ADDIS ABABA, Nov. 16 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) on Saturday announced that the upcoming meeting of senior officials and experts from North Africa will evaluate the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Agreement's role towards boosting regional integration.
The Intergovernmental Committee of Senior Officials and Experts (ICSOE) meeting for North Africa, slated from November 25 to 28 in Egypt's Aswan city, will be held under the theme "AfCFTA and Employment: Impact for North Africa for Enhanced Trade Facilitation and Regional Integration," the ECA announced in a statement issued on Saturday.
The ECA, which jointly organizes the high-level meeting in partnership with the government of Egypt, also noted that the regional policymakers and experts "will discuss topics related to the economic context in North Africa, discuss regional integration and job creation issues, and define ECA's strategic orientations in the sub-region."
The ICSOE is an annual meeting that brings together representatives of the ECA's North Africa Office as well as high-level experts from countries including Algeria, Egypt, and Tunisia, and development partners in North Africa including the General Secretariat of the Arab Maghreb Union and representatives of UN, intergovernmental and civil society organizations, it was noted.
The ECA also indicated that recommendations of the meeting will be presented to its upcoming Conference of African Ministers of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, scheduled to be held in March next year.
ICSOE discussions will include this year a special session on the impact of trade facilitation and regional integration on employment in North Africa.
