
• ECA-NA makes a follow-up of the MDGs in the
  region every 2 years. Next one presented during
  the 2009 ICE
• MDGs in the arab region in 2007 (UN and LAS)
• Report highlights critical development issues
  faced by male and female youth in the region
• NA countries are going to achieve many MDGs
• But efforts still need to be done particularly on
• Men/Women equality on labor market
• ICTs
• HIV/AIDS and Tuberculosis prevention and detection

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NEPAD, Governance and Development

• ? African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) 27
  countries
• ? NA countries Status
• - Egypt and Sudan / Preparatory Stage
  Countries sign
• a Memorandum of Understanding
• - Stage 2 nc review visit for widespread
  stakeholder
• consultation
• - Stage 3 nc draft report
• - Algeria / Stage 4 recommendations and final
  Country Review
• report and Programme of Action submitted to
  the Forum of
• heads of States of the APRM for the peer
  review itself
• - Stage 5 nc Country Review Report and
  Programme of Action
• are publicized

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Barcelona 10 and new Perspectives in
Mediterranean (1)

• EU-Tunisia Free Trade Agreement since January 1st
  2008
• Transitory period very positive (import coverage
  with EU 76,7 in 1995, 92,7 in 2006)
• Tariffs dismantlement for the fourth list
  (sensitive products)
• Interesting for the other countries that have
  signed (Morocco, Egypt and Algeria)
• Mauritania has joined the process and Libya is an
  observer. Sudan is involved in EPA negotiations

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Barcelona 10 and new Perspectives in
Mediterranean (2)

• Since the resumption (Lisboa 2001) of the
  dialogue 55, this policy dialogue structure has
  been widened to defense and security, tourism,
  migration and regional integration
• The last meeting has focused on the definition of
  a program of common work to support the regional
  integration in the Maghreb
• Also new perspectives with the French Initiative
  on the Mediterranean Union
• Several bilateral meetings
• New South-North presidency
• Need to be more precise to asses the implications
  for NA countries

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Regional Integration and Economic Cooperation in
North Africa

• Many new initiatives in 2007
• AMU has recommended to launch the Maghreban Bank
  for Investment and Foreign Trade (BMICE) before
  June 2008
• The Union of Maghreban Employers (UME) was
  created in February 17th 2007
• The Union of Maghreban Banks (UBM) held its
  first General Assembly, in June 2007, with more
  than 60 banks and financial institutions
• Several bilateral agreements

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Conclusion

• North African countries have actively
  participated in major international
  socio-economic events
• They are increasingly including these agendas in
  the framework of their national development
  policies
• Some remaining issues, related to the
  harmonization of national policies that are
  exacerbated with multiple RECs membership
• Some additional efforts are required to achieve
  all MDGs by 2015

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• Thank You!
• Nassim Oulmane
• Oulmane _at_uneca.org