Excellency the Representative of the Government of Mauritius;
Excellencies colleagues, Members of the Sub-Committee on Multilateral Cooperation,
Excellency the Representative of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission,
Representatives of the African Union Organs and African Union Commission Technical Departments and Special Agencies,
Excellencies and Representatives of the Regional Economic Communities,

Honorable Participants, Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am honored to speak before you as we embark on the final process of finalizing the evaluation of the African Union Strategic Partnerships.

As you may recall, this retreat has become necessary in the evaluation process of our partnerships in order to address issues of high importance raised by the Joint PRC-AUC Retreat held in Cairo, in December 2018.

However, before I going into the details of our work , allow me first of all, to express my sincere thanks to our Host, the Government of Mauritius and our dear brother Ambassador Busgeeth Dharmraj, who spared no effort to extend a warm welcome and hospitality to all the participants since our arrival in this beautiful city of Port Louis.

Your Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

More than three years ago, we have embarked on the evaluation process of our partnerships with the rest of the world. As the exercise goes on and with more clear defined vision, aspirations and priorities, the PRC considered the Evaluation report on Strategic Partnerships in Cairo from 13 to 14 December 2017, and requested that the Report be updated and revised taking into account the new developments that have occurred, since the first submission of the said Report in June-July 2016.

This Retreat is also a golden opportunity for a more inclusive approach to the evaluation, since contrary to the past exercises, we were not able to benefit from the views of the AU Organs and Specialized Agencies, and the Regional Economic Communities 9RECs).

It is therefore necessary for this August body, the Subcommittee on Multilateral Cooperation in collaboration with the Commission, AU Organs, the Specialized Agencies and the RECs to have an in-depth analysis of the Evaluation with the objective to make our relationships with the rest of the world more beneficial for the prosperous, peaceful, integrated and influential Africa we want as enshrined in Agenda 2063.

We may not be able to answer here all the issues at stake, such as that of participation, as this exercise is to be conducted in line with the ongoing AU Reform process. However, we should collectively brainstorm with a view to improving the level of preparedness and of expertise on appropriate and priority areas of cooperation.

Dear participants,

Our work will in addition address key concerns related to the identification of the core competencies of the existing AU Strategic partners, in line with the Matrix on Partners core competencies, which could be leveraged to achieve concrete results in the implementation of the Agenda 2063 priority areas and its First Ten Year Implementation Plan, so as to:

1) Ensure that all engagements of the African Union with its strategic partners are guided and oriented by well-defined objectives, goals and targets in line with Agenda 2063 priority areas and its First Ten Year Implementation Plan;

2). Contribute to the finalization of the evaluation of the African Union Strategic partnerships.

3). Contribute to the development of the AU Policy and Strategy Framework regarding its strategic partners

Dear Colleagues and distinguished participants,

To this end, the ultimate expected outcomes of discussions will be the following:

• An updated version of the Report of the Evaluation of the Strategic Partnerships
• Identified core competencies of existing and possibly potential AU strategic partners, which are relevant and key to the implementation of Agenda 2063 and its First Ten Year Implementation Plan, and
• A clear criteria to determine which partnership is strategic or not.
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen

As yu are aware, a number of developments have emerged since the PRC Cairo Retreat, which include the expansion of the Sub Committee on Multilateral Cooperation to a Committee of the whole.

We are happy for this new dynamics, which will ensure collective efforts and transparency in the work expected of the Union in driving the AU Partnerships.

It is also important to bring to your attention that this expansion of the Subcommittee comes with diverse challenges, especially for the Division that has upon its shoulders the responsibility of managing and coordinating the AU Partnerships and more critically servicing the meetings of the Subcommittee on Multilateral Cooperation.

Yes, Executive Council at its January 2018 Session, adopted Decision 986 upgrading the Division to a Directorate in order to empower it to undertake its various challenging tasks. Also, is important to note the need to engage in the process of its upgrade in line with the Reform process. However, in view of the decision to expand the Subcommittee to one of the whole, it is evident that the Partnership Management and Coordination Division, which is already stretched will not be able to provide the required support to the new Subcommittee unless something is done immediately to strengthen this Office and without any more delays.

Finally, before I conclude, I would like to stress on the need to keep the spirit of the African demand-driven, interests and ownership of the Partnerships that prevails in the ongoing evaluation process of the AU Strategic Partnerships, where AU and its partners would continue to work hand in hand towards a win-win partnership for a shared prosperity.

With these few words, I wish us a vibrant and fruitful discussion during this Retreat in the beautiful city of Port Louis.

I thank you.