Human, social development in Africa

The United Nations Economic Committee for Human and Social Development in Africa, at its meeting at the UN Conference Centre in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, elected Egypt to chair its second session. The session will last two years and will be chaired, according to Egypt's official news agency, MENA, by an advisor to the Egyptian Minister of Solidarity and Social Justice, Ambassador Ahmed Abu Al-Kheir.

The committee meetings began in Addis Ababa Tuesday, with the theme: 'Applying social policy for sustainable development'.

It discussed means of decreasing poverty, supporting sustainable development, health, gender equality and women’s empowerment, as well as caring about youth and children.

It also tackled measures to combat AIDS, tuberculosis and other infectious diseases, along with issues of international migration.

The committee also discussed the efforts of African countries in preparation for the UN conference on sustainable development, which will be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in June next year.