DECISION ON THE 2016 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE
CHAIRPERSON OF THE AU COMMISSION
Doc. EX.CL/994(XXX)
The Executive Council,
1. TAKES NOTE of the Report of the Commission for the Period January to December 2016 and the observations and comments made by the Member States;
2. EXPRESSES APPRECIATION to the outgoing Commission for its sterling contributions towards the realization of the goals and objectives of the Union;
3. COMMENDS the Commission for its efforts so far in the implementation of Agenda 2063 and its First Ten-Year Implementation Plan, and CALLS UPON the Chairperson of the Commission to utilize the resources available to speed up the implementation process;
4. CALLS UPON all Member States to fully support the action initiated by the Government of the Republic of Mauritius at the level of the United Nations General Assembly with a view to ensuring the completion of the decolonization of the Republic of Mauritius and enabling the Republic of Mauritius to effectively exercise its sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago, including Diego Garcia;
5. ALSO CALLS UPON all Member States to participate at the African Economic Platform scheduled to take place on 20-22 March 2017 in the Mauritius.
6. DIRECTS the Commission to:
i) Transform the “Annual Report on Activities of the Commission” to an “Annual Report on the Activities of the Union and its Organs” as provided for in Article 8 (1 )(t) of the Statutes of the Commission;
ii) Broaden the Indicators of the Gender Score Card for more inclusiveness;
iii) Prepare and submit a Progress Report on the implementation of the 2016 AU Theme: “The African Year of Human Rights with particular focus on the Rights of Women”;
iv) Expedite the establishment of the High Level Panel of Eminent Persons to champion the fast tracking of the Continental Free Trade Area (CFTA);
v) Develop a roadmap for the implementation of the Campaign to “Relegate the Handheld Hoe to the Museum” by 2025.
A. ON EXTENDING THE TERM OF THE CURRENT AU CHAMPION ON NUTRITION
7. ACKNOWLEDGES and COMMENDS the role of His Majesty King Letsie III of the Kingdom of Lesotho as AU Champion on Nutrition from 2014-2016;
8. NOTES that, in the light of the ambitious targets of the Ten Year Implementation Plan of Agenda 2063 on Hunger and Nutrition, there is a need for continuous advocacy on programmes in this area;
9. RECOMMENDS to the Assembly that the mandate of His Majesty King Letsie III, of the Kingdom of Lesotho as the AU Nutrition Champion be extended from January 2017 to January 2020.
B. ON IMPLEMENTATION OF THE SENDAI FRAMEWORK FOR DISASTER RISK REDUCTION IN AFRICA
10. TAKES NOTE of the Report of the Fifth High-level Meeting and the Sixth Session of the Africa Regional Platform on Disaster Risk Reduction held in Balaclava, in the Republic of Mauritius from 22-25 November 2016 and ENDORSES the recommendations contained therein;
11. ENDORSES the Programme of Action for the Implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 in Africa, and The ‘Mauritius Declaration on the Implementation of the Sendai Framework in Africa’;
12. REQUESTS the Commission in consultation with Member States and the Regional Economic Communities (RECs) to develop an Africa Position for the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction, scheduled to take place in Cancun, Mexico in May 2017.
C. ON GRANTING THE PAN AFRICAN WOMEN’S ORGANISATION (PAWO) AND THE AFRICAN CAPACITY BUILDING FOUNDATION (ACBF) STATUS OF SPECIALISED AGENCY OF THE AU
13. NOTES that the Pan African Women’s Organization (PAWO) is one of the first Pan African Organizations, established in 1962, and which played a critical role in mobilizing women in the struggles against colonialism and apartheid, in the development of the continent and the building of a non-sexist Africa;
14. APPRECIATES the continued role of the PAWO in the mobilization of women and men for the implementation of Agenda 2063, and for women and girls empowerment;
15. FURTHER NOTES the innovative and cutting edge support on capacity development provided by the African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF) in Africa, including the pivotal role in helping the Commission define the capacity imperatives for Agenda 2063;
16. RECOGNISES the role of ACBF in establishing a strong accountability framework and coordinated platform for capacity development interventions on the continent;
17. RECOMMENDS, that the Summit agrees to grant specialized agency status to the Pan African Women’s Organization (PAWO), the African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF);
18. REQUESTS the Commission to carry out an assessment of the legal, structural and financial implications, as well as definition of criteria to grant the status of Specialized Agency to organizations, and submit a report to the Executive Council through the PRC in July 2017 Summit.