ADDIS ABABA, March 4 (Xinhua) -- Continental response against the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and rebuilding Africa from the impacts of the pandemic took center stage at the ongoing 8th African Regional Forum for Sustainable Development (ARFSD-8).
This year's edition of ARFSD is underway in a hybrid format in Kigali, Rwanda and virtually from March 3 to 5 under the theme "Building forward better: A Green, Inclusive and Resilient Africa Poised to Achieve the 2030 Agenda and Agenda 2063."
Senior experts and policymakers attending the high-level meeting called on Africa to acknowledge the progress the continent has made towards targets in 2030 and 2063 and to improve upon them while mitigating the impacts induced by the COVID-19 pandemic, the UNECA said in a statement issued Friday.
The ARFSD-8, organized by the United Nations Economic Commission of Africa (ECA) and the government of Rwanda in collaboration with the African Union (AU) Commission, the African Development Bank (AfDB) and other entities of the UN system, envisaged reviewing and catalyze actions to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030 and goals of the Africa's 50-year continental development Agenda 2063.
Rwanda's President Paul Kagame addressing the forum expressed his hope that Africa will use the COVID-19 pandemic as a springboard to speed up progress and innovate smarter ways to invest in human capital development.
"The COVID-19 pandemic has slowed development gains, and in some cases reversed the progress that have been made," Kagame told the high-level meeting, as he emphasized that as part of the continental COVID-19 response efforts "we can build an Africa that is greener and more resilient with a sustainable development goals and Agenda 2063 as our blueprint."
President Kagame's sentiments were shared by Amina Mohammed, UN Deputy Secretary-General, as she applauded the progress made on the African Vaccine Acquisition Trust (AVAT).
The African continent must build "stronger and more resilient health systems by investing in healthcare," a UNECA statement quoted Mohammed as saying during the opening session of the ARFSD-8.
UN Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of UNECA, Vera Songwe, explained that progress achieved by Africa in the areas of climate change, the continental free trade pact, the management of COVID-19, and education must be applauded.
Songwe said despite the tendency for the AfCFTA to be perceived as far-fetched, the fact that African countries have traded more among themselves during the pandemic than the five years before that period is a testament to the potential of the partnership.
The ARFSD is an annual multi-stakeholder platform organized by the ECA and the host government. This year, Rwanda, in collaboration with the AU Commission, the AfDB and other entities of the United Nations systems, is hosting the high-level gathering.
According to the UNECA, the three-day ARFSD-8 brings together African ministers, senior officials, high-level policymakers and experts from ministries and agencies and practitioners from UN member states, private sector, civil society, academia and UN organizations.
The regional forum is one of the three mechanisms mandated by theUN General Assembly to follow-up, review and catalyze actions to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development adopted by UN member states in September 2015. ■