Global Policy Forum

As the UN Heads of State and Government gather in New York for the UN Millennium +5 Summit key issues of concern to civil society organizations working in Africa continue to emerge. The Global Call to Action Against Poverty (GCAP) in Africa is deeply concerned that the draft outcome document is a betrayal of the world's poor, particularly those in Africa. The declaration neither reviews progress nor addresses the challenges faced by governments in their efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals. It does not make any clear commitment to accelerating flow of resources neither does it demonstrate the political commitment that is required to do this.

Five years after the UN Member States signed the Millennium Declaration and adopted the Millennium Development Goals, it is clear that the majority of countries are in grave danger of failing to achieve these targets. Our concern is that if the negotiations continue in the current form and structure, the cost to Africa will be catastrophic. Poverty will continue to ravage the continent's poor and deny them the right to a life of dignity. While we acknowledge that small gains were made at the G8 in July, we believe that greater steps are required at the UN Summit for a real difference to be made. In particular, we note the following:

DEBT

We note with dismay that debt cancellation is still tied to the fundamentally flawed IMF driven HIPC Framework that has left the African continent poorer than it ever was. African leaders and citizens must therefore insist on 100% unconditional debt cancellation. We are mindful of the fact that a significant portion of Africa's debt is actually odious debt. Total debt write-off will release the necessary resources for investment in poverty eradication programmes and facilitate the achievement of MDGs. African governments and civil society must also demand that debt cancellation does not result in the reduction of net aid flows to Africa. All new aid must be untied resources.

AID

An affirmation of the Paris Declaration is welcome and leaders in Africa and in the rich world must ensure that aid reaches the poorest women and men in Africa. This however will not be feasible if rich countries fail to agree to immediately meeting the 0.7% target. It is unpardonable that rich countries require another 10 years to implement an agreement that is already 35 years overdue.

TRADE

Yet again, there is foot dragging and obfuscation on the important commitments that developing countries require to secure trade justice. The sovereignty of developing countries to determine and implement their economic policies and the need to protect their domestic markets is paramount but not acknowledged. Rich countries insist on pursuing a neo-liberal agenda that forces developing countries to liberalise at a rapid rate and places profits before people's livelihoods. African leaders and civil society must stand strong on the Doha agenda and push for a multilateral time table on the elimination of subsidies and other trade distorting policies.

AFRICA'S SPECIAL INTERESTS

Education
In the face of overwhelming evidence that education is one of the most powerful weapons in the fight against poverty, five years on, pledges on education for all are now nothing more than a pipe dream. Only one target was set for 2005 and that was to get as many girls as boys in school by 2005. Today, two thirds of the 100million children out of school (the majority of them in Africa) are still girls. The gender parity goal has therefore already been missed.

African countries must live to their commitments to free universal primary education by eliminating all barriers to education access such as eliminating user fees in education. The developed world should in turn ensure full and immediate funding to the education fast track initiative. Support to education should include secondary and tertiary education.

HIV and AIDS
The draft outcome document makes reference to "personal responsibility and behaviour change" thus condemning people living with HIV and AIDS by implying that they were all involved in irresponsible behaviour. This undermines hard won progress over the years in reducing stigma and discrimination. For women and girls (the largest proportion of people living with HIV and AIDS in Africa) this statement assumes that they have the power to take decision about safe sexual practises and behaviour. They do not.

Such unhelpful and cowardly statements absolve the world's leaders from taking decisive multilateral action to fight the pandemic. Rather than advance from the commitments made at the G8 at the Gleneagles summit. Leaders are failing to address the specifics of a multilateral agreement on funding commitments towards achieving universal access to treatment and care by 2010.

Women's Rights
Despite the fact that the outcomes of UN conferences of the 1990s have recently been affirmed by all governments, the Beijing Platform of Action as recently as March 2005 – governments are now showing little courage to live up to those commitments.

The text on the important role of women in the prevention and resolution of armed conflicts is being held hostage to language on foreign occupation – an intractable debate at the UN that should not be used to derail this crucial paragraph.

African women are watching and expect more from their governments. The wellbeing of billions of poor and marginalised women and girls is at stake. The future of multilateralism, international cooperation, and the UN itself, is in the balance. We expect political, courage, and a sustained commitment to human rights, democracy, development and peace.

RESPONSIBILITY TO PROTECT

Genocide and Crimes against Humanity
Africa's experience with genocide and crimes against humanity in Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Liberia and Sudan requires shared commitment from the world's leaders to intervene where citizens' lives are at stake. Clearly, the international community should intervene to protect citizens. This role goes beyond traditional peace keeping and should entail the use of necessary force. The responsibility to protect alters traditional notions of sovereignty and rigid adherence to the principle of non-interference. Whilst the inclusion of this principle in the draft outcome document is welcome, its parameters need to be clearly defined as must the circumstances meriting international intervention.

NEGOTIATING PROCESS

We note with consternation that the consultation process has, by and large, left Africa out in the cold. Most African delegations have not effectively engaged this process and this failure means that groundbreaking agreement on development, human rights, peace, UN Reforms and above all, special interests for Africa hang in the balance.

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