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22 May 2008

The Department of Foreign Affairs and the New Partnership for Africa's Development (Nepad) Business Foundation, as part of a series of events commemorating Africa Day, will host a gala dinner on Friday, 23 May 2008 at the Sandton Convention Centre, Sandton, Johannesburg.

The Gala Dinner will be held under the banner, "Towards the realisation of the African Agenda: Meeting the Millennium Development Goals on Water and Sanitation". Africa Day marks the historic establishment of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) in 1963.

Africa Day celebrations acknowledge the progress that we, as Africans, have made while reflecting upon the common challenges we face in a global environment.

The African Union (AU) is at the centre of the continent's renewal process, aimed at making a break with a past that characterised by political instability, poverty and underdevelopment. Cognisance should be taken of the progress made in moving towards the creation of a peaceful and prosperous Africa.

Hereunder are a few of these historic milestones which have been reached since the advent of the new millennium:

* The launch of the African Union (AU).
* A continental programme which guides the continent's efforts to bring about peace, stability, security and sustainable development, has been developed collectively by Africans and adopted by the AU known as the New Partnership for Africa's Development (Nepad).
* The launch of the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM), which is a unique voluntary system of self review by African member states to ensure conformity and commitment to democracy, respect for human rights, socio-economic development and good governance.
* The launch of the Pan African Infrastructure Development Fund (PAIDF) to drive and sustain Africa's infrastructure development in the field of transport, energy, water and sanitation and telecommunications.
* The Pan African Parliament (PAP) that has already started debating on the matter of concern for all Africans; and
* A platform within the AU to further discuss the issue of the establishment of the Union Government, such as the ongoing Heads of State and Government meeting, currently held in Arusha, Tanzania, in pursuit of social, political and economic integration of the continent.

It has been six years since the Millennium Development Goals on water and sanitation were agreed to during the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, South Africa in 2002. Time has dawned on us again, to assess whether countries are on track and moving in the right direction in achievement of these goals.

It is therefore encouraging to note the positive political developments being undertaken on the continent that are characterised by Nepad and the formation of the Africa Ministers Council on Water (AMCOW) in 2002. In addition to these, the emergence of the African Water Task Force and its activities that aim to implement the African Water Vision 2025 and Framework for Action provide a foundation to address the challenges for the Millennium Development Goals targets in Africa in particularly dealing with matters on water and sanitation.

In addition, the establishment and consolidation of partnerships with African and international stakeholders, such as the African civil society networks, United Nations-Water/Africa, the European Union, the G8 and the United Nation's Secretary General's Advisory Board on Water and Sanitation (UNSGAB) and our different public and private sector organs should be encouraged as a continental effort to address the African water challenges.

The ultimate answers to water and sanitation challenges, however, lie with us as Africans!

Programme for the event:

18h00 to 18h30: Arrival and Welcome
18h45: Welcome by the programme director
18h50: Programme director to introduce the Dean of the Diplomatic Corps, Amb Dr Alzubedi
19h50: Programme director to introduce Stanley Subramoney, Nepad Business Foundation Director and PriceWaterhouseCoopers Deputy Chief Executive Officer.
20h10: Programme director to introduce keynote speaker, Minister Zola Skweyiya
20h10: Vote of thanks and closing remarks.

Media are invited to participate in the proceedings for the event.

RSVPS:
Manusha Pillai
Cell: 082 389 3587
E-mail: pillaim@foreign.gov.za

Issued by Department of Foreign Affairs
22 May 2008