Africa remains key area of focus for UN – Report

United Nations (UN) says Africa has remained a key area of focus for the United Nations Organisation (UNO) during the past year owing to myriad of constraints confronting the continent, 2012 Report of the UN Secretary-General has said.

The 2012 report, which centres on the work of the UN, indicated that Africa, including Ghana continued to experience solid overall economic growth and the absolute number of people living in extreme poverty seemed to be declining.

However, the report noted that inequalities persist, unemployment remained high and armed conflicts undermined development prospects in key regions of the continent.

It noted that a large number of countries with special needs, including least developed and landlocked developing countries, were located on the African continent.

While more than half of the population in least developed countries lived below the poverty line, landlocked developing countries continued to be marginalized in international trade and face serous constraints to their overall growth, the report maintained.

It said that was due mainly to their lack of access to the sea and remoteness from major markets, inadequate transit facilities, cumbersome customs and border-crossing procedures and inadequate transport infrastructure.

It said least developed countries, landlocked developing countries and small island developing States further face difficulties related to climate change, desertification and loss of biodiversity.

“The organization worked closely with the African Union and its New Partnership for Africa’s Development Programme, and the Millennium Development Goals Africa Steering Group, to advance the African development agenda”, it said.

The report said UN partnered with interested governments to implement projects to boost financing for development in areas such as sustainable forest management and to promote and strengthen the engagement of citizens in governance and public administration.

It said in the past year, the organization worked towards addressing the special needs of these countries, including taking steps to implement the Istanbul Programme of Action, the Almaty Programme of Action, and the Mauritius Strategy.

Source: GNA