Addis Ababa, 17th June, 2019: The Thirty Eight (38th) Ordinary Session of the Permanent Representatives’ Committee (PRC) is holding at the African Union in preparation for the 12th Extra Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the African Union on the African Continental Free Trade Area and the first mid-year coordination meeting of the AU and the regional economic communities (RECs) to be held in Niamey, Niger in July.

In his address at the opening session of the PRC meeting on 17th June, the Chairperson of the AU Commission, H.E. Mr. Moussa Faki Mahamat, said the noble mission of finding lasting solutions to the phenomenon of forced displacements is at the heart of the prerequisites of good democratic governance and effective conflict prevention. ”The action is, as you can imagine, in direct relation with one of the most important flagship projects of Agenda 2063: i.e. "Silencing the Guns on our Continent by 2020 ", he added.

The Chairperson reaffirmed that the legitimate dream of integration has remained the deepest motivation for the crucial stages in the life of the organisation, from the inception of the OAU in May 1963, through the Abuja Treaty in June 1991, the unanimous adoption of Agenda 2063 in January 2015, until the adoption of the African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement and the Protocol on Free Movement of Persons in January and March 2018 respectively.

The Chairperson called on the meeting to make proposals for the themes of the years 2020 and 2021, reflecting the priorities of the time as inscribed in Agenda 2063.” By choosing the themes, year after year, the AU and its Member States are involved in the collective effort for consistent and significant progress through concrete and quantifiable achievements in the chosen themes”, said the Chairperson. (The full speech of the Chairperson of the AUC is on the AU website www.au.int)

In his remarks during the opening ceremony, the Ambassador of the Arab Republic of Egypt, H.E. Osama Mahmoud Abdelkhalek, stated that, the PRC will contribute to the planning of the 1st Mid-Year Coordination Meeting. “Our meetings are entrusted as well to consider the proposal of the new organizational structure of the African Union Commission with a view to enhancing the efficiency and agility of the African House”, he added.
He called on the PRC members to be comprehensive and clear when taking decisions and recommendations on the various reports, so as to facilitate the work of the African Union Peace Fund, the implementation of agenda 2063 and the selection of the 2020 theme of the year, multilateral cooperation and the outcomes of the work of several Specialized Technical Committees and Sub Committees of the PRC. (The full speech of the Chairperson of the PRC is on the AU website www.au.int)

During their meeting, member of the PRC will consider the reports of the various activities of their sub-committees. The PRC will further exchange views on the draft agenda, as well as the draft decisions and declarations of the 12th Extraordinary Session of the Assembly of the Union in Niamey, Niger before adopting its report.

The opening ceremony took place in the presence of the Deputy Chairperson of the AU Commission, AUC Commissioners, all ambassadors of the 55 African Union member states based in Addis Ababa, representatives from the diplomatic corps, the international community, civil society, private sector and invited guests.
The 38th Ordinary Session of the PRC will conclude on 18th June 2019, with the adoption of its report to be submitted to the 35th Ordinary Session of the Executive Council scheduled to take place from 4th – 5th July 2019, in Niamey, Niger.

For media inquiries, contact:

Ms. Afrah Thabit , Information Officer; Directorate of Information and Communication/ AU Commission/ Tel: 0911200922; E: mail: Thabitma@africa-union.org
Mr. Stephen Kwaku Darko| Information and Communications Officer, Directorate of Information and Communication, African Union Commission | Tel: +251(0) 953406832 | E-mail: DarkoS@africa-union.org