AU's 36th Summit next month in Ethiopia
The 2023 African Union Summit will be held from the 15th to 19th of February 2023 at the AU Headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, the Information and Communication Directorate (ICD) of the African Union Commission (AUC) has announced.
Comoros is expected to assume for the first time the chairmanship of the African Union in 2023 as Senegal’s mandate comes to end this month. The island nation takes the new role after the contender Kenya reportedly pulled out its bid.
President Azali Assoumani and his Kenyan counterpart William Ruto had been separately lobbying for the top post, according to media reports. Assoumani will take over from Senegal’s Macky Sall who took the mantle in February from Democratic Republic of Congo’s Felix Tshisekedi.
Last year, during the 35th Summit, member states acknowledged the continued technical support by the AU Border Programme to Member States to peacefully resolve border disputes.
The Summit encouraged Member States to continue taking full advantage of the AUBP as an effective conflict prevention tool and to contribute towards the mobilisation of the required resources in order to enable the programme to discharge its mandate effectively.
The Summit welcomed the modest progress achieved in the operationalisation of the African Standby Force (ASF), and the adoption of the AU Doctrine on Peace Support Operations, and urged Member States to expedite the full operationalisation of the Continental and Regional Logistics bases.
It further commended Member States that have pledged strategic lift capabilities for the ASF and encouraged others to also pledge additional capabilities.
The Summit also noted the finalisation of the AU Action Plan for the Promotion and Protection of Human and People Rights for Africa (2021-2030) by the Commission, to significantly foster the promotion of a culture of respect for human and peoples’ rights, including in epidemic and pandemic contexts, as provided for in the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
It reaffirmed the Commission’s commendation for the continued support to Member States emerging from conflicts and those in transition, including the launching of a post-conflict reconstruction and development (PCRD) Awareness Week in November 2021, to be observed annually throughout the Continent.
It endorsed its institutionalisation and regularisation; The summit noted with satisfaction of the progress made with regard to the fully operationalisation of the Revitalised AU Peace Fund, and the contributions made by Member States to the Fund, as well as the status of the endowment.
According to the schedule for the meetings, from the 16th to the 27th January 2023 there will be the 45th Ordinary Session of the PRC (Ambassadors); from the 15th to the 16th February 2023, the 42nd Ordinary Session of the Executive Council (Ministerial Session); and from the 18th to the 19th of February 2023 the continent will hold the 36th ordinary Session of the AU Assembly (Heads of State and Government Session).