Arab-Africa Economic Cooperation Forum: Recommendations

THIRD AFRICA-ARAB SUMMIT
19 - 20 NOVEMBER 2013
KUWAIT CITY, STATE OF KUWAIT

Min/Africa-Arab/Decl1(III) Rev.1
ق- 033 (13/11)21-س ع م ل (0607)

KUWAIT DECLARATION

We, the Leaders of African and Arab Countries, meeting in our Third Africa-Arab Summit in Kuwait City, the State of Kuwait, from 19 to 20 November 2013 under the Theme “Partners in Development and Investment”;

Expressing our gratitude to His Highness the Amir of the State of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, for all the efforts he exerted in order to ensure the successful convening of the Third Africa-Arab Summit, and Fully Believing that through His Highness well-known wisdom and genuine commitment, the Africa-Arab relations will achieve great progress in all fields;

Conveying our profound gratitude and appreciation to His Highness the Amir of the State of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Amir of the State of Kuwait for his generous initiative, which demonstrates his commitment to the promotion of Africa-Arab cooperation in all fields, as evidenced by the directives given by His Highness to the Kuwaiti Fund for Arab Economic Development to grant concessionary loans to African countries to the tune of one (1) Billion US Dollars spread over the next five years. This initiative is also manifested through investment and its insurance to the tune of one (1) Billion US Dollars for the next few years, with emphasis on infrastructure, through cooperation and coordination with the World Bank and other International Institutions.

Also Expressing our sincere appreciation for the Annual Prize of one (1) Million US Dollars allocated by the State of Kuwait, in memory of the late Dr. Abdurahman Al-Sumet, for development research in Africa under the auspices of the Kuwait Scientific Development Institutions.

Expressing Further our profound gratitude to the Government and people of Kuwait for the warm welcome, generous hospitality, and efficient organization that provided most positive and favorable conditions for the convening of the Third Africa-Arab Summit;

Congratulating the African Union on the 50th Anniversary of the founding of the Organization of African Unity (OAU)/African Union (AU), and Welcoming the commemoration of this important milestone in African history;

Renewing our commitment to the common principles and goals enshrined in the Constitutive Act of the African Union and the Charter of the League of Arab States, and the promotion of the principles of International Law and the United Nations Charter, in particular the principles pertaining to the respect for national sovereignty of States, their territorial integrity and non-interference in their internal affairs, and Stressing our commitment to the protection of human rights and respect for International Humanitarian Law as well as our mutual goals to positively contribute to global security stability, development and cooperation;

Reaffirming our commitment to strengthen cooperation between Africa and the Arab Region on the basis of a strategic partnership that endeavours to maintain justice, international peace and security, while Expressing grave concern over the challenges posed by the continued prevalence of conflict, insecurity and instability in some parts of our regions;

Conscious of our multiple ties and interests by reason of geography, history and culture;

Expressing our desire to promote cooperation in the political, economic and socio-cultural fields;

Reaffirming our commitment to continue our efforts to overcome the challenges and removing the obstacles facing the activation and development of Africa-Arab cooperation and organize the meetings of its follow-up mechanism;

Guided by our common resolve to strengthen South-South cooperation as well as the solidarity and friendship between our countries and peoples with a view to fulfilling the aspiration of our peoples to consolidate Africa-Arab relations, based on the principles of equality, mutual interests and respect;

Welcoming the progress made by African and Arab countries in maintaining peace and stability as well as in improving respect for human rights and good governance in their respective regions;

Recognizing the role of the African Union’s Committee of Ten Heads of State and Government on the United Nations Reform in promoting and canvassing Africa’s position on the Reform in accordance with the Ezulwini Consensus and Sirte Declaration;

Welcoming the decision of the League of Arab States (LAS) Council at the level of the Summit to establish an Arab Court of Human Rights headquartered in Bahrain which is regarded as a support to the common Arab system in the field of Human Rights and enhancement, respect and protection for these rights in a frame of law prevailing in international accords, the principles of international law and International Bill of Human Rights;

Firmly condemning terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, as well as transnational organized crime such as hostage taking, human trafficking, drug trafficking, piracy, ransom payment and illicit proliferation of arms, and Reiterating our resolve and commitment to work together in this regard;

Underlining the need for Africa and the Arab World to exchange intelligence information to combat terrorism in all its forms and manifestations; in this regard, Appreciating the instrumental role played by the African Centre for Research and Study on Terrorism (ACRST) in Algiers, Algeria;

