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28th African Union Summit: Decisions and Declarations

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28th African Union Summit: Decisions and Declarations

28th African Union Summit: Decisions and Declarations
Photo credit: UN

The 28th Ordinary Summit of Heads of State and Government of the African Union, held on the theme ‘Harnessing the Demographic Dividend through Investments in the Youth, concluded on 31 January 2017 at the AU Headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

At the closing ceremony, during which new leadership was elected, outgoing AU Commission Chairperson H.E. Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma noted that the 28th AU Summit took a historic decision to reunite the African community states with its decision to readmit into the Union The Kingdom of Morocco and said she was satisfied with the strong foundations in place for Africa’s success. 

In his remarks, incoming Chairperson H.E. Mr. Moussa Faki Mahamat, President of Guinea, highlighted some of the various decisions that were discussed during the Summit, including the adoption of the Report on the proposed Institutional reform of the African Union which was presented by H.E. Mr. Paul Kagame, President of the Republic of Rwanda. He mentioned that Member States of the African Union are committed to financing the operations of the Union with their own resources, saying ‘it is important for Africa’s independence and self-respect.’

The summit also renewed the leadership of the AUC and took steps towards financial independence of the Union. Albeit the lack of strong country/context related decisions on Peace and Security issues, the Assembly adopted the Master Plan towards Silencing the Guns by 2020. The summit also adopted the so-called ‘collective withdrawal strategy’, a misnomer of a document which provides member states with a roadmap for eventual individual withdrawal from the ICC in case AU’s claims and proposals regarding the court and some of its on-going operations are not taken in consideration.

A summary of key decisions is available here. We highlight two decisions below.


30th Ordinary Session of the African Union Executive Council

The African Union Executive Council emphasised the need for Africa to boost investment in Africa’s youth by promoting transformative and inclusive development agendas aimed at recognising the efforts by the youth in entrepreneurship and innovation.

Addressing the distinguished delegates at the opening ceremony, the Chairperson of the AU Commission, H.E. Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma said that for Africa to succeed in its integrated and inclusive development agenda “it requires that we revive and strengthen the spirit of Pan Africanism, unity and solidarity to successfully steer our way towards agenda 2063”.

To meet the first target in Agenda 2063 of commencing the Continental Free Trade Area by the end of 2017, the Chairperson stressed the need to unlock the potential, the energy, the creativity and the talent of Africa’s young men and women. She said that this can be achieved only through the African Skills revolution, by creating jobs and economic opportunities, through diversification, agricultural modernisation and industrialisation so that Africa’s youth can be the drivers of agenda 2063.

Dr. Abdullah Hamok, Acting Executive Secretary of the UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), noted that unlike other regions of the world, the proportion of youth in Africa’s total population was rising and this growth presented great opportunities as relates to the continent’s demographic dividend as well as challenges derived from the risks associated with soaring rates of youth unemployment.

The Executive Council meeting was the second of three statutory meetings held under the 28th Summit of the African Union. The first meeting was that of the Permanent Representatives Committee which was held from 22 to 24 January. The final meeting of the summit was that of the Heads of State and Government which took place from 30-31 January.

For three days, the Ministers of External Affairs and other ministers or authorities designated by the governments of AU Member States deliberated on the different reports of the Specialized Technical Committee (STCs) ministerial meetings organised by the AU Commission during the last six months.


Decision on the Continental Free Trade Area

The Assembly,

  1. TAKES NOTE of the Report on implementation of Assembly/AU/Dec.608(XXVII) on the Continental Free Trade Area and Update on the proposed mechanism for the elimination of non-tariff barriers (NTBs) in the Continental Free Trade Area (CFTA);

  2. CALLS UPON Member States to secure funding for the activities of the Eminent Persons Group on the Continental Free Trade Area;

  3. REQUESTS the Commission to:

    1. Mobilise funding for the implementation of the NTBs Elimination Program on the CFTA;

    2. Undertake consultations and capacity building assistance to Member States and relevant stakeholders, including civil society and the private sector, to ensure timely conclusion of the CFTA negotiations;

    3. Report on the implementation of this decision to the next Ordinary Session of the Assembly in July 2017;

  1. MANDATES H.E Mahamadou Issoufou, President of the Republic of Niger to champion the process of the CFTA to ensure that the deadline of the end of 2017 is reached and report on measures taken to the next ordinary session of the Assembly in July 2017. 

