LocationsThe RSCA Open House kicked off today, 15 February, with the launch of ‘A Continent in Conversation’, a new high-level policy dialogue series that brings together leaders and thinkers to engage deeply on how Africa can navigate and influence the international political landscape.
UNDP positions itself as a key partner ahead of African Union Summit
February 15, 2024
Director of the UNDP Regional Service Centre for Africa (RSCA), Matthias Naab. speaking at the RSCA Open House in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
UNDP Africa
15 February 2024, Addis Ababa — The UNDP Regional Service Centre for Africa (RSCA) is proud to showcase its development impact across 46 African countries at the RSCA Open House – a series of side events on 15 and 16 February, organized on the eve of the 37th African Union Summit.
The RSCA Open House kicked off today with the launch of ‘A Continent in Conversation’, a new high-level policy dialogue series that brings together leaders and thinkers to engage deeply on how Africa can navigate and influence the international political landscape.
Under the theme ‘Advancing Africa’s Development amid the Geopolitical Divide’, the first edition of the dialogue featured keynote reflections by H.E. Ambassador Williams Awinador-Kanyirige, Special Advisor to the AU Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security (on behalf of H.E. Ambassador Adeoye Bankole, AU Political Affairs, Peace and Security Commissioner); H.E. Hanna Tetteh, UN Under Secretary General & Special Envoy to the Horn of Africa; H.E. Parfait Onanga-Anyanga, Special Representative of UN Secretary-General to the African Union and Head of the United Nations Office to the African Union (UNOAU); and H.E. Ambassador Javier Niño Perez, EU Ambassador to the African Union.
Africa experiences the impacts of global trends and stressors in ways that are often starkly different from those in the global north. “At a time where divisions and fault lines seem to proliferate in the global geo-political arena, UNDP stands committed to fostering partnerships that transcend these divides, ensuring that Africa’s voices are heard loud and clear in shaping a shared global future,” says Director of the UNDP RSCA, Matthias Naab.
Attended by over 100 participants from the diplomatic community, think tanks, international partners and organizations, regional and national actors, and the media, the policy dialogue was followed by a cocktail reception to unveil the RSCA Open House exhibition and a preview of the new UNDP documentary ‘Borderlands’, produced by the Africa Borderlands Centre.
Tomorrow, 16 February, will mark the launch of the Human Development Report in the Sahel, which uses a futures model to assess the impacts of a just energy transition on human development in the sub-region. Recognizing energy’s potential as a catalyst for regional transformation and the accelerated attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the report aims to equip decision-makers with valuable tools to fortify development policies and programmes. These two events are organized in partnership with the Institute for Peace and Security Studies and Chatham House.
The RSCA stands as a central hub of expertise for UNDP’s engagements with regional and continental bodies such as the African Union and Regional Economic Communities, as well as a broad spectrum of stakeholders including African governments, civil society, international partners and private sector entities. At the heart of UNDP’s Strategic Offer in Africa, is the desire to shift the narrative away from a problem lens, to one that accentuates Africa’s promise. The RSCA contributes to this vision through seven strategic streams: promoting jobs and mobility, reimagining the future of development, opening pathways for women and youth, mobilizing for public health, innovating for a green future, scaling private sector-led growth, and enhancing effective and inclusive governance.
In keeping with central theme of this year’s AU Summit, ‘Educate an African fit for the 21st Century’, RSCA programmes and initiatives recognize the fundamental interdependence of education and broader developmental goals. When education and development are mutually prioritized and invested in, one inevitably strengthens the other, and in turn galvanize collective impacts on health, economic stability and governance.
To learn more about UNDP’s flagship initiatives with regional partners across the continent, register here to join our events online at the RSCA Open House.
About UNDP
UNDP is the leading United Nations organization fighting to end the injustice of poverty, inequality and climate change. Working with our broad network of experts and partners in 170 countries, we help nations to build integrated, lasting solutions for people and planet.
Learn more at www.undp.org/africa or follow @undpafrica on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn using the hashtag #OpenHouseRSCA.
For media inquiries and further information:
Michelle Mendi Muita, Regional Communications Specialist
UNDP Regional Service Centre for Africa
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Housam Silim, Gender and Communications Analyst
UNDP Regional Service Centre for Africa
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
housam.silim@undp.org
Laetitia Ouoba, Coordination and Knowledge Management Specialist
UNDP Regional Service Centre for Africa
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
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