(MONROVIA, LIBERIA – Monday, May 26, 2014) President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf says the National Launch of the Common African Position (CAP) on the Post-2015 Development Agenda is intended to inform policy makers and all stakeholders of the development agenda that will succeed the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in 2015 and enable Liberians take full ownership of the next process of the agenda.
She termed the CAP as unique and a historic development because it is the first time that all of Africa has agreed with one voice on a common agenda, although in the formulation of national priorities there will be recognition of local specificities.
According to an Executive Mansion release, President Sirleaf, performing the National Launch of the CAP on the Post-2015 Development Agenda at the Foreign Ministry’s C. Cecil Dennis Auditorium on Monday, May 26, said the intent is to move Liberians away from externally-driven initiatives towards domestically-inspired action. “I call on all Liberians, those in decision making positions, be it in government, private sector, academia, civil society and other organizations to take a serious look at the content of the CAP and see how national policies and strategies are similar or different and how we can view this document as the roadmap to development,” she urged.
The Liberian leader reiterated that the CAP will provide a broad roadmap towards action that Liberia and the rest of the region must undertake to transform their societies as they embark on the longer journey of the African Union’s Vision 2063. “The success in Africa’s growth must ensure that this growth is translated into dividends for our people,” President Sirleaf pointed out, adding, “In order to realize that vision, we must go through a true transformational process, a new agenda for development, a new approach that rejects and restructures the old models.”
She emphasized that Africa has a unique opportunity to take a lead role in setting the next development agenda, contrasting with what pertained when the MDGs were launched nearly 15 years ago.
President Sirleaf reiterated that as Liberians engage in dialogue amongst themselves, it is important that they talk to stakeholders in other parts of the world, mindful that no matter how beautiful a document is written, it is the responsibility of Liberians to turn it into action and priorities. “We ask you to all focus our attention on the opportunities provided by this roadmap so we end the dichotomy in which Africa is always called a rich continent, with poor people,” she noted.
The CAP defines six pillars that are essential to the development of Africa, Structural Economic Transformation and Inclusive Growth; Science Technology and Innovation (STI); People Centered Development; Environmental Sustainability, Natural Resources and Natural Disaster Management; Peace and Security and Financing and Partnership for Implementation. Each pillar is committed to good governance and serves as a foundation for ending poverty, promoting prosperity and achieving sustainable and equitable development.
Put simply by the Liberian leader: “We want a peaceful, stable and secured environment. We want our natural resources conserved, managed and used for the benefit of all of our people. We want to be competitive and achieve the same level of development as other regions of the world. We want a full partnership, a global partnership that ensures mutual respect and mutual responsibility.”
Earlier, in remarks, His Honor Chief Justice Francis Korkpor said the launch of the CAP is an important event which provides a unique opportunity for all 54 countries on the continent to speak with one voice and ensure that their development priorities are included in the Post-2015 Development Agenda. “As I see it, CAP is an excellent initiative in addressing our common problems and aspirations.”
Touching on Pillar 5 (Peace and Security), Chief Justice Korkpor stressed out that the work at the Judiciary is most impacted by this Pillar. “Just as there are intricate links between development and peace, security and stability are recognized by the Heads of State and Government of AU. We hold that there can be no genuine peace and security without justice,” noting further that the links between them is unbreakable. He said the Judiciary is committed to the fair application of the rule of law in pursuit of liberty and justice for all. The Chief Justice hoped that African leaders will muster the political will, hold together and support the priorities of the continent on the world stage.
Finance Minister Amara Konneh, providing a brief perspective on Pillar Six (Financing and Partnership for Implementation of Post-2015 Development Agenda) which is aligned to the Agenda for Transformation, said the need to finance critical infrastructures and other development priorities will require changes in the global financial system and support to developed to developed countries commitment to the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation, the Monetary Consensus on the International Conference for Development Finance, and the Doha Declaration on Financing for Development.
In addition to domestic resource mobilization which can be greatly supported by trade, Minister Konneh called upon developed nations to support fair and equitable trading systems that encourage value additions for exports from African countries. He said, as noted in the CAP, fulfillment of these commitment are indispensible for achieving the full and effective translation of partners commitment into tangible sustainable development outcome.
He said national ownership of any development agenda is indispensible to success. Financing development through a national plan of action is also a desirable method that can ensure success. He promised that as Liberia moves ahead in its development agenda, they will continue to seek guidance and support from development partners and also adhere to the tenets of fiscal responsibility and sound macro-economic policies both of which are not easy to implement.
The Special Representative of the African Union to Liberia, His Excellency Ambassador Harrison Oluwatatoyin Solaja, termed the CAP on the Post-2015 Development Agenda a critical milestone towards the Agenda 2063 and provides a good opportunity for Africa to complete the unfinished business of the MDGs. “The Common African Position on the Post-2015 Development Agenda is based on premise that the realization that the Vision Agenda 2063 requires transformation and critical pan-African priority areas,” he said. African Union embarked on a consultative process to develop a vision for the next 50 years, otherwise known as Agenda 2063, which is a long term roadmap for a continent that is peaceful, integrated, people oriented, people centered, and prosperous with milestones to achieve this vision in the shortest possible time.
Ambassador Solaja stressed that in order for the efforts of the six pillars to be successful, an enabling domestic, continental and global environment is imperative. He identified the enablers as good governance, transparency, fighting corruption, human rights for all, macro-economic policy, private sector development, credible participatory process, monitoring and evaluation, traditional knowledge and capacity development.
Foreign Minister Augustine Kpehe Ngafuan, who also made remarks, said the crafting of the CAP enhances the fight against poverty and economic deprivation. He said African nations need to applaud themselves for agreeing on a common position on the Post-2015 Development Agenda that was to a large extent responsive to the peculiar concerns and interest of the region’s 54 States and at the same time to the collective interests of the continent. “By collectivizing our approach to the Post-2015 Development Agenda, instead of having 54 States pursuing their individual interest in a global field, we have positioned ourselves as a significant continental block who’s views cannot be discounted if there should be global progress,” he said.
Meanwhile, beginning at 9:00 a.m. at the Bella Casa Hotel, there will be a full day of presentations and discussions with members of the private sector, civil society, academia, the media, and other stakeholders to encourage their involvement and support of events concerning the CAP.
The High Level Committee (HLC) chaired by President Sirleaf was set up by the African Union during its May 2013 Summit to draft a CAP on the Post-2015 Development Agenda by identifying areas of priority to Africa. The Committee completed its work and the African Union adopted the CAP on January 31, 2014 and subsequently launched it in March 2014 in N’djamena, Chad.
The HLC, which comprises 10 Heads of State and Government from the five regions of Africa, has held several consultative and technical meetings to look at the list of priorities developed by institutions around the continent to reach a consensus on the development framework that should succeed the MDGs in September 2015.
In the next phase of its work, the HLC will begin negotiations with other regions of the world as well as development partners to ensure that Africa’s vision is included in the United Nations Post-2015 Global Development Agenda.
Mr. Jerolinmek Matthew Piah