The Specialized Technical Committee (STC) on Agriculture[1], Rural Development, Water and Environment (ARDWE) was established as one of the 14 African Union STCs by the Decision of the 12^th Ordinary Session of the African Union Assembly (Assembly/AU/Dec.227 (XII)) which was held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia from 1^st to 3^rd February 2009.  The STC, as a ministerial Committee is composed of Ministers and senior officials from African Union Member States responsible for the sectors falling within its areas of competence. The STC- ARDWE is organized by the Department of Agriculture, Rural development, Blue economy and Sustainable Environment (DARBE and the Ordinary Sessions convenes once every two (2) years (biennially) while Extraordinary STC sessions can be convened between the years based on urgent issues.

The 6^th Ordinary Session of the STC-ARDWE will be held from 21- 24 October 2025, to review progress made in the implementation of previous AU and STC Decisions and recommendations; provide policy guidance; adopt reports, frameworks and programmes as well as provide recommendations that will guide the activities of the Department of Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy and Sustainable Environment (DARBE) for the next two years. The STC-ARDWE leads the supervision, monitoring, and evaluation of AU decisions related to the sectors of the STC, while reviewing strategic goals, identifying synergies and linkages, and ensuring coherence and alignment with AU declarations and commitments related to Agriculture, Rural Development, Water, and Environment.