Addis Ababa – African Heads of State and Government will meet, starting this Saturday, in Addis Ababa, at their 37th ordinary summit with an agenda that covers almost all areas of the continent's life.
The two-day event takes place, however, at a time when a large number of African Union (AU) member states remain suspended from the organization due to unconstitutional changes of government, namely through military coups d'état.
This is the case of countries such as Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso, Guinea-Conakry and Gabon, all led by military juntas that deposed civil or “democratically” elected powers, and are currently in endless periods of transition.
Hence, many observers in Addis Ababa admit that, although without a formal place on the agenda, the latest developments in the situation in these countries will necessarily have repercussions on the progress of the work of the conference that opens this Saturday.
There is also the issue of the worsening of tension between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) as well as the resumption of hostilities in the latter's eastern region which, moreover, were the subject of a mini-summit held the day before at the initiative of the Angolan President, João Lourenço.
Meanwhile, the situation in Palestine is among the main issues scheduled for discussion, based on a report prepared by the commission created for this purpose.
The session begins with the debate on the final report on the AU's institutional reforms to be presented by the Rwandan President, Paul Kagame, before taking stock of the activities of the Peace and Security Council (PSC).
An assessment of the United Nations Security Council reform process is planned based on a report to be presented by the Head of State of Sierra Leone, Julius Maada Bio.
The President of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa, will focus on the African Union's response to the Covid-19 pandemic in Africa, while his Ghanaian counterpart, Nana Addo Akufo-Addo, will reflect on equality of gender, women’s empowerment and the AU initiative on “positive masculinity”.
Four points specifically proposed by some Member States, namely Angola, Kenya, Ghana and Tanzania, are also included on the agenda.
Angola submitted for discussion its report on the 3rd edition of the Pan-African Forum for the Culture of Peace and Non-Violence (Luanda Biennial), proposing that the event be included on the AU's permanent agenda with its organization set for the month of October.
Kenya proposed the Nairobi Declaration on Climate Change and Call for Action for discussion, while Ghana suggested the formation of a “united front to advance the cause of justice and compensation for Africans”.
Tanzania, in turn, submitted the Dar es Salaam Declaration on the 2023 Heads of State Summit on Human Capital in Africa.
Elections and appointments
In the nominations chapter, the heads of State will nominate the 10 new members of the Peace and Security Council elected during the 44th ordinary session of the Executive Council, a body made up of the AU's heads of diplomacy.
Following the report on preparations for the election of members of the African Union Commission in 2025, the conference will appoint the executive director of the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) and the secretary-general of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
The heads of State must also address the issue of filling the vacancy of president of the Pan-African Parliament (PAP), to overcome the crisis that this body has been going through since the interruption, in August 2023, of the mandate of the Zimbabwean deputy who held the position.
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