21st AU Summit
Activities
AUC Chief of Staff says the OAU-AU Golden Jubilee is “an opportunity to strengthen our goal of achieving a union of peoples”
Addis Ababa, 29 May 2013 – On the occasion of the 50th anniversary celebration of the Organisation of African Union (OAU) now the African Union (AU), Mr. Jean-Baptiste Natama, Chief of Staff of the bureau of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, sent a message on Pan-Africanism in which he expressed his views on PanAfricanism and African renaissance. The message was addressed to his colleagues and staff of the AU as well as to all militants of Panafricanism in the continent and the Diaspora.
He recalled the PanAfrican spirit that motivated the founders of the OAU and hoped that same spirit will help to consolidate the unity of all the Africans and the Diaspora as the organization plan to embark on its journey for African renaissance and 2063 agenda.
Wishing successful and happy Jubilee celebrations to all the AU staff in all the regional offices and AU offices abroad, Mr. Natama underlined the importance for all to feel African in all the undertaking and be proud of being African. “We should have big dreams and know how to keep them from a concerted prospective vision”, he noted.
See complete message of the AUC Chief of Staff on the AU website: www.au.int
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FINAL PRESS RELEASE OF THE 21ST ORDINARY SESSION OF THE SUMMIT OF THE AFRICAN UNION
SUMMARY OF KEY DECISIONS ADOPTED BY THE ASSEMBLY OF HEADS OF STATE AND GOVERNMENT
Addis Ababa 27 May 2013- The historic 21st Ordinary session of the Summit of the African Union, which incorporated the celebrations of the 50th anniversary of the Organisation of African Unity/ African Union has ended, today Monday 27 May 2013, at the AU headquarters in Addis Ababa, with AU Chairperson Mr Hailemariam Desalegn declaring the celebrations a resounding success.
A major outcome of the summit was the adoption of the Declaration of the OAU/AU 50th anniversary, in which the leaders committed themselves to achieve the AU goals of an integrated and prosperous Africa, at peace with itself and with the world; an Africa whose development is driven by its own citizens and which is a significant player on the world stage. The leaders have also pledged to translate the provisions of the declaration into action in their different countries, said Mr Desalegn.
The summit also adopted the strategic plan of the African Union Commission (AUC) for the years 2014 to 2017, and considered a report on alternative sources of funding, which are expected to ensure that Africa takes ownership of its Pan African strategies.
The key decisions taken by the 21st Ordinary Summit of the African Union are summarised below. The full decisions will be released as soon as they are available.
ON THE AFRICAN COMMON POSITION ON THE POST-2015 DEVELOPMENT AGENDA
The Assembly invited Member States to provide inputs and contributions towards the elaboration of the Post-2015 Development Agenda. The Assembly called upon all Member States and Regional Economic Communities (RECs) to support, promote, own and build alliances for the African Common Position to enable Africa to speak with one voice during the discussions at the UN General Assembly aimed at defining the Post-2015 Development Agenda.
ON THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE HIGH LEVEL COMMITTEE OF HEADS OF STATE AND GOVERNMENT ON THE POST 2015 DEVELOPMENT AGENDA
The Assembly decided to establish a High level Committee of Heads of State and Government to sensitise and coordinate the activities of African leaders and members of the High Level Panel, and build regional and inter-continental alliances on the African Common Position on the post 2015 Development Agenda. It appointed Her Excellency Mrs Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, the President of the Republic of Liberia as the chair of the High Level Committee which comprises two Heads of State and Government per region in consultation with Regional Deans. The High Level Committee was requested to further cristalize and synthesize, and even further consult as deemed necessary, so as to finalize the African Common Position and ensure that the priorities identified in the said African Common Position are integrated in the New Global Agenda
ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE AFRICAN UNION COMMISSION STRATEGIC PLAN 2014-2017 AND THE AU AGENDA 2063
The Assembly adopted the Strategic Plan 2014-2017 of the AU Commission and called upon Member States to support the implementation of the plan. It took note of the progress in the development of AU Agenda 2063 and endorsed the recommendation by the Executive Council, calling upon the Commission to present the Framework Document for consideration by AU Policy organs in January 2014 and the final Agenda 2063 for adoption in June 2014
ON THE REPORT OF AIDS WATCH AFRICA (AWA)
The Assembly urged Member States to ensure the effective implementation of the Roadmap on Shared Responsibility and Global Solidarity for AIDS, TB and Malaria in Africa and to report on progress made. Assembly called upon countries and all partners to take action in support of achieving the USD 15 billion target and to fully fund the Global Fund in order to completely control the three diseases and save lives. It requested AU Member states to develop a sustainable investment plan for health, particularly AIDS, TB and Malaria, with year on year increases in domestic funding. The Commission was also requested to convene a meeting of the Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Plan for Africa (PMPA) Consortium including the pharmaceutical private sector in Africa during the Abuja+12 Special Summit on HIV/AIDS, TB & Malaria in Abuja, Nigeria in July 2013.
ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE GLOBAL AFRICAN DIASPORA LEGACY PROJECTS
The Assembly welcomed and approved the proposal by the Republic of South Africa for the establishment of a self-funding Technical Committee of Experts for the implementation of the Diaspora Legacy Projects. It is composed of the Heads/Representatives of the following Institutions:
i) African Union Commission;
ii) NEPAD Planning and Coordinating Agency (NPCA);
iii) African Development Bank;
iv) United Nations Development Programme;
v) United Nations Economic Commission for Africa;
vi) Regional Economic Communities;
vii) Africa Capacity Building Institute;
viii) Representatives of the Private Sector;
ix) Representatives of the Diaspora;
x) Heads/Representatives of Implementing Agencies (to be identified)
ON THE NEED TO STRENGTHEN AFRICAN LEADERSHIP IN THE UNITED NATIONS CONVENTION TO COMBAT DESERTIFICATION (UNCCD) PROCESS
The Assembly invited Member States to include land degradation, desertification and drought related issues on the list of priorities for their sustainable development. It urged
Member States to place desertification, land degradation and drought related issues at the centre of the debate on the Post-2015 Development Agenda, and recognize it as one of the sustainable development goals, particularly the neutralization of land degradation (Zero Net Land Degradation). Assembly recommended the Secretary General of the United Nations ensure that African leadership is maintained at the helm of the UNCCD Permanent Secretariat. It urged Member States to participate actively in the Conference organized on the UNCCD in Namibia next September 2013.
ON "SUPPORTING FILM PRODUCTION FOR INCREASED CONTRIBUTION TO AFRICA’s DEVELOPMENT"
The Assembly urged Member States to join forces for a more dynamic pursuit of public policies for the African film industry, focusing on priority and innovative actions that could, most expeditiously, allow for the production, dissemination and distribution of African film and audio-visual products; to establish a credit fund in each Member State as a way to step up film production; to implement the legal instruments and tools provided for in national cultural policies; and to ensure progressive and sustainable systematization of co-production with all TV networks; the African Union and the Regional Economic Communities to support African film production, promote free circulation of African film industry products and activate movie production tools and instruments.
ON THE ELECTION OF FOUR (4) MEMBERS OF THE AFRICAN COMMISSION ON HUMAN AND PEOPLES’ RIGHTS (ACHPR)
The Assembly, appointed the following Members of the ACHPR for a six (6)-year term:
No Name Country
1. Ms. Lucy Asuagbor Cameroon
2. Ms. Soyata Maiga Mali
3. Mr. Lawrence Murugu Mute Kenya
4. Mr. Yeung Kam John Yeung Sik Yuen Mauritius
ON THE ELECTION OF FOUR (4) MEMBERS OF THE AFRICAN COMMITTEE OF EXPERTS ON THE RIGHTS AND WELFARE OF THE CHILD (ACEWRC)
The Assembly appointed the following Members of the ACEWRC for a five (5)-year term:
No Name Country
1. Ms. Azza Ashmawy Egypt
2. Ms. Suzanne Aho-Assouma Togo
3. Ms. Sidikou Aissatou Alassane Moulaye Niger
4. Mr. Joseph Ndayisenga Burundi
ON THE TWELFTH REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE OF TEN ON UN SECURITY COUNCIL REFORM
The Assembly underscored the overriding need to ensure that the interest of Africa continues to be maintained and safeguarded at all times in the on-going intergovernmental negotiations on Security Council reform. It reiterated its call for Africa to continue to speak with one voice and cohesively on all issues relating to the UN Security Council reform and related matters.
