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26th African Union Summit: Decisions and Declarations

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26th African Union Summit: Decisions and Declarations

26th African Union Summit: Decisions and Declarations
Photo credit: Xinhua | Li Jing

The 26th African Union Summit of Heads of State and Government was held from 21 to 31 January 2016 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, under the theme “African Year of Human Rights, with particular focus on the Rights of Women”.

On 29 March, the Commission of the African Union presented the amended decisions of the 28th Ordinary Session of the Executive Council, held on 27 and 28 January 2016, and those of the 26th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the Union, held on 30 and 31 January 2016. It was noted that a number of corrections had to be effected on the following Decisions:

  • Decision Assembly/AU/Dec.603 (XXVI) on Africa’s Engagements in the Global Climate Negotiations

  • Decision EX.CL/Dec. 899(XXVIII) on the Activities of the PRC

  • Decision EX.CL/Dec.917(XXVIII) on African Candidatures for Posts within the International System

The amended Decisions and Declarations may be downloaded below.


Decision on the Domestication of the First Ten-Year Implementation Plan of Agenda 2063

The Assembly,

1. TAKES NOTE of the Report of the Commission on the Domestication of the First Ten-Year Implementation Plan (FTYIP) of Agenda 2063 and REITERATES that it is a common continental framework for socio-economic development;

2. COMMENDS the Member States that have integrated Agenda 2063 in their National Development Frameworks;

3. WELCOMES the continued collaboration with the United Nations (UN) Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), the African Development Bank (AfDB), the Regional Economic Communities (RECs) and the African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF) in the operationalization of Agenda 2063, and the development of:

i) Indicators for the First Ten-Year Implementation Plan (FTYIP), and their convergence with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs);

ii) A Monitoring and Evaluation Framework;

iii) A Capacity Assessment Study and its Plan.

4. CALLS UPON the UN Secretary General to expeditiously establish a Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data through Intergovernmental Process as captured in the latter’s Synthesis Report – the Road to Dignity;

5. REQUESTS the Commission to;

i) Facilitate, in collaboration with UNECA and AfDB, statistical reforms in countries, including legislative reforms, human resources development and financial resources in the context of implementation of Agenda 2063 FTYIP and the SDGs;

ii) Finalise the Draft Monitoring and Evaluation Framework of Agenda 2063 and expedite its institutionalisation, and report at the next ordinary session of the Assembly through the Executive Council, in July 2016;

iii) Develop detailed proposals of the Flagship Projects, their implementation arrangements and their financial implications;

iv) Ensure continuous popularization and awareness raising of Agenda 2063 through all available platforms.

6. ALSO REQUESTS as follows:

i) All African Union (AU) Organs to internalise and align their respective programmes with FTYIP of Agenda 2063;

ii) The Pan African Parliament (PAP) to work with National and Regional Parliaments and the Economic, Social and Cultural Council (ECOSOCC) to mobilize its constituency to ensure the alignment of their agenda with Agenda 2063.

7. URGES Member States, the RECs, the Commission and the NEPAD Planning and Coordination Agency (NPCA), in partnership with UNECA, AfDB, and ACBF to validate and integrate the recommendations of the:

i) Domestic Resource Mobilisation Strategy into the National Financing mechanisms / frameworks;

ii) Capacity Assessment Study into the curricula (education systems) at different levels to make education system responsive to the National, Regional and Continental needs;

8. REQUESTS the Commission to report on the implementation of this decision regularly to the Assembly, through the Executive Council.