Decision on the Outcome of the Retreat of the Assembly of the African Union on the Institutional Reform of the African Union

The Assembly,

  1. TAKES NOTE of the Report on The Imperative to Strengthen our Union: Proposed Recommendations for the Institutional Reform of the African Unionsubmitted by H.E. Mr. Paul Kagame, President of the Republic of Rwanda, to the 2nd Retreat of Heads of State and Government at the AU Headquarters, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia held on 29 January 2017;

  2. COMMENDS H.E. Mr. Paul Kagame, President of the Republic of Rwanda, and the High Level Team of Experts for the excellent study undertaken on the institutional reform of the African Union (AU) and the proposals for a system of governance for the AU to enable it address the challenges facing the continent, and for submitting his report in a timely manner, as mandated by Decision Assembly/AU/Dec.606 (XXVII) adopted in Kigali, Rwanda in July 2016;

  3. ALSO TAKES NOTE of the recommendations for the proposed reforms to further strengthen the African Union, in the following five (5) areas:

    1. Focus on key priorities with continental scope;

    2. Realign African Union institutions in order to deliver against those priorities;

    3. Connect the African Union to its citizens;

    4. Manage the business of the African Union efficiently and effectively at both the political and operational levels;

    5. Finance the African Union sustainably and with the full ownership of the Member States.

  4. WELCOMES the comments and observations made by Member States aimed at reinforcing the proposals and identifying the way forward with special emphasis on Pan-African values of unity, solidarity, freedom and equality, and the vision of our Founders of a political and economic Union. We reiterate the importance of African Common Positions as the most effective way of advancing Africa’s voice and representation in the world;

  5. ADOPTS the recommendations in the Report as amended by Member States during the Retreat’s deliberations contained in Annex I to this Decision and, in particular, the following:

    1. On realigning African Union institutions in order to deliver against those priorities

      1. The Commission should initiate, without delay, a professional audit of bureaucratic bottlenecks and inefficiencies that impede service delivery and the recommendations thereof;

      2. The Permanent Representatives Committee’s (PRC) Rules of Procedures should be reviewed and be in line with the mandate provided for in the Constitutive Act of the African Union. The PRC should facilitate communication between the African Union and national capitals, and act as an advisory body to the Executive Council, and not as a supervisory body of the Commission.

    2. On connecting the African Union to its citizens

      1. The Commission should establish women and youth quotas across its institutions, and identify appropriate ways and means to ensure the private sector’s participation;

      2. The Commission should establish an African Youth Corps, as well as develop programs to facilitate cultural and sports exchange among Member States.

    3. On managing the business of the African Union efficiently and effectively, at both political and operational levels - On political management of the Union

      1. The African Union Assembly shall handle an agenda of no more than three (3) strategic items at each Summit, in line with the Me’kelle Ministerial Retreat recommendations. Other appropriate business will be delegated to the Executive Council;

      2. The Assembly shall hold one Ordinary Summit per year, and shall hold extraordinary sessions as the need arises;

      3. In place of the June/July Summit, the Bureau of the African Union Assembly shall hold a coordination meeting with the Regional Economic Communities, with the participation of the Chairpersons of the Regional Economic Communities, the AU Commission and Regional Mechanisms. Ahead of this meeting, the AU Commission shall play a more active coordination and harmonisation role with the Regional Economic Communities, in line with the Treaty establishing of the African Economic Community (the Abuja Treaty);

      4. External parties shall only be invited to Summits on an exceptional basis and for a specific purpose determined by the interests of the African Union;

      5. Partnership Summits convened by external parties shall be reviewed with a view to providing an effective framework for African Union partnerships. Africa will be represented by the Troika, namely the current, incoming and outgoing Chairpersons of the African Union, the Chairperson of the AU Commission, and the Chairpersons of the Regional Economic Communities as well as the Chairperson of the NEPAD;

      6. To ensure continuity and effective implementation of Assembly decisions, a troika arrangement between the outgoing, the current, and the incoming African Union Chairpersons shall be established. In this regard, the incoming chairperson shall be selected one year in advance;

      7. Heads of State shall be represented at Summits by officials not lower than the level of Vice President, Prime Minister or equivalent3;

      8. The current sanctions mechanism should be strengthened and enforced. This would include consideration of making participation in the African Union deliberations contingent on adherence to Summit decisions.

    4. On Financing the African Union sustainably and with the full ownership of the Member States

      1. The Kigali Decision on Financing of the Union (Assembly/AU/Dec.605 (XXVII) should be implemented in full and without undue delay;

      2. The Committee of Ten Finance Ministers will assume responsibility for oversight of the African Union budget and Reserve Fund (in para D(iii)), and develop a set of ‘golden rules’, establishing clear financial management and accountability principles;

      3. After funding of the budget of the African Union and the Peace Fund, the balance of the proceeds of the 0.2% AU levy on eligible imports, the Committee of Ten Finance Ministers will look into placing surplus in a Reserve Fund for continental priorities as decided by the Assembly;

      4. The current scale of contributions should be revised based on the principles of ability to pay, solidarity, and equitable burden-sharing, to avoid risk concentration.

