Marrakesh, Morocco 23rd March 2019: The twentieth Session of the Regional Coordination Mechanism for Africa (RM-Africa), opened today 23 March 2019, in Marrakech, Morocco, under the theme “United Nations system support for the African Union in commemorating 2019 as the Year of Refugees, Returnees and Internally Displaced Persons: towards durable solutions to forced displacement in Africa”.

The opening ceremony was attended by H.E. Prof. Sarah Anyang Agbor ,Commissioner for Human Resources Science and Technology at the AU Commission, Deputy Secretary General of the united Nations , Amina Jane Mohamed and high level representatives from African Development Bank, AUC, African Peer Review Mechanism, NEPAD Planning and Coordinating Agency, specialized institutions of the African Union, RCM-Africa participating agencies; United Nations Sustainable Development Group for African members; and World Bank.

The AU Commissioner emphasized that the 20th Session of the RCM is a defining moment in the history of both institutions in view of the ongoing institutional reforms, marked by the necessity for efficiency in delivering on both AU Agenda 2063 and the UN SDG agenda 2030. “The African Union Commission has been working tirelessly to ensure that the RCM-Africa Joint Secretariat is strengthened through meaningful collaboration and consultations between parties. In this respect, we have put in place an AU—RCM Secretariat to work closely with the UNECA as a joint Secretariat”, said the Commissioner.

The Commissioner end her remarks by challenging all participating in this very meeting to ensure that the deliberations are effectively translated into concrete actions and provide solutions on the way forward. (The full speech of the Commissioner’s Statement will be posted on the AU website http;//www.au.int )

The objectives of the 20th Session of RCM-Africa are twofold. The first is to deliberate on the functioning of the Mechanism and its sub-regional coordinated mechanisms, and to assess their achievements and challenges and the way forward towards strengthening the coherent and efficient delivery of support to the African Union and its organs in the context of the African Union and United Nations reforms.

The second is to provide a platform for high-level panel discussions on issues pertinent to its theme with the view to promote interactions and generate solutions that will contribute towards tackling issues related to refugees and internally displaced persons in Africa.

Specifically, the 20th Session of RCM-Africa will deliberate on AU-UN progress report of RCM-Africa and its sub-regional coordination mechanisms, aligning the work of RCM-Africa with the Joint UN-AU Framework for an Enhanced Partnership in Peace and Security and AU-UN Framework for the Implementation of Agenda 2063 and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. It will also consider and adopt the AU-UN revised 2019 work plan for the RCM-Africa, and update on the Africa Regional Forum on Sustainable Development in preparation for the 2019 High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development .

Co-chaired by H.E. Prof. Sarah Anyang Agbor Commissioner for Human Resources Science and Technology at the AU Commission, the United Nations Deputy Secretary-General , RCM-Africa and its sub-regional coordination mechanisms have been particularly effective in deepening consultations, refocusing on ways to strengthen the United Nations-African Union partnership and scaling up United Nations support to the African Union and other pan-African organizations, including the regional economic communities. The annual sessions also provide the opportunity to take stock of achievements, share experiences and good practices, identify and address challenges, and agree on ways to further improve United Nations support to the African Union and its organs.

For media inquiries:
Afrah Thabit, Information Officer, Directorate of Information and Communication, AU Commission Tel: +251-911200922; E-mail: Thabitma@africa-union.org