Victoria Falls - Over 3,000 delegates from across Africa, representatives from various United Nations agencies, private sector and civil society converged  in the resort town of Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe (24-28/02) to attend the Sixth Africa Regional Forum on Sustainable Development (ARFSD-6).

The ARFSD, is an intergovernmental platform convened by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), in collaboration with the African Union Commission (AUC), the African Development Bank and the United Nations system is meant to assess progress and recommend how to accelerate  action in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the continental development framework of the African Union known as Agenda 2063.

The event also provided an opportunity for the youth to discuss their aspirations for the continent.

Agenda 2063 requires the engagement of African citizens, civil society organizations and other groups in its design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation.

This year’s forum was held under the theme, “2020-2030: A Decade to Deliver a Transformed and Prosperous Africa through the 2030 Agenda and Agenda 2063” and looked at progress in the implementation of all the 17 SDGs, the challenges countries are facing, and how to bolster action.

Discussions centered  on the need to end  poverty while putting strategies in place to improve health and education, reduce inequality, and spur inclusive economic growth and address the impacts of  climate change.

Charles Kwenin, IOM Regional Director of Southern Africa, said, “The 6th AFRSD is an important opportunity to spotlight that migration cuts across the 17 interlinked Goals, and to urge countries to urgently revisit their development frameworks in light of the regional report back on how they are implementing the Global Compact on Migration (GCM).”

Kwenin stressed on the need to  share messages on the benefits of migration and mobility for national development, whilst working collectively to reduce or address misconceptions of migration.

IOM, together with UNECA and the AUC also hosted a side-event to further create synergies on the GCM and Agenda 2030, as well as share information with member states and relevant stakeholders on the upcoming GCM Regional Review Process. It was agreed that including ordinary citizens in the conversation was crucial for building a positive narrative about migration as an enabler of development.

“As IOM, we have been participating under the prosperity theme, and the message that came out is that Africa must redefine how we talk about prosperity so that it can resonate with the ordinary citizen on the continent, especially the youth,” said Phumza Manqindi, Migration Policy and Liaison Officer with IOM Ethiopia.

For further information, please contact Eric Mazango, IOM Ethiopia, Tel: +251.11. 6611117 (Ext. 456), Email: emazango@iom.int