The COMESA Committee of Elders convened a three-day familiarization meeting on the institution’s programmes, at the Secretariat, on 10-12 June 2012.
The meeting, opened by Secretary-General, Mr Sindiso Ngwenya, discussed a wide range of issues that call for an integrated approach in order to address the challenges faced by the region; and emphasis was put on the need for the region to rely on its resources in order to support self-sustaining economic development.
The following Members of the COMESA Committee of Elders participated in the meeting: His Excellency Sir James Mancham, the first President of the Republic of Seychelles; Ambassador Bethuel Kiplagat from Kenya; Hon. Immerculee Nahayo from Burundi; Ambassador Soad Shalaby from Egypt; Ambassador Berhane Ghebray from Ethiopia; Ambassador Anund Priyay from Mauritius; Hon. Atem Garang Dekuek from South Sudan, and Ambassador Simbi Mubako from Zimbabwe.
Also in attendance were Ambassador Muchanga, Acting Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Commerce, Trade and Industry of the Republic of Zambia; High Commissioners and Ambassadors accredited to Zambia and Permanent Representatives to COMESA from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Arab Republic of Egypt, Kenya, Malawi, the Sudan and Zimbabwe.
The Committee also interacted with the Executive Management and managers of various programmes of the Common Market with the view of not only concretizing strategies for intervention in ongoing conflicts in the region but also identifying entry points to support the broader integration agenda. They were briefed in the areas of: peace and security, conflict early warning system, the programme on democracy and governance, the war economy component of the conflict prevention, management and resolution programme, the trading for peace programme, the programme that supports the involvement of civil society and private sector organizations in peace and security and the Africa Peace Facility Early Response Mechanism. The programmes in trade, investment promotion and private sector development, infrastructure development, Gender and Social Affairs, ACTESA and CAADP were also covered.
The COMESA Committee of Elders was established by the Summit of the COMESA Authority during the Eleventh Summit held in Djibouti in 2006, to support the office of the Secretary-General with preventive diplomacy.
During the meeting, the Members of the Committee of Elders interacted with officers that implement peace and security programmes, including the conflict early warning system, the programme on democracy and governance, the war economy component of the conflict prevention, management and resolution programme, the trading for peace programme, the programme that supports the involvement of civil society and private sector organization in peace and security and the Africa Peace Facility Early Response Mechanism. The Members of the Committee were also briefed by senior staff of the Secretariat that implement programmes in trade, investment promotion and private sector development, infrastructure development, Gender and Social Affairs, ACTESA and CAADP.
Read more on the meeting on www.comesa.int