Róisín Shortall
Question:17 Ms Shortall asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the extent of participation of different African countries in NEPAD, the new partnership for Africa's development. [30469/03]
Written Answers. - Overseas Development Aid.
Ireland views the new partnership for Africa's development as one of the most important strategic developments in Africa in recent decades. The United Nations General Assembly has endorsed NEPAD as an African-owned and led initiative and confirmed that international support for its implementation is essential. Ireland strongly considers that the international community must fully seize the partnership opportunities presented by NEPAD to advance sustainable economic and social development in Africa.
The African Union summit meeting in Maputo in July 2002 decided that NEPAD should be formally adopted as the socio-economic development programme of the African Union. The European Union has welcomed this development, with the Council of Ministers last July noting that the sectoral and thematic priorities of NEPAD are practically the same as in the Cairo plan of action, adopted at the initial EU-AU summit in Cairo in 2000.
While NEPAD contains a range of structures involving different levels of participation by African countries, its absorption into the African Union over a three year period and the strong relationship also existing between NEPAD and the major regional economic communities in Africa ensure that NEPAD is much an instrument benefiting all African countries through its formulation of appropriate development strategies.
Ireland's support for NEPAD will continue to be framed in the context of its links to the African Union and its development of initiatives such as the African peer review mechanism, a voluntary framework under which eminent African persons review progress in good political and economic governance in individual African countries. I was pleased during my recent visit to South Africa to be able to announce that the Government will be making €300,000 available in development assistance to help strengthen and build up the institute capacity of the NEPAD secretariat which has its headquarters in that country. Ireland is also now actively participating in the African partnership forum which brings together the African members of NEPAD, major donors and international institutions in order to garner greater international political and practical support for NEPAD.