ALIVE WEEK PRESS RELEASE
Senior Officials, Livestock Experts and Donors Convened during
ALive’s Week-Long Event in Ethiopia’s Capital
On September 17-20, 2007, the Africa Livestock Partnership held a week-long event in Addis Ababa that attracted participants from a wide array of stakeholders including ministers, diplomats, scientists, donors, policymakers, and other stakeholders both from the private and public sectors.
The week started off with a two-day (September 17-18) Technical Workshop whose main objective was to review and validate, after a long process of consultation among key stakeholders, important policy notes, research proposals and tool kits, prepared for ALive by renowned international experts in the livestock sector. These products would contribute towards “repositioning the African livestock sector into the development agendas of the national, regional and international policy makers”.
The Policy Notes focused on International Standards and Food Safety, Trade and Subsidy Policies on Animals and Animal Products, Development of the Dairy Sector, Maintaining Mobility in Pastoral Systems, Community-Based Drought Management for the Pastoral Community, and Animal Health Delivery and Veterinary Public Health. In the words of ALive Program Manager, Dr. Francois Le Gall, “These Policy Notes were developed by ALive with the goal of underlining the strengths and weaknesses, identifying opportunities, and mitigating gaps so that the livestock sector could seize its strategic role in poverty reduction and sustainable economic growth in the African continent.”
On September 19, ALive held its Tenth Executive Committee Meeting (EC10) with its three caucuses (Donor Community, Regional/Inter-African Organizations, and Research and Education), permanent members (World Organization for Animal Health/Office International des Epizooties - OIE and Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations - FAO), and representatives (as observers) from livestock associations and international and regional organizations in attendance.
The EC10 endorsed the six Policy Notes mentioned above; two provisional tool kits respectively on Development of the Dairy Sector and on the inclusion of the livestock sector in Poverty Reduction Strategy Agendas; and three research concept proposals that are being further developed for submission at the next Executive Committee meeting (EC11).
The EC10 validated the institutional, financial and technical annual report, as well as the preliminary positive assessment of the first phase of ALive completed in September 2007.
The EC10 also agreed on significant action plans for the future of the ALive platform, notably: (i) an independent evaluation of the just completed first three-year program of activities (TAP1); (ii) a closer review of the amended Operational Guidelines; (iii) the finalization of the Secretariat Needs Assessment including that of the Nairobi branch office; (iv) the preparation of an interim program and interim budget which will guide the Secretariat program of activities prior to the finalization of the forthcoming second three-year program of activities (TAP2); and (v) the promotion of the ALive Platform to as wide an audience of prospective partners and stakeholders.
On September 20, African ministers, members of the diplomatic corps, donor community and research/ educational institutions, and representatives of international organizations, regional and economic communities and civil society convened at the African Union (AU) Headquarters for the Third Ordinary General Assembly (GA3) of ALive.
Chaired by Mrs. Rosebud Kurwijila, GA3 Chairperson and AU Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture, the assembly provided the ideal forum for the transfer of the Presidency of the ALive Executive Committee from Dr. Bernard Vallat, Director General of OIE to Dr. Modibo Traore, Director of AU-Inter-African Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR). Per ALive Operational Guidelines and as decided during EC7, Dr. Traore’s term is effective September 2007 to August 2010. Mrs. Kurwijila expressed satisfaction on the transfer of the ALive EC Presidency to the head of an African institution, stating: “We are very happy to witness that the ALive Platform has now come home. It has now been entrusted to the hands and institutions of Africa, who must rise to the occasion, assume the responsibility, and take the process forward.” For his part, Dr. Traore, in his acceptance speech said: “We aim to stimulate the interest of our political stakeholders in livestock matters. This is absolutely necessary since we need to raise the level of investment in the African livestock sector in line with NEPAD’s Comprehensive African Agriculture Development Program.” Dr. Vallat, outgoing President, was satisfied with the transfer and noted that: “The transfer of the Presidency had been planned from the outset when ALive was inaugurated three and a half years ago, and it set an important positive signal in the right direction for the African continent.”
Dr. Francois Le Gall also expressed satisfaction and stated: “The GA3’s extensive attendance from a broad range of stakeholders, ALive’s accomplishments and contributions toward the goal of poverty reduction and sustainable economic growth through strengthening the livestock sector, and the transfer of its governance to a pan-African institution all signify that the ALive Platform has now reached a level of maturity and become a reference point for livestock development in Africa.”
The week-long event marked the culmination of ALive’s program of activities as defined in its first Triennial Action Plan (TAP1). The proposed program of activities for the its second Triennial Action Plan (TAP2) was also presented during GA3, which the assembly accepted pending minor modifications and finalization. Considering ALive’s three and a half years of existence, it has made significant accomplishments and treads towards a positive direction for the development of the livestock sector and continuing its contribution in sustainable economic growth in Africa.
ALIVE
ALive is a regional partnership based on a multi-stakeholders Platform to reposition the African livestock sector into the development agendas of the national, regional and international policy makers, by emphasizing its crucial impacts in terms of poverty alleviation and sustainable economic growth and its overall contribution to achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
This platform results from strong demands from the African countries, draws lessons from recent experiences ("livestock evolution") and takes into consideration rational livestock development perspectives (“livestock Revolution”).
Initiated by the World Bank (2002), it has rapidly become autonomous by gaining support and approval from the main key actors of the sector. ALive is nowadays a voluntary, shared and renowned initiative.
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