MEDIA ADVISORY

Meeting of African Ministers of Defense, Safety and Security, 30 April 2013

The 6th Ordinary Meeting of the Specialized Technical Committee on Defense Safety and Security

What: Following the preparatory meeting of the African Chiefs of Defense Staff, the Commission will hold a meeting of African Ministers of Defense, Safety and Security in Addis Ababa on 30 April, 2013. Representatives of the media are welcome to cover the opening ceremony and attend a press briefing to be held at the conclusion of the meeting.

When: Tuesday 30 April, 2013
• Opening Ceremony: from 14:00 - 14:30pm
• Press briefing: from 17:30 – 18:00pm
Where: AU Headquarters in Addis Ababa
• Opening Ceremony: Main Hall, New AU Conference Complex
• Press briefing: 5:00pm: Media Briefing Room 5, New AU Conference Complex

Who: • The Opening Ceremonywill be attended by among others:
o AUC Chairperson, H.E Dr. NkosazanaDlamini-Zuma
o Ministers of Defense of AU Member States
o African Chiefs of Defense Staff, Heads of Security and Safety Services and experts
o Commissioner for Peace and Security, Amb. RamtaneLamamra

• Press briefing: A High-Level Panel will brief members of the press on the outcomes of the meeting and way forward and answer related questions. The Panel will include:
o AUC Chairperson, H.E Dr. NkosazanaDlamini-Zuma
o Commissioner for Peace and Security, Amb. RamtaneLamamra
Why: • The meeting will examine the recommendations that the Commissions intends to make in order to facilitate the early operationalization of the Rapid Deployment Capability of the African Standby Force,
• The Rapid Deployment Capability is one of the key components of the African Standby Force,
• The objective of the Rapid Deployment Capability is to enable the AU respond swiftly and effectively to conflicts and crises on the continent,
• Recent developments particularly in Mali have highlighted the need to expedite efforts to operationalize the Rapid Deployment Capability,
• The outcomes of this meeting will be submitted to the AU Peace and Security Council, and subsequently to the Assembly of the Union at its May 2013 Ordinary Session.

For further details about the upcoming meeting, visit our website:
http://www.peaceau.org

For more information please contact:
Mr. Marsden Momanyi,
Senior Communications Officer,
Peace and Security Department,
Mobile: +254 923 57 4014,
Email: MomanyiM@africa-union.org
orSituationRoom@africa-union.org