Addis Ababa, 25 June 2024 (ECA) - The 2nd Mid-year review meeting of the activities of the United Nations Commission for Africa (ECA) kicked off this week under the theme “ Enhancing Programme Monitoring and Performance through Tracking the Progress of the Annual Business Plan Implementation.”
The three-day Accountability and Performance Review Meeting (APPRM) is scheduled from June 25 to June 28. It is aimed at providing the commission with an opportunity to evaluate its mid-year performance, the challenges, opportunities, lessons learned, and how to ensure the organisation's targets are met by the end of the year. The meeting involves presentations by all thematic areas of the commission and a review of those presentations.
Addressing the meeting, the ECA Executive Secretary, Mr Claver Gatete, mentioned that the ECA was undergoing reforms to ensure its greater effectiveness in achieving its mandate.
He intimated that the commission's success in achieving its mandate would hinge on cutting-edge policy research and technology, which would be a catalyst for enhancing its work.
Mr. Claver tasked all thematic areas of the commission, including Data and Statistics, Economic Development and Planning, Gender Equality and Empowerment of Women, Macroeconomics and Governance, Poverty, Inequality and Social Policy, Private Sector Development and Finance, Regional Integration and Trade, and Technology, Climate Change and Natural Resource Management and the subregional offices to work in a concerted effort for collective results and impact.
He further urged commission members to develop more focused programs that will ensure that the planned activities are achievable and to strengthen their partnerships with partners, including the African Union Commission (AUC), to avoid duplication.
Said Adejumobi, the Director of the Strategic Planning, Oversight, and Results Division (SPORD), which is responsible for organising and coordinating the APPRM, described the meeting as essential for assessing progress, making necessary adjustments and effective results delivery.
He confirmed that the Commission is on track to meet its 2024 strategic goals, primarily based on the UN Agenda 2030 on Sustainable Development and the Agenda 2063 of the African Union Member States and underlined that in 2024 alone, the Commission is supporting 254 interventions in 46 countries as part of its effort to contribute to the continent's development.