An East and Southern African Regional Forum
Mbagathi, Nairobi Kenya, March 13-14, 1999


     Representing over 14,000 NGOs under the umbrella of twenty NGO networks and associations drawn from 10 countries in the East and Southern Africa sub-region and;

     Meeting in Nairobi between 13–14th March 1999 to consider progress in the implementation of the World Summit for Social Development (WSSD) Programme of Action agreed upon in Copenhagen in 1995;

     Cognisant of the commitments set out in Copenhagen and signed by 117 Heads of State or Governments to address poverty, unemployment and social integration and;

     Conscious of our moral obligation as civil society organisations to our countries and peoples, committed and actively working in the areas of poverty eradication, access to basic rights, public accountability and peace within the region;

     Painfully aware that four years after the Copenhagen Summit much more still needs to be done to achieve the goals of Copenhagen in our region. Eastern and Southern Africa has the highest concentration of least developed countries in the developing world. Millions of people are denied productive employment or livelihoods and are struggling against high rates of inflation, devaluation and debt servicing. In addition, civil strife and wars plague this region and add to the drain of human and other resources. Large sections of society especially women, and other disadvantaged groups face discrimination and continue to be marginalised, cut off from economic and political power.

     We Strongly suggest to our Governments:

     That now is the time for the state and all sections of society to undertake serious action for poverty eradication and renew their commitment to achieving the goals of the Summit with clear targets and measurable achievements;

     That now is the time to devote additional resources to ensure concrete and sustainable changes in people's lives;

     That instead of renegotiating the Copenhagen commitments, the five-year review should concentrate on a small number of priority issues rather than trying to cover all of those that were considered in Copenhagen.

     We undertake to work in partnerships with governments and other agencies to ensure the implementation of the Copenhagen Summit commitments and hereby submit these recommendations for consideration by Eastern and Southern African governments meeting to prepare for the five year review of the Summit by the United Nations General Assembly in 2000.

Recommendations for Action

1. Poverty Eradication
We call upon our governments to fully implement the WSSD Programme of Action by:

1.1 Placing poverty eradication at the top of the national agenda. Governments must demonstrate this commitment by ensuring that each line ministry allocates at least 10% of its budget to poverty eradication by the end of year 2001. Serious consideration should be given to the establishment of independent national Poverty Funds managed in a transparent manner.

1.2 Implementing their commitment to the 20/20 initiative by 2001 and reducing absolute poverty by half of its present levels by 2015.

1.3 Lobbying through the ECA, SADC, EAC, COMESA, OAU and G7 for debt cancellation and utilising the resources saved for poverty eradication and employment creation.

1.4 Taking steps to accelerate women’s access to and control over land and credit for increased productivity. Specific mechanisms by which this goal can be defined and progress measured, should be put in place by 2002.

1.5 Setting targets for achieving access to quality universal basic education.

1.6 Developing standards to provide basic income support systems for those in greatest need by 2001.

1.7 Setting dates for the establishment of
inter-sectoral co-ordination, planning, implementation and evaluation mechanisms for poverty eradication programmes, supported by legislation that enshrines the rights of civil society organisations to participate in the same process.

2. Employment
We call upon our Governments to safeguard the rights of citizens to productive and gainful employment by:

2.1 Seeking the full ratification and implementation of the core labour standards of the ILO in order to safeguard the rights and interests of marginalised workers, especially migrant workers.

2.2 Adopting employment policies, which protect vulnerable groups against unemployment.

2.3 In conjunction with the private sector and civil society, investing in human resource development in order to cope with technological and other changes.

2.4 Formulating policies and relevant legislation that recognise the importance of, and stimulate growth in the informal sector.

2.5 Enacting legislation to prohibit the employment of children under the age of 15 years, as stipulated in ILO Convention 138 on the minimum age for employment.

2.6 Putting in place policies and legislation that ensure sustainable job creation.

3. Social Integration
We call upon our Governments to undertake concrete action for social integration by:

3.1 Establishing inclusive mechanisms for the promotion and protection of human rights.

3.2 Recognising and accrediting non-formal education which includes imparting life-skills which are appropriate to local conditions beyond the narrow focus on formal education.

3.3 Introducing taxation legislation that facilitates tax incentives for private sector contributions to the social services, and establish monitoring mechanisms, which include all stake-holders, to be set up by 2001.

3.4 Developing and implementing plans and mechanisms which promote cultural diversity by formal and informal means, eliminate all forms of discrimination and seek domestic implementation and enforcement of international human rights protocols by 2001.

4. Enabling Environment
We call upon our Governments to create a social, political and economic environment which enhances social development and poverty eradication by:

4.1 Seeking the full implementation of the International Covenant on Economic Cultural and Social rights and respecting human rights, fundamental freedoms and the rule of law.

4.2 Adopting measures to ensure full enforcement of legislation to combat corruption in all sectors of society.

4.3 Recognising that peace is an essential pre-requisite for social development and including civil society, especially women, in the mechanisms for conflict prevention and resolution. Similar mechanisms at local levels should be created by 2001.

4.4 Pressing for the international adoption of specific measures to restrict and discourage excessive currency speculation and encourage the adoption of a standard tax on financial market transactions (for example a Tobin-type tax).

4.5 Strengthening the mandate of regional and sub-regional intergovernmental organisations such as OAU, EAC, SADC, COMESA and IGAD to ensure the implementation and monitoring of the WSSD.

5. Moving Forward
To achieve the above recommendations we strongly urge governments and inter-governmental organisations of the East and Southern Africa region to undertake the following:

5.1 Establish regular national level consultative mechanisms involving government, civil society and the business sector to consider the accelerated implementation of the Copenhagen programme of action.

5.2 Convene a meeting of senior ministers across the ECA region before the UN General Assembly Review in 2000 to synthesise the recommendations of the sub-regional meetings.

5.3 Involve civil society organisations in these discussions and provide them timely access to documentation, drafts and resources in order to participate effectively.

Signed by the following organisations:

Regional:

• African Regional Organisation of International Confederation and Free Trade Unions
  
• Environmental and Development Action – Third World (ENDA TM), Senegal
  
• International Council on Social Welfare, Africa
  
• Mwelekeo wa NGO (MWENGO)
  
• NGO Coalition for East Africa (NGOCEA), Tanzania
  

Dated: 14th March 1999, Mbagathi, Nairobi.