Addis Ababa, 1 August 2014: The Chairperson of the Commission of the African Union (AU), Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, urges the Member States to sign and ratify, as soon as possible, the AU Convention on Cross-Border Cooperation. Also known as the Niamey Convention, this instrument was adopted by the 23rd Ordinary Session of the AU Assembly of Heads of State and Government, held in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, on 26 and 27 June 2014.

The Chairperson of the Commission stresses the importance of the early entry into force and effective implementation of the Niamey Convention, which is an important component of the AU Border Programme (AUBP), launched in 2007 and whose two overall objectives are the structural prevention of conflicts and the deepening of integration on the continent. She recalls that the Niamey Convention seeks, in particular, to develop and strengthen good neighborly relations between border communities, territorial administrations, bodies and authorities in two or more States, including through the conclusion of specific agreements and arrangements to this end.

The Chairperson of the Commission expresses the commitment of the Commission to support the efforts of Member States to give full effect to the provisions of the Convention, once it has entered into force. In this regard, particular attention will be paid to the operationalization of the Continental Border Consultative Committee, comprising representatives of the Regional Economic Communities, and tasked, under the auspices of the Commission, to promote cross-border cooperation, as well as of the AUBP Fund, which will be financed through voluntary contributions from Member States and other miscellaneous revenue