Decision on the Reports of the Specialised Technical Committees (STCs)

DECISION ON THE REPORTS OF THE SPECIALISED
TECHNICAL COMMITTEES (STCs)

The Executive Council,

1. TAKES NOTE of the Reports of the Specialized Technical Committees (STCs);

2. DECIDES that a single report template should apply to all STC reports;

3. NOTES WITH CONCERN the numerous proposals by STCs for the establishment of new bodies without submitting their financial, legal and structural implications and DECIDES on a moratorium on any initiatives by STCs thereof;

4. REQUESTS the Commission to circulate comprehensive information, in a timely manner, on convening STC sessions in order for Member States to take measures towards participation in the STC sessions to ensure the attainment of quorum and ownership of outcomes;

5. URGES STCs to streamline proclamation of commemorative Days to avoid proliferation;

6. DIRECTS the Commission to fulfil its mandate of coordinating, preparing and holding of all STCs to ensure that meetings are held timely and regularly;

7. ALSO DIRECTS the Commission to fulfil its mandate of providing legal advice to all STCs meetings to ensure memory and consistency of decisions;

I. THE 11th ORDINARY SESSION OF THE STC ON DEFENSE, SAFETY AND SECURITY, 8-12 OCTOBER 2018, ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA - Doc. EX.CL/1105(XXXIV)

8. TAKES NOTE of the Declaration of the 11th Ordinary Session of the STC on Defense, Safety and Security held from 8 to 12 October 2018, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia;

9. RECOMMENDS that the Assembly adopt the two policies for Peace Support Operations (PSOs) as annexed to the Declaration referred to in paragraph 8 above to be implemented by all Member States;

10. RECOMMENDS the Declaration to the Assembly for consideration and adoption;

II. THE 3rd ORDINARY SESSION OF THE STC ON YOUTH, CULTURE AND SPORTS, 21-25 OCTOBER 2018, ALGIERS, ALGERIA - Doc. EX.CL/1106(XXXIV)

11. WELCOMES the successful holding of the 3rd STC-YCS from 21 to 25 October 2018 in Algiers, Algeria, and ADOPTS the recommendations of the session;

A. On Culture and Sports

12. ADOPTS the following:

i) The International Day of “African and Afro Descendant Culture” to be celebrated by African Union Member States and the Diaspora annually on 24 January, and REQUESTS the Republic of Mali to work with the African Union Commission to identify the theme of the year of the International Day of African and Afro Descendant Culture to be transmitted to Member States2;

ii) The Algiers’ Call to Action on Heritage in Africa and CALLS UPON the Republic of South Africa to broaden the consultation on the process and include the UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage 2003 in relation to languages and category II centres and WELCOMES the establishment of a category II centres for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Africa (CRESPIAF) in Algiers under the auspices of UNESCO;

iii) The Plan of Action for the African Decade on Technical, Professional, Entrepreneurial Training and Youth Employment and requests Member States to avail resources to fully implement the Decade Plan of Action and to integrate it into their respective TVET and Youth Employment Plans;

iv) The Implementation Guide of the Charter for African Cultural Renaissance, HAILS the efforts of the Champions of the Charter for African Cultural Renaissance, African Union Commission and the Observatory of Cultural Policies of Africa (OCPA) in developing a pedagogical tool which will guide Member States in the Implementation of the Charter and CALLS UPON the Member States that have not yet ratified the Charter for African Cultural Renaissance to expedite their ratification processes;

v) The “African Para Games” as an official qualification multi-sport event for the African Para athletes every four years in the lead up of the Paralympic Games and ENCOURAGES Member States to volunteer to host the first Edition of the African Para-Games in the first quarter of 2020;

B. On the African Plan of Action for Youth Empowerment (APAYE)

13. CALLS UPON the Commission, in collaboration with partners, to accelerate the development of the African Plan of Action for Youth Empowerment (APAYE) towards the implementation of Agenda 2063, and the AU Demographic Dividend Roadmap and support Member States in its implementation;

14. ALSO CALLS UPON Member States to submit biennial report on youth development, in line with the standardized African Youth Charter indicators and data collection tools, towards the development of the Status of African Youth Report;

C. On Promoting Youth Volunteerism and Exchange Programs in Africa

15. CALLS UPON the Commission to develop a guiding framework to define minimum standards for volunteerism in Africa that will strengthen Member States commitment to promoting youth volunteerism and exchange initiatives on the continent through increased finance, partnerships and reporting;

D. On Youth Connekt Africa

16. REQUESTS the Commission, in collaboration with the Government of Rwanda and relevant partners, to establish Youth Connekt Africa as a continental initiative that promotes youth linkages and knowledge sharing. The initiative will be led by an administrative hub hosted by a Member State;

E. On the African Games

17. ENDORSES the offer by the Kingdom of Morocco to host the 2019 African Games and DECIDES that, in accordance with article 7 of the Rules of the African Games, that all Member States of the African Union will be invited by the local organizing committee, the COJA, to participate in the Games on the instructions of the AU Sports Council without conditions3.

