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22 March, 2008
ECA, March 22, 2008 (Addis Ababa) - Experts with the Intergovernmental Committee of ECA's east Africa sub-regional office will sit in a two day meeting amidst golden jubilee celebrations of the UN body, which comits to "starting a new phase for promoting regional integration in support of the African Union's vision and priorities.
This 12th Intergovernmental Committee of Experts (ICE) Meeting will be held from 24 to 25 March 2008 at the UN Conference Centre in Addis Ababa.
The major objective of the meeting will be to analyze economic and social conditions in Eastern Africa, in particular with regard to achievement of the millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and define strategic modalities for accelerating the achievement of those objectives, including through regional integration process and appropriate mechanisms whereby resources will be mobilized for development financing, the ECA said in a statement on Saturday.
In that framework, an Ad Hoc Expert Group Meeting on Assessing Financial Sector Reforms in East Africa will be held from 24 through 25 March 2008 and will examine the report based on a case-study prepared on the East African Community ( EAC) and the Economic Community on Great Lakes Countries ( CEPGL).
The Committee will consider a report on programme performance of the subregional office for Eastern Africa as well as priority programmes for 2008-2009.
The Regional Economic Communities (COMESA, IOC, EAC, and IGAD) building blocs of regional integration, Regional Groups (ICGLR and CEPGL) and other partners will be invited to the meeting as resource institutions.
ICE is a steering organ mandated by the ECA Council of Ministers to supervise the activities of its five subregional offices covering Eastern, Southern, Central, Western and North Africa. Pertinent experts of these offices meet every year to consider reports on activities of the sub-regional offices and the medium-term plans of action, programmes of work, as well as strategic orientations for the subregions.
"Although this sub-region has the biggest share of African population (30 percent), it represents only 10 percent of the GDP of the continent," the statement said as a background. ECA's eastern Africa sub-regional offices serves 13 countries.