Arusha, Tanzania 7 December 2015 (ECA)- The African Union's Agenda 2063 aspires to achieve an integrated, prosperous and peaceful continent. It is a bold vision that focuses on the long-term sustainable development of the continent, similar to that spelt out by the East Africa Community in its EAC Vision 2050.
The UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) argues that achieving both visions is contingent on African institutions operating and working together effectively. This requires coordination at the highest levels.
With that objective in mind, from 6th-7th December Arusha hosted a two-day meeting on the Sub-Regional Coordination Mechanism (SRCM) for Eastern and Southern Africa. The SRCM was established in November 2010 to identify opportunities for joint planning and implementation of programmes and projects at the subregional level.
The two-day meeting, co-organised by ECA and the East African Community, is a platform for policy dialogue between UN agencies, Regional Economic Communities (RECs) and Intergovernmental Organisations (IGOs) to take stock of the implementation of planned activities within the context of the SRCM five year Business Plan.
The Arusha meeting represented a unique space to discuss the challenges and opportunities of working together more closely, capitalizing on the strengths and comparative advantages of each partner and aligning the interventions of different organisations to the goals of the AU Agenda 2063 and2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
“This meeting provided the perfect forum for open and frank discussions and was an opportunity for information-sharing among participants, so that we can scale-up examples of best practice across the region”, said Andrew Mold, Acting Director of ECA in Eastern Africa.
Note to editors
The SRCM was established in November 2010 to identify opportunities for joint planning and implementation of developmental programmes at the sub-regional level. The main aim of the Sub-Regional Coordination Mechanism (SRCM) for the United Nations System-wide Support to the African Union, its New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) is to bring together RECs, IGOs and UN agencies to work together in a coordinated manner with the view to generating scale-economies and maximizing impact.
SRCMs are operational in all the five regions of Africa (Central, Eastern, Northern Southern and Western) and are at various stages of implementation.
For purpose of efficiency and effectiveness, the Eastern and Southern Africa sub-regions jointly implement one SRCM, with the ECA Sub-Regional Offices in Eastern and Southern Africa serving as a coordinating secretariat.
Issued by:
Office of Eastern Africa
Economic Commission for Africa