Decision on the Mekele Retreat of the Executive Council

The Executive Council,

1. TAKES NOTE of the outcomes of the Retreat of the Executive Council held in Mekele, Ethiopia on 24 and 25 January 2016;

a) The Africa We Have, The Africa We Want

2. UNDERSCORES the paradox that Africa is rich, yet Africans are poor remains the burning issue that the current African leaders and people must resolve, as we implement Agenda 2063, as acknowledged by the Bahir Dar retreat;

3. REQUESTS the Commission to:

i) Ensure with the NEPAD Planning and Coordination Agency (NPCA), and in collaboration with the United Nations Economic for Africa (UNECA), the African Development Bank (AfDB) and Member States that the First Ten Year Implementation Plan of Agenda 2063 integrates the centrality of African unity, ownership and, resolve to advance and defend continental aspirations and priorities;

ii) Organise another retreat before the next ordinary session of the Executive Council scheduled for July 2016, to allow for in-depth discussions on the paradox of rich Africa, poor Africans as well as on changing mind-sets and other relevant issues.

b) On domestication of Agenda 2063 and its First Ten-Year Implementation Plan

4. TAKES NOTE of the progress made in the domestication of Agenda 2063 and its First Ten Year Implementation Plan (FTYIP);

5. UNDERSCORES the importance of participation of African people, in all their sectoral and other formations, for implementation of the continental mission, and REQUESTS Member States, the Commission and NPCA, the Pan African Parliament, the Economic, Social and Cultural Council (ECOSOCC) and other AU Organs and institutions as well as the Regional Economic Communities (RECs), to continue popularizing the Agenda 2063 aspirations, priorities and flagship programmes;

6. URGES Member States that have not yet started domestication, to do so and REQUESTS the Commission to continue to provide support on the same, and report on the conclusions of domestication to the ordinary session of the Executive Council scheduled for July 2016;

7. REQUESTS the Commission and all other AU Organs, RECs and continental institutions to align their Strategic and Master Plans to the FTYIP and ensure maximum coordination in its implementation, in the spirit of complementarity and subsidiarity;

8. ENCOURAGES Member states and RECs to strengthen national and regional planning systems to drive implementation by establishing national focal points, and for government wide mainstreaming, and domestic resource mobilisation and allocation;

9. RECOGNISES the convergence between Agenda 2063 and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and the work done by the Commission to embed the seventeen (17) SDGs in the FTYIP, and in its results and monitoring and evaluation framework;

10. TAKES NOTE of the following:

i) Progress in the development of the Monitoring, Evaluation and Framework for Agenda 2063, and WELCOMES the measurement framework by the African Statisticians-Generals on the Strategy for Harmonization of Statistics in Africa, for the FTYIP;

ii) The report by the African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF) on ‘The Assessment of Internal and External Risks associated with the implementation of the AU’s Agenda 2063’ and the mitigation strategies proposed therein.

11. REQUESTS the Commission to gather reports from Member states and to present a progress report to the 2nd Bahir Dar Ministerial Follow-up Committee on Agenda 2063 to be held before the next ordinary session of the Executive Council scheduled for July 2016.

c) On Agenda 2063 flagship projects

12. TAKES NOTE of the progress report of the Commission on the flagship projects, and REQUESTS the Commission to fast-track development of the proposals to catalyse implementation of Agenda 2063 and facilitate integration.

d) On capacities for implementation of Agenda 2063

13. TAKES NOTE WITH APPRECIATION of the comprehensive report on Capacities for Implementation of Agenda 2063 by the African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF) commissioned by the Commission;

14. ACKNOWLEDGES the role of ACBF in strengthening African capacities, through its programmes with AU Organs including the Commission, the RECs and Member States and PLEDGES the support of Member States to ensure that ACBF is strengthened, and CALLS ON continental and international partners to continue to provide financial support to ACBF in pursuance of its mandate;

15. CALLS ON Member States to urgently develop a continental initiative on Critical Technical Skills, and to prioritise investments in the development of skills, especially in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) areas, essential for implementing Agenda 2063, including vocational skills and trade technicians, as well as the design and management of large-scale projects.

e) On free movement of people and the African passport

16. WELCOMES the report of the Commission on this issue, including the lessons from countries such as Rwanda, Seychelles, Mauritius, the Islamic Republic of The Gambia and the Regional Economic Communities (RECs) such as the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the East African Community (EAC) and the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) on free movement of people, and the process outlined towards the adoption of a Protocol on Free Movement of People by January 2018;

17. REAFFIRMS its commitment to free movement of people and goods, and of Africans having free access to all AU Member States, as amongst the enduring project of Pan Africanism and African integration, and that its benefits include facilitating tourism, intra-African investments and trade, people to people integration and cooperation, and the circulation and utilization of skills in the continent;

