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Donor assistance to Africa on the increase but undercut by trade policies - Annan

Donor assistance to Africa on the increase but undercut by trade policies - Annan

Kofi Annan
There are signs of a possible rebound in donor assistance following the decline in the 1990s, but aid is often undercut by trade policies and other constraints, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan said in a message to over 20 African Heads of State gathered in Tokyo for a vital summit on the continent's development.

"The aid developed countries give is often undercut by their trade policies - particularly by agricultural subsidies. These subsidies hinder Africa's ability to export its way out of poverty and dependence, and they must be phased out," Mr. Annan said in a message to the third Tokyo International Conference on International Development, which kicked-off today.

Delivered by Mr. Annan's Special Adviser on Africa, Under-Secretary-General Ibrahim Gambari, the message also stressed that if the challenges of Africa are to be met, developed countries also need to do a lot more - on aid, trade, and debt relief.

"While there has been some progress in making official development assistance more effective, overall aid levels are still too low, and the principle of African ownership is still too often compromised by tied aid," Mr. Annan stated. "A number of other African countries remain burdened by significant external debt."

Launched a decade ago, the Tokyo Conference provides a forum to deepening Asian-African cooperation and draws participants from both the public and private sectors in Africa and Asia, donor countries and international organizations. The New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) will be a central focus of the discussions.

Mr. Annan also urged African countries to "make bold reforms" and find ways to allocate additional core funding to the Partnership's priorities. "NEPAD must be popularized at the national level, so as to ensure greater ownership by all stakeholders in civil society and the private sector," he said.

The Secretary-General also noted that HIV/AIDS and armed conflict were major obstacles to development, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, and leadership was needed to deal with both issues.