12th AU Summit Decisions Summary
12 February 2009
12th Ordinary Summit of the AU Heads of State and Government ends today in Addis Ababa
Addis Ababa 4 February 2008 - The 12th Ordinary Summit of the AU Heads of State and Government ended in Addis Ababa on 4 February 2009. The Summit concluded with the adoption of the Assembly decisions and declarations to guide the AU forward.
Below are the highlights of some of the main decisions of the Assembly.
Dates and venue of the 13th ordinary session
The Assembly welcomed the offer by the Republic of Madagascar to host the 13th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the African Union in Antananarivo, Madagascar; and decided that the dates of the ordinary sessions of the Assembly will be as follows: 18th Ordinary Session of the Permanent Representatives Committee: 24-25 June 2009; 17th Ordinary Session of the Executive Council: 28-29 June 2009; 13th Ordinary Session of the Assembly: 1-3 July 2009.
Themes of July 2009 and January 2010 sessions of the assembly
The themes of the thirteenth and fourteenth Ordinary Sessions of the Assembly scheduled respectively for July 2009 and January 2010 will be as follows: Thirteenth Ordinary Session of the Assembly: "Investing in Agriculture for Economic Growth and Food Security" Fourteenth Ordinary Session of the Assembly: "Information and Communication Technologies in Africa: Challenges and Prospects for Development".
Statute of AUC on international law
On the issue of the statute of the AU Commission on international law, the Assembly requested the Commission to take all the necessary measures so as to ensure that the first members of the Commission on International Law are elected in July 2009, to facilitate early operationalisation of AUCIL.
Charter of statestics
Regarding the African Charter of Statistics, the Assembly called on Member States to sign the Charter as expeditiously as possible and thus provide a regulatory framework for statistics development on the Continent.
African Diaspora Summit
The Assembly noted the postponement of the African Diaspora Summit and requested Member States, leaders of the Caribbean Community and South America as well as all other states with a significant African Diaspora population to continue to support and Division of Communication and Information. African Union Commission E mail: dinfo@africa-union.org Fax 251 11 5511299 participate in the process leading up to the African Diaspora Summit; It further requested the Commission to ensure that the process of organizing Regional Consultative Conferences (RCCs) continues.
Abuse of the principle of Universal Juridiction
Regarding the implementation of the Assembly decision on the abuse of the principle of universal jurisdiction, the Assembly expressed its regret that in spite of its previous Summit decision calling for a moratorium and whilst the African Union (AU) and the European Union (EU) were already in discussion to find a durable solution to this issue, a warrant of arrest was executed against Mrs Rose Kabuye, Chief of Protocol to the President of the Republic of Rwanda, thereby creating tension between the AU and the EU. It requested the Chairperson of the African Union to ensure that the issue is exhaustively discussed at the level of the UN Security Council and the UN General Assembly.
Alternative sources of financing for the AU
The Assembly requested the Commission to take into account the recommendations put forward by Member States in a new study on alternative sources of financing for the AU and present the new document to the Extraordinary Session of African Ministers of Economy and Finance to be held in November 2009. It also requested the Commission to present the outcomes of the Extraordinary Session of CAMEF to the Assembly of the Union to be held in January 2010.
Micro finance in Africa
Regarding the development of a roadmap and plan of action for micro finance in Africa, the Assembly requested the Commission to deepen the study on the development of the roadmap and draw from Member States' experiences in this area. It requested the Commission to undertake feasibility study on the creation of a Guarantee Fund for development of micro-finance in Africa.
Promotion of maternal, infant and child health
On the report of the implementation status of the decision on promotion of maternal, infant and child health and development in Africa, the Assembly called upon the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), other relevant United Nations Agencies and Africa's development partners, including the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), to support the Commission's efforts in the promotion of maternal, infant and child health;
Financial and economic crisis
The Assembly discussed the financial and economic crisis and the negotiations on the reform of the international financial system. After deliberations, the Assembly took note of the decision of the Conference to constitute a Committee of ten (10) Ministers and Central Bank Governors (Committee of Ten), representing the five (5) regions of the African Union (AU), to monitor the unfolding trends of the financial and economic crisis, provide regular updated data, comprehensive information and analysis, proffer advice to the AU, the Regional Economic Communities (RECs) and Member States, and make proposals on how best to contribute to the deliberations on the economic and social impact of the international financial crisis and measures to mitigate the crisis, and report accordingly to the Assembly.
Division of Communication and Information. African Union Commission E mail: dinfo@africa-union.org Fax 251 11 5511299 The Assembly urged Member States, to speed up the establishment of the three AU financial institutions. It also expressed support for the G20 initiative to set up working groups on the themes of negotiations for the urgent reform of the international financial system and requested that the Commission be associated with all the processes established to work out this reform and ensure the implementation of a new international, economic and financial order.
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