United Nations Programme of Action for African Economic Recovery 1986-1990.United Nations Programme of Action for African Economic Recovery 1986-1990 "A clear expression of solidarity with our brothers and sisters in Africa' Secretary-General Perez de Cuellar Pé·rez de Cuél·lar , Javier Born 1920. Peruvian diplomat who served as secretary-general of the United Nations (1982-1991). said the international community, in adopting the Programme of Action, had "clearly expressed their human solidarity with their brothers and sisters in Africa'. Determined and continued efforts over time were needed to meet the challenge. "The image of Africa as a dependent continent must disappear. Africa is a continent rich in physical and human resources The fancy word for "people." The human resources department within an organization, years ago known as the "personnel department," manages the administrative aspects of the employees. . The realization of its potential will not only fulfill the hopes and aspirations of the peoples of Africa, but also contribute immeasurably im·meas·ur·a·ble adj. 1. Impossible to measure. See Synonyms at incalculable. 2. Vast; limitless. im·meas to the economic and social well-being of all the world'. A summary of the 3-part, 24-paragraph Programme of Action follows. "A stagnant or perpetually backward Africa is not in the interests of the international community' I. ANALYSIS OF SITUATION Africa's economic and social crisis has been "a cause of grave concern to Africa and the international community alike', the Programme begins. The international community "fully recognizes the pervasive and structural economic problems of the African continent', some of which "lie in the colonial past; some of these flow from the post-independence era; others are a combination of economic, political and endemic factors'. Notwithstanding past efforts, the international community must intensify its co-operation and substantially increase its support for African efforts. Stressing that "Africa has taken the main responsibility for its own development', the document states that the African development crisis "is not an exclusive African problem but one that concerns mankind as a whole'. A "stagnant or perpetually economically backward Africa is not in the interest of the world community'. The international community must "respond positively to the African call for a new era of co-operation based on a spirit of genuine and equal partnership . . . an essential element for harmonious and mutually beneficial Adj. 1. mutually beneficial - mutually dependent interdependent, mutualist dependent - relying on or requiring a person or thing for support, supply, or what is needed; "dependent children"; "dependent on moisture" economic co-operation in an interdependent in·ter·de·pen·dent adj. Mutually dependent: "Today, the mission of one institution can be accomplished only by recognizing that it lives in an interdependent world with conflicts and overlapping interests" world'. Africa is convinced that given such support it can "in the not too distant future' establish national, sub-regional and regional structures to ensure "self-reliant, sustainable economic development'. II. PROGRAMME OF ACTION The Programme declares it is "based on mutual commitment and co-operation', and consists of two "central elements': the determination and commitment of African countries to launch national and regional programmes of economic development; and the response of the international community and its commitment to support and complement African development efforts. The programmes to be launched, it specifies, are reflected in Africa's Priority Programme for Economic Recovery, 1986-1990. Implementation of Africa's Priority Programme should also contribute to the realization of the 1980 Lagos Plan of Action The Lagos Plan of Action (officially the Lagos Plan of Action for the Economic Development of Africa, 1980-2000) was a Organisation of African Unity-backed plan to increase Africa's self-suffiency. for the Implementation of the 1979 Monrovia Strategy for the Economic Development of Africa, the United Nations Industrial Development Decade for Africa (1980-1990), the United Nations Transportation and Communications Decade for Africa (1978-1988), and the 1984 Harare Declaration The Harare Commonwealth Declaration was a declaration of the Commonwealth of Nations, setting out the Commonwealth's core principles and values, detailing the Commonwealth's membership criteria, and redefining and reinforcing its purpose. on the Food Crisis in Africa. Measures to be undertaken in the following areas were cited: agricultural development, drought and desertification desertification Spread of a desert environment into arid or semiarid regions, caused by climatic changes, human influence, or both. Climatic factors include periods of temporary but severe drought and long-term climatic changes toward dryness. , human resources development, and policy reforms. Following is a sampling of priority recommendations in major areas of concern and financial estimates for the five-year period: Agriculture--$57.4 billion Immediate measures to combat food emergencies, including institution of an effective early-warning system, are proposed. Medium-term measures recommended include those related to raising substantially investments in the agricultural sector; increasing food production; restoring and developing arable land In geography, arable land (from Latin arare, to plough) is an agricultural term, meaning land that can be used for growing crops. Of the earth's 148,000,000 km² (57 million square miles) of land, approximately 31,000,000 km² (12 million square miles) are ; establishing effective pricing policies and incentive schemes; developing mechanization mechanization Use of machines, either wholly or in part, to replace human or animal labour. Unlike automation, which may not depend at all on a human operator, mechanization requires human participation to provide information or instruction. and increased use of fertilizers, improved seeds and pesticides; improving storage capacity; and developing agricultural research. Agricultural support sectors-- $60.1 billion The success of efforts to develop the agricultural sector will depend on parallel development of agro-related industries; transport and communications; improvement of distribution channels and marketing arrangements; and reversing the consumption pattern in favour of domestically produced goods. Specific measures recommended include: development of industries to produce agricultural tools and equipment; processing of raw materials; development of capacity for using renewable sources of energy, especially bio-mass and solar energy solar energy, any form of energy radiated by the sun, including light, radio waves, and X rays, although the term usually refers to the visible light of the sun. ; producing spare parts Spare parts, also referred to as Service Parts is a term used to indicate extra parts available and in proximity to the mechanical item, such as a automobile, boat, engine, for which they might be used. Spare parts are also called “spares. and components; maintaining and developing roads; rehabilitation rehabilitation: see physical therapy. and maintenance of existing modes of transport and communications; using labour-intensive techniques in constructing and maintaining transport infrastructure; identifying and