New Partnership for Africa’s Development: progress in implementation and international support A/RES/71/320 36. Also welcomes the efforts of the United Nations and the African Union to align the clusters of the Regional Coordination Mechanism for Africa 12 with the strategic frameworks of the African Union and the New Partnership for 2014–2017 and Agenda 2063, and invites development partners, including the United Nations system, to continue to support the Regional Coordination Mechanism for Africa in achieving its objectives, including through the allocation of necessary funds to support the implementation of its activities; 37. Further welcomes the commendable progress that has been achieved in implementing the African Peer Review Mechanism, in particular the voluntary adherence of 36 African countries to the Mechanism and the completion of the peer review process in 20 countries, welcomes the progress in implementing the national programmes of action resulting from those reviews, in this regard urges Afri can States that have not yet done so to consider joining the Mechanism process, and encourages further strengthening of the Mechanism process for its efficient performance; 38. Takes note of the declaration on the theme of the year 2016 adopted by the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union at its twenty seventh ordinary session, held in Kigali on 17 and 18 July 2016, including the determination to protect and promote women’s human rights, and expresses its appreciation for the continuing and increasing efforts of African countries in mainstreaming the gender perspective and the empowerment of women in the implementation of the New Partnership; 39. Welcomes the adoption by the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union at its twenty-seventh ordinary session of the decision proclaiming 2017 the Year of Harnessing the Demographic Dividend through Investment in Youth; 40. Encourages African countries to accelerate the achievement of the objective of food security and nutrition in Africa, welcomes the commitment made by African leaders to allocate at least 10 per cent of public expenditure to agriculture and to ensure its efficiency and effectiveness, and in this regard reaffirms its support for the commitments contained in the Malabo Declaration on Accelerated Agricultural Growth and Transformation for Shared Prosperity and Improved Livelihoods and for the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme, under the strong leadership of African countries; 41. Welcomes the engagement of 50 African countries in the implementation of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme, particularly the important progress made by the 44 African countries and the 4 regional economic communities that have signed compacts under the Programme; 42. Encourages African countries to strengthen and expand local and regional infrastructure and to continue to share best practices with a view to strengthening regional and continental integration, and in this regard notes w ith appreciation the work of the high-level subcommittee of the African Union on the _______________ 12 The clusters adopted by the Regional Coordination Mechanism at its seventeenth session are: (a) sustainable and inclusive economic growth, industry, trade and regional integration; (b) infrastructure development; (c) human capital development, health, science, technology and innovation; (d) social development, labour, employment creation, social protection, migration and mobility; (e) women and gender equality and youth empowerment; (f) humanitarian matters and disaster risk management; (g) environment, urbanization and population; and (h) advocacy, information, communications and culture. 8/13