African Union Commission (AUC) asked the HSRC to formulate a Social Policy Framework with a brief that it should be comprehensive, analytical and clearly reflect Africa's key social development challenges and suggest strategies to effectively address them. ZITHA MOKOMANE, who led the HSRC team, reports. In the last decade, Africa has made significant strides in certain areas of social and economic development. But despite this progress, the general developmental crisis in Africa has not been fundamentally altered. African countries continue to fall at the bottom of any list measuring social development and economic activity. It is against this background that the ministers present at the First Session of the African Union (AU) Labour and Social Affairs Commission in 2003 requested the AU Commission (AUC) to develop a Social Policy Framework for the continent. African countries continue to fall at the bottom of any list measuring social development and economic activity. Key African issues A first step was to draw upon the strategic objectives of the AUC's social programme, and the various human and social policy blueprints adopted by African countries under the auspices of the Organisation of African Unity, the AU, the Economic Commission for Africa, and other United Nations agencies. This exercise led to the identification of 16 key thematic issues to address in the quest for sustainable development, namely population and development; labour and employment; health; social protection; HIV and AIDS, TB, malaria and other infectious diseases; migration; education; agriculture, food and nutrition; the family; children, adolescents and youth; ageing; disability; gender equality and women's empowerment; indigenous culture; urban development; and environmental sustainability. In addition, another five issues were identified as also deserving attention in Africa: drug abuse and crime; sport; civil strife and conflict situations; the impact of globalisation and trade liberalisation; and foreign debt. Social Protection The principle of social protection was given prominence, and the broad range of recommended actions - outlined to guide member states in formulating and implementing their own social policies - all fall under a social protection framework. The recommended actions not only include social or income security measures, but also an integrated policy approach that has a strong developmental focus on job creation, equitable and accessible health services, quality education, social welfare and other services. To this end, the Social Policy Framework for Africa takes forward the commitments made by a number of African governments who adopted the Livingstone and Yaounde Calls for Action on Social Protection in 2006 to ensure that marginalised groups across the continent benefit from increased investment in social development and expanded social protection schemes. Overall, the framework acknowledges that while economic growth is a necessary condition of social development, it is not exclusively or sufficiently able to address the challenges posed by the multi-faceted socioeconomic and political forces that together generate Africa's development challenges. The framework therefore recognises social development both as a goal in its own right, and as a means of creating the conditions for sustainable and inclusive growth. Implementation To ensure that the framework is implemented and has maximum impact, its concluding section outlines the key roles and responsibilities of the main stakeholders, specifically AU Member States, Regional Economic Communities, the AUC, other AU organs, development partners and civil-society organisations. As a reflection of countries' commitment to accelerating human-centred and sustainable social development on the continent, the Social Policy Framework for Africa was adopted by AU ministers responsible for social development at their first ever conference held in Windhoek, Namibia in October 2008, and was endorsed by the AU Executive Council of Ministers and Assembly of Heads of States and Governments in Addis Ababa at the end of January 2009. Copies of the Social Policy Framework for Africa are available at www.africa-union.org/Dr Zitha Makomane is an African research fellow in the Child, Youth, Family and Social Development programme
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