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21 May, 2008
The Governance Dimension of the MDGs in Africa
Time: May 21, 9:15 am to 6 pm
Location: Dag Hammarskjöld Library Penthouse
UNU-Cornell Africa Series, Symposium II
The Africa Series is undertaken in partnership with:
Watch The Governance Dimension of the MDGs video.
Watch the interview with Penda Mbow, Professor, Department of History, Université Cheick Anta Diop de Dakar, Sénégal, Muna Ndulo, Director, Institute for African Development, Cornell University, and Nicola van de Walle, Director, Mario Einaudi Center for International Studies, Cornell University.
UNU Research and Training Programme on Comparative Regional Integration Studies (UNU-CRIS)
UNU Food and Nutrition Program for Human and Social Development
Please visit the video of this event here
On the 22nd and 25th of September 2008, two high-level meetings will take place at UN Headquarters in New York on the topic of African Development Needs and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). In relation to these meetings, the United Nations University, in collaboration with Cornell University , is organizing four major thematic symposia focused on Africa to be held at UN Headquarters in New York during the 2007-2008 academic year, entitled the UNU-Cornell Africa Series.
The purpose of these events is two-fold:
1) to contribute to the debate leading up to the high-level meetings in September 2008;
2) to commission a series of peer-reviewed manuscripts that identify the gaps in knowledge and policy that are preventing Africa from achieving the MDGs, as a means of preparing the landscape for the high-level meetings.
The four areas which the thematic symposia focus on are:
* Food System and its Interactions with Health and Nutrition (13 November 2007),
* The Governance Dimension of the MDGs in Africa (21 May 2008),
* The Social and Economic Dimensions of HIV/AIDS in Africa (Summer 2008).
* The Africa Series will be concluded with a final event (Summer 2008, tbc) aimed at outlining the lessons learned from the preceding events and elaborating policy recommendations.
A message of congratulations and support was sent by United Nations Secretary General, Mr. Ban Ki-moon, to the inaugural event.
Symposium II Concept note Agenda Talking Points Speakers' Presentations
The second symposium of the Africa Series will focus on the "Governance Dimension of the MDGs in Africa". The Millennium Declaration recognizes governance as critical for achieving the Millennium Development Goals. It makes explicit reference to good governance in two paragraphs stating that "democratic and participatory governance best assures the rights to live in dignity, free from hunger and from fear of violence, oppression or injustice (para.1.6)" and that "success in meeting the objectives of development and the elimination of poverty depends on good governance" (para. III. 13). Governance is regarded today as an essential prerequisite for human development. The concept has evolved from its original focus on economic process and administrative efficiency to one with stronger links to democracy, the rule of law and participation. The Millennium Declaration represents the most forceful and explicit commitment by the UN member states to date to the principles of good governance. In the second symposium, we aim to contribute to policy analysis of governance and development by not only undertaking a diagnostic study of the state of governance but evaluating the effectiveness of efforts aimed at ensuring good governance.
This second symposium is co-organized in partnership with the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, the United Nations Office of the Special Advisor on Africa (OSSA), the UNU Research and Training Programme on Comparative Regional Integration Studies (UNU-CRIS), the UNU Office at the UN in New York (UNU-ONY), Mario Einaudi Center for International Studies, the Institute for African Development at Cornell University, and the Food and Nutrition Program for Human and Social Development at Cornell. Speakers will include practitioners and academic researchers who are experts on Africa, many of them being from Africa, North America and Europe. Please click here to read the biographies of the speakers.
Please see related links
-The Division for Sustainable Development and Economic Affairs (DESA) report highlights key developments and recent trends in sub -Saharan Africa as well as case studies from Africa .
-The International Conference on African Development (TICAD IV) on the 28-30 May 2008. The (TICAD) promotes high-level policy dialogue between African leaders and development partners and provides fundamental and comprehensive policy and guideline on African development.
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Page last modified Last modified: November 02 2009 at 05:12:08 PM.
