Addis Ababa, Ethiopia - 1 November 2013: The Chairperson of the African Union Commission, H.E. Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma arrives in Bamako, Mali today, 1 November 2013, ahead of a meeting of the International Support and Follow-Up Group on the situation in Mali, and a visit to the Sahel region.
She will be joined by UN Secretary General, H.E. Ban Ki-moon, and World Bank and African Development Bank presidents, Jim Yong Kim and Dr Donald Kaberuka. The visit will cover Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger and Chad,
Dr. Dlamini Zuma will chair the Sixth meeting of the Support and Follow-up Group on the Situation in Mali, on Saturday 2 November, which she will attend with the AU High Representative for Mali and the Sahel, H.E. Pierre Buyoya, the Executive Secretary of the African Academy of Languages (ACALAN), H.E. Sozinho Francisco Matsihne, high officials from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the United Nations, the European Union and other organizations and Member States.
During the meeting they will discuss progress and challenges with regard to security, governance, humanitarian situation and overall development situation in Mali and the Sahel, and chart out further role the AU and other international institutions can play in a renewed focus on development and human security in the region in view of consolidating the progress made and overcoming the challenges that remain.
In the second part of her visit, which extends from 4 to 8 November, Dr. Dlamini Zuma, will embark on a joint tour with the UN Secretary General, Ban Ki Moon, World Bank President Jim Yong Kim, and other officials, to meet with the high authorities, Civil Society Organizations and other institutions in the four countries visited. President Buyoya, the Chief Executive Officer of the NEPAD Agency, Dr Ibrahim Mayaki, and other officials will join the Chairperson’s delegation during this visit.
The tour is being undertaken in the context of the OAU/AU 50th Anniversary Year-long activities, whose theme this month (November) is Democracy and Governance. Consequently, the AU Chairperson’s key message is that there can be no peace without development and democracy, and no development and effective governance without peace. The Chairperson will also advocate for the active involvement and participation of women and youth as they play a cardinal role in the promotion of democracy and effective governance.
Media Contact
Issaka K. SOUARÉ, PhD
Special Advisor, Head of Mission
Mission de l'Union africaine pour le Mali et le Sahel (MISAHEL) ACI 2000 (en face du Trésor public), Bamako, Mali
Tel: +223 2022-1822 Ext. 112
Cell: +223 7263-0759
Email: souarei@africa-union.org
Site: www.au.int
Skype: KAFOUMBA
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