communique-of-the-674th-psc-military-staff-committee-eng.pdf

AFRICAN UNION

<A/ii juni

UNION AFRICAINE

UNIAO AFRICANA

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, P.O. Box: 3243 Tel.: (251-11) 551 7700 Fax: (251-11) 5519 321

Email: situationroom@africa-union.org

PEACE AND SECURITY COUNCIL 674™ MEETING

ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA

31 MARCH 2017

PSC/PR/COMM.(DCLXXIV)

Page 1 COMMUNIQUE

The Peace and Security Council (PSC) of the African Union (AU), at its 674^th meeting held on 31 March 2017, considered the challenges preventing the functioning of the PSC Military Staff Committee and adopted the following decision:

Council:

1. Commends the Military Staff Committee for convening, on 20 March 2017, its 9th meeting pursuant to a decision of Council adopted at its 666^th meeting held on 16 March 2017 in which Council decided to immediately re-activate all its subsidiary bodies/sub-committees. Council also commends the Military Staff Committee for adopting important recommendations, which will go a long way in further enhancing the capacity of the Military Staff Committee to more effectively discharge its mandate;

2. Acknowledges the challenges that were preventing, for a long time, the functioning of the PSC Military Staff Committee;

3. Recalls Article 5.2(h) of the Protocol Relating to the Establishment of the Peace and Security Council, which requires PSC Member States to have sufficiently staffed and equipped Permanent Missions at the Headquarters of the Union and the United Nations, in order for them to be able to shoulder the responsibilities which go with membership. In this regard, Council underlines the importance of all PSC Member States, currently without Defence Attaches, to ensure that they have Defence Attaches as integral components of their respective delegations in Addis Ababa;

4. Reiterates that the Rules of Procedure of the PSC shall apply mutatis-mutandis to the PSC Military Staff Committee and other PSC subsidiary bodies/sub-committees. In this context, Council looks forward to consider and adopt, as soon as possible, the Generic Terms of Reference for all PSC subsidiary bodies/ sub-committees;

5. Stresses the importance of close collaboration between the Military Staff Committee and the AU Commission's Peace and Security Department, particularly, the Peace Support Operations Division;

6. Also stresses the importance of the Military Staff Committee to forge close working relations with all other relevant structures of the Union, particularly the Specialized Technical Committee on Defence, Safety and Security;

7. Decides to adopt the report of the 9^th meeting of the PSC Military Staff Committee held on 20 March 2017;

8. Decides to remain actively seized of the matter.

Page 1