United Nations Children s Fund (UNICEF) (May 2013 April 2014)

Transcription

1 United Nations Children s Fund (UNICEF) (May 2013 April 2014) UNICEF s support to the New Partnership for Africa s Development (NEPAD) Planning and Coordinating Agency Collaboration with other UN agencies in support of the AUC, including NPCA During the period under report UNICEF provided human, technical and financial support to the African Union Commission (AUC) and its New Partnership for Africa s Development Planning and Coordination Agency 1 (NPCA). UNICEF as part of the United Nations System agencies has been collectively supporting the capacity enhancement programme of the AUC through the AU- UN Regional Coordination Mechanism for Africa (RCM-Africa), with the AUC and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) assuming joint secretariat role of this mechanism. The UNICEF championed the mainstreaming of children in the programmes of the AUC and its Organs, and implemented activities jointly with the AUC and other UN agencies through joint annual work plans. This included aligning support to the AUC Strategic Plan UNICEF representation in Addis Ababa, as chair and part of the United Nations Liaison Team (UNLT) 2 met throughout the reporting period and discussed key programmatic issues, among them, the Post-2015 Development Agenda, the AU Summits in 2013, the 50th Anniversary of the OAU/AU, the AUC Strategic Plan , the RCM-Africa and the Ten Year Capacity Building Programme of the AU (TYCBP-AU), which is functional through clusters and subclusters 3 of the RCM-Africa. The UNICEF provided technical and financial support to the AUC, through the RCM-Africa framework. This involved the participation in several consultative meetings, conferences and taskforces to develop and implement policies and strategies of the AUC. UN collaboration with AUC, including NPCA, regional and sub-regional organisations in support to the TYCBP-AU During the 14th Session of the RCM-Africa held in November 2013, UNICEF as part of the UN system contributed to the collective support to the AU s Agenda 2063, with UNICEF providing technical support and elaboration on the social dimensions of Agenda With the support of UNICEF, the second triennial review of the TYCBP-AU was finalised in In view of the fact that the TYCBP-AU will come to an end in 2016, a Working Group composed of the AUC and UN of which UNICEF is a member, was constituted to propose its successor arrangement. 1Though NPCA has its Headquarters in South Africa, it is fully integrated within the structures of the African Union Commission. 2The UNLT is an informal information sharing body of UN agencies working to support the AUC and NPCA. Member agencies of the UNLT are UNICEF LO, UNOCHA, UN WOMEN, FAO, ILO, IOM, ITU, UNAIDS, UNDP, UNEP, UNESCO, UNFPA, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNOAU, UNOAU, OHCHR, WFP, WHO and AfDB. 3UNICEF LO is a member of the Social and Human Development (SHD) Cluster and its Sub-Clusters, including, Gender and Development Sub-Cluster, Education and Human Resources Sub-Cluster, Employment and Labour Sub-Cluster, and Health, HIV/AIDS, TB, Malaria and Other Infectious Diseases Sub-Cluster. The UNICEF LO is also an active member of the Water and Sanitation Sub-Cluster where it is a Vice-Chair; the Governance Cluster and its Sub-Clusters on Human Rights; the Peace and Security Cluster; and the Emergency Preparedness and Response Cluster.

