African heads of state have concluded their deliberations at the 39th African Union (AU) summit held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, from February 14 to 15.
Despite this year’s theme centring on water stability,
Mahmoud Youssouf, chairperson of the AU Commission (AUC), said most of the
deliberations revolved around peace and security on the continent.
Speaking on Sunday during a press conference closing the
summit at the AU headquarters, Youssouf said heads of state were determined to
ensure the realisation of the ‘Silencing the Guns in Africa’ agenda, a flagship
initiative of the African Union Agenda 2063 that aspires to end all wars,
conflict, and gender-based violence and to prevent genocide by 2030.
“This is a very important program. If we contemplate
developing this continent and creating the integration conditions for our
countries, we need to silence the guns. We need peace on this continent. We
need stability on this continent, and we have a programme for that,” he said.
The AUC chair added that the discussions also revolved
around reforms being put in place for the organisation, alongside the
participation of the AU in the G20.
He said the commission also held side events that were
focused on improving key sectors critical to the continent’s growth.
“We had a forum of the business community. That was also
something new, given the fact that the financing of the development programmes
is becoming more and more challenging,” Youssouf said.
“It has been advised that we embark on a journey with our
business community so that they also become contributors to our development
programmes.”
Youssouf added that health security also took centre stage
in the side events, noting that deliberations focused on “how best we can
strengthen our health structures, and I know that this is a big challenge for
the continent”.
On political instability, he said heads of state reaffirmed
their zero tolerance for unconstitutional changes of governments on the
continent.
In addition, Youssouf noted that leaders recognised
colonisation as a crime against humanity. He referenced the Israel-Hamas war in
Gaza, expressing the AU’s solidarity with Palestine.
“The African Union and member countries support the rights
of the people of Palestine to become independent and have their own statehood,”
he said.
Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa attended the
opening session of the AU summit on Saturday.
In his address, he called for an immediate end to the
conflict and thanked the AU for its long-standing solidarity.
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