NEPAD: negotiating for Africa's development.

• Position: Conference Room Paper

In November last year, after "difficult" negotiations, the General Assembly endorsed a programme for Africa's development. Vikram Sura of the UN Chronicle reports on the negotiations and the key people behind them.

Henri Raubenheimer flipped through the sheets, ran his eyes once over the print, put down the stack of papers on the table and said: "We didn't do that bad."

Raubenheimer is a veteran diplomat from South Africa, a senior Counsellor. He represents his country's interests at the United Nations and warms towards economic and social matters. Late last year, he explained, along with a group of African economic experts he sketched the initial draft of a resolution that was approved in a heartbeat by the General Assembly. The resolution proclaims international support, including that of the United Nations, for Africa's homegrown plan for its development, known as NEPAD or the New Partnership for Africa's Development. Policy and diplomatic circles alike acclaim NEPAD for its new approach.

After delegations looked at the draft in October, Raubenheimer donned the hat of facilitator among delegations. His task was to get some 150 nations to lock arm in arm and endorse NEPAD. No less.

"It is quite tricky, to use the word", he said. "NEPAD is an African designed and owned programme, and therefore Africa has primary responsibility for its implementation. But at the same time, it recognizes that it can-not happen without international support, and finally UN support, in whatever way possible."

The final resolution amounted to 39 paragraphs and the title 'Final review and appraisal of the United Nations New Agenda for the Development of Africa in the 1990s and support for the New Partnership for Africa's Development".

There had been but one previous text on NEPAD (resolution 57/2): United Nations Declaration on the New Partnership for Africa's Development. Delegations turned to this resolution when ambiguity slowed negotiations.

"If you are in negotiations", Raubenheimer said, "and if you have a particularly difficult patch, people say let's go back to agreed language. There was no truly agreed language on NEPAD or on cooperation of the UN with NEPAD."

Two other diplomats, among others, played key roles. Pia Starbaek Szczepanski of Denmark represented the European Union, while Luis Jose Carpio Govea of Venezuela, Chair of the Group of 77 developing nations and China for 2002, led that Group.

"We also had some expectations on the outcome", Szczepanski said, "and they were met. Very strong support for NEPAD was one of our objectives, and then to include some ideas on how the UN system can be strengthened to support NEPAD."

As with any give and take, these negotiations were no different. Raubenheimer first presented the draft on behalf of the African group to the 134 nations of the G-77, which...