11th RCM-Africa14-15 November 2010Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Progress Report on the Sub-regional Coordination Mechanism (SRCM)

By

Antonio M.A. Pedro

Director SRO-EA

Objectives

• Provide brief account of activities undertaken to operationalise the SRCM since the 10th RCM

• Offer options on the way forward

• Seek RCM advice and eventual endorsement of options to start delivering as one at sub-regional level

The HLM

• In line with decisions of the 10th RCM and SG’s report to the 61st GA on the SRCM,SRO-EA/SA convened a HLM on Regional Integration and the SRCM (19-20 March 2010/Kigali) to deliberate on how to operationalise the SRCM

• Well attended; Co-chaired by DES and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Rwanda

• Key outcome: Missing link at sub-regional level can be case of the past

The HLM (2)

• Centrality of the MYPs as a tool to establish multi-UN agencies partnerships with RECs confirmed

• SRCM Task Force established

• Task Force to meet with RECs to examine existing MYPs with a view to identify entry points/programmes for coordinated UN support at sub-regional level

The Task Force

• ECA, UNDP, UNEP, WHO, UNIDO, UNESCO

• 25-26 October: Inaugural Meeting in Kigali

• Agreement that the SRCM should be based on thematic areas consistent with the priorities of the RECs

• Broader participation and leadership of UN agencies based on their comparative advantage

• SRCM should be lean and not overburden UN agencies

The Task Force (2)

• Un interventions should be catalytic and add value to the work of RECs and focus on policy analysis, knowledge creation and dissemination, capacity building, and policy alignment and harmonisation

• SRCM to kick start with focus on five thematic areas: Regional integration and infrastructure; Climate change and natural resources management; Governance; Gender and social development; and Agriculture and food security

Challenges

• Variable geometry, scope and focus of work of UN agencies

• Ownership by RECs and Alignment of MYPs with their needs

• Achieve a right balance between supply and demand of services using available normative and operational capacity: RECs should own the MYPs

Working modalities

• Clustering around the 5 thematic areas anchored on MYPs

• Lead agency to anchor work and reporting in thematic subject

• Pooling resources around selected joint programmes (e.g. ECA-led food security programme for Eastern Africa and UNIDO-led industry upgrading and modernisation programme)

• Regular meetings of the SRCM during the RCM

Working modalities (2)

• VCs/teleconferences for ad-hoc SRCM meetings if and when necessary

• Side-line meetings during statutory meetings of RECs in particular the SADC/EAC/COMESA tripartite meetings

• Yearly joint programming with RECs?

• SRO-EA to coordinate SRCM reporting for the RCM Secretariat

• 10-year capacity building programme: Good framework for SRCM

Next steps

• Circulate existing frameworks for collaboration with RECs (e.g. ECA MYPs) to identify entry points for UN-wide collaboration

• Convene 2nd meeting of the task force to populate the matrix

• Get RCM endorsement to kick start consultations with RECs

• Initiate coordinate support to RECs in 2011

Conclusions

• We can indeed address the missing link

• Encouraged with the progress made to date, but momentum needs to be maintained

• Demand is there, we need practical and ingenuous ways to respond it without overburden anybody

THANK YOU FOR YOUR KIND ATTENTION