By Prensa Latina,
United Nations : Miguel d´ Escoto, president of the UN General Assembly, called Wednesday to prevent that the world economic crisis affects the help to the development of Africa.
“As the global financial crisis is deepened, it increases my concern that our commitment (with Africa) cannot be completed… it would be an unforgivable setback and a shame for all”, he expressed.
The former Nicaraguan Foreign Minister spoke Wednesday in the opening of a debate in the General Assembly on the implementation and the international support to the New Partnership for Africa Development (NEPAD).
In the opening of the debates around the General Secretary’s sixth report on the implementation of the organization, d´ Escoto insisted that at this time of global financial crisis “we are not able to, like it has often happened in the past, to look to another side of the world.”
On the contrary, he exhorted “to double the efforts to protect our brothers and sisters of África from any setback of the international community in our support for the development of that continent.”
NEPAD represents the vision and the strategic frame adopted by African leaders to fight poverty and underdevelopment in the whole continent.
Its general limits were agreed initially in the 36th Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the Organization of the African Unity taken place in Algeria in 2000.
In that occasion, Algeria, Egypt, Nigeria, Senegal and South Africa were in charge to formulate an integrated socioeconomic frame for Africa.
Later on, in the 37th Meeting in the Summit of the organization, in July 2001 in Lusaka, Zambia, NEPAD was approved as an official frame for the development of the continent.
From then on, the UN General Secretary established the Special Adviser’s Office for Africa with the purpose to enlarge international support to NEPAD and coordinate the activities of the UN in support of the alliance.
He is also responsible for annually reporting the General Assembly about the progress reached in the application of the NEPAD agreements and the international support.