With USAID Policy LINK Support, AUC Launches 3rd Biennial Review Report

screenshot of BR report scorecard

On March 10, 2022, with support from USAID’s Policy LINK program, the African Union Commission (AUC) Department of Agriculture Rural Development, Sustainable Environment, and Blue Economy (DARBE) and the African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD) launched the Comprehensive Africa Agricultural Development Programme (CAADP) 3rd Biennial Review Report. The virtual event, which included participation by up to 400 people, featured officials of the AUC and AUDA-NEPAD, Ministers from AU Member States, and representatives of Regional Economic Communities (RECs), civil society organizations (CSOs), and donors.  

The Biennial Review (BR) Report is the primary mutual accountability mechanism that the African Union and its Member States use to track progress against CAADP commitments

The Biennial Review (BR) Report is the primary mutual accountability mechanism that the African Union and its Member States use to track progress against CAADP commitments, which were articulated in the 2015 Malabo Declaration. The BR report was endorsed by the assembly of African Heads of State and Government during the 35th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the African Union Heads of State and Government in February 2022.  

The report, which draws on self-reported data to score countries against common metrics, revealed that only one country, Rwanda, was on track to achieve the Malabo commitments by 2025. Although the data affirmed AU member states’ commitment to transparency, it also underscored the urgency with which African leaders must approach the coming two years leading up to the next BR.  

To assist in this effort, Policy LINK has worked with AUC officials to help develop a CAADP business plan, which will guide the program’s efforts over the next two years. Policy LINK organized nine workshops over six months with representatives of key AUC agencies, AU Member States, CSOs, the private sector, academia, and think tanks. The process, which included “write-shops” aimed at forging consensus among the diverse group, eventually culminated in a 19-page plan that details practical actions – like focusing on seven program areas and establishing a new CAADP Advisory and Coordinating Committees – to enhance collaboration and propel AU member states’ last-mile push toward the Malabo targets.  

Interest in the event spiked this year, with the more than 400 attendees hailing from 61 countries worldwide. Just over 23 percent of registrants identified as representatives of civil society organizations, farmers' associations, or independent farms.

The CAADP Business Plan 2022-2026 was endorsed by the AUC’s Specialized Technical Committee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Water and Environment in late 2021 and was formally launched as part of the March 10 public event. With Policy LINK support, the AU will be organizing a regional training to engage RECs and other technical partners to more deeply understand the policy implications of the BR Report and refine their CAADP workplans based on the data and recommendations it contains. In addition, USAID will be organizing follow-up consultations and opportunities for Missions and IPs to engage at the regional level with REC workplans as well as learn more about the BR process itself. 

In the meantime, Policy LINK has developed a dashboard detailing attendance -- by country, gender, age, and organization type -- at the BR launch. Interest in the event spiked this year, with the more than 400 attendees hailing from 61 countries worldwide. Just over 23 percent of registrants identified as representatives of civil society organizations, farmers' associations, or independent farms.        

Resources

Watch a recording of the launch event here.  

Read about the CAADP Business Plan.

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