We the Heads of State and Government of the African Union, meeting at the 25th Ordinary Session of our Assembly in Johannesburg in the Republic of South Africa from 14-15 June 2015, under theme “Year of Women Empowerment and Development towards Africa’s Agenda 2063”.

Following our discussion on the strategic issue of Migration, hereby individually and collectively reaffirm our previous commitments aimed at accelerating mobility and integration on the continent, migration in development while addressing regular and irregular migration; we commit to undertake the following actions:

i) Speed up the implementation of continent-wide visa free regimes including issuance of visas at ports of entry for Africans and based on the principle of reciprocity where those countries that offer free movement should receive same;

ii) Offer all Africans the same opportunities accorded to the citizens of countries within our respective Regional Economic Communities (RECs) by 2018;

iii) Expedite the operationalization of the African Passport that would, as a start facilitate free movement of persons that will be issued by Member States;

iv) Establish a harmonized mechanism to ensure that higher education in Africa is compatible, comparable, with acceptability and enable recognition of credentials that will facilitate transferability of knowledge, skills and expertise;

v) Establish a mechanism on practical modalities for the empowerment of African women and youth in education and, encourage their sustained growth in knowledge acquisition; and to include exchange programmes and self-employment in the education curriculum;

vi) Strengthen efforts to combat human trafficking and smuggling of migrants through the implementation of the provisions of the UN Convention on Transnational Organized Crime and its supplementing Protocols against Trafficking in Persons and Smuggling of Migrants by improving legislation, provision of victim support enhanced international cooperation and training;

vii) Assist in the stabilization of the elected government of Libya.

1. REQUEST the Commission to urgently organize a retreat of the Executive Council to consider:

i) the issue of Mobility and Free Movement of people in Africa;

ii) the development of a common position for Africa before the Malta conference on Migration with the European Union in November 2015;

iii) the development of a Protocol on Free Movement of Persons;

iv) in collaboration with Member States engage in the process of developing capacity to manage migration flows within the continent.

2. ENDORSE the Horn of Africa Initiative on Human Trafficking and Smuggling by the AU Commission and the outcomes of the Regional Conference on Human Trafficking and Smuggling held in Khartoum, Sudan from 13-16 October 2014 including the TOR, Declaration, Strategy and Plan of Action; and REQUEST the Commission to report regularly to the Executive Council on the Initiative;

3. DECIDE to remain seized with the matter and REQUEST the Commission to report to the Assembly on the implementation of this Declaration in January 2016.