2 Joint activities were held between the clusters and sub-clusters of the RCM-Africa to which the UNICEF is a member, and provided technical and advocacy support during the reporting period. This support included the support to the International Conference on Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (MNCH) in Africa, the 6th Session of the AU Conference of Ministers of Health, the Abuja Special Summit on HIV, TB and Malaria; the International Women s Day, gender mainstreaming in the AU, and the Africa Unite Campaign to End Violence Against Women and Girls, through the Gender Sub-Cluster; among others. The meetings promoted Delivering as One among the UN agencies support of the AUC agenda. In 2013, the UNICEF pursued its efforts to promote the integration of child rights in the mandate and activities of regional institutions. This included periodic discussions with the SRSG/West Africa and Executive Secretary of Mano River Union; attending Sub-Regional Coordination Mechanisms meetings of the RCM/Africa held by ECCAS (Douala, Cameroon) and ECOWAS (Dakar, Senegal); participating in a panel discussion with SRSG/CAAC and Special UN Rapporteur on Genocide during an AU Mediators Retreat (Abidjan, Côte d Ivoire). UNICEF also provided child-focused/centred elements for a series of key documents produced by these and other sub-regional entities. In Health, UNICEF supported activities of 4 communities of practice (CoP) by providing financial and technical support to Harmonization for Health in Africa (HHA) 4. Collaboration with ECOWAS/West Africa Health Organization (WAHO) and ECCAS was also continued. In nutrition, UNICEF started efforts with the Joint Parliamentary Assembly of the EU and the Africa, Caribbean and Pacific Sates leading to the proposed of an Africa-wide network of Members of Parliament to champion nutrition. With the WAHO, updates and implementation of nutrition policies and strategies in the region were conducted. Furthermore, UNICEF supported the West Africa Nutrition Capacity Development Initiative through a UNICEF staff member based at WAHO. With the West Africa Monetary and Economic Union (UEMOA) Commission, regional approaches on food fortification were continued. In late 2013, UNICEF helped facilitate consultations between the UEMOA and ECOWAS Commissions to achieve ECOWAS-wide harmonization of food fortification standards. In the cluster of water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), there is an on-going partnership and Joint Action Plan with AfDB, African Ministers Council on Water (AMCOW), as well as collaborative contacts with Water and Sanitation for Africa (WSA), a Pan African Intergovernmental Agency. In education, a Global Partnership for Education (GPE) conference with African constituencies was held in Addis Ababa in November In humanitarian response, UNICEF identified specific activities where UNICEF support could be instrumental. The implementation of ECOWAS Action Plan for Humanitarian Policy ( ) was one such area. UNICEF also co-facilitated an interagency training of the ECOWAS humanitarian rapid response team. There is an ongoing partnership in HIV/AIDS within the Joint UN Regional Team on AIDS (JURTA) through which UNICEF worked in collaboration with partners such as WAHO, USAID, PEPFAR, Elizabeth Glazer Pediatric AIDS Foundation (EGPAF), CDC, Global Fund and ESTHER to provide technical support to ministries of health and national AIDS control programmes in West and Central Africa regions. This partnership contributed to improved programming and policy environment for eliminating new HIV infections among children and keeping mothers alive and in good health. 4 HHA is a collaborative initiative led by AfDB, JICA, NORAD, UNAIDS, UNFPA, UNICEF, USAID, WHO and the World Bank. 2

3 Financial and Institutional support to AU and its NPCA programmes During 2013 UNICEF helped initiate resource mobilization efforts and supported the AUC, including NPCA, with approx. US$ 980,000 of direct and indirect financial support to technical, human resources, institutional, travel, conferences, publications, among others. The support is briefly indicated below: Department of Human Resources Science and Technology of the AUC: Supported a review of the Mid-Term Evaluation of the Second Decade of Education for Africa ( ) 5. A workshop was held in February 2013 to validate the findings and access its progress at mid-level. Provided input to the meeting of Senior Officials of the First Ordinary Session of the Bureau of the Conference of Ministers of Education (COMEDAF V) and the Third Pan African Conference on Teacher Development (PACTED III) in July The meetings agreed on the necessity of deploying innovative methods for the development of the African teacher and quality teacher education programmes. The meeting also recommended for the implementation of the PACTED III Roadmap, with AU Member States requested to focus on Technical Vocation Education and Training (TVET) as one of the responses to youth employment. The AU Labour and Social Affairs Commission was held in April 2013, and agreed that countries of origin, partners, the EU and countries of destination should address irregular migration, especially human rights violations of migrant workers and human trafficking, and reduce youth and women unemployment by 2 per cent annually. Department of Social Affairs of the AUC: Supported the commemoration of the Day of the African Child (DAC) across Africa under the theme; Eliminating Harmful Social and Cultural Practices Affecting Children: Our Collective Responsibility. Following the commemoration, the UNICEF prepared a report that captured the DAC activities in 33 UNICEF offices in Africa highlighting innovative ideas, impact, lesson learned and brief country profiles in terms of harmful social and cultural practices. Supported the submission of Initial State Party Reports from 13 AU Member States, including, Benin, Burundi, Congo Brazzaville, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe. Consequently, Congo Brazzaville, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Liberia and South Africa submitted their reports to the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACERWC). UNICEF also provided input to the revision of the format of the Periodic State Party Report. Provided technical support and the roadmap for the ACERWC s development of a draft General Comment (GC) on Article 6 of the ACERWC. The GC would raise awareness on the obligation of State Parties to ensure the registration of all children at birth and the maintenance of accessible and free registration systems. 5The Second Decade of Education for Africa ( ) was declared by the Heads of States and Governments of Africa at the 6 th Ordinary Summit of the African Union in January This decision was made as a result of the evaluation finding of the First Decade of Education for Africa ( ), which confirmed the need for a Second Decade for a collective effort towards raising the levels of education quality, access and relevance in Africa, as the First Decade was coming to an end before its goals had been achieved. The Plan of Action of the Second Decade was developed through extensive consultations made among the African Ministers of Education and development partners, including UNICEF. 3

