The African Union has been holding its 26th Summit at the AU headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The Summit begun on the 21st January and will run till the 31st January 2016.
The theme of the Summit is 2016: African Year of Human Rights with particular focus on the Rights of Women.
Here are some of the things that have been happening at this year’s 26th AU Summit:
21st-23rd January, 2016
Thirty-first (31st) Ordinary Session of the Permanent Representatives Committee (PRC)
In the lead-up to the summit, the Committee of Permanent Representatives met under the chairmanship of Zimbabwe’s chief diplomat to the AU, Ambassador Albert Chimbindi.
The PRC’s objective was to prepare the agenda of the AU Summit with appropriate recommendations for consideration by the Executive Council scheduled to take place from 27-28 January 2016.
The meeting of the PRC will brought together all the Ambassadors of the 54 African Union Member States based in Addis Ababa as well as AU officials.
25th January, 2016
Retreat of the Executive Council in Mekele, Ethiopia
Under the theme Implementation of Agenda 2063, the Executive Council held a retreat in Mekelle, with Zimbabwe’s Foreign Affairs Minister Simbarashe Mumbengegwi chairing the meeting on Tuesday.
The Council’s mandate is to prepare the Summit’s agenda.
The AU Chair Dr Dlamini-Zuma and other senior officials and representatives of regional blocs and continental institutions such as the African Development Bank (AfDB) were present.
During the retreat, the Ministers of Foreign Affairs/External Relations and other ministers or authorities duly designated by their Government brainstormed and exchanged views on the implementation of Agenda 2063.
Ministers were expected to adopt the Mekelle Ministerial Retreat Draft Outcome tabled at the two-day Executive Council meeting which ends on Thursday.
27th-28th January, 2016
The 28th Ordinary Session of the Executive Council
The opening ceremony was attended by a high level gathering that included: H.E. Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma AUC Chairperson, the United Nations Under-Secretary General and Executive Secretary of the UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), Mr Carlos Lopez, AU Ministers of Foreign Affairs, AU Commissioners, officials and invited guests.
The session of the AU Executive Council has emphasized the importance of upholding human rights especially women’s rights in Africa for an integrated, prosperous and peaceful Africa under the Agenda 2063 framework. Read more.
The Executive Council meeting is the second of three statutory meetings to be held under the on-going 26th summit of the African Union, holding from 21 to 31 January 2016
For two days, the Ministers of Foreign Affairs/External Relations and other ministers or authorities duly designated will convene in closed session to deliberate on the different items on their agenda including the consideration of the report of the Permanent Representatives Committee.
The Executive Council will prepare the agenda of the Heads of State with appropriate recommendations for consideration by the Assembly.
The meeting of the Executive Council will officially ends on Thursday 28 January 2016.
30th-31st January 2016
26th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the Heads of State and Government of the African Union
The first part of the Summit will be dedicated to the election of the New Chairperson of the African Union for the year 2016, who will take over from the AU Chairperson for 2015, H.E Mr. Robert Mugabe, the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe.
The Summit will then proceed with the launching of the theme “2016: African Year of Human Rights with a particular focus on the Rights of Women”, before the group photo of the AU Heads of State and Government
A joint press conference addressed by the new Chairperson of the African Union (AU) and the Chairperson of the AU Commission will crown the 26th AU Summit.
