Media Advisory/ 34th AU Summit

38th ORDINARY SESSION OF THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL

What: Official opening of the thirty-eight (38th) Ordinary Session of the Executive Council (Video conference)
Theme: “Arts, Culture and Heritage: Levers for Building the Africa We Want”.

When: The virtual meeting will be held from Wednesday 3 to Thursday 4 February 2021 as from 10:00 a.m.

Where: Livestream link: https://livestream.com/accounts/2466140/events/9503135

Who: Organized by the African Union Commission (AUC)

How: The 38th Ordinary Session of the Executive Council will officially open on 3rd February 2021, in the presence of the leadership and officials of the AU Commission. The opening ceremony will include, among others, a speech by the Chairperson of the Executive Council, and a welcome remark by the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, before the ministers proceed into close session to deliberate on their agenda issues.

Objective: The Executive Council will consider the draft agenda and the draft decisions and declarations of the Assembly with appropriate recommendations for consideration by the Heads of State Assembly, scheduled to take place from 6-7 February 2021.

Participants: The Executive Council meeting will bring together all the Ministers from the 55 African Union Member States, as well as AU officials.

For two days, the Ministers of Foreign Affairs/External Relations and other ministers or authorities duly designated will reconvene in close session to deliberate on the different items on their agenda including the consideration of the report of the Permanent Representatives’ Committee (PRC); Annual Report on the Activities of the Union and its Organs for the period of January to December 2020; consideration of the report on the African Union Response on COVID-19 pandemic in Africa; consideration of the progress report on the operationalization of the African Inclusive Market Excellence Centre (AIMEC); the report on the second mid-year coordination meeting, held on 22 October 2020, as well as elections and appointments of the AUC leadership.

The Executive Council will also consider the reports and updates of the sub-committees of the Executive Council and Ad-hoc Ministerial Committees on the Scale of Assessment and Contributions and the Committee of Fifteen Ministers of Finance (F15); and the African Candidatures in the International system.

Among the high moments during the Executive Council will be the election and appointment of the six (6) Commissioners of the African Union, the four (4) Judges of the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights, the six (6) members of the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, the six (6) members of the African Union Advisory Board on Corruption (AUABC), and one (1) President of the Pan-African University.

Worth noting that, the hashtags for the theme of the year 2021 are: Hashtag: #ArtsCultureHeritage
#AfricanHeritage

Journalists are invited to cover the official opening and closing ceremonies of the 38th Ordinary Session of the Executive, on 3 and 4 February 2021, following the link for the opening ceremony provided above.

About the African Union:

The African Union spearheads Africa’s development and integration in close collaboration with African Union Member States, the Regional Economic Communities and African citizens.

The AU Vision is to accelerate progress towards an integrated, prosperous and inclusive Africa, at peace with itself, playing a dynamic role in the continental and global arena, effectively driven by an accountable, efficient and responsive Commission.

Media inquiries should be directed to:
Mrs. Esther Azaa Tankou| Head of Information Division | African Union Commission | Tel: +251 (0) 911361185 | E-mail: yamboue@africa-union.org |
Mr. Gamal Ahmed A. Karrar| Senior Communication Officer| Directorate of Information and Communication, African Union Commission | E-mail: GamalK@africa-union.org
For further information:
Directorate of Information and Communication | African Union Commission I E-mail: dic@africa-union.org I Web Site: www.au.int I Addis Ababa | Ethiopia

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