Africa: AU Fee Convenes twentieth Senior Officers Assembly of the Coordination Committee of the Africa-Arab Partnership

The African Union Fee division of Partnerships & Useful resource Mobilization convened the twentieth Senior Officers Assembly of the Coordination Committee of the Africa-Arab Partnership on the thirteenth June 2024 on the African Union Headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The target of the Assembly of Senior Officers was to evaluate and overview the outcomes on the implementation of Selections on the 4th Africa-Arab Summit which befell in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea in 2016 and talk about the implementation of ongoing programmes and actions of the partnership together with preparations for the fifth Africa Arab Summit in Riyadh Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The assembly introduced collectively senior officers from each the African Union and the League of Arab States. On the African aspect, members included representatives from the present Chairperson (Mauritania), the previous Chair of the African Union (Comoros), and the Chair of the Sub-Committee of the Complete on Multilateral Cooperation (Congo). On the League of Arab States aspect, attendees included representatives from the present Chairperson (Bahrain), the previous Chair and host nation of the upcoming summit (Saudi Arabia), and the incoming Chair (Iraq). Moreover, the assembly was attended by workers from the African Union Fee, led by the Director of the Partnerships Directorate, and workers from the Common Secretariat of the League of Arab States, led by the Director for African Affairs. Representatives from the Arab Financial institution for Financial Growth in Africa (BADEA), the Africa-Arab Cultural Institute (AACI), and the Arab Group for Agricultural Growth (AOAD) have been additionally current.

In his opening remarks H.E Ambassador Youssouph Assoumani Mondoha Ambassador of the Union of Comoros in Addis Ababa performing on behalf of the Everlasting Consultant of Mauritania, Chair of the African Union Everlasting Consultant Committee, expressed his delight to handle the assembly. He welcomed members and reiterated the African Union’s dedication to advancing this lengthy historic Africa-Arab partnership.He emphasised the necessity to look into the postponement of the fifth Africa-Arab Summit and establish new of dates for the occasion, consistent with the AU’s Government Council, Choice from February 2024. Ambassador Mondoha additionally highlighted urgent points affecting the African and Arab areas, together with the Palestinian trigger, conflicts within the Nice Lakes, Sudan, Libya, and Somalia, and the significance of cooperation in financial improvement, commerce, migration, agricultural improvement, and cultural change. He concluded by reaffirming the African Union’s unwavering dedication in direction of strengthening and deepening of Afro-Arab relations.

H.E. Amb. Fatima Abdullah Al-Dhaen, Director Common of Worldwide Cooperation on the Ministry of Overseas Affairs of Bahrain, additionally delivered opening remarks. She expressed her pleasure in attending the assembly on behalf of Bahrain, the present Chair of the Arab Summit. She highlighted the longstanding historic ties between Saudi Arabia and Africa previous to the institution of the Africa-Arab Partnership in 1977. Amb. Al-Dhaen underscored the Arab world’s present challenges, notably the battle in Gaza, and condemned the assaults in Rafah. She famous Bahrain’s interventions, such because the Convention on Peace held on the sidelines of the Arab Summit in Could 2024, and reiterated Bahrain’s dedication to supporting African nations.

In her opening remarks, H.E. Amb. Fatima Abdullah Al-Dhaen, Director Common of Worldwide Cooperation on the Ministry of Overseas Affairs Kingdom of Bahrain expressed her delight to be attending the assembly on behalf of Bahrain as present Chair of the Arab Summit. She went on to spotlight the lengthy standing historic Saudi Afro-Arab relations previous to the institution of the Africa-Arab Partnership in 1977 with the institution of BADEA. She indicated additional that she appeared ahead to the convening of the fifth Africa-Arab Summit in Riyadh Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. She went on to point that the Arab world goes by a tough time notably in relation to the battle within the Gaza strip with the Palestine folks bearing the implications. She went on to sentence the assaults in Rafah which she acknowledged has exacerbated the state of affairs in Palestine earlier than highlighting among the interventions made by Bahrain on this regard such because the Convention on peace on the sidelines of the Arab Summit held in Could 2024. She concluded by reiterating Bahrain’s dedication to supporting African nations and its peoples.

Following the opening remarks, the assembly proceeded with discussions on varied points, together with coordination on Palestine, updates on the Joint Africa-Arab Motion Plan, preparations for the fifth Africa-Arab Summit in Saudi Arabia, implementation of resolutions from the 4th Summit, and ongoing Africa-Arab applications. Key suggestions adopted throughout the assembly included:

1. Strategic Significance of the fifth Summit: The assembly underscored the strategic significance given by all of the events for the internet hosting of the fifth Africa-Arab Summit within the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the necessity to decide the date of the Summit with the intention to be sure that the group committee resume its efforts in direction of satisfactory preparation for the upcoming Summit.
2. Joint Coordination Mechanism on Palestine: Following the event of the draft Idea Word developed by the second Coordination Committee Assembly between LAS, AU, and OIC pertaining to Palestine held in Addis Ababa on 12 June 2024, the Joint Coordination Mechanism on Palestine will probably be launched throughout the fifth Africa-Arab Summit in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia following inside overview processes of the three organizations.
3. Africa-Arab Commerce Discussion board: The assembly welcomed the convening of the eighth Version of the Africa-Arab Commerce in Togo in 2025 however known as on the AUC and the host nation to establish appropriate date/s that will probably be handy for all events to take part adequately.

For extra info, contact:

Mr. Ibrahim Turay | Coverage Officer| Division of Partnerships & Useful resource Mobilization, African Union Fee Tel: +251 115 517 700 | E-mail: turayi@africa-union.org