11th AU Summit: Key Issues of the Agenda
The 11th Summit of the African Union will be held in Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt under the theme of “Meeting the Millennium Development Goals on Water and Sanitation’’. The first important dossier of this new AUC is to manage the discussion on the outcome of the Audit of the African Union that strongly recommended the strengthening of the commission. On the agenda will be also:
The Union Government of Africa
At the last Summit held in Addis Ababa, a Presidential Committee composed by 12 Heads of States was created to make recommendation on how to move the Union Government process forwards. The is composed by Tanzania (current Chair of the AU), Ghana (immediate passed Chair of the AU), Botswana, Cameroon, Gabon, Egypt Ethiopia, Libya, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, and Uganda. This committee will meet in Arusha, Tanzania on the 22, 23 May 2008 and will recommend a decision to the Assembly. The Committee will be working on the base of the previous TOR of the Committee of 10 Foreign Ministers nominated in Accra (July 2007) and will be building on previous work done.
Peace and Security
The Heads of State will consider a report of the Peace and Security Council (PSC) on the state of peace and security in Africa. This report will be focusing mostly on the ongoing situations in Darfur, Somalia and Zimbabwe among others. The Assembly may decide to have a PSC meeting in the margin of the Summit on Darfur and or Somalia. This Summit will be also examining the Operationalisation of the African Standby Force as part of the AU peace and security Architecture. According to current planning, the ASF should be operationalized by 2010 in each of the 5 geographical region of the continent but indicators show that this deadline may not be meet.
Effective Social policy Framework in Africa
It’s expected that the Summit will approve a Comprehensive Social Policy Framework for the continent.
Other issues on the Agenda or likely to be discussed
- Merging of the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights and t the Court of Justice
- Election of Member of the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child
- Election of members of the African Court on Human and People Rights
