Decision on the Report of Heads of State and Government Implementation Committee on NEPAD - Doc assembly/ AU/12 (XII)

DECISION ON THE REPORT OF HEADS OF STATE AND GOVERNMENT
IMPLEMENTATION COMMITTEE ON NEPAD

Assembly/AU/12(XII)

The Assembly:

1. TAKES NOTE WITH APPRECIATION the report by the Chairperson of the NEPAD Heads of State and Government Implementation Committee, H.E. Meles Zenawi, Prime Minister of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia;

2. ENDOERSES the conclusion of the 20^th NEPAD HSGIC Summit;

3. RE-AFFIRMS the 13-point conclusion of the Algeries NEPAD Brainstorming Summit of March 2007, subsequently reinforced by the outcomes of the Dakar NEPAD Review Summit of April 2008 and FURTHER REITERATES that the Algiers and Dakar outcomes constitute the basis and roadmap for AU/NEPAD Integration, with the necessary flexibilities as underlined in the 2003 Maputo AU Assembly decision;

4. WELCOMES the commencement of the Study on the structure and profile of the incoming NEPAD Authority following the appointment of the Consultant in December 2008;

5. RE-EMPHASIZES the need for the Consultancy-Study, to be guided, in particular, by the Algiers and Dakar Outcomes and AGREES that the Consultant’s Draft Report and Recommendations on AU/NEPAD Integration should be circulated to all AU/NEPAD governance structures, for consideration, to ensure broad and adequate consultation, before submission to the Assembly, for final pronouncement;

6. REITERATES that the NEPAD vision and its program, from inception, has been an intrinsic part of the African Union System and should remain so, and CALLS UPON the African Union Commission and NEPAD Secretariat to harmonize their work programs and smoothen working relations in the interim period leading to integration;

7. NOTES the urgency of an early conclusion of the integration process and AGREES that the whole process of Integration of NEPAD into the Structures and Processes of the African Union, should be completed prior to the next 13^th Assembly in June/July 2009;

8. URGES all Member States, who are yet to submit their suggestions on the structure and profile of the NEPAD Authority to the African Union Commission, to do so as soon as possible;

9. WELCOMES and ENDORSES the appointment of Dr. Ibrahim Hassan Mayaki of the Republic of Niger as the new Chief Executive Officer for NEPAD Secretariat in line with the 10^th African Union Assembly decision of January 2008 and ENTRUSTS him with the mandate to lead the transformation of the NEPAD Secretariat into the NEPAD Authority;

10. WELCOMES the singing of the Host Agreement for the NEPAD Secretariat in October 2008 and COMMENDS the South African Government and African Union Commission for facilitating the conclusion of the Agreement, which grants legal status to the Secretariat as an international organization in South Africa WHILE URGING the promote and smooth implementation of the Agreement;

11. DECIDES that the NEPAD Secretariat will, henceforth, use the African Union emblem, concurrently with the NEPAD Emblem in all documentation, so as to retain the brand identity of NEPAD and the existing reporting structures of the Secretariat, pending the final determination on the NEPAD Authority;

12. APPEALS to all Member States to continue to donate generously towards the budget of the NEPAD Secretariat in the transition period to integration, to enable it continue to perform its programmatic operations, and STRONGLY URGES Member States who are yet to fulfill their pledged contributions made at the January 2008 10^th AU Assembly, to do so;

13. EMPASIZES and DIRECTS the Consultancy-Study on the NEPAD Authority to recommend and identify effective, innovative and sustainable funding mechanisms and sources for the NEPAD Authority;

14. AGREES on the need for continued interaction and strengthened engagement with the G8/OECD Partner Countries, UNDERSCORING the essence of institutionalizing the Follow-Up Mechanism, which was agreed to at the 2008 Hokkaido Toyoda G8 Summit in Japan, as a means of stimulating better G8-Africa Outreach engagement; and PROPOSES that Africa’s representation and agenda at upcoming G8-Africa Outreach should reflect a systemized and institutionalized arrangement;

15. NOTES the 2008 Report on the Mutual Review of development Effectiveness (MRDE), jointly produced by the UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), as presented by the Executive Secretary of the UN­ECA, Mr. Abdoulie Janneh and REQUESTS Member States to study the Report and offer their views to the African Union Commission and NEPAD Secretariat, for discussion at the next NEPAD Summit;

16. EXPRESSES appreciation to the Acting Chief Executive Officer of the NEPAD Secretariat, Ambassador Olukorede Willoughby and Dr. Hesphina Rukato, Deputy Chief Executive Officer, comprising the interim management team, for their dedication and diligence in leading the Secretariat for the past one year.