meeting website

Background

The 2017 Africa Regional Forum on sustainable development in preparation for the 2017 High-level political forum on sustainable development (HLPF) will convene at the United Nations Conference Centre in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia from 17 to 19 May 2017, under the theme: “Ensuring inclusive and sustainable growth and prosperity for all.” This theme is well aligned with that of the 2017 HLPF, which is “Eradicating poverty and promoting prosperity in a changing world”. The theme of the regional Forum is premised on a number of considerations and trends with respect to poverty eradication. For example, that the economic growth in Africa has been inadequate to eradicate poverty is well documented. Additionally, the growth generated has largely been unequal. Seven out of the 10 most unequal countries in the world are in Africa. Eradicating poverty and promoting prosperity in Africa therefore hinges on fostering inclusive and sustainable growth in region. Achieving gender quality and women empowerment is a critical dimension of inclusion in the region. To restructure their economies and achieve sustained growth, African countries have identified agriculture, resilient infrastructure, industry, innovation, and sustainable management of marine resources as some of the priority areas for domestic and foreign investments.

Objectives

The overall objective of the 2017 Africa Regional Forum on Sustainable Development is to undertake regional follow-up and review and facilitate learning including sharing experiences and lessons learned to advance implementation of the 2030 agenda and Agenda 2063.

With a particular focus on the selected SDGs for the 2017 HLPF and the corresponding goals of the first 10-year implementation plan of Agenda 2063, the specific objectives of the Forum are to:

• Carry out regional follow-up and review, deliberate on progress and address challenges and opportunities in the implementation of the two agendas
• Provide a platform for peer learning and to share experiences, good practices and lessons learned to accelerate implementation of the two agendas; and
• Deliberate on and agree on Africa’s priorities and recommendation in form of key messages as the region’s collective input to the 2017 HLPF session.

Sub-themes

The activities of the Forum will be conducted around the following 6 subthemes which are crafted around the focus SDGs for the 2017 HLPF:

• Eradicating all forms of poverty in Africa
• Ending hunger and achieving food security in Africa
• Healthy lives and promoting well-being for all
• Gender equality and empowerment of all women and girls
• Building resilient infrastructure and promoting inclusive and sustainable industrialization and innovation; and
• Conservation and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development.

Expected outcomes

The 2017 ARFSD is expected to lead to:

• Increased understanding and enhanced capacity of member States, major groups and other stakeholders to design and implement policies and strategies to accelerate the pace of implementation and ensure effective follow-up and review the 2030 Agenda and Agenda 2063;
• Clear articulation of, and agreement on Africa’s collective inputs in the form of key messages to the 2017 HLPF. The key messages will include regional priorities, policy options and recommendations on the theme and subthemes of Forum.

Expected outputs

The meeting will generate the following outputs which will be disseminated widely:

• Africa’s agreed collective input to the 2017 HLPF including policy options, in the form of key messages on the theme and subthemes of the 2017 Africa Regional Forum on Sustainable Development;
• Policy papers on the subthemes of the regional Forum; and
• A report of the deliberations of the Forum containing, inter-alia, salient issues, priorities and recommendations on the theme of 2017 ARFSD.

Participants

The following are expected to attend:

• All 54 member States of ECA (high level experts from ministries/agencies in charge of economic planning/finance, environment and social affairs, mining and mineral resources, and science and technology)
• Representatives of major groups and other stakeholders (MGoS) including civil society, business and industry organizations, academia, and research institutions;
• The African Union Commission
• The African Development Bank
• The NEPAD Planning and Coordinating Agency
• Regional Economic Communities
• United Nations and other international agencies and organizations
• Development Partners

Contacts:

Enquiries on the organization of the Africa Regional Forum on Sustainable Development should be directed to:

Ms. Fatima Denton,
Director,
Special Initiatives Division
Economic Commission for Africa
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Email: ECA-ARFSD@un.org

Mr. Nassim Oulmane
Chief,
Green Economy and Natural Resources Section
Special Initiatives Division
Economic Commission for Africa
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Email: oulmane@uneca.org