The 30th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the African Union…
The week-long 30th African Union Summit, held in Addis Ababa, January 22-29, under the theme, “Winning the fight against corruption: A sustainable path to Africa’s Transformation”, was an eventful summit. It hosted leaders of African Heads of State and Government and other dignitaries as well as leading international organizations, including the United Nations and the European Union. It also provided the opportunity for the world’s three leading intergovernmental organizations, the African Union, the United Nations and the European Union, to rekindle multilateral and multispectral partnerships. UN Secretary General António Guterres noted: “The United Nations-African Union partnership on peace and security is fundamental to building a safer world for all.”
The two-day Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the African Union, of the Heads of State and Government, opened on Sunday (January 28). The Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, and UN Secretary General, António Guterres, made opening addresses, focusing principally on the threats endangering the very fabric of global peace and international security, and the need to renew partnerships at various levels, both regionally and internationally. Moussa Faki said: “Our Summit is being held within a context marked not only by the acute challenges facing our Continent but also by the uncertainties weighing heavily on the international system.” He expressed his concerns about a declining culture of multilateralism among nation states, including members of the African Union. He said the Summit was convening “at a time when multilateralism is in serious decline, even though its principles seemed to be built on solid foundations.” The Chairperson of the AU Commission also expressed his concerns about the looming threat of global uncertainties, terrorism, fluctuating economic conditions of the Continent, and trans-Mediterranean migration of Africans, as well as illicit capital flows out of Africa and corruption and the seemingly never-ending civil wars in various regions of the Continent. Concerned by “the internal trials and tribulations that Africa is going through”, the Chairperson urged the Union and the international community to renew their “commitment to the values of solidarity, tolerance and mutual respect.”
In the same time, the Chairperson underlined the positive progress being made across the Continent. He expressed his appreciation on the accomplishments registered in the successful completion of the first round of negotiations on the Continental Free Trade Area (CFTA) and the immense advantages the Single Market for Air Transport in Africa (SMATA) could provide for development of the continent. He stressed the need for the adoption by the Summit of the Protocol on Free Movement of Persons and the African Passport (PFMPAP), to facilitate the “free movement of peoples and goods” within and out of Africa. He also underlined the urgent need to further bolster the ongoing efforts at bringing about peace and stability in Somalia through AMISOM, in South Sudan by IGAD, in Burundi, the DRC (with the New Year’s Eve Agreement), in the Central African Republic under the African Initiative for Peace and Reconciliation, and Mali with the G5 Sahel Joint Force.
UN Secretary General Guterres underlined the intention behind attendance at this year’s Summit. He was in Addis Ababa “to seek opportunities to deepen our strategic partnership”. He extolled “Africa as a continent of resilience and hope.” Focusing on still nascent formal partnership between the UN and the AU, Mr. Guterres, commended the improving UN-AU relationship, describing the UN as having entered “a new era of partnership with Africa.” Expressing his gratitude to African nations for their unrelenting support to the maintenance of peace and stability on the globe, the Secretary General lauded the prominent role they played “in contributing troops and police to help save lives and keep the peace around the world.” He said the UN stood alongside the AU in catalyzing the peace processes in places like the Central African Republic and South Sudan. Mr. Guterres, underlining ever-growing and expanding scope of diverse UN-AU partnerships, affirmed that the United Nations-African Union partnership on peace and security was “fundamental to building a safer world for all.” Further acknowledging the strong bond of solidarity between the two institutions, he assured the Assembly of the Union that this also “rooted in solutions that are Africa-owned, Africa-driven and Africa-led.” Concluding, the UN Secretary General, while stressing the sustainable role Africa played in peacekeeping missions around the world, emphasized that “UN peacekeeping is not the solution to all crisis situations.” He said that peace in the Sahel, as in Somalia and the Lake Chad Basin, was a global good, and, indeed, “The world should invest in it.”
The 30th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the Union was concluded on Monday (January 29) with the Assembly of Heads of State and Government passing key decisions, on various flagship projects of Agenda 2063. These included the coming into effect of the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM) which will further cement “enhanced connectivity across the continent leading to sustainable development of the aviation and tourism industry with immense contribution to economic growth, job creation, prosperity and integration of Africa”. The Assembly agreed to hold an Extraordinary Summit on March 21, preceded by an Extraordinary Session of the Executive Council on March 19, in Kigali, Rwanda, to consider the Continental Free Trade Area legal instruments and sign the Agreement Establishing the CFTA. Other decisions included the adoption of a protocol to the Treaty Establishing the African Economic Community (AEC) relating to Free Movement of Persons, Rights of Residence and Right of Establishment and its Draft Implementation Roadmap; and the expansion of the membership of the Committee of Ministers of Finance, concerned with the financing of the Union, from ten to fifteen members on the basis of equitable geographical distribution and rotation.
Much was also achieved on the margins of the Summit in bilateral meetings and High-level Fora including breakfast meetings to discuss aspects of AU policy as well as meetings of AU organizations such as the Organization of African First Ladies Against HIV/AIDS (OAFLA) or the New Economic Policy for African Development (NEPAD).
