From 28 February to 2 March, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) to the AU and Head of UNOAU attended the ninth session of the Africa Regional Forum on Sustainable Development in Niamey, Niger. The Forum was organized jointly by the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and the Government of Niger, in collaboration with the AU Commission (AUC), the African Development Bank and other entities in the United Nations (UN) system. The theme of the ninth session of the Regional Forum was ‘Accelerating the inclusive and green recovery from multiple crises and the integrated and full implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and Agenda 2063’.

The Regional Forum served as a platform for the sharing of experiences, good practices and lessons learned in efforts to implement the two agendas. It brought together ministers and other high-level policymakers and experts from Governments and intergovernmental organizations, the private sector, civil society organizations and other major groups, and international development partners. In her remarks to the Forum, the Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed, highlighted that the 2030 Agenda and Agenda 2063 represent our road to peace and prosperity; and called for re-energizing national Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) promises; delivering tangible progress in SDG financing; and reinvigorating the concept of genuine partnership.

During the Forum, the SRSG to AU and Head of UNOAU moderated a High-Level Panel on ‘Priorities to Address Multiple Crises and Accelerate the Implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and Agenda 2063’. Opening the Panel discussion, the SRSG underscored the need for all stakeholders to work holistically to achieve the various Development Goals, exploiting opportunities in the international climate-change adaptation and financing negotiations to accelerate the implementation of Agendas 2030 and 2063, while advancing the

African Free Trade Area as a pipeline for green continental investment and a just global transition. To this end, he underscored the urgent need to reform the international financial architecture. His remarks were followed by a keynote speech delivered by the AUC Commissioner for Trade and Industry, Albert Muchanga, who addressed the implementation of 2030 Agenda and the second 10-year implementation plan of Agenda 2063.

On 28 February, on the margins of the Forum, the Deputy Secretary-General held an annual discussion with Regional Directors of UN entities representing the Africa Regional Collaborative Platform (RCP). The Special Coordinator for the Sahel, Under-Secretary-General Abdoulaye Mar Dieye, and SRSG to the AU and Head of UNOAU also attended the RCP meeting. The meeting focused on SDGs acceleration in the lead up to the upcoming SDG Summit scheduled to take place in September and the key role Resident Coordinators can play to leverage the comparative advantage of the UN system in strengthening African countries ownership and agency in the attainment of their development objectives. Underscoring the significance of promoting ‘Africa’s agency’, the Deputy Secretary-General also addressed the need to further strengthen the partnership between the AU and the UN and urged the Africa RCP members to further integrate the AU-UN joint frameworks into its work.