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development policy makers
United Nations High-Level Meeting on Africa's Development Needs,
High-Level Event on the Millennium Development Goals,
and other related events

UN Headquarters, New York | 22-25 September 2008
 
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World Leaders Discuss Africa's Development Needs

The High-Level Meeting on Africa's Development Needs took place at United Nations headquarters today, under the theme "Africa's development needs: state of implementation of various commitments, challenges and the way forward." In the morning, heads of state and government gathered in the General Assembly for the opening session, followed by two parallel roundtables. The roundtables resumed in the afternoon, followed by the closing plenary session, where the Assembly adopted a draft resolution entitled "Political Declaration on Africa's Development Needs." Participants attended a wide variety of partnership events throughout the day to discuss related issues, including on: the food crisis and rural development; the "Gleneagles Scenario" approach to scaling up development efforts; and Africa's vulnerability to climate change.

Above: UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon addressed participants during an afternoon event.


Monday, 22 September
High-level Meeting: Africa's Development Needs

The High-level Meeting on Africa's Development Needs was chaired by Paul Kagame, President of Rwanda. (UN Photo/Marco Castro)

Condaleeza Rice, Secretary of State, US. (UN Photo/Marco Castro)

Marc Ravalomanana, President of Madagascar. (UN Photo/Marco Castro)

King Mswati III, Head of State of Swaziland. (UN Photo/Marco Castro)
Partnership Events

Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro speaks while Jeffrey Sachs looks on during a side event on the MDG Africa Steering Group and the Gleneagles Scenario Approach to Scaling Up.

Maria Mutagamba, Minister of Water and Environment, Uganda, in an event on social development challenges in health, water and sanitation.

Mounkaila Goumandakoye, Director, UNEP Regional Office for Africa, during the launch of UNEP's Africa Atlas.

Abdoulie Janneh, Executive Director, UNECA, and Angela Cropper, Deputy Executive Director, UNEP, during an event on Africa's energy, climate and environmental vulnerability.

Panelists Namanga Ngongi, President, AGRA, Stefano Manservisi, Director General, Development Cooperation, EC, Patricia Francis, Executive Director, International Trade Centre, and Charles Gore, Special Coordinator, UNCTAD, during a lunch event on accelerating poverty reduction and economic growth.

Ken Lipenga, Minister of Economic Development and Planning, Malawi.

Marie Angelique Savané, member of the African Peer Review Mechanism panel, during an event on the governance challenge in Africa.

Patrick Hayford, Director, Office of the Special Adviser on Africa.

An afternoon event on smallholder agriculture, food security and rural development in Africa as a response to the world food crisis featured statements and presentations by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, President Armando Guebuza of Mozambique, FAO Director General Jacques Diouf, UN Secretary-General's Special Adviser on the MDGs Jeffrey Sachs, and Elisabeth Atangana, President of the Sub-regional Platform of Peasant Organizations of Central Africa.

During the event on vulnerability, Valentine Ndibalema, Senior Environmentalist and Advisor, UNHCR, demonstrated a solar cooker.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon greeted Special Advisor Jeffrey Sachs.

President Armando Guebuza of Mozambique greeted FAO Director General Jacques Diouf.

Related Links

Official Website for the High-level Meeting on Africa's Development Needs
Official Website for the Millennium Development Goals High-level Event

Related IISD RS Coverage

1st Inter-ministerial Conference on Health and Environment in Africa, 26-29 August 2008, Libreville, Gabon
12th African Ministerial Conference on the Environment, 7-12 June 2008, Johannesburg, South Africa
Other coverage of Africa regional meetings

Linkages Update - Bi-weekly international environment and sustainable development news.
AFRICASD-L - Africa Sustainable Development policy news and announcement Listserve.
MEA Bulletin - Newsletter on key MEAs and their secretariats.
CLIMATE-L - News and information on the actions of international organizations in responding to the problem of global climate change.

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