The ESA Commitment Accountability Framework

After the affirmation of the ESA Commitment, governments and partners agreed on an accountability mechanism, which included a Regional Accountability Framework (RAF), with clear time-bound targets, means of verification and data sources. Targets were categorised into process and outcome targets. Other elements of the accountability mechanism, were a high-level group, a technical coordinating group, and a civil society platform at the regional level. Country-level accountability mechanisms included multi-sectoral technical working groups.

Technical and Coordinating Group

Under the leadership of UNAIDS and with support from UNESCO and the strong engagement of the SADC and EAC Secretariats, developed an Accountability Framework to monitor country and regional progress towards the agreed Commitment. The intended audience for the framework is primarily governments in the 21 countries, civil society partners, including young people and community-based organizations (CBOs), and other development partners.

At Country Level

Governments agreed to establish an inter-ministerial, multi-sectoral mechanism (aligned with, or utilizing, existing systems) to strengthen planning, coordination and to monitor the implementation of the Commitment. These country mechanisms engage key stakeholders, including government, civil society, young people, the UN, and other development partners.

With Support from Development Partners

SADC and the EAC lead in the regional monitoring of the ESA Commitment. In 2015, the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) came on board to join the other regional economic communities (RECs) in supporting the monitoring and implementation of the ESA Commitment across member states. It was agreed that RECs would report on the Commitment annually at their respective summits involving the relevant ministers and through national status reports.

Ministers Agreed to

Institutionalize monitoring and evaluation (M&E) systems in their respective ministries and improve the collection of age- and sex-disaggregated data through existing M&E mechanisms, such as Education Management Information Systems (EMIS) and Health Management Information systems (HMIS). These will be supplemented by periodic adolescent and youth surveys on the education and health status of adolescents and young people.