The 13th summit of the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) opened in Sharm el-Sheikh Tuesday with the participation of 29 African heads of state and government.

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, as summit chairman and president of the host country, addressed the opening session.

He said the participants will make use of the opportunity to discuss challenges and opportunities facing the continent, praising the NEPAD initiative has made great achievements and won the support of the international community since it was launched.

NEPAD member states have taken serious measures to implement good governance, made obvious progress in dealing with conflicts inside the continents and created sound environment for peaceful development, he added.

Issues on the agenda are debts, agriculture, infrastructure, transportation, electricity, regional cooperation and African relations with the international organizations, including the Group of Eight and the United Nations and the European Union.

NEPAD was launched in July 2001 at the 37th summit of the Organization of African Unity, which was replaced by the African Union in July 2002, to address the current challenges facing the African continent, such as poverty, underdevelopment and the continued marginalization.

The African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM), a key provision of NEPAD, is an African self-monitoring mechanism to ensure that the policies and practices of participating states conform to the agreed political, economic and corporate governance values, codes and standards.

The last NEPAD summit was held in Algeria in November 2004, joined by 11 African heads of state and government.

Source: Xinhua