On July 17th, 2019, from 10:00-13:00, in sidelines of the 2019 High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF), the African Union, the Office of the Special Adviser for Africa OSAA, the United Nations Commission for Africa ECA, the Institute for Economic Development and Planning (IDEP), and the United Nations Development Programme UNDP, will convene a Side-Event at the Permanent Observer Mission of the African Union Mission to the United Nations on “Strengthening Partnerships to Accelerate Implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and Agenda 2063 in Africa”.
This year's theme aligns with the key messages adopted by African members States in April 2019, during the 5th session of the Africa Regional Forum on Sustainable Development (ARFSD), and the Marrakech Declaration on Sustainable Development to accelerate the implementation of the SDGs and the goals of Agenda 2063 across the continent.
The event will bring together participants of the HLPF, high-level government officials from all UN Member States, high level representatives from African regional institutions, senior representatives from the UN system, bilateral, multilateral partners, representatives from civil society, the private sector, academia, and the media.
Particularly, the aim is to instrument the AU-UN Framework for the Implementation of Agenda 2063 and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, signed in January 2018 by promoting the participation of African Member States in the HLPF, including Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs).
The Africa Day event will provide a platform to examine the extent to which strengthening all partnerships – including amongst UN system entities, traditional development partners, new and emerging development partners, and those involving South-South Cooperation (SSC) – will accelerate implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and Agenda 2063 in Africa. It will clarify where partnerships are most needed to accelerate implementation of the SDGs in Africa and put in place a follow-up mechanism of the outcomes of Africa Day at the HLPF. The event also aims to provide a space to identify persisting gaps and emerging challenges and propose forward-looking recommendations and responsive approaches to policy design, financing and implementation of the outcomes of the VNRs.
Expected Outcomes:
• Strengthened dialogue among African policy makers and stakeholders and development partners on common challenges and successful implementation strategies;
• Contribute to the effective participation of African countries in the September 2019 Sustainable Development Goals Summit, drawing on the recommendations of the Africa Day in the margins of the HLPF;
• Increased awareness on key areas requiring enhanced partnerships and identification of constructive partnerships to support the preparation and follow-up of VNRs, enhanced support for the alignment of the national development frameworks with 2030 Agenda and Agenda 2063, and boosted mobilization of financing for the implementation of both Agendas;
• Increased commitment to and mobilization of partnerships to support the operationalization of the Solidarity Fund for Data and Statistics in Africa, as called for in the Marrakech Declaration on Sustainable Development.
Expected Outputs:
• A report compiling key messages and policy recommendations to be used in advocating and focusing attention on Africa’s priorities and mobilizing global support in the lead up to and during the Sustainable Development Goals Summit in September 2019; and
• Creation of a joint Africa Day partners’ mechanism to follow-up on the outcomes of the event. List of African VNR Countries in 2016: Egypt*, Madagascar, Morocco, Sierra Leone, Togo*, Uganda.
List of African VNR Countries in 2017: Benin*, Botswana, Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria, Togo*, Zimbabwe
List of African VNR Countries in 2018: Benin*, Cabo Verde, Congo, Egypt*, Guinea, Mali, Namibia, Niger, Senegal, Sudan and Togo*.
List of African VNR Countries in 2019: Algeria, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Eswatini, Ghana, Lesotho, Mauritania, Mauritius, Sierra Leone*, South Africa, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Tunisia.
*Member States that conducted a VNR more than once.
What: Side-Event on “Strengthening Partnerships to Accelerate Implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and Agenda 2063 in Africa”.
When: July 17th, 2019, from 10:00-13:00
Where: Permanent Observer Mission of the African Union to the United Nations, 305 East 47th Street, 5Fl, New York, NY 10017
Who: African Union, OSAA, ECA, UNDP, IDEP