18. ALSO ENDORSES the offer by the Republic of Ghana to host the 2023 African Games;

19. REQUESTS the Commission to submit the structure of any proposed body to be established to the relevant PRC Sub-Committees taking into account the relevant structural, financial and legal implications as well as the ongoing reform process of the Union;

III. THE 1st EXTRAORDINARY SESSION OF THE STC ON MIGRATION, REFUGEES AND IDPs, 29 OCTOBER - 3 NOVEMBER 2018, EQUATORIAL GUINEA, MALABO - Doc. EX.CL/1107(XXXIV)

A. On the Guidelines for the Design, Production and Issuance of the African Passport:

20. ADOPTS the Guidelines for the Design, Production and Issuance of the African Passport and its two Annexes:

Annex 1 - Minimum Technical Specification and Security Features; and Annex 2 - Agreed Colours, Categories and Features of the African Passport;

21. DECIDES that the production and issuance of the African passport will be undertaken by the relevant national authorities at Member States level and CALLS UPON Member States who are ready to produce and issue the African passport to their citizens to do so using the guidelines and their annexes for the design, production and issuance of the African passport;

22. URGES Member States to expedite ratification of the Protocol on Free Movement of Persons, Right of Residence and Right of Establishment and REQUESTS the Commission to popularize the said Protocol and the Guidelines on the production and issuance of the African passport among Member States for better understanding and technical support for their implementation;

B. On the Draft Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Specific Aspects of the Right to Nationality and the Eradication of Statelessness in Africa;

23. REQUESTS the Commission to transmit the amended Draft Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Specific Aspects of the Right to Nationality and Eradication of Statelessness in Africa to the STC on Justice and Legal Affairs for consideration and onward transmission to the AU policy organs;

IV. THE 4th ORDINARY SESSION OF THE STC ON JUSTICE AND LEGAL AFFAIRS, 23-30 NOVEMBER 2018, ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA - Doc. EX.CL/1108(XXXIV)

24. ADOPTS the Draft Rules of Procedure of the Specialized Technical Committee on Finance, Monetary Affairs, Economic Planning and Integration;

25. RECOMMENDS the following draft legal instruments to the Assembly for consideration and adoption:

i) Draft Treaty for the Establishment of the African Medicines Agency;

ii) Draft Statute of the African Audio Visual and Cinema Commission;

iii) Draft Statutes of the African Union International Centre for Girls’ and Women’s Education in Africa (AU/CIEFFA);

iv) Consideration of the Draft Amendment to Article 35 of the Charter for African Cultural Renaissance; and

v) Draft African Union Transitional Justice Policy;

26. REQUESTS the Commission to take concrete measures to ensure the authenticity of draft Legal Instruments in the four (4) AU working languages;

27. EXPRESSES the need to streamline the excessive number of legal instruments so as to avoid their proliferation;

28. RECOMMENDS the consideration of the challenges leading to the low levels of ratification of legal instruments, as a strategic issue, at the 33rd Ordinary Session of the Assembly in February 2020;

29. REQUESTS the Commission to urgently draft the Statute of the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM);

30. DIRECTS the STC on Justice and Legal Affairs to hold an Extraordinary Session, to consider the following instruments before the 35th Ordinary Session of the Executive Council in July 2019:

i) Draft Statute of AUDA/NEPAD;

ii) Draft Rules of Procedures of AUDA/NEPAD; and

iii) Draft Statute of APRM;

31. APPROVES in principle a supplementary budget to conduct the Extra-ordinary Session of the STC and DIRECTS the PRC, assisted by its relevant Sub- Committee, to identify the required budget;

32. REQUESTS the African Union Commission on International Law to undertake a study on the legal implications of amending Article 5(1) of the Protocol on the Establishment of the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights to grant the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child direct access to the Court;

V. THE 3rd ORDINARY SESSION OF THE STC8 ON PUBLIC SERVICE, LOCAL GOVERNMENTS, URBAN DEVELOPMENT AND DECENTRALIZATION, 5-7 DECEMBER 2018, ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA - Doc. EX.CL/1109(XXXIV)

33. TAKES NOTE of the need to strengthen the human resources capacity of the Department of Political Affairs and REQUESTS the Commission to address the issue within the framework of the ongoing reform process;

34. REQUESTS the Commission to speed up the implementation of decision EX.CL/Dec. 993(XXXII) of January 2018 in relation to the operationalization process of the High Council of Local Authorities (HCLA) and REPORTS to the 35th Ordinary Session of the Executive Council in July 2019;

