Special Focus on Africa

 

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development targets Africa, as well as countries facing special developmental challenges, and intends to build on already existing bodies and national policies with regular reviews, coordination and knowledge sharing. At the continental level, Africa must sustain unity and solidarity in its approach to the implementation of this new transformative Agenda.

​

The African Common Position (CAP)

 

Africa is the only continent that has consistently provided a common position on issues addressed in key global summits and conferences. These common positions represented a shared African position in presenting the continent’s ambitions and expectations and informed related debates at all levels, and, laid out the relevant issues for the Africa Africans want. In the same vein, Africa has been a key player in the negotiations on the post-2015 development agenda.

​

The Common African Position (CAP), is articulated in depth in “Agenda 2063, the Africa we want”. This model was also successfully used in the preparatory process for Rio+20 whereby, Africa adopted a "Consensus Statement" for the intergovernmental processes, it helped to drive and shape a range of intergovernmental processes, championing a holistic view of sustainable development, Rio+20 Outcome Document “The Future We Want”  called on the UN General Assembly to establish an intergovernmental Open Working Group involving the participation of relevant stakeholders to define the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It recommended that the SDGs be coherent with integrated into the UN development agenda beyond 2015.

​

The CAP also called for "an integrated, prosperous, and peaceful Africa, driven by and managed by its own citizens."  It is based on six pillars:

• structural economic transformation and inclusive growth;

• science, technology, and innovation;

• people-centred development;

• environmental sustainability, natural resources management and disaster risk management;

• peace and security; and

• finance and partnerships.