Addis Ababa: Amidst challenges affecting the continent, the African Union Commission (AUC) today urged Africans to strengthen solidarity and build unity to forge viable strategies to achieve agenda 2063.
This call was made at the opening of the 47th ordinary session of the African Union’s Permanent Representatives Committee (PRC), a crucial organ that sets the stage for the Pan-African bloc’s decisions.
Addressing the opening of the meeting in Addis Ababa, AUC Chairperson, Moussa Faki Mahamat highlighted the multifaceted challenges Africa is facing, including internal conflicts and humanitarian crises in Sudan, Eastern DRC, and beyond, while recognizing the global ripples of the Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Palestine conflicts.
He said the only recourse for Africa amid the challenges is unity and its solidarity.
The unity which will be built with perseverance and tolerance is an effort of cooperation which transcends the particular and specificities and considerations which are in contradictions with the gen
eral situation and which calls for mutual understanding, the Chair explained.
Stating that the commission cooperates with all the organs, the PRC is the corner stone of the commission as it prepares the form and content to the decisions of the deliberations, the chairperson urged the PRC to come up with a strategy that will enable the pan-African bloc maintain its direction to the 2063 goal.
Peace, security, development and integration are the core elements of the African Union’s Agenda 2063, he pointed out.
Reading the agenda items of the PRC, the chairperson realized the enormous tasks awaiting ahead that need shuttle down, dedication and partnership to carry out.
The agenda items include report on administrative, budgetary, and financial matters, multilateral cooperation, humanitarian issues, the report of the specialized technical committee and those of the commission and the organs, the internal and recurring crisis the Pan-African parliament in the institutions and preparation of the agenda of the e
xecutive council and the assembly.
Noting that the election of members of the new commission is part of the institutional reform of the union, he revealed that the year 2024 is to prepare for the campaign of the election of the new leadership of the commission at the beginning of next year.
African Union’s Permanent Representatives Committee (PRC) Chairman, Usman Yoseph said irrespective of the origins of the challenges in Africa and globally, solidarity and tolerance should be the only weapons of dialogue to ensure peaceful co-existence.
Stating that the PRC’s session is devoted to the preparation of the next ordinary summit of the organization that will be held in mid February 2024, the chairman pointed out.
The session is anticipated to consider all types of reports of the commission, organs, sub-committees as well as the organizations reform and assessment of the first 10-years plan of agenda 2063 and launching a similar 10-year plan.
In the same vein, the PRC’s session will also consider the road ma
p of this year’s theme which is “Educate an African fit for the 21st Century: Building resilient education systems for increased access to inclusive, lifelong, quality, and relevant learning in Africa.”
The PRC conducts the day-to-day business of the AU on behalf of the Assembly and Executive Council, reports to the Executive Council, prepares the Council’s work and acts on its instructions.
Source: Ethiopian News Agency