New York, October 15, 2012 - The United Nations Headquarters in New York is a hive of activity this week by international development organisations, on the margins of the UN 67th General Assembly Debate on Africa.

From October 15 to 19, the African Union’s New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) Agency, will co-host a series of events with the Office of the UN Special Adviser on Africa (OSAA), the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UN-ECA) and the Department of Public Information (DPI), during what is dubbed the “Africa Week”.

“Africa Week” held annually at the General Assembly - UNs’ main policymaking organ, is a yearly high-level platform to foster debate around issues on Africa.

During the  Week, NEPAD’s Chief Executive Officer, Dr Ibrahim Mayaki and senior officials will engage in a series of  meetings to reflect on NEPAD’s achievements and challenges over the past 10 years.

Key among them will be the launch of the publication on Africa’s development: “Africa’s Decade of Change” by the NEPAD Agency, Office of the Special Adviser on Africa, and UNECA amongst others.  Issues to be discussed during the launch will include ways of integrating Africa under the Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA); the implications of the RIO+20 outcomes for NEPAD and their impact on the Post-2015 development agenda; and reflections on NEPAD’s achievements and challenges over the past 10 years.

The launch will be followed by a press briefing by Dr Mayaki and Mr Maged Abdelaziz, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Adviser on Africa and head of OSAA.

The NEPAD CEO, will also give his 2nd Public Lecture at Columbia University in New York, under the theme “Regional Infrastructure as Catalyst for Sustaining Africa’s Growth and Development”.  The Lecture will focus on the impact of the Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA), Africa’s multi-billion dollar initiative to build the infrastructure necessary for more integrated transport, energy, information communications and technology (ICT) and trans-boundary water networks to boost intra-African trade and spark economic growth.

The key note presentation will be followed by a panel discussion featuring Mrs Amina Mohammed, United Nations Assistant Secretary-General Special Adviser on Post-2015 Development Planning; Stephen Gitonga, Policy Advisor for Environment and Energy Group, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP); Akbar Noman, Adjunct Associate Professor, Columbia University; and Minoru Takada, Policy Advisor for Energy, UN Executive Office of Secretary-General.
For more info please contact:
For more information:
 
Gilles Erick Foadey, Tel: + 1 9172830970; Email: Erickf@nepad.org