31st Ordinary Session of the Permanent Representatives Committee (PRC)

MEDIA ADVISORY/ 26TH AU SUMMIT

31ST ORDINARY SESSION OF THE PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVES COMMITTEE (PRC)

Theme: “2016: African Year of Human Rights with a particular focus on the Rights of Women”.

INVITATION TO REPRESENTATIVES OF THE MEDIA

When: Thursday 21 to Saturday 23 January 2016

Where: African Union Headquarters, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Who: Organised by the African Union Commission (AUC)

Official Opening of the PRC: The PRC will officially open on 21 January 2016, in the presence of the leadership and officials of the AU Commission. The opening ceremony will include among others, a speech by the Chairperson of the PRC, and a welcome remark by the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, followed by a group photo of the Ambassadors with the Members of the Commission.

Objective: The PRC will 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.

Participants: The meeting of the PRC will bring together all the Ambassadors of the 54 African Union Member States based in Addis Ababa, as well as AU officials.

PRC to consider Reports of AU Activities:

For three days, the Ambassadors will consider the reports of the various activities of their sub-committees including the Advisory Sub-Committee on Administrative, Budgetary and Financial Matters; the Sub-Committee on Programmes and Conferences; the Sub-Committee on Structural Reforms; the Sub-Committee on Audit Matters; the Sub-Committee on Multilateral Cooperation and the Sub-Committee on Refugees, Returnees and Internally Displaced Persons in Africa. They will also deliberate on the report of the Sub-Committee on Contributions; the Sub-Committee on Economic and Trade Matters; the Sub-Committee on NEPAD; the Policy Sub-Committee of the Special Emergency Fund for Drought and Famine in Africa; the Sub-Committee on Headquarters and Host Agreements; and the Sub-Committee on Rules, Standards and Credentials.

With regards to the reports of the AU Organs, the PRC will deliberate on the report of the Commission on the implementation of the previous Decisions of the Executive Council and the Assembly of the African Union; the report of the Commission on Palestine and the Middle East and the Annual Report of the Commission.

The reports of the Specialized Technical Committees (STCs) meetings held over the last six months will also be on the agenda of the PRC. They are: the First Ordinary Session of the STC on Communication and Information Technology (STC- ICT); the STC on Education, Science and Technology (STC-EST); the STC on Justice and Legal Affairs; the STC on Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons; the STC on Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons; the STC on Gender and Women Empowerment; and the Extraordinary Meeting of the Specialized Technical Committee on Defense, Safety and Security.

The reports on the activities of the other AU Organs such as the African Commission on Human and People’s Rights (ACHPR); the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights (AfCHPR); the Economic, Social and Cultural Council of the Africa Union (ECOSOCC); the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACERWC); and the African Union Advisory Board on the Fight against Corruption (AUABC) will also be considered by the Ambassadors.

The PRC will further exchange views on the draft agenda as well as the draft Decisions and Declarations of the 28th Ordinary Session of the Executive Council, and those of the 26th AU Summit, before adopting their report.

The meeting of the PRC will officially end on Saturday 23 January 2016.

For more information on media accreditation and coverage of the Summit please visit the 26th AU Summit web link: http://summits.au.int/en/26thsummit/accreditation

Journalists are invited to cover the official opening and closing ceremonies of the 31stOrdinary Session of the PRC, on 21 and 23 January 2016. They are also invited to cover the photo session immediately after the opening of the PRC.

Journalists wishing to interview the leadership of the AU Commission during the Summit should submit their requests to Mrs Esther Azaa Tankou, Ag. Director of Information and Communication of the AUC, via E-mail: YambouE@africa-union.org / esthertankou@yahoo.com

For further information:

Directorate of Information and Communication | African Union Commission I E-mail: DIC@african-union.org I Website: www.au.int I Addis Ababa | Ethiopia

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The African Union spearheads Africa’s development and integration in close collaboration with African Union Member States, the Regional Economic Communities and African citizens. AU Vision: to accelerate progress towards an integrated, prosperous and inclusive Africa, at peace with itself, playing a dynamic role in the continental and global arena, effectively driven by an accountable, efficient and responsive Commission.

Directorate of Information and Communication
Directorate of Information and Communication | Information and Communication | African Union Commission

Tel: +251-11-5517700 | Fax: | E-mail: DIC@africa-union.org | Web:www.au.int

Addis Ababa | Ethiopia