ON ALTERNATIVE SOURCES OF FINANCING THE AFRICAN UNION
The Assembly agreed that the African Union should be provided with adequate and predictable resources to enable it fund its programmes, thus reducing the dependency on external resources in this regard. It approved in principle the report submitted by the High Level Panel on Alternative Sources of Financing the African Union and requested the Commission to submit to the Conference of Ministers of Finance and Economic Planning for their urgent consideration and concrete proposals of financing and on the implementation modalities of different options proposed including exploring increased assessed contributions and other additional proposals by Member States, and report to the Assembly at tits next ordinary Session in January 2014.
ON THE ESTABLISHMENT OF AN AFRICAN UNION FOUNDATION FOR VOLUNTARY CONTRIBUTIONS TOWARDS FINANCING THE AFRICAN UNION
The Assembly welcomed the proposal of creating an AU Foundation for voluntary contributions towards financing the African Union. It decided to establish an AU Foundation to accommodate the private sector, individuals and any other donations or contributions. Assembly called upon Member States, private sector, donors, philanthropists, and individuals to contribute towards the Foundation to ensure its operationalization.
ON THE REPORT OF HEADS OF STATE AND GOVERNMENT ORIENTATION COMMITTEE (HSGOC) ON NEPAD
The Assembly welcomed the offer of the Republic of Senegal to convene a High-Level Summit and Business Conference on Financing NEPAD programmes and projects in Senegal at a later date, to taking forward to the domestic resource mobilization agenda with a view for focused discussion at the High Level Conference. It affirmed the critical need to include key regional infrastructure projects covering the Central and East African sub-region in the PIDA Priority Action Projects (PAP) which was raised during the BRICS-Africa Dialogue. It welcomed the key outcomes of the 5th BRICS Summit reflected in the eThekwini Declaration and the path being forged to strengthen partnership between the BRICS countries, AUC, NPCA and RECs and the proposition to convene similar BRICS-Africa Retreat during the upcoming 6th BRICS and G20 Summits to be hosted by Brazil and Russia respectively. It endorsed the 2013 African Union accountability report on Africa-G8 commitments focusing on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria as a firm demonstration of Africa’s pledge to advance mutual accountability in its partnership engagements. It reiterated the need for Africa’s partnership engagement with the G8 and G20 to remain focused on the continent’s development priorities especially in agriculture and infrastructure development.
ON THE ESTABLISHMENT OF AN AFRICAN CAPACITY FOR IMMEDIATE RESPONSE TO CRISES
The Assembly recalled the challenges encountered in the operationalization of the African Standby Force (ASF) and its Rapid Deployment Capability (RDC) and decided in principle to immediately establish, as a transitional arrangement and pending the full operationalization of the ASF and its RDC, an African Capacity for Immediate Response to Crises, to provide the AU with a flexible and robust force, made up of military/police capabilities, force enablers and multipliers, equipment and resources to be voluntarily provided by Member States on the basis of their willingness and capabilities, to be deployed very rapidly to effectively respond to emergency situations, within the framework of the African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA). It further decided that the contributions, referred above, will be promptly provided by individual Member States and/or by the regional capabilities being developed within the framework of ASF. It also decided that Member States willing and ready to immediately contribute military and police capabilities, force enablers and multipliers, as well as equipment and financial resources and any other necessary assets, or make a contribution in any specific area among the above, will make appropriate notification to the AU Commission at their earliest convenience. The Assembly determined that this strategic endeavor of historic value and scope, aimed at helping in bringing about African solutions to Africa’s problems, calls for continued commitment and involvement of Heads of State and Government themselves.
