Decision on Financing the Union

DECISION ON FINANCING THE UNION

The Assembly,

1. TAKES NOTE of the recommendations contained in the report of the meeting of the Committee of Fifteen Ministers of Finance (F15), held on 6^th February 2019 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia;

2. RECALLS Decision Assembly/AU/Dec.605(XXVII), adopted at the 27^th Ordinary Session held in Kigali, Rwanda, in July 2016, which decided:

1. to institute and implement a 0.2 % levy on all eligible imported goods into the Continent to finance the African Union Operational, Program and Peace Support Operations Budgets starting from the year 2017; and

2. to establish a Committee of Ministers of Finance, comprising [ten] Member States, representing the five (5) regions, expanded further to fifteen [three per region], to participate in the preparation of the annual budget.

3. ALSO RECALLS Decision AU/Dec.635(XXVIII), adopted at the 28^th Ordinary Session held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in January 2017, which emphasized that the Kigali Decision on Financing of the Union (Assembly/AU/Dec.605(XXVII)) should be implemented in full and without undue delay, and COMMENDS Member States implementing the 0.2% import levy;

4. ALSO COMMENDS the Commission for the speedy progress with regards to the implementation of the Golden Rules establishing clear financial management and accountability principles;

5. MANDATES the Commission to do the following:

1. provide technical support to Member States in accelerating the implementation of the 0.2% levy;

2. facilitate the involvement of the F15 in the consideration of the annual audit report of the Union;

3. facilitate a retreat of the F15 to assess mechanisms on its working methods as well as consider modalities on how it can accelerate the implementation of decisions on Financing of the Union;

4. strengthen the Secretariat of the Financing of the Union with a view of providing adequate support to the F15 and Member States.

6. AFFIRMS that Member States, while implementing this Decision, will be availed flexibility in fulfilling their obligations, as per their constitutional provisions and national laws, in accordance with Rule 33 of the Rules of Procedure of the Assembly of the Union.