******************
…A Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM) is established…
The African Union Commission launched the first AU Agenda 2063 Flagship project, the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM) on Monday (January 29) – nearly two decades after the adoption of the 1999 Yamoussoukro Decision. So far, 23 African countries have subscribed to the Single African Air Transport Market; 44 African countries have signed the Yamoussoukro Decision.
Speaking ahead of the launch event, Dr. Amani Abou-Zeid, AU Commissioner for Infrastructure and Energy, said: “With preparations continuing on schedule, the launch of the Single African Air Transport Market will spur more opportunities to promote trade, cross-border investments in the production and service industries, including tourism.” He added: “This will result in the creation of an additional 300,000 direct and two million indirect jobs, contributing immensely to the integration and socio-economic growth of the continent.” The Commissioner stated the aviation industry currently supported eight million jobs in Africa, and SAATM was created with the aim of enhancing connectivity, facilitating trade and tourism, creating employment, and ensuring that the industry played a more prominent role in the global economy as well as significantly contributing to the AU’s Agenda 2063.
Following the launch, the Ethiopian government vowed its backing for SAATM. The Ministry of Transport and the Ethiopian Airlines Group, in a joint press conference on Tuesday, announced their full support towards realization of AU’s “single African skies initiative.” Minister of Transport, Ahmed Shide, said the initiative would “pave the way for other flagship projects such as the free trade area and the free movement of people.” The Minister noted that Ethiopia had always been one of the pioneers in promoting free skies in Africa and it was also one of the 11 champion countries that declared their commitment to establishing a single African air transport market. The launch of SAATM would be expected to spur more opportunities to promote trade, cross-border investments in the production and service industries including tourism.
The Minister stressed that the realization of SAATM would be attained through the immediate implementation of the 1999 Yamoussoukro Decision, offering full liberalization of intra-African air transport services in terms of access, capacity and frequency. He also stressed the realization of SAATM was vital to the achievement of the long-term vision of an integrated, prosperous and peaceful Africa, AU’s Agenda 2063. Tewolde Gebremariam, CEO of Ethiopian Airlines Group, dubbed the initiative as a “huge milestone for the continent.” Noting the intra-Africa trade only provides 20% of the total continental trade, Ato Tewolde stressed that African countries “need to integrate, trade and invest cross border investments among each other.” He underlined that, air connectivity was the economic engine that would help augment the tourism, trade and other important sectors in the African continent.
******************
…Leaders and Stakeholders urge meaningful actions to end hunger by 2025…
An urgent call for action to bring hunger on the continent to an end by 2025 was made at the High-Level Forum under the theme “Renewed Partnership to End Hunger in Africa by 2025”, hosted by the African Union Commission in partnership with the Government of Ethiopia with the support of FAO and ECA, on Sunday (January 28). Among those attending were AU Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture, Josefa Leonel Correa Sacko; Mr. José Graziano da Silva, Director General of FAO;; Dr. Gilbert Houngbo, President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Chairperson of the Africa Risk Capacity Board; Ahmed Aboul Gheit, Secretary-General of the League of Arab States; as well as leaders of development agencies and financial institutions, Ministers of Agriculture, leaders of civil society organizations and the private sector.
The Forum presented the results of the progress made in the Implementation of the AU Malabo Declaration with particular emphasis on Commitment 3: Ending Hunger in Africa by 2025. Participants identified areas of success, as well as specific areas that need to be strengthened both at national and regional levels to drive actions towards the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and particularly the eradication of hunger. The inaugural Malabo Declaration Biennial Report revealed that the continent was “not on track” with regard to ending hunger indicators. Its score for 2017 was only 1.62, compared to a benchmark of 3.17. The UN State of Food Insecurity Report agreed, showing there was no more that “slow progress” toward achieving food security and nutrition indicators.
Alpha Condé, President of Guinea, outgoing AU Chairman, opened the forum and called on African countries and partners to harmonize their programs and create food hubs to ensure that food is available, accessible and affordable by all in the right quality. In a key note speech, Prime Minister Hailemariam, AU Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Program (CAADP) Champion, reiterated that ending hunger required a multi-sectoral and integrated approach. He noted, “As Africans, we should exercise our freedom to make policies and strategies that will make us achieve the different goals we set in the Agenda 2063, the CAADP/Malabo Declaration, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and specifically the “No Poverty” and “Zero Hunger” by 2030 goals.”
UN Secretary-General Guterres underlined the threat to agricultural and livestock productivity, largely due to conflict and climate change, stressing: “Climatic shocks, environmental degradation, crop and livestock price collapse and conflict are all interlinked”. He urged governments to adopt national agricultural policies and investment plans that focus not only on agricultural sector development but also on poverty, hunger, and resilience to climate change. He said: “Climate change adaptation should be promoted as an integral part of conflict prevention, with special attention to sustainable agriculture and pastoralist and semi-pastoralist livelihoods.”
At the conclusion of the meeting, attendees agreed on a joint communiqué spelling out a 10-point action plan for AU Member States to renew their commitment to ending hunger in Africa by 2025. It included substantial investment in sustainable agriculture and the establishing of extensive social protection programs.
******************