35. TAKES NOTE of the Declaration adopted by the STC and RECOMMENDS its consideration and adoption by the Assembly;

VI. THE 7th MEETING OF AFRICAN MINISTERS OF TRADE (AMOT), 12-13 DECEMBER 2018, CAIRO, EGYPT - Doc. EX.CL/1110(XXXIV)

36. ADOPTS the Guidelines for Development of Schedules of Specific Commitments and Regulatory Cooperation Framework for Trade in Services;

37. ALSO ADOPTS the revised Road Map for finalization of AfCFTA Negotiations to be concluded before June 2020;

38. REQUESTS the Commission to submit the following legal instruments, through the STC on Justice and Legal Affairs, to the 36th Ordinary Session of the Executive Council before February 2020:

i) Schedules of Tariff Concessions; and

ii) Schedules of Specific Commitments on Trade in Services for the five priority sectors and the Regulatory Framework;

39. ALSO REQUESTS the Commission to facilitate the conclusion of the negotiations by June 2020 and subsequently the submission of the following draft protocols to the STC on Justice and Legal Affairs on:

i) Investment, Competition Policy and Intellectual Property Rights; and;

ii) Trade in Services on the other seven (7) sectors beyond the five (5) priority services sectors;

40. RECOMMENDS to the Assembly to adopt the Final Declaration on WTO Issues of the 7th Meeting of the African Ministers of Trade, in Cairo, Egypt, from 12 to 13 December 2018;

VII. THE 2nd ORDINARY SESSION OF THE STC ON TRADE, INDUSTRY AND MINERALS, 08-12 JANUARY 2019, ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA - Doc. EX.CL/1111(XXXIV)

41. ADOPTS the following strategy documents:

i) the African Union SME Strategy;

ii) the Geological and Minerals Information Systems (GMIS) Strategy;

iii) the African Minerals Governance Framework (AMGF); and

iv) the Africa Mining Vision Private Sector Compact;

42. REQUESTS the Commission in collaboration with the AU Sub-Committee of Directors General of Customs and the Sub-Committee of Trade Facilitation, Customs Cooperation and Transit to finalize the Commodity and Trade Facilitation Strategies for consideration by the First Extraordinary session of STC on Trade, Industry and Minerals before the 33rd Ordinary Session of the Assembly in February 2020;

43. WELCOMES the progress on the ratification by the Member States of the AfCFTA Agreement, and REQUESTS the Commission to fast track the establishment of the Interim AfCFTA Secretariat, in order to facilitate the implementation of the AfCFTA Agreement, upon its entry into force;

44. URGES Member States to build and strengthen the capacity of all strategic institutions involved in industry and trade governance to enhance efficient implementation of the AfCFTA Agreement, upon its entry into force at national, regional and continental levels;

45. REITERATES the need for Member States to ratify the Statute of the African Minerals Development Centre (AMDC) in order to facilitate the effective operation of the AMDC hosted by the Republic of Guinea;

46. TAKES NOTE of the ongoing digital trade and related initiatives on the continent and STRESSES that Member States participation in the Digital ID Initiative shall be demand-driven;

47. MANDATES the Commission, in collaboration with Member States, UNECA and other relevant stakeholders to develop a comprehensive AU Digital Trade and Digital Economy Development Strategy to enable Member States to fully benefit from the 4th industrial revolution and facilitate the AfCFTA implementation, and ultimately Africa’s economic and structural transformation, for eventual adoption by the 33rd Ordinary Session of the Summit in February 2020;

48. URGES the Commission and Member States to explore mechanisms to mobilize financing for the development of SMEs in the continent, and explore the development of innovative instruments, such as business development services to enhance access to finance, and markets to boost the survival and viability of SMEs;

49. WELCOMES the Afreximbank Pan African Payment platform as an important initiative to Boost Intra African Trade, and REQUESTS the Afreximbank to work with the Commission and Member States to accelerate its implementation and encourage similar initiatives;

50. URGES the Commission to develop a programme of work on the Presidential Fashion Initiative as an initiative for the promotion of the African Fashion Value Chain and as a tool for employment and wealth creation in African Economies;

51. CONGRATULATES the Arab Republic of Egypt on the successful hosting of the first Intra Africa Trade Fair, jointly organized by the African Union, the Afreximbank and the Government of Egypt, held in Cairo, Egypt, from 11 to 17 December 2018;

52. ALSO CONGRATULATES the Government of Rwanda on its successful bid to host the 2nd edition of the Intra Africa Trade Fair to be held in 2020, to be co­organized by Afreximbank and the Commission and URGES all Members States to participate in order to boost intra-African trade.