4 The AUC, ACERWC, UNECA, UNICEF, UNFPA and Inter-African Committee on Traditional Practices (IAC), joined together towards the elimination of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and child marriage. They focused on advocacy and the implementation of the UNGA Resolution 67/ Supported the Conference of Ministers of Health in April 2013, under the theme, The Impact of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) and Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) on Development in Africa. The conference discussed the burden of morbidity, disability and mortality that NCDs and NTDs, which continue to negatively impact the continent. Provided technical support to the International Conference on MNCH in August 2013, through facilitating parallel and plenary sessions on nutrition security, child health and newborn health, and Elimination of Mother to Child Transmission of HIV (emtct). UNICEF provided consultancy for the production of the child health section of the AUC s 50 years of Health and Development in Africa: Vision for the next 50 years document. Provided technical input during the African Regional Conference on Population and Development in Africa in September 2013, to review the implementation of the Programme of Action of the ICPD, and its follow-up beyond The outcome declaration reflected UNICEF s key messages. Provided technical support to the Abuja +12 Special Summit on HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria in July 2013, and reviewed the status of investment by African governments in responding to the three epidemics and the commendable efforts towards reversing the impact of these diseases by ensuring universal access to services and strengthened health systems, especially for the poor and most marginalized people. Supported the 5th Meeting of the African Task Force on Food and Nutrition Development in July 2013, which reviewed the implementation of nutrition initiatives in Africa. The taskforce agreed to produce a Nutrition Score Card, support the ARISE 2025 Initiative, support the Africa Nutrition Champion/Ambassadors, consultancy for the mapping of nutrition stakeholders in Africa and the review of the African Regional Nutrition Strategy. Department of Peace and Security of the AUC: Delivered statements during Open Sessions of the Peace and Security Council (PSC) of the AU in March and December 2013, where focus was placed on women and children in conflict situations. The PSC emphasized the responsibility of Member States for ensuring the protection of women and children in situations where they are threatened or affected by violence. Another Open Session was held in March 2013 focusing on the conflict-affected civilians in the CAR and the DRC. In 2013, UNICEF provided technical assistance towards the protection of children affected by armed conflicts. The support was provided in conjunction with the Special Representative of the Secretary General on Children and Armed Conflict and included the deployment of child protection specialists in peace support operations, alignment of domestic legislation with child rights instruments; among others. UNICEF also provided technical input during a workshop to ensure that the PSC uses POC language during its decision-making and when responding to conflict situations. Department of Economic Affairs of the AUC: 6United Nations General Assembly Resolution 67/146 on intensifying global efforts for the elimination of female genital mutilations. 4

5 In March 2013, African Ministers of Finance committed themselves to invest in improving the quality of social services as part of a transformative social policy and development compact. Further, African leaders and other high ranking delegates committed to addressing challenges and pursue quality growth across Africa through the promotion of sustainable economies, inclusive and resilient societies, and peace and stability. This was agreed during the Fifth TICAD V, held in June The UNECA, AUC, AfDB and UNDP were mandated by the AU Summit to develop an African Common Position on the Post-2015 Development Agenda through consultations at all levels. UNICEF was part of the consultations and provided technical support during the High Level Panel on Gender Equality and Women s Empowerment and Post-2015, in discussions with the ACERWC, during continental consultations in Tunisia in March 2013 and through partnership with CSOs. The African Common Position was adopted ruing the January 2014 AU Summit. UNICEF joined a technical working group to translate the African priorities for the Post-2015 Development Agenda into goals, targets and specific indicators for inclusion in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The Africa Regional Consultation on SDGs was held in November 2013, where UNICEF also provided additional technical input. The draft AU Agenda 2063 sets out Africa s vision for the next 50 years. UNICEF continues to provide input to this agenda. Department of Rural Economy and Agriculture of the AUC: The continental commemoration of the 4th Africa Day for Food and Nutrition Security was held in October It provided an opportunity for in-depth discussions guided by five technical papers on food and nutrition security as well as from high level continental advocacy by African leaders. Action was needed to rally the collective multi-partner, multi-sectorial efforts around programmes that articulate zero hunger policies. The meeting on hunger expressed commitment to unify African efforts to boost the resilience of rural communities and build rural livelihoods to assure food security. Department of Women Gender and Development Directorate of the AUC: The AUC is taking great strides to redress gender imbalance and promote women s rights. This was noted during the commemoration of the International Women s Day in March The Seventh Regional Steering Committee of the Africa UNiTE Campaign to end Violence Against Women and Girls, convened in December 2013 and agreed on the need to address violence against women and girls and implement the Campaign with the ownership of all members, including UNICEF. The Pre-Summit Consultative Meeting on Gender Mainstreaming in the AU was held in January and July 2013 to assess developments and challenges in gender mainstreaming in Africa. The 2013 Session of the Committee of Women in Development urged governments to commit to mainstream a gender perspective into all legislation, policies and programmes and allocate financial and human resources, taking into account the needs of women and girls. 5

