BUILDING COHERENCE BETWEEN PRSPs AND MDGsRATIONABLE AND WHERE AFRICA STANDS

UNDP/RBA

MDG – Based National Development Planning Training Workshop

Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

February 27 – March 03, 2006

Lamin Manneh

Head, Strategic and Regional Initiatives Unit

Regional Bureau for Africa

WHY SHOULD WE BE CONCERNED WITH MDGs?THE QUESTION IS STILL RAISED: WHY SHOULD WE BE CONCERNED WITH MDGs?

AND SO I BELIEVE IT IS RELEVANT TO START BY BRIEFLY ANSWERING THE QUESTION!

THE MDGs WERE FIRST ADOPTED IN 2000 BY 189 NATIONS, MOST OF THEM REPRESENTED BY HEADS OF STATES AND GOVERNMENTS. AT THE WORLD SUMMIT LAT SEPTEMBER, THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY RE-AFFIRMED ITS COMMITMENT TO MDGs.THE SIGNIFICANCE OF ALL THIS LIES IN THE FACT THAT MDGS CONSTITUTES UNIVERSALLY AGREED AGENDA FOR DEVELOPMENT AND POVERTY REDUCTION.

WHERE DOES AFRICA STAND VIS-À-VIS THE MDGs

RECENT ASSESSMENTS OF PROGRESS TOWARDS MDGs CLEARLY INDICATE THE ENORMOUS CHALLENGS AFRICAN COUNTRIES FACE IN MEETING MDGs. THE FOLLOWING GRAPHS ILLUSTRATE THE EXTENT OF SCALLING UP OF EFFORTS NEEDED TO ACCELERATE PROGRESS TOWARDS MDGs IN AFRICA.

BUT SOME NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS MADE IMPROVED POLITICAL COMMITMENT TO MDGs MDGs ARE AT THE CENTER OF THE NEPAD VISION AND THE AU HAS EXPLICITY EXPRESSED SUPPORT FOR THE MDG CAMPAIGN THROUGH ITS 2005 COMMON POSITION. NOTABLE IMPROVEMENTS IN THE POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC ENVIRONMENT IN THE CONTINENT, A CRUCIAL PRE-CONDITION FOR ACHIEVING MDGs. TANGIBLE ACHIEVEMENTS HAVE ALSO MADE IN CONTAINING THE SPREAD OF CONFLICT IN THE CONTINENT. MOST AFRICAN COUNTRIES HAVE PERSEVED WITH ECONOMIC REFORMS, WHICH HAVE PRODUCED ENCOURANGING RESULTS ON THE MACROECONOMIC FRONT: INFLATION RATES WITHIN DOUBLE DIGITS FROM OVER 40% TEN YEARS AGO; FISCAL DEFICITS ON AVERAGE BELOW 5%; CURRENT ACCOUNT DEFICITS WITHIN MANAGEABLE LIMITS.

NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS Continued MANY AFRICA COUNTRIES HAVE ALSO MADE TANGIABLE PROGRESS IN SOME OF THE GOALS.MOZAMBIQUE, BOTSWANA, BURKINA FASO, GHANA, MAURITIUS, TANZANIA AND UGANDA, FOR INSTANCE, HAVE CONSISTENTLY RECORDED ECONOMIC GROWTH RATES IN EXCESS OF 5% PER ANNUM OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS. RAPID GROWTH BY ALL THE OIL PRODUCING COUNTRIES.

THE SUCCESS OF UGANDA AND SENERAL IN CONTAINING THE SPREAD OF HIV/AIDs IS UNIVERSALLY ACKNOWLEDGED. MALI, TANZANIA AND THE GAMBIA HAVE MADE TREMENDOUS PROGRESS TOWARDS PRIMARY HEALTH CARE.KENYA, GAMBIA, MAURITIUS AND TANZANIA HAVE TAKEN BOLD MOVES TOWARDS MEETING THE UNIVERSAL PRIMARY EDUCATION TARGET.AGAINST HEAVY ODDS, SOUTH AFRICA HAS MADE TANGIABLE PROGRESS TOWARDS SERVICE DELIVERY AND UPGRADING OF SLUMS.

NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS …..Continued

WHAT THE FOREGOING DEMONSTRATES IS THAT ALTHOUGH THE CHALLENGES OF ATTAINING MDGs IN AFRICA ARE FORMIDABLE, THEY ARE NOT INSURMOUNTABLE HOWEVER, IT WILL TAKE SUSTAINED AND VIGOROUS PUBLIC POLICY AT BOTH NATIONA L INTERNATIONAL LEVELS TO RISE UP TO THE CHALLENGES SUCCESSFULLY. ONLY A DECADE IS LEFT BEFORE THE TARGET DATE FOR ACHIEVING MDGs IS REACHED NEED TO SCALE UP AMBITION IN THREE AREAS:

- POLICY ACTIONS TO ACCELERATE

SHARED GROWTH

- RESPONSES TO CAPACITY CONSTRAINTS

- QUALITY AND VOLUME OF RESOURCES

STRENGTHENING LINKAGESBETWEEN PRSPs AND MDGs

PRSPs CONSTITUTE ACCEPTED FRAMEWORK FOR COUNTRY LEVEL PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION. MOST SSA COUNTRIES HAVE EMBRACED PRSPs (29 TODATE).YET ALL THE INDEPENDENT EVALUATIONS OF PRSPs INDICATE THAT MOST OF THEM FALL SHORT OF BEING EFFECTIVE BUILDING BLOCKS FOR ACHIEVING MDGS. PRSPs HAVE NOT EXPLICITY INCORPORATED MDG TARGETS AND INDICATORS. CONTINUED LACK OF COHERENCE BETWEEN MACROECONOMIC FRAMEWORK OF PRSPs AND LONG-TERM POVERTY REDUCTION OBJECTIVES. LOW LEVEL OF RESOURCES ENVELOPE.INSUFFICIENT INCORPORATION OF GROWTH GENERATING SECTORS. HENCE, THE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR TEN YEAR MDG BASED PLANS, OPERATIONALIZED THROUGH 3 –5 YEAR PRSPs. RECOMMENDATION FOR TEN YEAR MDG BASED PLANS ADOPTED BY 2005 WORLD SUMMIT ( DECEMENBER 2006 TARGET)

UNDP AFRICA STRATEGY FOR MDs … Continued

THE FIRST IS TO CREATE OR REINFORCE THE ENABLING ENVIRONMENT FOR MDGs. TO SUSTAIN THE TEMPLE OF THE MDG SENSITIZATION EFFORTS. THE THIRD IS TO STRENGTHENING THE CAPACITY OF AFRICAN COUNTRIES FOR MONITORING PROGRESS TOWARDS MDGs. THE FOURTH IS TO PROMOTE INCORPORATION OF MDGS IN NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT PLANS, INCLUDING COSTING THE RESOURCE AND CAPACITY REQUIREMENTS; IN ORDER TO REINFORCE NATIONAL LEVEL PROCESSES PROMOTE MDGs AT THE LOCAL LEVEL. LINKAGES TO UNDP’s INTERGRATED PACKAGE OF SERVICES.

WORKSHOP OBJECTIVES ENHANCE NATIONAL CAPACITIES FOR EFFECTIVE PLANNING AND IMPLEMENTATION PROCESS FOR ACCELERATING PROGRESS TOWARDS MDGs IN AFRICA.

EXCHANGE OF EXPERIENCED AND GOOD PRACTICES.

IN THE SHORT – RUN, CONTRIBUTE TOWARDS MEETING BY AFRICAN COUNTRIES OF THE TARGET SET AT THE 2005 WORLD SUMMIT FOR PREPARATION OF MDG-BASED PLANS BY END-2006.

WORKSHOP ORGANIZATION

OPENING SESSION – SETTING THE STAGE. CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT IMPLICATIONS FOR SCALING UP EFFORTS. POLICY AND BUDGET COHERENCE. TRAINING IN PREPARING 10 – YEAR MDG – BASED NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT PLANS. PRACTICAL SESSIONS AND SIMULATED TEAMWORK IN PREPARING MDG-BASED PLANS.FINAL PRESENTATIONS.

WORKSHOP EXPECTED OUTCOMES INCREASED KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERTISE OF WORKSHOP PARCIPANTS FOR CONDUCTING MDG-BASED PLANNING PROCESSES AND PRO-POOR POLICY PLANNING. STRENGTHENED CAPACITY OF COUNTRIES TO PREPARED MDG-BASED PLANS BY END-2006. UNDP FIELD ECONOMISTS, UNCT TECHNICAL STAFFS AND HEADQUARTER OFFICIALS BETTER EQUIPED TO FACILITATE PROCESS OF MDG-BASED PLANNING. ENHANCED TEAMWORK EMAONG EXTERNAL PARTNERS FOR SUPPORTING AFRICA’S EFFORTS AT MAKING PROGRESS TOWARDS MDGS.