Draft Programme of Work - Committee of Experts

Thursday 29 March

9:15 – 10:00 hours Opening of the meeting

•  Opening remarks by the Chairperson of the outgoing Bureau of the Committee of Experts, the Ambassador of Burkina Faso, His Excellency, Mr. Bruno Nongoma Zidouemba

•  Opening remarks by Mr. Abdoulie Janneh, United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Africa

•  Opening statement by His Excellency, Mr. Mekonnen Manyazewal, State Minister of Finance and Economic Development, Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia

10:00 – 10:30 hours Election of the Bureau

Adoption of the draft agenda and programme of work

10:30 – 10:45 hours Coffee/Tea Break

10:45 – 11:45 hours Session I: Overview of recent economic and social developments in Africa

11:45 – 12:45 hours Session II: Follow-up to the last session of the Commission: Annual report on the work of the Commission, 2007

12:45 – 14:00 hours Lunch Break

14:00 – 15:00 hours Session III: Assessment of progress on regional integration in Africa

15:00 – 17:00 hours Session IV: Sectoral policy issues

•  Aid for Trade

•  Statistics and statistical capacity

•  Support in the implementation of the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD)

17:00 – 17:15 hours Coffee/Tea Break

17:15 – 19:00 hours Session V: Progress report on the follow-up to major global and regional conferences and summits

•  Review of the implementation of the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation of the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD)

•  Review of the implementation of the Monterrey Consensus on financing for development

•  Review of progress in the implementation of the Brussels Programme of Action for the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) for the Decade 2001-2010

•  Review of progress towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in Africa

Friday 30 March

9:30 – 11:00 hours Session VI: Presentation and discussion on the theme of the Conference – Accelerating Africa's growth and development to meet the MDGs: emerging challenges and the way forward

11:00 – 11:15 hours Coffee/Tea Break

11:15 – 13:00 hours Session VI: (Continued) Presentation and discussion on the theme of the Conference – Accelerating Africa's growth and development to meet the MDGs: emerging challenges and the way forward

13:00 – 14:30 hours Lunch Break

14:30 – 16:00 hours Session VII: Statutory issues

•  Review of the Intergovernmental Machinery of the Commission

•  Report on the external review of the African Institute for Economic Developm e nt and Planning (IDEP)

•  Proposed programme of work and priorities for the biennium 2008-2009

•  Other statutory issues

16:00 – 16:15 hours Coffee/Tea Break

16:15 – 17:30 hours Session VII (Continued): Statutory issues

17:30 – 18 hours Any other business

Saturday 31 March

Preparation of the draft report by the secretariat

Sunday 1 April

11:00 – 12:30 hours Session VIII : Consideration and adoption of the draft report of the Committee of Experts and draft resolutions

12:30 – 13:00 hours Closure of the meeting

•  Closing remarks by Mr. Abdoulie Janneh

•  Wrap-up by the Chairperson of the Bureau of the Committee of Experts

13:00 – 18:00 hours Finalization of the report by the secretariat