Preparations in top gear for 5th EAC Secretary General's Forum for Private Sector, Civil Society and Other Interest Groups in Bujumbura
East African Community Secretariat; Arusha, Tanzania; 19 June 2017:
Preparations for the 5th Annual Secretary General's Forum for Private Sector, Civil Society and Other Interest Groups, to be held in Bujumbura, Burundi on 22nd to 23rd June 2017, are in high gear with participants drawn from Governments of EAC Partner States, Private Sector Organization’s (PSOs), Civil Society Organisation (CSO’s), Professional bodies, Academia/Universities, Media and EAC Organs and Institutions, Development partners and other interest groups.
The forum aims to provide an opportunity for the private sector, civil society and other interest groups to share experiences and good practices of the integration process experienced in the last 15 years and work out a coordinated strategy towards a common future of a political integration and a borderless community.
Each year, the Secretary General’s Forum deals with a wide range of topics that are at the heart of the integration process in East Africa. This year, the central topic will concern the progress, challenges and future of the implementation of the Common Market Protocol, particularly the free movement of labour and services. Through consultation and dialogue, non-state actors and EAC officials will agree upon concrete policy measures to be implemented by the EAC Secretariat and Partner States.
The two-day 5th Annual Secretary General's Forum themed “15 Years of The EAC: Towards a Borderless Community” will discuss different topic including;
- The implementation of the free movement of labour and services between the six Partner States of the EAC.
- Sustainable development in relation to improving food security and agricultural value chains, localising the climate change agenda and increasing gender equality.
- The promotion of local production through public procurement, especially in relation to infrastructural projects within the EAC.
- The impacts of ICT in enhancing the free movement of goods and services and impact of media as enablers of stronger citizen participation in the process.
This year’s forum will see the launching of Incubator for Integration and Development in East Africa (IIDEA) as one of the key event. IIDEA was developed as a joint initiative between the EAC Secretariat, Regional Dialogue Committee (RDC) and GIZ in order to demonstrate the tangible benefits of integration to citizens. Through IIDEA, regional integration projects are proposed and implemented by civil society, private sector and interest groups.
The inclusion of private sector, civil society and interest group stakeholders through the consultative framework of the Secretary General’s Forum is key to realising the goals envisaged in the Treaty for the Establishment of the East African Community. Through the Annual Secretary General’s Forum, East Africa takes another step towards the vision of one people, one destiny.
The forum is being organized by the EAC Secretariat with support from GIZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH)
- ENDS -
For more information, please contact:
Mr Owora Richard Othieno
Head, Corporate Communications and Public Affairs Department
EAC Secretariat
Arusha, Tanzania
Tel: +255 784 835021
Email: OOthieno [at] eachq.org
About the East African Community Secretariat:
The East African Community (EAC) is a regional intergovernmental organisation of five Partner States, comprising Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda, with its headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania.
The EAC Secretariat is ISO 9001: 2008 Certified