The 48th session of the Executive Council of the African Union (AU) opened on Wednesday in Addis Ababa. Attending the session is the Minister of State, Minister of Foreign Affairs, National Community Abroad and African Affairs, Ahmed Attaf, representing the President of the Republic, Abdelmadjid Tebboune.
This ministerial meeting serves as a preparatory session for the AU Summit scheduled for Saturday and Sunday. Participants will examine the ways to address the primary political, security, and development challenges facing the continent.
Key priorities for the African foreign ministers include reviewing the report from the 51st Ordinary Session of the Permanent Representatives Committee (PRC), held from January 12 to 30, and the report on the AU’s participation in the G20.
The session will also see the adoption of reports regarding the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC). Other files under study include the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), the Committee of Ten (C-10) on UN Security Council reform, and climate change initiatives.
Additionally, participants will elect ten new members of the African Peace and Security Council (PSC), three members of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, and seven members of the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACERWC).
At the opening of the preparatory proceedings, the Chairperson of the African Union Commission (AUC), Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, highlighted the strategic importance of the 39th AU Summit, noting that it takes place at a “delicate juncture” marked by significant challenges to regional peace and security.
During a meeting with regional deans on February 5, the Chairperson emphasized the necessity of implementing the second Ten-Year Plan of Agenda 2063, strengthening climate action, and enhancing intra-African trade through the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
He further specified that water security will be a central focus of this year’s summit.
