Dr Asha-Rose Migiro, the Deputy Secretary General of the UN, said on Sunday in Addis Ababa that Africa required international solidarity, level playing field and stability to develop its potential. Migiro said this when she declared open the 11th session of the Regional Coordination Mechanism for Africa (RCM-Africa) of UN agencies and organisations working in Africa in support of the AU and its NEPAD programme.

“Africans need neither pity nor charity, rather, they need tools, institutions, stability and freedom to create incomes and jobs, considering Africa”s potential and its amazing human and material wealth.

International solidarity and a level playing field, especially in global trade will go a long way toward helping the continent to realise its objectives,” she said. The deputy scribe said the UN would focus on more efficient strategies to meet the capacity building needs of the AU, the NEPAD Planning and Coordination Agency and the Regional Economic Commissions. Migiro stated that “there must be a focus and active cooperation to improve cluster management with the aim of having better and increased coordination at all levels.” She urged the RCM-Africa to continue to play a central role in supporting Africa”s efforts to meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), based on the consensus statement at the end of last year’s RCM-Africa Forum.

“The consensus statement at the end of the forum recognised not just the threat but also the opportunities that climate change can provide in spurring the integration of climate-resilient strategies into development, planning and in generating movement toward a green economy,” Migiro stressed.

Also speaking, Mr Jean Ping, the AU Commission Chairman, said climate change, poverty reduction, agriculture and changing Africa’s economy to a greener economy, among others, were the challenges facing the continent.

Ping said that the continent, which has 53 countries and a large population, had for a long time been marginalised by the UN in some development issues and strategies. He explained that with the integration of NEPAD into the AU Commission, there would be no more competition between the coordinating agencies.

“There will be no more competition between us, we have to work hard to move forward and achieve the desired target,” Ping said. Dr Ibrahim Mayaki, the CEO, NEPAD Planning and Coordinating Agency, said the agency would continue to work closely with the UN Clusters, especially in the areas of advocacy for NEPAD at the national, regional and global levels. For us at NEPAD, the UN is a worthy and strategic partner.

“We rely on the UN system-wide support to actualise Africa”s transformation agenda by making the RCM work effectively and coherently,” Mayaki said.

He said that a clear mandate had been approved for NEPAD Agency, which include facilitating and coordinating the implementation of regional and continental priority programmes and projects as well as mobilising partners and resources in supporting and implementing programmes.

According to him, others are to conduct and coordinate research and knowledge management, monitor and evaluate programme implementation and advocacy on the AU vision, core principles and values.

Mayaki said that with the technical support of the UN Economic Commission for Africa, NEPAD re-prioritised and re-defined its core functions and thematic actions to six domains. He listed the domains as Agriculture and Food Security, Regional Integration and Infrastructure, Climate Change and Natural Resource Management, Human Development, Economic and Corporate Governance and Cross-cutting issues of Capacity Development, Gender and ICT. The meeting, which is expected to end on Monday, is being attended by high level officials and representatives of the UN system organisations and agencies, AU Commission, NEPAD Coordinating and Planning Agency and the Regional Economic Commissions.