  6. FURTHER DECIDES as follows:

    1. Mandate H.E. Mr. Paul Kagame, President of the Republic of Rwanda in his capacity as the lead on the institutional reform of the Union, in collaboration with H.E. President Idriss Deby Itno, President of the Republic of Chad in his capacity as the outgoing Chairperson and H.E. Alpha Conde, President of the Republic of Guinea in his capacity as the current Chairperson, to supervise the implementation process;

    2. The Incoming Commission elected at the January 2017 Summit shall put in place a Reform Implementation Unit at the AU Commission, within the Bureau of the Chairperson, responsible for the day-to-day coordination and implementation of this Decision;

    3. H.E President Paul Kagame shall make recommendations on a mechanism to ensure that legally binding decisions and commitments are implemented by Member States;

    4. H.E. President Paul Kagame shall also report at each Ordinary Session of the Assembly on progress made with the implementation of this decision.

  7. REQUESTS H.E. President Paul Kagame to report on the implementation of this Decision to the next ordinary session of the Assembly in July 2017.

ANNEX

to Assembly Decision on the Outcome of the Retreat of the Assembly of the African Union on Institutional Reform of the AU

  1. On focus on key priorities with continental scope:

    1. The African Union should focus on a fewer number of priority areas, which are by nature continental in scope, such as political affairs, peace and security, economic integration (including the Continental Free Trade Area), and Africa’s global representation and voice;

    2. There should be a clear division of labour and effective collaboration between the African Union, the Regional Economic Communities (RECs), the Regional Mechanisms (RMs), the Member States, and other continental institutions, in line with the principle of subsidiarity.

  2. On realigning African Union institutions in order to deliver against those priorities

    1. The Commission’s structures should be re-evaluated to ensure that they have the right size and capabilities to deliver on the agreed priorities;

    2. The Commission’s senior leadership team should be lean and performance-oriented;

    3. NEPAD should be fully integrated into the Commission as the African Union’s development agency, aligned with the agreed priorities and underpinned by an enhanced results-monitoring framework;

    4. The African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) should be strengthened to track implementation and oversee monitoring and evaluation in key governance areas of the continent;

    5. The roles and functions of the African Union judicial organs and the Pan-African Parliament should be reviewed and clarified, and their progress to date assessed;

    6. The Peace and Security Council (PSC) should be reformed to ensure that it meets the ambition foreseen in its Protocol, by strengthening its working methods and its role in conflict prevention and crisis management;

    7. The Permanent Representatives Committee’s (PRC) Rules of Procedures should be reviewed and be in line with the mandate provided for in the Constitutive Act of the African Union. The PRC should facilitate communication between the African Union and national capitals, and act as an advisory body to the Executive Council, and not as a supervisory body of the Commission.

  3. On connecting the African Union to its citizens

    1. The Commission should establish women and youth quotas across its institutions and identify appropriate ways and means to ensure the private sector’s participation;

    2. The Commission should establish an African Youth Corps, as well as develop programs to facilitate cultural and sports exchange among Member States;

    3. Member States should make the African passport available to all eligible citizens as quickly as possible, in line with the Assembly decision Assembly/AU/Dec.607(XXVII) adopted in Kigali, Rwanda in July 2016;

    4. The Commission should identify and provide a set of new capabilities or ‘assets’ in the form of common continent-wide public goods and services valued by Member States and citizens. Such services could include the provision of neutral arbitration and competition services, or a common technical platform for the data and analysis needed to assess Africa’s progress toward its development goals;

    5. Member States should engage their Parliaments and citizens, including civil society, on the African Union reform process.

  4. On managing the business of the African Union efficiently and effectively, at both political and operational levels - On operational management

    1. The election of the Chairperson of the AU Commission should be enhanced by a robust, merit-based, and transparent selection process;

    2. The Deputy Chairperson and Commissioners should be competitively recruited in line with best practice and appointed by the Chairperson of the Commission, to whom they should be directly accountable, taking into account gender and regional diversity, amongst other relevant considerations;

    3. The Deputy Chairperson role should be reframed to be responsible for the efficient and effective functioning of the Commission’s administration;

    4. The title of Chairperson and Deputy Chairperson may also be reconsidered;

    5. A fundamental review of the structure and staffing needs of the organisation, as well as conditions of service, should be undertaken to ensure alignment with agreed priority areas.

  5. On Financing the African Union sustainably and with the full ownership of the Member States

    1. The Kigali Decision on Financing of the Union (Assembly/AU/Dec.605 (XXVII) should be implemented in full and without undue delay;

    2. The Committee of Ten Finance Ministers should assume responsibility for oversight of the African Union budget and Reserve Fund (in para D(iii)), and develop a set of ‘golden rules’, establishing clear financial management and accountability principles;

    3. After funding of the budget of the African Union and the Peace Fund, the balance of the proceeds of the 0.2% AU levy on eligible imports, the Committee of Ten Finance Ministers should look into placing surplus in a Reserve Fund for continental priorities as decided by the Assembly;

    4. The current scale of contributions should be revised based on the principles of ability to pay, solidarity, and equitable burden-sharing, to avoid risk concentration.

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