ON THE PEACE AND SECURITY COUNCIL REPORT ON ITS ACTIVITIES AND THE STATE OF PEACE AND SECURITY IN AFRICA
The Assembly welcomed the significant progress made in the operationalization of the African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA) while noting challenges encountered in its full operationalization. It recommitted to accelerate the full operationalization of the APSA, including refinement, where necessary, of existing provisions to facilitate their implementation. It endorsed the establishment of the Pan-Wise network consisting of the Panel of the Wise, similar structures within the RECs/RMs and all other African actors contributing to peacemaking through preventive action and mediation. It undertook to make renewed efforts to address the root causes of conflicts in a holistic and systematic manner, including through implementing existing instruments in the areas of human rights, rule of law, democracy, elections and good governance, as well as programmes relating to cooperation, human development, youth and employment. In this respect, the Assembly called on all Member States that have not yet done so to become parties to these instruments, by the end of 2013. It committed within the framework of the African Solidary Initiative, to extend full support to those African countries emerging from conflict, to assist them to consolidate their hard-won peace and avoid relapse into violence. It committed to increase substantially our contribution to the Peace Fund, for Africa truly to own the efforts to promote peace, security and stability on the continent and encouraged Member States to make exceptional voluntary contributions to the Peace Fund on the occasion of the OAU Golden Jubilee. It stressed the need to build an innovative, flexible action-oriented and balanced partnership with the international partners, notably the United Nations, to ensure that Africa’s concerns and positions are adequately taken into account by the Security Council when making decisions on matters of fundamental interest to Africa. Assembly welcomed the progress made in the relations between Sudan and South Sudan, with the signing of the Implementation Matrix for the Agreements signed of 27 September 2012; in Somalia, with the consolidation of the security and political gains recorded over the past few years; the Great Lakes Region, with the signing of Peace, Security and Cooperation Framework; and in Mali, with the liberation of the northern part of the country and on-going efforts for the holding of elections. It welcomed the progress made in peace building and post-conflict recovery in Burundi, Comoros, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Liberia and Sierra Leone. It reiterated the AU’s concern at the continued challenges in the peace processes between Eritrea and Ethiopia and the relations between Eritrea and Djibouti. It also reiterated its concern at the continued impasse in the conflict in Western Sahara, and called for renewed efforts based on relevant OAU/AU and UN resolutions, in order to overcome this impasse. It also expressed concern at the prevailing situation in Madagascar and supported the PSC and SADC decisions on the issue of candidatures to the forthcoming presidential elections. Assembly condemned the illegal seizure of power in Central African Republic and the serious violations of human rights committed by the Seleka rebel group. It stressed the need for the early return to constitutional order in Guinea Bissau, noting with satisfaction ECOWAS, AU, CPLP, EU and UN coordinated efforts. It reiterated its support to the sovereignty of the Union of the Comoros over the island of Mayotte, as well as the sovereignty of the Republic of Mauritius over the archipelago of Chagos. Assembly pledged its full commitment to the effective implementation of Declaration and Plan of Action adopted by the Special Session on the Consideration and Resolution of Conflicts in Africa to adopt new measures so as to open a new chapter in our collective action in favor of peace, security, stability and shared prosperity throughout Africa and the rest of the world.
ON THE LIFTING OF THE ECONOMIC AND TRADE EMBARGO IMPOSED ON THE REPUBLIC OF CUBA BY THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
The Heads of State and Government of the African Union reiterated its call to end the economic, financial and commercial embargo imposed by the United States of America against Cuba and invited the Government of the United State of America to lift long-standing and unjustifiable economic and trade embargo imposed on the Cuban people.
“Africa making great strides toward many MDG targets yet serious challenges remain.” New report says
Addis Ababa, 2 7 May 2013 – Converting Africa’s impressive economic performance over the past decade into greater gains on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) remains a primary challenge for Africa, according to a new report.
Released today, The MDG Report 2013: Assessing progress in Africa toward the Millennium Development Goals concludes that while Africa is the world’s second fastest growing region, its rate of poverty reduction is insufficient to reach the target of halving extreme poverty by 2015.
