OPENING REMARKS BY HER EXCELLENCY MADAM RHODA PEACE TUMUSIIME, COMMISSIONER FOR RURAL ECONOMY AND AGRICULTURE OF THE AFRICAN UNION COMMISSION
AT THE OPENING OF THE FIFTH MEETING OF THE STEERING COMMITTEE OF PAN-SPSO CONSOLIDATION PHASE INTER-AFRICAN BUREAU FOR ANIMAL RESOURCES (AU-IBAR)
26TH FEBRUARY 2015, NAIROBI, KENYA

Opening Remarks by her Excellency Madam Rhoda Peace Tumusiime, Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture at the Opening of the Fifth Meeting of the Steering Committee of Pan-Spso Consolidation Phase Inter-African Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-Ibar)
26th February 2015, Nairobi, Kenya

The Director of the Inter-African Bureau for Animal Resources, Prof. Ahmed El-Sawalhy
The Director of the Inter-African Phytosanitary Centre, Dr. Jean Gerald Mezui M’Ella
Representatives of of Regional Economic Communities, our building blocks: UMA, COMESA, EAC, ECCAS, IGAD, SADC and ECOWAS
Representative of the European Commission, Mr. Patrick Baestiensan
Representative of International Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), Mr. Andrea Ferrero
Distinguished Members of the PANSPSO implementing team and other AUC members of staff

It is an honor and a pleasure for me to welcome you all to the fifth meeting of the Steering Committee of the Project “Participation of African Nations in the Sanitary and Phytosanitary Standards-setting Organizations Consolidation phase (PANSPSO II)”. I also wish to convey to you warm greetings and best wishes of the 2015 Year to bring you productivity, happiness and prosperity.
The meeting that gathers us here today is of importance for all the implementing partners of the project as it comes to an end on 31st December 2015 but more importantly as it contributes to the component of the AU’s vision of Africa becoming ‘‘a dynamic force in the global arena’’ by contributing to and adhering to international standards.
During the fourth meeting of the Steering Committee, I stated that while AU-IBAR assumes the overall responsibility of ensuring effective implementation and results-oriented monitoring for the PAN-SPSO project, on one hand, on the other hand, the Steering Committee provides three-fold strategic guidance to the project; : one being to ensure coherent implementation of activities in order to avoid duplication of efforts with other projects; two, to establish a process to alert members to any challenges in project implementation and provide the basis for making any needed adjustments ; and three, to promote discussions between AU-IBAR, AU-IAPSC, Member States and RECs on remedial actions to be adopted to avert technical irregularities that may lead to non-compliance with the contractual agreements.
During our meeting today we need to come up with concrete recommendations on the sustainability mechanisms to put in place in order to maintain and enhance the momentum gained during the implementation periods of the phases 1 and 2 of the PANSPSO project at national and regional as well as at African Union level.
Last year, we recommended that AU-IBAR implements the exit strategy at national level through the national SPS Committees in order to sustain the core activities that the government should fund. It appears that countries, where it has been applied so far, are still facing difficulties to provide the minimum funding for the functioning of the national SPS Committees. This is a matter we need to discuss and find a way forward.

Ladies and Gentlemen
The PANSPSO project has supported African delegates to participate in the discussion and adoption of many regional and international animal health, plant health and food standards and, so far, only a few countries have not complied with or incorporated the standards in the national regulations and enforced them. Compliance with adopted standards shall be the logical next step that AU shall focus on in order to enhance trade and access to regional and international markets while ensuring effective participation in the elaboration and adoption of standards.

The support to sanitary and phytosanitary activities by the African Union will be streamlined through the AU Malabo Declaration on Accelerated Africa Agricultural Growth and Transformation for shared prosperity and improved livelihood in Africa, the Strategic and Operational Plan of the AU Department of Rural Economy and Agriculture and specifically the Strategic Plan of AU-IBAR and the Livestock Development Strategy for Africa and Continental Livestock Development Program under development.

The African Union Commission and specifically my Department will continue to support, promote and sustain, in partnership with the RECs and specifically the Member States, the effective participation of African countries in the sanitary and phytosanitary standard setting processes and also encourage them in complying with the global agricultural standards which they participated in adopting. This is in line with the resolutions of the Ministers responsible for animal resources in 2010 in Entebbe, Uganda and the decisions of the AU Heads of State and Government related to the common positions and the SPS Committees.
In the course of this meeting, we shall be briefed on the progress made in implementing the recommendations of the last meeting of the Steering Committee and the project activities as per the financing agreements. We shall also reflect on challenges and build consensus on the way forward.
In this regard, I look forward to your usual active participation in the deliberations and I now declare formally open the fifth meeting of the Steering Committee of the PANSPSO Consolidation Phase.
I thank you for your attention.