Situation in Mali
Press Statement
Victoria Nuland
Department Spokesperson, Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, DC
March 22, 2012
The United States condemns the military seizure of power in Mali. We echo the statements of the African Union, the Economic Community of West African States and other international partners denouncing these actions. We call for calm and the restoration of the civilian government under constitutional rule without delay, so that elections can proceed as scheduled.
We stand with the legitimately elected government of President Amadou Toumani Touré. Mali is a leading democracy in West Africa and its institutions must be respected.
MEETING OF THE EXPERTS OF THE 5TH JOINT ANNUAL MEETING OF THE AU CONFERENCE OF MINISTERS OF ECONOMY AND FINANCE ,PLANNING AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Objectives:
The objective of the Conference is to provide a platform for African
ministers to deliberate on how Africa can unleash its development
potential and position itself as a global player and become part of
the solution to the problem of low global growth, high
unemployment and global imbalances.
The Conference will also provide an opportunity to discuss
concrete ways of addressing these challenges and the policies
needed to position Africa as the new pole of global growth. It will
recognize, however, that addressing these constraints that limit
Africa's capacity to develop presents opportunities for dealing
directly with the problem of global imbalances and increasing
global aggregate demand. Such issues as prioritization, policy
coherence and policy coordination will require urgent attention in
this regard.
Expected
Outcomes:
The Committee of Experts will prepare and adopt a concise report
on the main recommendations and resolutions of its meeting, and
submit it to the Conference for adoption.
The Conference is expected to lead to the adoption of a ministerial
policy statement, which will provide a basis for concerted action at
the national and regional levels on the issues discussed by the
Conference. The Ministerial Statement and other outcomes of the
Conference will be submitted by the AUC as major inputs to inform
discussions at the African Union Assembly of Heads of State and
Government in July 2012. ECA will also submit the documents to
the United Nations Economic and Social Council.
Participants:
- Ministers and representatives from member States,
- Regional Economic Communities,
- United Nations agencies,
- The African Development Bank ,
- The Bureau for the Association of African Central Bank
Governors,
- The Association of African Universities,
- The African Capacity Building Foundation,
- The Arab Bank for Economic Development in African, the
European Commission,
- The European Central Bank
- Other intergovernmental organizations,
- Other cooperating partners,
- Non-governmental organizations and
- The private sector.
Background: Several studies and reports by institutions such as the World Bank,
the International Monetary Fund and the McKinsey Global Institute
have underscored Africa’s potential as a new global growth pole
because of its human and natural resource endowment,
demographic transition, improving political and economic
governance and business and social environment, and the fact that MEDIA ADVISORY
Fifth Joint Meeting AU Conference of Ministers of Economy and Finance and ECA
Conference of African Ministers of Finance, Planning and Economic Development
Theme: Unleashing Africa’s potential as a new pole of global growth;
INVITATION TO REPRESENTATIVES OF THE MEDIA
When:
22nd
Thursday – 27th
Tuesday, March 2012
22th
Thursday – 25th
Sunday, March 2012 – Meeting of the
Committee of Experts
26th
Monday – 27th
Tuesday, March 2012 – Conference of
African Ministers of Finance, Planning and Economic
Development of the African Union (AU) and the Economic
Commission for Africa (ECA)
Where: New African Union Conference Center (AUCC), Addis Ababa,
Ethiopia
Who:
Jointly organized by the African Union Commission (AUC) and the
United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA)
Why: Achieving strong, sustainable and shared growth on the continent
must be underpinned by efforts at national, regional and
continental levels to address binding development constraints
within a holistic economic and social development framework. To
that effect, there is need for a unified vision and general
understanding that Africa should enhance capacity as a way of
unleashing its potential as a new driver of global growth and
rebalancing. This role is well founded as Africa has enjoyed
steady growth in the past decade and can therefore no longer be
neglected, not to mention its untapped potential and vast natural
resources. Political and economic conditions are improving, as are
the general economic outlook and business and investment
environment. Also, demographic changes have led to urbanization
and a growing middle class. However, for the continent to be a
veritable new pole of global growth, certain challenges and binding
constraints must be addressed. This requires action by both
Africans and members of the international community alike.
African Union