Welcoming the donation of 100 million US dollars by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz to the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Centre (UNCCT) to combat terrorism;

Stressing our strong determination to decisively address the underlying causes of conflict and violence in Africa and the Arab Region, with a view to creating a conducive environment for the prosperity and well-being of the peoples of the two regions;

Mindful that the youth employment challenges in Africa and Arab Region is primarily structural, and Recognizing the need to pursue efforts to develop supporting policies for economic growth, and adopt financial policies that can guarantee sustainability in order to enhance poverty eradication policies including Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and Post 2015 Development Agenda;

Commending the Resolution of the 3rd Arab Development Summit held in Ryad, Saudi Arabia in January 2013 to raise by 50% the capital of the Arab Financial Institutions, including the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA) and appreciating the role of BADEA in the promotion of Africa’s Development;

Welcoming the support provided by the Arab Fund for Technical Assistance to African Countries (AFTAAC) to the Commission and its various regional offices such as the Semi-Arid Food Grain Research and Development (SAFGRAD);

Noting that the food gap and food insecurity are major impediments and exacerbate the vulnerability of certain segments of society;

Expressing our full support for regional integration through increasing the volume of Africa-Arab trade and investment, and deepening market integration that can significantly contribute to sustainable economic and integrated social development such as employment generation and poverty reduction, inflow of direct investment, industrial development and accelerated integration of the two regions into the global economy;

Underscoring the importance of the Africa-Arab Partnership Strategy and the Joint Action Plan 2011-2016 adopted during our Second Summit in 2010 in Libya and Reiterating our commitment to expedite their implementation;

Emphasizing the need to enhance the role and participation of the Private Sector and Civil society of our two regions in economic development, efforts as well as planning and implementation of joint programs and projects;

Have agreed to:

1. Promote South-South Cooperation between African and Arab countries and build closer relations between the Governments and peoples of the two regions through frequent visits and consultations at all levels;

2. Strengthen diplomatic and consular relations between African and Arab countries through regular consultations between diplomatic missions accredited to the United Nations (UN) and other regional and international organizations in, among others, Addis Ababa, Cairo, Brussels, Geneva, New York and Washington D.C, with a view to harmonizing positions and developing common policies on issues of mutual concern;

3. Urge all relevant stakeholders to find peaceful settlements to political crises in the two regions;

4. Support the progress made in peace building and post-conflict reconstruction and development in the two regions and encourage the countries concerned to pursue and consolidate their efforts, and Call upon the International Community and the International Financial Institutions to support these countries through the granting of debt relief as well as lifting of economic sanctions applied on some of them;

5. Enhance cooperation and coordination between African and Arab countries to combat terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, including criminalizing ransom payment to terrorists and confronting transnational crime to further support international efforts in this regard;

6. Strongly condemn terrorism and trafficking of all forms in Africa and in the Arab Region, particularly in the Sahelo-Saharan Region epitomized by the severe crisis in Mali, and Request Africa and the Arab Countries to support the implementation of the United Nations Integrated Strategy for the Sahel;

7. Reaffirm our strong commitment for a comprehensive Reform of the United Nations system, including its Security Council, to reflect current global realities and make it more regionally representative, balanced, democratic, effective and fair, and Call upon the two sides to coordinate their positions in this regard, taking into consideration the Ezulwini Consensus of the African Union (AU) and the relevant Resolutions of the League of Arab States (LAS);

8. Agree to create the necessary conditions to encourage and facilitate investment in African and Arab countries. Reaffirm further the need to increase the volume of trade and investment flows between the two regions, support the existing industrial development initiatives in order to reduce poverty and generate employment for our youthful population;

9. Enhance cooperation and facilitate investment in the field of energy aimed at jointly developing new and renewable energy sources as well as expanding access to reliable and affordable modern energy services in the two regions;

10. Call Upon the African Union Commission and the General Secretariat of the League of Arab States and the existing financing institutions from both regions to set up a task force to coordinate their efforts in the implementation of the Africa-Arab Joint Action Plan and other projects;

11. Coordinate our positions in the multilateral trade negotiations and work together with a view to achieving a balanced outcome at the 9th World Trade Organization (WTO) Ministerial Conference scheduled to be held in Bali, Indonesia, in December 2013, on potential deliverables in Trade Facilitation, Agriculture and an acceptable package for the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) as well as special and Differential Treatment provisions in favour of developing countries;

