The second Africa Regional Forum on Sustainable Development opened on 18 May 2016 under the theme: “Ensuring inclusive and integrated implementation and follow-up of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and Agenda 2063” with representatives from African governments, UN Agencies, civil society actors and other stakeholders.

The Forum aims to advance ongoing discussions on how the continent can align the global Sustainable Development Goals (Agenda 2030) and Africa’s Agenda 2063 to ensure their harmonious implementation and address challenges related to the integration, follow up and evaluation mechanisms to turn their ambitions into a reality.

Speaking at the opening, Mr. Abdalla Hamdok, Deputy Executive Secretary and Chief Economist at the Economic Commission for Africa said, “Achieving the Agenda 2063 and fulfilling the Agenda 2030 will demand a major re-engineering of development strategies across the continent.”

“Although the two Agendas may diverge in some areas, they also converge on many fronts and are mutually reinforcing. Effective implementation of both Agendas presents Africa with the best option to achieve sustainable development. The question is therefore not whether, but rather how best Africa can integrate and implement the two agendas together,” said Fatima Denton, Director of the ECA Special Initiatives Division in a meeting ahead of the Forum.

The participants are discussing the key elements needed to ensure the joint, efficient application of both development agendas, which are: the need for inclusion; an integrated application processes; coordinated financing; capacity development and technology investments. In addition, coordinated action by different development actors will be key to successful implementation.

The meeting conclusions will be included in the African contribution to the High Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development 2016, scheduled to take place in New York on 11-20 July under the theme: “Ensuring that no one is left behind”, to draw the outlines of development policies and strategies that will enable countries to turn the 17 Sustainable Development Objectives (SDGs) into a reality by 2030.

“Our regional Forum has an important role in originating concrete practical outcomes that will shape deliberations at the High level Political Forum and provide a road map that will enable Africa to follow through on its commitment to achieving growth and social justice,” said Mr Hamdok.

The Forum is hosted by the Economic Commission for Africa, the African Union Commission and the Government of the Arab Republic of Egypt from 18-19 May, in partnership with the African Development Bank (AfDB), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the UN Department for Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).