By Magreth Nunuhe
WINDHOEK – The Director General of the Namibian Planning Commission (NPC) Tom Alweendo says Namibia has so far fared well in the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), with the exception of the health sector where maternal health still needs improvement.
Alweendo said this when he briefed the media on preparations for the next global development agenda.
The African Union (AU) adopted a Common African Position (CAP) post the 2015 MDGs period, which ends in September 2015.
“The time has come for us to embrace the agenda, not because it’s a global development agenda, but because it makes sense to us,” he said, adding they will use the CAP as a negotiation tool for the global development agenda.
He said that as a continent it was time to embrace the agenda and also to start telling people “this is what Africa wants” when they meet at the UN Assembly in September next year.
The overall objective of the CAP is for Africa to assert itself in promoting continent-driven development initiatives as opposed to externally-driven ones.
Some of the key points on the CAP’s agenda include structural economic transformation, science, technology and innovation, people-centred development, environmental sustainability, peace and security and finance and partnership.
“There is a commitment to remain focused on pertinent development issues by completing the unfinished MDGs,” stated Alweendo.
He said that they resolved to reverse Africa’s dependence on primary commodities, to create decent jobs and to strengthen resilience to external shocks.
The African leaders committed themselves to promoting effective, open and participatory governance at national, regional and international levels.
“To this end we need to develop effective resource mobilization programmes and embrace innovative financing mechanisms,” he said, adding that foreign direct investment continue to be an important pillar for financing Africa’s transformation.
He said that African leaders needed to ensure that CAP was implemented, but that it all ultimately lies with individual AU member states to provide leadership.
“For Namibia, we can say that we are in a lucky position because the areas are already part of our development agenda that just need to be strengthened,” he added.
The MDGs are eight international development goals established in 2000 to eradicate extreme poverty; achieve universal primary education; promote gender equality and empower women; reduce child mortality; improve maternal health; combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases; ensure environmental sustainability and develop a global partnership for development by 2015.