Mr President,
The EU Presidency has already outlined the positive view of the European Union on NEPAD. I concur with all in that speech, and I’ll limit myself to a few remarks.
We who speak today are all aware of the political and economic problems facing Africa.
They are challenging our best common values.
They are a threat to the security and welfare of us all.
NEPAD has therefore been warmly welcomed as an expression of Africa’s determination to assume a strong leadership - for poverty reduction, and for development.
African leaders have set an agenda for renewal of the continent, based on African ownership and commitment. NEPAD puts the right focus on peace and stability, on democracy and human rights, and on good political and economic governance as prerequisites for development.
In realizing the objectives of NEPAD, one can build on important achievements in the framework of the United Nations in recent years. The Millennium Declaration outlines what we have to reach together. The Monterrey Consensus signals measures to be taken on mobilizing domestic resources, on trade, on private investment, ondebt relief and official development assistance. Add to this the outcome of the Johannesburg Summit. A lot of this can also be found in NEPAD.
Now – how does one translate all these commitments into concrete action?
The answers are several: Focus on the national level. On the Poverty Reduction Strategies as instruments to implement NEPAD principles, and to realize national ownership of development. On strengthening of competence and capacity. On involvement of the civil society and the private sector. But also on partnership and coordination between African countries and their external partners, making their joint efforts more effective. And on the UN system’s obvious role, that is a coordinating role in support of the implementation of NEPAD.
NEPAD emphasizes regional cooperation. Sweden stands ready to support this. We have recently adopted a strategy for support to regional development cooperation in Sub-Saharan Africa - on the continental level through the African Union, the Economic Commission for Africa and the African Development Bank, and also through subregional organizations. The focus is on conflict management, on economic cooperation and integration, on infrastructure and national resources.
In Monterrey and in Johannesburg, discussions on global and regional public goods were high on the agenda. An International Task Force on Global Public Goods was launched in Johannesburg, which over the next two years will take a close look at the provision, the financing and the follow-up of global public goods. It is also tasked to come up with pragmatic recommendations. This could be of interest to the implementation of NEPAD as well.
Mr President, without peace and security, long term development and poverty eradication are utopic. With NEPAD, African leaders have shown their firm commitment to assume responsibility for peace and security on their continent, ranging from prevention to conflict resolution. Sweden strongly supports this ambition.
Sweden also welcomes the decision of the African Union to establish a Peace and Security Council and to strengthen its work on conflict management. Along with sub-regional organisations such as ECOWAS and SADC, the AU will play a crucial role in implementing the NEPAD vision.
Promoting peace and security in Africa will also continue to be a priority for the United Nations. In addition, the G-8 has made welcome commitments to develop together with the African partners a joint plan for the strengthening of African capability to undertake peace support operations.
Much of this may sound abstract. But there are also very concrete examples of what can be done. Look at Sierra Leone, a clear case of effective international conflict management, where the UN, ECOWAS and other partners have played a crucial role in turning a long-standing and bloody civil war into a credible peace process, culminating in peaceful elections in May this year. To me and my government, it is of crucial importance that the huge investment of human and financial resources in Sierra Leone, and the lessons learned from this success story, are not now lost because of continued conflict in the Mano River region. Sweden and the European Union stand firmly behind ECOWAS in its efforts to broker a peaceful solution to the on-going conflict in Liberia.
Thank you.