The progress report, prepared by the African Union Commission (AUC), UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), UN Development Programme (UNDP), and the African Development Bank Group (AfDB), was launched on the final day of the African Union Summit.
An analysis of food insecurity – the report’s theme – provides insights into how this phenomenon impacts other MDGs, particularly health-related goals, and how concerted efforts to improve agriculture, food distribution and nutrition would fast-track progress towards other MDGs.
The report reveals that climate-related shocks manifested by extreme weather conditions have destroyed livelihoods and exacerbated Africa’s food insecurity, resulting in a high incidence of underweight children, widespread hunger and poor dietary consumption patterns.
With fewer than 1,000 days until the 2015 target for the MDGs, the report takes stock of Africa’s overall performance on the MDGs and identifies the best performing countries by indicator, based on progress relative to each country’s initial conditions.
Globally in 2012, 15 of the 20 countries which made the greatest progress on the MDGs were from Africa. Countries such as Benin, Egypt, Ethiopia, Gambia, Malawi and Rwanda are making impressive progress on a number of goals and targets.
The report concludes it is imperative that countries continue to learn from one another, as the countries that have sustained, equitable growth, with political stability and human development-oriented policies, are doing well in most of the goals.
It assesses four goals as “on track” and four as “off track”:
On track: MDG 2 – Achieve universal primary education; MDG 3 – Promote gender equality and empower women; MDG 6 – Combat HIV/AIDS, TB, malaria and other diseases; and MDG 8 – Global partnership for development.
Off track: MDG 1 – Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger; MDG 4 – Reduce child mortality; MDG 5 – Improve maternal health; and MDG 7 – Ensure environmental sustainability. Yet, some countries recorded appreciable progress.
Importantly, the report argues that Africa must put structures in place to sustain its development well beyond the MDG timeline.
“We hope that this report inspires and energizes member states to accelerate efforts towards the MDGs. Further, we recommend that the post-2015 development agenda consider the initial conditions of nation-states and recognize countries’ efforts towards the goals, as opposed to just measuring how far they fall short,” states the report’s foreword, co-signed by the AUC Chairperson Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma; UNECA Executive Secretary Carlos Lopes; AfDB President, Donald Kaberuka; and UNDP Administrator, Helen Clark.
“Africa must commit to inclusive, transformative development that reduces income poverty, creates decent jobs, enhances access to social services, reduces inequality and promotes resilience to climate-related hazards,” the foreword continues.
This year’s progress report covers a gamut of issues and policy recommendations, and reveals a mixed pattern of successes, challenges, innovations and obstacles.
Accelerated MDG progress includes:
Attending primary school is becoming the norm but the quality of education remains a challenge – most African countries have achieved universal primary school enrolment, with rates above 90 per cent, and the continent as a whole is expected to achieve MDG 2. School food programmes and access to pre-schools have been instrumental to progress.
Encouraging progress toward gender parity – Women across Africa are becoming more empowered, with more girls attending both primary and secondary school, and more women in positions of political power. But cultural practices such as early marriage and low economic opportunities for women are slowing progress.
Africa has halted the spread of HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria – thanks to strong political leadership, targeted interventions and the availability of AIDS medicine to the majority of people, and improved prevention and treatment efforts for TB and malaria.
Key challenges include:
Hunger and malnutrition rates remain high in Africa, especially among children – In 2012, most of Africa was identified as having serious to alarming levels of hunger on the Global Hunger Index. Food insecurity has played a large role in slowing progress on the health MDGs, especially for children and mothers. Climate change, political instability and population growth are among the contributing factors. The continent’s population is increasing so rapidly that countries might not be able to produce all the food they need.
Africa still has the greatest burden of child and maternal deaths, although significant progress has been made – under-five child deaths fell by 47 per cent across Africa between 1990 and 2011. To fast-track progress, this year’s MDG report highlights the importance of integrated maternal and child health interventions, focusing on infant mortality and the need for holistic policies that address the underlying causes of maternal and child deaths.
