AU Executive Council Meeting ends

The Executive Council, the Foreign Ministers, of the African Union, opened its 21st Ordinary Session on Thursday.

The two day summit which ends today, is being held at the AU Headquarters and it will consider the draft decisions and declarations for the 20th Ordinary Session of the Assembly, the Summit of Heads of State and Government which opens on Sunday January 27, 2013.

The Executive Council will consider reports of ministerial meetings organized by the AU Commission since its last session including the African Union Commission’s annual report for 2012, the recommendations of the Permanent Representatives who were meeting earlier in the week, and the Commission’s progress report on the Draft Strategic Plan 2014-2017 for the AU Commission.

The Executive Council will also consider reports of other meetings of AU Ministers including the Conferences on the Environment in Tanzania in September, on Drug Control in Addis Ababa in October, on Science and Technology in Brazzaville in November and on Energy in Addis Ababa also in November.

Among the items for discussions on the Executive Council agenda will be reports on the Conferences on Communications and Information (in Khartoum in September), Civil Registration (in Durban in September) and Agriculture and Trade (in Addis Ababa in November).

During its two days of discussions, the Council will also consider reports from the Commission on the Situation in the Middle East and the Commission on the Implementation of Preparations for the 50th Anniversary of the OAU. On its agenda are also items proposed by Member States, and the report of the ministerial committee on candidatures for the AU Commission (for the election of the Commissioner of Human Resources, Science and Technology, and the Commissioner for Economic Affairs) and for five members of the Peace and Security Council who will be elected by the Executive Council.

By Wisdom Mdzungairi