eliminating obstacles hindering trade expansion; co-ordinating measures to establish financial markets at national, subregional and regional levels; and intensifying efforts to establish an African Monetary Fund The Africa Monetary Fund will be an African Union financial institution, though in time its responsibilities will be transferred to the African Central Bank.This institution is one of the three financial institutions of the future African Union. It will be based in Yaoundé, Cameroon. . Drought and desertification --$3.4 billion Immediate action is needed to stem and control the effects of drought and desertification on both the ecological environment and the development process. Recommended are: massive afforestation af·for·est tr.v. af·for·est·ed, af·for·est·ing, af·for·ests To convert (open land) into a forest by planting trees or their seeds. and reafforestation Re`af`for`es`ta´tion n. 1. The act or process of converting again into a forest. ; better management of water resources, including river basins and irrigation irrigation, in agriculture, artificial watering of the land. Although used chiefly in regions with annual rainfall of less than 20 in. (51 cm), it is also used in wetter areas to grow certain crops, e.g., rice. ; protection of common eco-systems; stabilization of sand dunes sand dune Hill, mound, or ridge of windblown sand or other loose material such as clay particles. Dunes are commonly associated with desert regions and seacoasts, and there are large areas of dunes in nonglacial parts of Antarctica. ; developing alternative sources of energy to replace wood fuel; and measures to stop oil erosion and salination. Human resources--$7 billion Central to the successful implementation of all proposed actions is efficient development, planning and use of human resources and full and effective participation of people in the development process. Among recommendations made are: a radical change in educational systems at all levels to ensure skills and attitudes relevant to Africa's developmental needs are generated; intensified efforts to promote mass literacy and adult learning programmes; efforts to reverse the "brain drain' and ensure guarantee of human rights; reduction of high level of dependence of most African countries on foreign exports to reduce foreign exchange leakage; ensuring good working conditions; and encouraging the role of women and youth, particularly in rural areas, in the development process. Policy reforms The Programme states that major policy measures are being undertaken by African Governments in order to achieve the objectives of Africa's Priority Programme, including those related to: improving management of the economy; taking appropriate adjustment measures involving exchange rate adjustments, debt-relief arrangements, wage and salary reduction and public employment freezes; adoption of population policies that address issues of high fertility and mortality, rapid urbanization, rural-urban and rural-rural migration, among others; participation of people in development; and women in development. Sub-regional and regional concerns include problems related to island nations, land-locked or semi-land-locked countries, balance-of-payment deficits; and refugees and displaced persons displaced person: see refugee. . International commitments The Programme states that the international community has "noted with admiration the comprehensive and dynamic resolve of the African countries that are embarking upon an unparalleled action to break away from the clutches of underdevelopment underdevelopment an error in x-ray film developing procedure. Causes the production of a flat film with poor contrast; the unexposed background is gray instead of black. and poverty'. In face of "enormous difficulties', it states, African countries have reaffirmed primary responsibility for development of their continent and are "fully mobilizing their domestic resources "to implement measures and policy reforms needed for long-term development. Noting the $46 billion gap between requirements and African commitments, the Programme states that the international community "recognizes that the African countries need additional external resources' and "commits itself to making every effort to provide sufficient resources to support and supplement the African development effort'. It also notes that African development efforts "would be greatly eased if the flows of external resources were predictable and assured'. Recognizing the "magnitude of Africa's debt and the severe and restrictive burden' that this has placed on African nations, the international community also realizes that measures have to be taken to alleviate this burden. "In addressing problems arising from such debt, existing mechanisms should respond flexibly and be improved as appropriate', the Programme states. "The international community recognizes that the continued improvement of the external environment and a strong economic adjustment effort may not be sufficient to allow many African States to service their debt while establishing the basis for sustainable economic growth. In these cases, the international community is determined to assist African countries in their efforts to deal with their financial constraints.' The Programme also calls for improving the quality and modality modality /mo·dal·i·ty/ (mo-dal´i-te) 1. a method of application of, or the employment of, any therapeutic agent, especially a physical agent. 2. of external assistance and co-operation; improvement in the external environment, citing elimination of protectionism protectionism Policy of protecting domestic industries against foreign competition by means of tariffs, subsidies, import quotas, or other handicaps placed on imports. , encouragement of African exports and diversification, and improved market access; and dealing urgently with commodity issues. The importance of increasing official development assistance (ODA ODA - Open Document Architecture (formerly Office Document Architecture). ) is stressed, as is greater emphasis on non-project aid including balance-of-payments support, among other measures. Belief in the strategy for collective self-reliance among developing countries is reaffirmed, as is the conviction that economic and technical co-operation among these countries should be a "key element' in African economic recovery. "There is an urgent need for African countries . . . to strengthen more vigorously than ever before South-South co-operation'. III. FOLLOW UP AND EVALUATION Effective implementation of the Programme requires a "continuous process' of follow-up, evaluation and co-ordination at the national, subregional, regional and international levels. To be kept in mind is the sovereign right of each Government to formulate and implement its own programmes and development plans and to determine appropriate follow-up mechanisms "best suited' to implementing the United Nations Programme of Action. Photo: A village in Mauritania, covered by sand Photo: Nutrition class in Ghana Photo: Sawmill sawmill, installation or facility in which cut logs are sawed into standard-sized boards and timbers. The saws used in such an installation are generally of three types: the circular saw, which consists of a disk with teeth around its edge; the band saw, which workers in Liberia. Photo: A canning factory in Maseru, Lesotho. |
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