Overall Africa’s contribution to global trade is largely unchanged, at around 3 percent – The proportion of developed country imports from Africa (admitted duty free) has generally stagnated for most countries, but increased by more than 50 percent for 14 African countries.
The livelihoods of countless African households will be at risk without efforts to improve resilience to environmental hazards – including those attributable to climate change. Sustaining progress on the MDGs will require strengthening capacities to anticipate and respond to climate-related disasters and capitalizing on green growth opportunities.
Most African countries are struggling to meet targets in water and sanitation – Countries must concentrate efforts in rural areas and low-income groups as urban-rural income disparities in access are holding back progress in most countries.
Key policy recommendations include:
Africa as a whole is doing well in terms of reducing carbon dioxide emissions and ozone depleting substances, yet forest cover is decreasing. African governments need to put in place afforestation strategies and programmes.
African governments should constantly expand the agricultural-productivity frontier, for example through policies that support the application of local knowledge, infrastructure investments and the development of financial markets.
Accelerating the creation of decent jobs will require bold policy changes that promote value added activities, economic diversification and investment in infrastructure.
The report argues that policy-makers must pursue inclusive growth strategies that promote broad participation of the active labour force while ensuring that the returns from growth are invested in programmes that enhance the productive capacities of broad segments of society, particularly women, young people and the vulnerable.
To transform Africa’s agriculture for improved livelihoods and economic empowerment, African governments need to keep expanding agricultural productivity through better policies and heavy investment in improved seedlings, irrigated farming, use of fertilizers and increased access to finance.
The MDG Report 2013 and its Executive Summary are available in English, French and Arabic via: http://www.afdb.org/en/knowledge/publications/millennium-development-goa... and http://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/librarypage/mdg/mdg-reports/afr....
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UNDP: Martha Mogus, Ethiopia Country Office, martha.mogus@undp.org, Tel +251 11 5 44 43 18
Lucky Musonda, lucky.musonda@undp.org, Regional Service Centre- Johannesburg Tel +27 11 603 5084
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UNECA: Mercy Wambui, Addis, mwambui@uneca.org, Tel: +251 921 014 767; www.uneca.org
The African Capacity for Immediate Response (AICRC) to Crisis is adopted
Addis Ababa, 27 May 2013 – The Heads of State and Government of the African Union today took a decision of historic nature and scope when they adopted the African immediate Crisis response Capacity (AICRC). This decision was informed by the overwhelming dependence of the Union on funds provided by partners and which affects the implementation of African solutions to African problems. For instance, 100% of African Union (AU) Mission to Somalia (AMISOM) is funded by partners. It represents an annual budget of 500 million USD. In the same vein, African leaders agreed in the case of the armed rebellion in Mali that Africa could have moved faster and made the French intervention dispensable if it had the appropriate tools and mechanisms. As Africa celebrates the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Organisation of African Unity and of the African Union, leaders of the continent felt it unfortunate that after 50 years of independence, African security is so dependant of foreign partners.
This statement was made by Ambassador Lamamra Ramtane, AU Commissioner for Peace and Security at a press conference held after the conclusion of the 21st AU Summit.
The AICRC “is to provide Africa with a strictly military capacity with high reactivity to respond swiftly to emergency situations upon political, decisions to intervene in conflict situations within the continent. The aim is to establish an efficient, robust and credible force, which can be deployed very rapidly, able to conduct operations of limited duration and objectives or contribute to creating enabling conditions for the deployment of larger AU and/or UN peace operations” says the report of the Chairperson of the AU Commission. It is an interim tool as the African Standby force (ASF) is meant to be operational by 2015.
On a voluntary basis, Member States of the African Union will contribute troops and finance the capacity so as to act independently. So far, South Africa, Uganda and Ethiopia have pledged to implement the decision on the establishment of the capacity. Command and control will be ensured by the AU Peace and Security Council upon request of a Member State for intervention.
During the press conference, Commissioner Lamamra also briefed the journalists on the state of peace and security on the continent. During the 21st AU Summit, Heads of State and Government reviewed the state of peace and security on the continent and the steps needed to hasten the attainment of the objective of a conflict-free Africa.
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