6 Advocacy work in support of African development UNICEF contributed to a number of advocacy opportunities in support of the child welfare in Africa. The activities undertaken, in collaboration with the AUC and NPCA, included; the promotion of the Campaign for Accelerated Reduction of Maternal Mortality in Africa; through AIDS Watch Africa to press for accountability for the implementation of HIV/AIDS commitments by countries; awareness following the results of the Cost of Hunger in Africa Study in Ethiopia, Egypt, Swaziland and Uganda; addressing nutrition challenges during the International Conference Against Child Under-Nutrition; advocacy during the International Conference on FGM in 2013, which welcomed the extension of the UNFPA-UNICEF Joint Programme on FGM to December 2017; high level debate on Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) systems in Africa during the 50 th Anniversary of the OAU/AU; a Day of General Discussions on harmful social and cultural practices; the campaign for the universal ratification and reporting on the ACERWC; awareness on the EU-UNICEF ANSP through a working breakfast briefing with the diplomatic missions and partners; among others. As a result, the awareness created will enhance the acceleration of the implementation of activities targeting children and women. Further, in child protection, UNICEF supported advocacy for West and Central African Countries included in the pan-african CRVS initiative to receive support for national reforms from the APAI-CRVS Core Group led by the AU. A ministerial meeting will be held for the first time in the region in 2014 (Côte d Ivoire). Partnerships and collaboration The UNICEF maintained close cooperation with all the departments of the AUC and some Organs of the AU such as the PRC, the Executive Council, the Heads of State and Government, the PSC, RECs and the ACERWC. The collaboration also extended to CSOs and EU for continued advocacy for children. The partnership and collaboration with these AU organs and other partners resulted in children s issues being discussed in key conferences or meetings, and recommendations for action enacted for implementation at the regional and country level. Further, the AU also promoted linkages with other regional bodies for the enhancement of socioeconomic cooperation and development. These partnerships include Africa-Arab Cooperation, Tokyo International Conference on African Development, Africa-South America, Africa-EU, Forum on China Africa Cooperation, Africa-Korea, Africa-Turkey and Africa-India. New collaboration was formed between the AUC, ACERWC, UNECA, UNICEF, UNFPA and IAC in an effort to eliminate FGM and child marriage in Africa. Monitoring and Evaluation The UNICEF worked closely with various countries on the technical support towards the preparation of the Initial State Party Reports from 13 countries. Consequently, South Africa, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Liberia and Congo Brazzaville submitted their reports on the implementation of the ACERWC; Supported a methodological workshop for the preparation and development of the African Women s Report 2013, under the theme, The Socio-economic Costs of Violence against Women in Africa, as well as technically supported the review of the Africa Youth Report 6

7 2013, under the theme, The Creative Economy a new development pathway for youth employment in Africa. Contributed to the drafting of annual reports of selected clusters and sub-clusters of the RCM- Africa, as well as in consolidating and shared reports from 33 African countries on their commemoration of the DAC. Conducted a Mid-Term Evaluation on the implementation of the EU-UNICEF ANSP. UNICEF supported partnerships to strengthen RBM and Evaluation capacities in the West and Central African regions: with Centre for Learning on Evaluation and Results (CLEAR/CESAG) on RBM and equity focused evaluation (MoU to be signed), AfDB on Development Evaluation conference, AfREA on Evaluation capacities at national and pan- African level; University of Laval to strengthen national evaluation associations capacity. UNICEF also supported UN coherence, including joint UNDAF development and reviews, active participation to Quality Support and Assurance (QSA) in the sub-region, including joint missions with UNDP and UNFPA to support the joint office in Cape Verde. Lessons Learned Need for regular briefings among the top leadership of the AUC, RECs and UN on the TYCBP-AU. Coordination, joint planning and programming, continuity and institutional memory, lack of resources and time, M&E, low involvement of the NPCA and RECs and membership in the clusters, need addressing. Leadership, ownership and accountability by the AUC-UN are crucial to successful partnership. There is increasing UNICEF (ROs, COs and NYHQ) engagement in the continental work of the AU. 7