UNCTAD’s contribution to the final review and appraisal of the implementation of
the United Nations New Agenda for the Development of Africa in the 1990s: Structural adjustment and poverty reduction in Africa

The Trade and Development Board,

1. The session of the Trade and Development Board took place at an exciting time forthe peoples of Africa. It welcomes the United Nations Declaration on the New Partnership forAfrica’s Development (NEPAD), a programme of the African Union, which was adopted bythe fifty-seventh session of the General Assembly on 16 September 2002 (resolution 57/2),and considers it an important milestone in the history of Africa and its relations with theinternational community based on partnerships.
2. NEPAD constitutes a determined effort by Africans to take control of their owndestiny through economic and social development based on principles of, and supported bymechanisms that aim to ensure, democracy, good governance and peaceful settlement ofdisputes. As such, NEPAD has elicited strong support from the international community asan important contribution to placing Africa on a sustainable growth trajectory towardsachieving the internationally agreed target of reducing poverty by half by 2015.
3. 3. Taking into account the independent review of the United Nations New Agenda forthe Development of Africa in the 1990s (UN-NADAF), the Board calls upon UNCTAD todraw valuable lessons from it in its activities in support of NEPAD.
4. The Board welcomes the renewed emphasis on poverty reduction, and is pleased thatPoverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs) facilitate coherent and integrated approaches indesigning development policies. The Board also recognizes that PRSPs are resourceintensive,and that their evolution is part of a learning process that should be regularlyassessed on an independent basis. Accordingly, it considers the report of the UNCTADsecretariat entitled From Adjustment to Poverty Reduction: What is New? to be a contributionto the process of policy appraisal.
5. Recent international conferences are unanimous about the importance of partnerships,ownership and participation. The Board notes that implementing these principles remains animportant challenge. In this context, it takes note of the discussions on international policies, including on streamlining conditionalities, and encourages the continuing efforts by beneficiary countries in improving national macro-economic policies.
6. Recognizing the positive impact that sound macro-economic policies and a conduciveexternal environment have on economic growth, and in order to ensure that the benefits ofgrowth reach all people, especially the poor, the Board stresses the importance of helpingcountries to effectively undertake “poverty and social impact analysis” on a more systematicbasis in the implementation of PRSPs.
7. In order to boost national resources, the cornerstone of development, the Boardrecognizes that debt relief and official development assistance (ODA) can play a critical role,and emphasizes the role of trade as a source for development. It welcomes the HeavilyIndebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Initiative and stresses the need for its speedy implementationand a durable solution to the problem of indebtedness of the poorest countries, and for anassessment, case by case, of debt sustainability beyond completion points. Debtors andcreditors must share the responsibility for preventing and resolving unsustainable debtsituations. Technical assistance for external debt management and debt tracking can play animportant role and should be strengthened. Both the size and quality of ODA form importantelements of its effectiveness. As such, the Board welcomes the Monterrey Consensuscommitments to increase the quantity and effectiveness of ODA.
8. The Board recognizes the essential role of trade as an engine for economicdevelopment in Africa and in this regard calls for improved market access for African exportswithin the framework of the Doha Ministerial Declaratio n, without prejudging the outcome ofthe World Trade Organization (WTO) negotiations, and also within the framework ofpreferential agreements; and in this connection, it calls upon developed countries to assistAfrican countries in improving their capacity, including by the removal of supply-sideconstraints and the promotion of diversification, which are critical for enabling them to takefull advantage of such opportunities, taking into account the need to provide market accessfor developing countries. Furthermore, it underlines the importance for African countries toaccede to the WTO and encourages UNCTAD within its mandate to assist them in thisprocess.
9. UNCTAD should, within its mandate and areas of competence, play its role insupporting NEPAD. In this light, it should continue its cooperation with African countriesand institutions and explore ways for improved cooperation with the Bretton Woodsinstitutions in support of the poverty reduction strategies, thus building capacity andidentifying appropriate divisions of labour. It should continue to provide relevant analysisand policy advice on African development.

936^th plenary meeting
18 October 2002