ECA-SA/TCC.SRCM/2015/1

Stakeholders’ Meeting on the Sub-Regional Coordination Mechanism (SRCM) forEastern & Southern Africa

Theme: "Towards Effective Mainstreaming of the SRCM Business Plan into Stakeholders’ Planning Processes and Priority Setting”

10-11 December 2015

Gaborone, Botswana

Aide Memoire

  1. Background

The Sub-Regional Coordination Mechanism (SRCM) for the United Nations (UN) System-wide Support to the African Union (AU), its New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) Programme and Regional Economic Communities (RECs) was established in November 2010 as an offshoot of theRegional Coordination Mechanism (RCM). The main aim is to bring together the UN Economic Commission for Africa’s (ECA)Sub-Regional Offices (SROs), Regional Economic Communities (RECs), Intergovernmental Organisations (IGOs) and UN agencies in order to identify opportunities for joint planning and programme implementation at the sub-regional level and thereby effectively support the work and prorities of the RECs and IGOs in the regions[1]. Since then, SRCMshave beenoperational in all five regions of Africa and areat various stages of implementation. For purposes of efficiency and effectiveness, the Eastern and Southern Africa sub-regions jointly implement one SRCM, with the ECA Sub-Regional Offices in Eastern and Southern Africa serving as a coordinating secretariat.

In furtherance of the main aim, the ECA Sub-Regional Offices for Southern Africa (SRO-SA) andthe Eastern Africa (SRO-EA) serving as Secretariat have supported the SRCM process in bringing together the RECs, IGOs, UN agencies and other development partners operating in Eastern and Southern Africa in identifying opportunities to work in a coordinated manner with the view to generating scale and maximizing impact. The results of this two-year intensive facilitation and consultative process culminated in the adoption of the SRCM for Eastern and Southern Africa Business Plan 2013-2017, in November 2012, during the 14th RCM. A follow-up event, the SRCM Inception Meeting, held in Kampala, Uganda on 19-20 February 2013 selected six (6) flagship initiatives to anchor and operationalise the implementation of the SRCM Business Plan. The meeting also agreed that ECA offices for Eastern Africa (SRO-EA) and Southern Africa (SRO-SA) would provide coordinating support to the SRCM, in the two sub-regions.

The SRCM Business Plan (2013-2017) for Eastern and Southern Africa was developed through intensive consultations with a wide array of stakeholders and development partners[2].

The Business Plan aims to achieve the following three outcomes:

Outcome 1: Fostering Broad-based Inclusive Economic Development and Innovations for Structural Transformation (through regional integration, infrastructure development, trade and industry development, statistics development, promotion of information technology and knowledge economy).

Outcome 2:Enhanced Natural Resource Management for Sustainable Development and Food Security(through addressing climate change, agricultural development, water resource management and tourism strategies).

Outcome 3: Building Strong Institutions, Community Development and Social Cohesion (through promotion of good governance, peace and security; gender equality and women empowerment; and youth employment).

The six flagship projects’initiatives adopted in Kampala, Ugandaare to be championed by the following RECs/IGOs:

(1) Regional Food Security Programme: IGAD, ICGLR and CEPGL;

(2) Sustainable Tourism Development: IGAD;

(3) International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) Regional Initiative against the Illegal Exploitation of Natural Resources (RINR): ICGLR;

(4) Regional Programme on Energy Security and Sustainable Energy for All: EAC, COMESA, SADC;

(5) Regional Programme on Industrialization focusing on Value Addition on Agriculture – Agro processing: EAC, COMESA, SADC; and

(6) Mainstreaming Intelligent Transport Systems in Corridor Infrastructure: CC-TTFA/PMAESA.

Five of the six flagship projects:1) regional food security programme, 2) sustainable tourism development,3) the ICGLR Regional Initiative against the Illegal Exploitation of Natural Resources, 4) regional energy programme, and 5) regional programme on industrialization have been developed and are at different levels of implementation.

The remaining project onMainstreaming Intelligent Transport Systems in Corridor Infrastructure has not yet begun implementation. Overall, whilst on-going flagship initiatives have generated positive policy impacts at REC/IGO level, the overall implementation of the SRCM Business Plan has been facing challenges. These include:

(1)Ownership and leadership of the Plan by RECs/IGOs, AU/NEPAD and the UN family;

(2)Mainstreaming of the Plan in the planning/programming cycles of the RECs/IGOs and UN agencies concerned;

(3)Inadequate implementation of the division of labour agreed in Kampala and poor championing of the flagship initiatives by the identified RECs/IGOs;

(4)Inconsistent and low number of consultations and meetings between all the interested parties, especially at the high-level;

(5)Absence of a formal information sharing platform for RECs/IGOs and UN agencies;

(6)Lack of a long-term resource mobilization strategy; and

(7)Inadequate institutionalized monitoring and evaluation system to track progress achieved.

