AU and UN start regional coordination mechanism meeting aimed at building capacity to address Africa's challenges
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, November 21, 2011/African Press Organization (APO)/ -- The 12th session of the Regional Coordination Mechanism of the United Nations agencies working in Africa in support of the African Union and its NEPAD programme (RCM Africa) started in Addis Ababa today with the objective of producing a comprehensive and well articulated capacity building programme for the AU organizations, with timelines and measurable indicators of achievement.
Under the RCM, capacity building” is defined as “entailing those actions that invest in an organization, the ability to formulate, plan, manage and implement policies and programmes towards the full attainment of that organization's objectives and goals. This would require the creation within the organization, of a critical mass of skills, knowledge and expertise and the availability of the requisite financial resources and organizational instruments, processes and mechanisms, all interacting in ways that conduce to effectiveness in the formulation and prosecution of policy, and success in the implementation of plans and programmes”.
RCM-Africa is the implementing organ of the UN Ten Year Capacity Building Programme for the AU, (TYCBP-AU) through a cluster and sub-cluster structure. In this respect, in addition to formulating a capacity building programme, the 12th RCM, which concludes tomorrow 22 November, will also hear progress reports from the different clusters.
The main objective of the TYCBP-AU is to enhance the capacity of the African Union Commission and African sub regional organizations to act as effective UN partners in addressing Africa's development challenges.
Delegates to the RCM are drawn from the UN agencies working in Africa, the African Union and its NEPAD programme. The African Union Commission contingent is led by the Deputy Chairperson Mr Erastus Mwencha, while the UN Deputy Secretary General Dr Asha Rose Migiro is leading the UN delegation.