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Humanitarian assistance and rehabilitation for selected countries and regions - UN SG Report (A/61/209)

Attachments

Sixty-first session
Items 67 (a) and (b) of the provisional agenda*
Strengthening of the coordination of humanitarian and disaster relief assistance of the United Nations, including special economic assistance: strengthening of the coordination of emergency humanitarian assistance of the United Nations; special economic assistance to individual countries or regions

Summary

The present report is submitted to the General Assembly in compliance with its requests in resolutions 59/214, 59/215, 59/216, 59/219 of 22 December 2004 and resolution 60/219 of 22 December 2005. It provides a status report and an analysis of the current challenges on the delivery of both humanitarian and relief and rehabilitation assistance supplied by the United Nations and its partners to countries affected by various types of natural and man-made disasters. In keeping with the request of the General Assembly to the Secretariat to consolidate and streamline reports whenever possible, the country reports under the present agenda item have again been consolidated into a single document covering six countries.

I. Introduction

1. The present report is submitted to the General Assembly in compliance with its requests in resolutions 59/214, 59/215, 59/216, 59/219 of 22 December 2004 and resolution 60/219 of 22 December 2005, and provides information on relief and rehabilitation assistance supplied by the United Nations and its partners to countries affected by various types of natural and man-made disasters. In keeping with the request of the Assembly to the Secretariat to consolidate and streamline reports whenever possible, the country reports under the present agenda item have again been consolidated into a single document covering six countries.

II. Humanitarian and rehabilitation assistance to individual countries

A. Angola

2. By its resolution 59/216, the General Assembly, inter alia, requested national and international, regional and subregional financial institutions to provide their support to the Government of Angola in its effort to alleviate poverty, consolidate peace and democracy and contribute to economic stability, welcomed the continued commitment of the Government of Angola to improve governance, transparency and accountability in the management of public resources, including natural resources, encouraged the Government of Angola to continue its efforts to that end, called on international organizations and others in a position to do so to assist the Government of Angola in this endeavour, and welcomed the commitment of the Government of Angola to the strengthening of its democratic institutions.

Review of major developments

3. General Assembly resolution 59/216 is no longer relevant to describe the current context in Angola. Four years after the signing of the Luena Peace Agreement on 4 April 2002, the consolidation of the peace process is a reality, and Angola has definitively moved from an emergency and humanitarian assistance phase to a recovery, reconstruction and development phase. In such a context, the report of the Secretary-General on special economic assistance to Angola should focus on the new challenges linked to the national recovery and reconstruction efforts of the Angolan Government and its development partners.

4. Despite limited support from the international community, Angola has been quite innovative in finding its own way to rebuild the country against the backdrop of a legacy of more than 30 years of war and destruction. The country is moving towards reconstruction by maximizing South-South cooperation with China, Brazil and India, which are providing substantial loans under favourable conditions to support national reconstruction efforts, particularly in the area of infrastructural development. To do so, Angola is using its immense oil reserves as collateral, and it expects impressive economic growth through oil revenues and stabilized inflation rates.

5. While the country experienced three-digit inflation during the 1990s and until 2002, the inflation rate has dropped gradually to less than 15 per cent in 2005, and prices are expected to remain stable in 2006. The positive trends in macroeconomic stabilization and continued gross domestic product (GDP) growth over the past two years (11.6 per cent in 2004 and 20.6 per cent in 2005), the approval of the poverty reduction strategy (Estratégia de Combate à Pobreza) and the preparation of Millennium Development Goals-based national development plans also illustrate Government efforts to reduce poverty.

Current challenges to development

6. However, the biggest challenges remain addressing the desperate need for growth with equity, sustainability and, ultimately, human development. The population of Angola remains among the poorest in the world, and the country ranks only 160th out of 177 in terms of its human development index. The key questions are how to improve exponentially the living conditions of the majority of poor Angolans and move towards the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals.

7. The results of the protracted conflict from which Angola is emerging will be felt by its people for many years to come, but political will, decisive action and firm support from the international community can enhance the ability and capacity of the Government to effectively undertake the extensive reforms, capacity development and employment creation necessary for its development.

8. Current progress, albeit slow, is encouraging. Major demining efforts were placed at the centre of immediate plans to sustain peace and improve human security. To date, the social effects of landmines on the lives of the population have been mapped in 15 out of 18 provinces. The mine action sector has gained much impetus with the sound establishment of national institutions in charge of the coordination and the effective implementation of mine action efforts throughout the country by various actors.

9. Since late 2005, the majority of internally displaced persons, refugees and demobilized soldiers have been or are in the process of being reintegrated into communities. There is also some improvement in some of the social indicators, namely increased enrolment in primary school, rehabilitation and construction of social infrastructures and increased delivery of social services such as health, education, electricity and water and sanitation. 10. There are ongoing efforts for institutional reforms, supported by United Nations programmes, in areas such as decentralization and local governance, modernization of public financial management systems, judicial training and reform, environmental sustainability, civil protection systems, micro-entrepreneurship development, the informal sector and the employment generation strategy. 11. Current preparatory activities for presidential elections in 2007 and the recent adoption of the United Nations Convention against Corruption by the National Assembly in May 2006 clearly signal the Government's commitment to democratic processes, improved governance, transparency and accountability. Fourteen years after the first multiparty elections (which, unfortunately, resulted in renewed violence), the prospects of holding presidential and parliamentary elections have gripped the attention of the nation. An electoral legislative package has been approved and critical issues related to the legal, political and technical conditions that should be established prior to elections are being discussed countrywide.

12. Angola is engaged in playing an active role regionally and internationally, and its recent election as chairperson of the newly established Peacebuilding Commission is to be commended. 13. As mentioned earlier in this report, the signing of the Luena Peace Agreement in April 2002 signalled the beginning of a new era for Angola, in which the key priorities are defined within a framework of sustainable peace and long-term development planning and processes. The national strategy to combat poverty approved in 2004, as well as the 2003 and 2005 Millennium Development Goal reports, entirely reflect these priorities. The legal framework is therefore in existence, but the challenge is in the implementation.

Conclusions and recommendations

14. In spite of its incredible wealth in oil, diamonds and water resources, and its agricultural potential, Angola, as with many in its circumstances, is plagued by high levels of corruption and huge deficits in capacity-building and retention, democratic processes, human rights and the rule of law; in sum, good governance and management. This is one of the biggest challenges for the United Nations system and the international community. 15. The full adoption of the Millennium Development Goal concept by the national authorities constitutes an important opportunity and challenge for the international community. While commitment towards the Millennium Development Goals is expressed in various official documents, statements and speeches, at the programmatic and implementation levels, the political will still finds very little translation and some active resistance, particularly in relation to the inclusion of civil society. 16. On the other hand, there are opportunities in Angola's continuing economic growth, the Government's efforts to engage national and foreign investors by actively promoting economic diversification outside the traditional oil and diamond sectors, a decentralization programme that is gaining momentum and slight improvements in areas such as general public expenditure management and business legal framework, despite inconsistent and ineffective parliamentary budget oversight and an inadequate tradition of accounting and auditing. The forthcoming electoral process foreseen for 2007 will certainly constitute a major milestone in Angola's ongoing pacification and democratization processes. The international community should actively support these efforts and take up the challenge to work hand in hand with the Government of Angola and its development partners - including civil society organizations and the private sector - to build the path for long-term development.

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