The Regional Coordination Mechanism for Africa holds regular inter-agency meetings in partnership with the African Union, with a view to improving coordination and enhancing the collaboration of the United Nations system in providing support to the region. It draws its mandate from General Assembly resolutions 32/197 and 71/254 and Economic and Social Council resolution 1998/46 (annex III). Its nineteenth session will serve as a platform for the discussion of emerging issues in Africa and be held in Addis Ababa on 12 and 13 May 2018, concurrent with the Conference of Ministers of Finance, Planning and Economy, which will be held in Addis Ababa from 11 to15 May 2018.

           The theme of the nineteenth session is “United Nations system support for the African Union in winning the fight against corruption: a sustainable path to Africa’s transformation”. This issue is timely because the goal of many African countries, as enshrined in their development plans or strategies, and in global and regional goals, is to reach middle-income country status by the next decade, which can be achieved through an increase in per capita income. There is recognition, however, that such a noble ambition may not be realized if wanton corruption and illicit financial flows that prevail in many African countries are not addressed swiftly. The nineteenth session will provide an opportunity for the United Nations and the African Union to strategize on efforts to combat corruption and illicit financial flows and contribute to an improvement in systems that ensure Africa’s transformation and success in implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and Agenda 2063: The Africa We Want. Participants will also consider a progress report on the work of the Regional Coordination Mechanism for Africa, review and approve the work programme, in line with United Nations-African Union partnership on Africa’s integration and development agenda for 2017-2027 (PAIDA), for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and Agenda 2063 and other existing development frameworks.

            The expected outcomes of the meeting include consensus on the following: (a) the coordinated United Nations support for the African Union and its member States on combating corruption and illicit financial flows in order to promote development; (b) a mechanism for the implementation of the framework of the United Nations-African Union partnership on Africa's integration and development agenda for 2017-2027 (PAIDA); and the new United Nations-African Union Frameworks on Sustainable Development, and Peace and Security; and (c) the work programme of the Regional Coordination Mechanism for Africa and its new clusters for 2018 and 2019.

             The nineteenth session is expected to be co-chaired by the Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations and the Deputy Chairperson of the African Union. Members of Regional Coordination Mechanism for Africa include senior officials of the United Nations and the African Union, regional economic communities and associated institutions, the NEPAD Planning and Coordinating Agency, the African Peer Review Mechanism, intergovernmental organizations, the African Development Bank, and other international partners of the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and the African Union.

             For more information, contact Anthonia Nwanze-Iyanda, Office of the Deputy Chairperson, African Union (email: Anthonial@africa-union.org), and Nozipho Simelane (email: simelane@un.org), Capacity Development Division, Economic Commission for Africa.