United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization's Office in Nairobi, Kenya

UNESCO Nairobi Office and NEPAD

In July 2001, a new socio-economic development programme for the African continent under the name" A new Africa Initiative" was adopted by the Heads of States and Government at the Summit of the then Organization of African Unity (OAU), held in Lusaka Zambia. The name was later changed to the "New Partnership for Africa's Development" (NEPAD).

The work programme of NEPAD is structured around five priority areas and actions which were approved by the Heads of State and Government Implementation Committee (HSGIC). These programme clusters are: Governance; Infrastructure; Environment; Science, Technology and Development; and capacity Building. UNESCO Nairobi Office which has the responsibility for coordinating the organization's programme in science and technolgy development.

in October 2003, UNESCO Regional Bureau for Science in Africa organised the preparatory meeting for the first NEPAD Ministerial Conference on Science and Technology (AMCOST). The meeting took place in Nairobi from 13 to 15 October 2003.

The meeting discussed the specific science and technology areas/fields for inclusion in the Action Plan. Among the other issues discussed were the Research and Development strategies, Science and Technology policies, national innovation systems and governance of the ministerial meeting including procedures for the election of the bureau and the Agenda.

The Ministerial Conference which was later held in Johannesburg, South Africa from 3 to 7 November 2003 endorsed the framework of the Action Plan and established the NEPAD Ministerial Council and Steering Committee. Two years later, in 2005, a consolidated action plan including the budget was presented to the second AMCOST where it was discussed and approved. UNESCO Nairobi Office participated.

The Office has been involved in the implementation of the Action Plan through many activities. Examples include:

• Facilitating human resources capacity building in the Basic and Engineering Sciences through "the African Network of Scientific and Technological Institutions (ANSTI". The latter is a UNESCO Nairobi Office project established to facilitate the pooling together of the region's training resources for the purpose of capacity building;
• Conveying a meeting for 200 university leaders who are involved with science and technology. The meeting deliberated on problems of science and technology training institutions and capacity building. An action plan for the revitalization of faculties of science and engineering in African universities was developed;
• Participating in the process for the establishment of centres of excellence in Water Science.