18. URGES all Member States to adopt:

i) Necessary measures to ensure the issuance of Visas on arrival for citizens of AU Member States with the option to stay in a Member State for up to thirty (30) days. NOTING, however, the concerns raised with regards to security and the threat of terrorism and international crime, ACKNOWLEDGES the need to develop parameters to deal with those concerns, and ENCOURAGES all Member States to continue to work with security and intelligence agencies on this and other related matters with a view to availing the facility of issuance of Visas on arrival for citizens of Member States as soon as practically possible;

ii) The process outlined towards the adoption of a Protocol on Free Movement of People by January 2018, which should come into immediate effect in Member States.

19. REQUESTS the Commission to present the ordinary African passport to Heads of State and Government at the next ordinary session of the Assembly scheduled for July 2016 and the passports for other categories such as Foreign Ministers, Heads and staff of AU organs, and Members of the PRC.

f) On tourism and wildlife conservation

20. REQUESTS the Commission, to ensure the following, to achieve the goal of making Africa the preferred tourist destination, of both African and global tourists, and building a strong Brand Africa:

i) Allocation of adequate resources to tourism activities in the Commission budget and mobilise support of all stakeholders in the continent, including international partners like the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO);

ii) The elaboration of a continental Tourism policy and strategy as a priority activity, and mainstreaming of tourism in Agenda 2063 and other AU programmes, and to advocate for greater investment in tourism;

iii) Convene the Ministers responsible for Tourism before the end of 2016 or beginning of 2017 within the framework of the relevant STCs, to review progress and provide guidance.

21. UNDERLINES as follows

i) Wildlife, through ecotourism, is and can be, a source of revenue if properly and sustainably managed;

ii) The importance of conservation as it benefits local communities, including women.

22. DECIDES that poaching, illicit trade in wildlife products and bio-piracy should be vigorously combatted and CALLS FOR a review of the total ban for acceptable social and economic gains.

g) On the comparative study on the African Union working methods and streamlining business of Summits

23. TAKES NOTE of the Report on the Comparative Study on the Working Methods of the African Union (AU) and the Streamlining of the AU Summits and ENDORSES the recommendations contained therein;

24. URGES Member States to:

i) Expedite the ratification of the revised Protocol on the Pan-African Parliament (PAP) adopted in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea in June 2014 in order for its speedy entry into force and REQUESTS the Commission to distribute the Malabo Protocol to Member States after the Retreat;

ii) Implement in collaboration with the Commission, the Assembly decisions on the working methods of the AU.

25. REQUESTS the Commission to establish an internal Technical Committee to study the recommendations contained in the study and facilitate implementation of Decision 582 (XXV) adopted by the 25th Ordinary Session of the Assembly in Johannesburg, South Africa in June 2015 and report to the next ordinary session of the Executive Council through the Ministerial Follow-Up Committee on the Implementation of Agenda 2063.

h) On the renewal of the mandate of the Bahir Dar Ministerial Follow-up Committee on Agenda 2063

26. RECALLS the decision of the Executive Council endorsed by the Assembly on the 1st Bahir Dar Ministerial Follow-up Committee, composed of Cameroon (Central), Rwanda (East), Algeria (North), Angola (South) and Ghana (West), the outgoing and incoming Chairpersons of the Executive Council, namely Zimbabwe and Chad as well as the AU Commission Chairperson, the Chairpersons and Executive Secretaries of the 8 RECs, the CEO of the NEPAD Planning and Coordination Agency, the Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) and the President of the AfDB, that the membership be renewed every two (2) years to allow for rotation and regional balance;

27. ENDORSES the Mekele Retreat recommendation for membership of the 2nd Bahir Dar Ministerial Follow-up Committee as follows: the five (5) rotating regional representatives are Cameroon (Central), Rwanda (East), Algeria (North), Namibia (South) and Burkina Faso (West). The other Members of the Committee shall remain as listed in the above paragraph 26.

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