To address some of these issues, the two SROs in collaboration with COMESA as co-host and current chair, organised the annual SRCM in November 2014 in Lusaka, Zambia on the theme “Scaling-up the implementation of the SRCM Business Plan for Eastern and Southern Africa”. The meeting,which also doubled as a stakeholders’ consultation forum,discussed the above challenges and proffered recommendations to help strengthen the implementation of SRCM flagship projects and the institutional partnership framework. Among the key recommendations was the need for partner organizations to mainstream the SRCM Business Plan into their planning processes and priority setting and undertake a detailed mapping of the activities and programmes of the RECs and the UN agencies.

  1. Objective

The key objective of the meeting will be to provide a forum for stakeholders’ consultations on how to achieve the objectives of the SRCM Business Plan by incorporating it as a crucial component of RECs’ and IGOs’ work plans and strategic orientations. SADC (as incoming Chair of the SRCM)and the ECA Sub-Regional Offices for Southern Africa (SRO-SA)andEastern Africa (SRO-EA) will convene a meeting of the SRCM in December 2015, in Gaborone, Botswana on the theme “Towards Effective Mainstreaming of the SRCM Business Plan into Stakeholders’ Planning Processes and Priority Setting”. Participants will have the opportunity to discuss,inter alia, financing constraints and institutional challenges and agree on concrete measures that can be takento align their organization goals with the implementation of the SRCM Business Plan. The meeting will also showcase successful case studies of initiatives that enabled the collaboration of multiple stakeholders around a common outcome area.

  1. Expected outcomes

The meeting will contribute to enhanced coordination, synergy and coherence among involved RECs/IGOs and UN agencies thus strengthening the SRCM platform and related networks at all levels. The effective mainstreaming of the SRCM Business Plan within stakeholders’ programmes will ensure the commonality of goals and strategic priorities among involved organizations and contribute to enhanced alignment with the RCM.

  1. Expected outputs

The meeting will generate the following outputs:

  1. Framework for the effective mainstreaming of the SRCM Business Plan within stakeholders’ programmatic planning and strategic goals;
  2. SRCM activities prioritized as per existing REC/IGO policy strategies and programmes of work;
  3. Institutional partnerships’ arrangements defined to guide the implementation of priority activities as well as flagship initiatives; and
  4. Clear guidelines as well as roles and responsibilities of an Information Sharing Platform and M&E system.
  1. Targeted beneficiaries

The meeting will bring together about fifty (50) participants, including high-level delegates from all the member organizations/institutions of the SRCM. It will be co-chaired by SADC and SRO-SA as well as the institutions and partners involved in the development and implementation of the SRCM flagship initiatives. Participating RECs/IGOs will be invited to:(1) presentthe status of implementation of their planned activities within the context of the SRCM Business Plan and their programmes of work; (2) determine how the SRCM Business Plan can be more effectively integrated into their planning processes; and (3) provide guidance on prioritization of pending activities and way forward.

  1. Venue and dates

The meeting will be hosted by SADC and organised by SRO-SA and SRO-EA, in Gaborone, Botswanaon10-11 December 2015, at the Landsmore Hotel.

  1. Proposed agenda

Item 1: Opening session

Item 2: Presentation of the meeting objectives and adoption of the programme of work

Item 3: Presentationon the Regional Coordination Mechanism (RCM): Progress, Developments and Linkages with the SRCM

Item 4: Presentation on the SRCM and status of implementation of the flagship projects

Item 5: Presentation on the Tripartite Free Trade Area (TFTA) as a collaborative framework and the role of the UN System as partner

Item 6: High-Level Panel on Effective Mainstreaming of the SRCM Business Plan into Stakeholders’ Planning Processes and Priority Setting

Item7: Presentation of Stakeholders’ Mapping Study Report

Item 8: Discussion on Resource Mobilisation and the way forward

Item 9: Panel discussion on Fostering Effective Working Relationship between UN Regional Development Groups (UNRDGs)) and SRCM

Item 10: Discussion on resource mobilization

Item 11: Presentations on the SDGs and African Union Agenda 2063

Item 12: Consideration and adoption of the meeting’s outcome statement

Item 13: Closure of the meeting

VIII. Contacts

All communication and correspondence relating to the organizational and substantive aspects of the workshop should be addressed to the following officials:

(1)Tracy Zinanga(2) Anthony Taylor

Senior Officer Economic Affairs Officer

International Partners & Resource MobilisationSRO-SA

SADC SecretariatUNECA

Private Bag 0095P.O. Box 30647

Gaborone, BotswanaLusaka, Zambia

Tel: +267 361-1050Tel: +260-211-228502

e-mail: e-mail:

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[1] Report of the 16th Session of the RCM-Africa.

[2]The African Union Commission (AUC), the NEPAD Planning and Coordinating Agency (NPCA), the African Development Bank (AfDB), the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), the East African Community (EAC), the Southern African Development Community (SADC), the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD), the Central Corridor-Transit Transport Facility Authority (CC-TTFA), the North Corridor–Transit Transport Coordination Agency (NC-TTCA), the Economic Community of Great Lakes Countries (CEPGL), the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR), the East African Sub-regional Support Initiative for the Advancement of Women (EASSI), the Nile Basin Initiative (NBI), UNECA, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the International Labour Organization (ILO), the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), UN-Women, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and other relevant Cooperating Partners (CPs).