Transcript Customs union and Grand FTA in the Context of the Triparte

Stephen Karangizi
Assistant Secretary General – Programmes
27th March 2011, UN Conference Centre, Addis Ababa
COMESA
Context
COMESA Experiences
Brief Challenges at regional level
Proposed inclusions for AE
Proposed was forward and discussions point for
view and input
The Aid Effectiveness Agenda has so far been
focus on the development partners and at the
national level
The Regional level has been largely left out
However, with the characteristic of small
economy’s whose answer in the Global context
has been accepted to be the regional angle, it is
important to look at the regional dimension
In the Eastern and Southern African region, the InterRegional Coordinating Committee (IRCC) brings
together, Five Organizations – COMESA, EAC, IGAD, IOC
and SADC
Three of these are among the 8 RECs recognised as the
building block of the AU
IRCC recognizing the importance of Aid Effectiveness
and its role in contributing to effective development
through regional integration, has put Aid Effectiveness
high on the Agenda
Role of RECs – Institutional and Direct Interventions
related to Aid Effectiveness
COMESA role is at several levels
Set up of institutions focusing on CD for regional
integration (RMCE)
Working with existing regional institutions to
develop relevant curricula – ESAMI and National
institutions
Working with regional CD
associations/institutions eg. IDEP/higher
learning
Knowledge Platforms –Climate Change
VSAT Closed User Group
In line with AE principles COMESA is :
Building its institutional capacity to handle donor
funds using its own procedures eg the CA, CAF, CIF
Demanding that funding provided is aligned to the
regional objectives as stated on strategic plans
Allocating increased resources for implementation
of programmes at national level. Covering country
specific CB, technical assistance and adjustment
support through the COMESA Adjustment Facility
Mechanisms for improved integration of regional
programmes in nat. development plans (eg RIIP,
developing National frameworks for Monitoring RI)
One of the largest constraints to the region, both in
terms of quality, coverage and required investment,
is infrastructure. However, individual national
efforts are not sufficient and regional mechanisms
are not developed for pooling fund from within and
from donors
Level of national/regional linkages and rate of
transposition is weak as national level focused on
national interest in line with donor objectives and
funding
This leads to low national/donor allocation of
resources to regional objectives and a larger
dependency on REC allocation of resources
A formal recognition of the specificities of the
regional integration dimension of aid effectiveness
Opening possibilities for RECs to become signatories
to the Aid Effectiveness process ( with agreement of
its MS but becoming itself a signatory would
strengthen their commitments to aid effectiveness);
Integrating the regional dimension in the indicators
agreed for monitoring AE. Such indicators should be
relevant to development cooperation and not
address the RECs/MS relationship,
Under Ownership
Increase the private sector’s involvement in
designing regional initiatives to ensure they are
relevant and well targeted
Invest in building RECs’ leadership capacity at
the policy, technical and implementation levels
Support programmes that align regional and national
development strategies and which are complementary
Develop prioritised and where possible, costed
strategies for regional development that are pro – poor
and to which donors can align.
Develop new and innovative funding modalities to
support regional initiatives
Investigate establishing flexible funds that RECs and
their member states can tap for regional initiatives
Better align regional integration policies (“soft”
infrastructure) and capital investments (“hard”
infrastructure)
standardise project funding and implementation
modalities, to make it easier to partner with ROs and
MS and mobilise donor support
customise existing aid delivery instruments to make
them more RO specific and adapted to the specificities
of support to RO
broker agreement on simplifying and harmonising
country systems for managing major investment
projects—e.g., through a harmonised rule book for
regional investments
work on a joint funding mechanism for large regional
investment projects
Invest more in monitoring and evaluation (M&E)
systems for regional projects — for example, to
monitor the implementation of integration
commitments by member states
RECs could peer review each other, to help
exchange lessons and experiences
The proposed indicators are important for
defining the regional position and leadership
role in the development aspect of Aid
Effectiveness
Therefore, it is important that the discussion
leads to a conclusion that provides for a clear
solution for integrating regional dimension in
the aid effectiveness agenda