12. Strengthen the Africa-Arab Economic Forum to enhance the role and participation of the Private Sector and Civil Society Organizations of the two regions in the partnership process;

13. Call Upon the African and Arab financial institutions as well as other relevant stakeholders, including the Private Sector and Civil Society to support the acceleration of Africa-Arab inter-regional trade in accordance with the Joint Action Plan 2011-2016;

14. Call Upon African and Arab Chambers of Commerce and Industry, as well as other private sector institutions to conduct regular meetings and consultations with a view to strengthening the working relations between them;

15. Welcome the hosting by the Kingdom of Morocco of the 7th Session of the Africa-Arab Trade Fair from 19 to 23 March 2014, and Support the organization of Africa-Arab Fair every two years alternately in Africa and Arab regions and undertake other trade promotion activities and encourage the public and private sector of the two regions to actively participate in the preparation and organization of such events;

16. Encourage the governments, private sector and civil society of the two regions to play a major role in boosting agriculture;

17. Strengthen cooperation on issues concerning Rural Development, Agricultural Development and Food Security. In that regard, Commend the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for the successful hosting of the 2nd Africa-Arab Ministerial meeting on Agriculture and Food Security, held in Riyadh on 2 October 2013;

18. Call Upon the African Union Commission (AUC) and the General Secretariat of the League of Arab States (LAS) to work in collaboration with the African and Arab Financial Institutions and the Private Sector to support the implementation of the infrastructure development programs in both regions with a focus on transport, water and sanitation, telecommunications and ICT;

19. Support the cooperation programmes on cultural exchanges aimed at consolidating the common values of African and Arab peoples, and Welcome the opening of King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz International Center for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue and invite Member States to cooperate with the Center;

20. Reaffirm the need to strengthen cooperation in the field of education and scientific research programmes and share best practices in these two fields through the organization of joint activities;

21. Agree to elaborate integrated health programmes within the development plans. In that regard, Reaffirm our commitment to ensure that vulnerable groups have access to primary and essential types of medicines and therefore support initiatives to integrate the policies combating epidemic diseases (malaria, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS) and non communicable diseases in educational, information and public awareness programs;

22. Support strategies and initiatives aimed at the elimination of discrimination against women in order to achieve equality and equity and raise public awareness regarding the human rights, values and principles, which guarantee women's rights and their role in society;

23. Call Upon all governments to formulate the necessary laws to protect youth and women and enhance their economic empowerment, ensure their participation in the decision-making process on an equal footing with men, and guarantee their full participation in all aspects of political, economic and social activities;

24. Promote the interactions between the African and Arab civil society organization to enhance people-to-people relationship and Call Upon the African and Arab Civil Society to continue to play their positive role in promoting peace, security, stability and humanitarian assistance and development, and request the African Union Commission and the General Secretariat of the League of Arab States to take all necessary steps to enhance interaction with these actors;

25. Strengthen the capacities of the African Union Commission and the General Secretariat of the League of Arab States and provide them with all necessary means, including financial and technical support, to enable them to effectively implement the Africa-Arab Partnership Strategy and Joint Action Plan 2011-2016, as well as this Declaration;

26. Support the setting up of the Africa-Arab Technical and Coordination Committee and other strategies to enhance cooperation and facilitation on migration issues and coordinate efforts of both regions, for the mutual benefit of the two partners and Express the necessity to provide security and social protection for migrants and support countries receiving migrants, refugees and displaced persons, in particular Burkina Faso and the Republic of Yemen;

27. Agree to establish an Africa-Arab Center for exchange of information in order to minimize the infiltration of illegal migrants;

28. Rationalize the establishment of Africa-Arab joint institutions to avoid duplication of efforts and financial burden on the two coordinating organizations and mandate the Coordination Committee of the Africa-Arab Partnership to take necessary actions in this regard;

29. Take actions and measures, including the activation and rationalization of joint structures, deemed essential for the effective implementation of the Action Plan;

30. Institutionalize meetings of the Monitoring and Follow-up Mechanism of the Africa-Arab Partnership and strengthen inter-secretariat consultations and involve the Sub-regional organizations to participate in implementation of this partnership;

31. Apply the principle of rotation in hosting Africa-Arab Summits and therefore, Agree to hold the Fourth Africa-Arab Summit in Africa in 2016.

Done in Kuwait City on 20 November 2013