Partnership

Partnerships with the UN System

In recent years, the UN System has emerged as one of the major pillars of international support for the AU and NEPAD programme. The nature and scope of that support has broadened in the past few years, encompassing a variety of activities including technical assistance for institutional development, capacity-building, project development, resource mobilisation and advocacy.

The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) is an important continental partner, both in its capacity as a UN institution with a regional mandate, and as an African development institution. Since its creation, NPCA has benefiteds from UNECA capacity building support. A Memorandum of Understanding guides the partnership between NPCA and UNECA. Major cooperation areas include Knowledge Management, Communication, and Strategic Direction and Management. The African Peer Review Merchanism (APRM) continental Secretariat also continues to benefit from UNECA support.

The Regional Coordination Mechanism among UN agencies working for Africa, (RCM-Africa),  convened by UNECA, is a platform for the UN system to engage with the AU UN System. Indeed, the AUC, NPCA, and the RECs now form an integral part of the RCM. The regional consultations have established nine thematic clusters around UN support for AU and its NEPAD programme. These clusters, which broadly correspond to the policy priorities of NEPAD, are: advocacy and communications; agriculture; food security and rural development; environment; population and urbanisation; science and technology; social and human development; industry, trade and market access; infrastructure; peace and security; and governance. Overall, cluster activities are having a tangible impact on the implementation of key elements of the regional development agenda and on the institutional landscape in support of the AU and its NEPAD programme.

In addition, progress has been made towards the establishment of Sub-Regional Coordination Mechanisms (SRCMs) to strengthen coordination of UN agencies at the sub-regional level as mandated by the General Assembly. In this regard, a joint SRCM for Eastern and Southern Africa has been established. The SRCM for Central Africa is also operational.

At the global level, the Office of the Special Adviser on Africa based at the UN Headquarters undertakes information sharing and advocacy activities to help mobilise support for the NEPAD agenda.

Partnership around NEPAD
 
African Institutions
African institutions such as the African Union (AU), The African Development Bank (ADB) and the African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF) have each a central role to play in the promotion and the implementation of the NEPAD agenda.
The AU
NEPAD is a programme of the African Union designed to meet its development objectives.
The ADB
The African Development Bank (AfDB) is a strategic partner in the implementation of NEPAD's Agenda.
The ACBF
The African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF), is expected to play an important role to ensure the success of the implementation of NEPAD.