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Conference Outline NEPAD: a new partnership? Conference, February 21, 2003
Netherlands Congress Centre, Van Ruysdaelzaal 1&2, The Hague
9:30-17:30 (registration from 8:30)
Entry: free
NEPAD is proclaimed as an initiative by African leaders to take ownership of sustainable growth and development for Africa. Through democratic governance, sound economic policies, and peace building. And by having coherent, consistent, and politically legitimate new partnerships with the industrialised countries and multilateral organisations.
That being so the NEPAD initiative notes that "Africans must not be wards of benevolent guardians; rather they must be the architects of their own sustained upliftment".
Outline:
This one day conference focuses on where the niche for the Dutch and European civil societies in NEPAD is, especially in solidarity activities to its counterparts in the South.
Background:
The conference primarily aims at development workers and policy makers. It will bring together a North and South audience to share knowledge, experience and advance thinking in partnerships between southern and northern NGO's and policy makers.
The choice of focus in the conference discussion is due to the fact that:
- Europe is the most important trading partner, investor and aid donor for Southern Africa. Thus Southern Africa’s social economic development is heavily dependent on the policies of the EU and the EU member states. To lobby and influence positive and fair relations between these two regions, strategic choices need to be made from a sustainable clear understanding of the EU stand or stance on NEPAD, and likewise of the NEPAD secretariat/initiator's stand.
- Enhanced involvement and participation of SADC's civil societies to the NEPAD development process is of the outmost importance. This conference focuses on how to develop the lobbying capacity in the south, whilst creating space for their dialogue with the European Union.
Speakers:
To facilitate the discussion, the South African Ambassador to The Netherlands, Mrs Priscilla Jana, will explain in further detail what NEPAD is and how it relates to civil society and Europe. The ambassador is the direct representative of NEPAD in the Netherlands. She has written several articles and speeches on NEPAD. Mrs Jana has been involved as a Human Rights Lawyer in most of the celebrated political cases throughout South Africa. She was a member of the National Assembly from 1999 to 2001 and also a member of several Parliamentary Committees on specific Bills.
Mrs Claire Mandouze is the principal administrator in the Directorate-General for Development of the European Union Desk. She is responsible for Pan African initiatives and institutions.
Mr Viarato Tamele is the executive director of the Economic Justice Coalition (EJC) in Mozambique. EJC works on lobbying and advocacy of development policies including WTO agreements, Cotonou Agreements, AGOA and NEPAD. His work on economic justice started in 1997 by helping the foundation of Economic Justice Coalition in Mozambique and networking in the region and internationally.
Ms Venetia Govender is the National Director for the Human Rights Committee (HRC) in South Africa. The HRC is an independent NGO, committed to monitoring, research, reporting, advocacy and lobbying for the promotion, protection and respect for all of the rights enshrined in the South African Bill of Rights.
Other Discussants:
Mr Greyson Koyi is the Director of Research and Information at the Civil Servants Union of Zambia. He has served eight years in the Civil Servants Union, specialising in policy analysis and research. He is also the economist for the Zambia Congress of Trade Union (ZCTU). Mr Koyi has been actively involved in social and economic policy issues. He is also a task force member of the Civil Society for Poverty Reduction (CSPR), which is a network of Civil Society Organisations actively working in areas of poverty reduction as well as inputting into the PRSP process in Zambia. He is also an associate of the African Labour Researchers Network as well as the Economics Association of Zambia.
Mr Manuel J. Paulo is Angolan and currently an Assistant Researcher at the British-Angola Forum in the United Kingdom within the Africa Programme at the Royal Institute of International Affairs (Chatham House). He conducts research for the head of the programme on NEPAD, Western foreign policy towards Africa, and oil and gas on the Gulf of Guinea. He also oversees the development of the British-Angola Forum by organising a series of seminars, and conference on Angola.
Mr MP Giyose is the Chairman of Jubilee South Africa.
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