The African Union has organised its 1st Regional Consultation on the Implementation of the Plan of Action of the Africa-EU Joint Strategy in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso from the 19th until the 20th of March and thus gathered actors from the West, North and Central Africa, as well as the EU, to discuss the monitoring and implementation of the Joint Strategy and come up with solid and good suggestions.
Dr. Maxwell Mkwezalamba paid tribute to President Blaise of COMPAORE and to the people of Burkina Faso, as well as to all participants, including representatives of the Member States of the AU, representatives of the EU Commission, and all those who in one way or another have contributed to the achievement of the meeting during his opening speech on the 1st day of the conference.
In his speech, he emphasized the strong ties that bind the two continents, and that gave birth to the joint strategy and its action plan. Regarding the joint strategy, that has to be implemented over a period of three years, the commissioner said that four (4) main areas are highlighted, covering areas Peace and Security, Governance and Human Rights; Commerce and industry and key development issues such as migration, the Climate Change, Infrastructure and energy security. The first Action Plan (2008-2010), covers, meanwhile, eight ( 8 ) partnerships necessary for the socioeconomic development of the continent, namely Peace and Security, democratic governance and human rights, trade and integration; Objectives of the Millennium Development; Energy; Climate Change; Mobility and Employment; and science, information technology and space. He invited all participants to make suggestions and comments on the Strategy, and to seize the opportunity for discussion groups to assess each of the eight partnerships of the first Action Plan, in order to propose concrete actions to be undertaken with a view to its implementation.
Mr Alain Francis Gustave Ilboudo, Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Cooperation of the Republic of Burkina Faso stressed that this meeting can give Africa an opportunity to reflect on the modalities for the implementation of the Action Plan and take ownership of it. In addition he stipulated his regret to the absence of the Kingdom of Morocco, a stakeholder in the early hours in the work leading to the first summit in Cairo and which has always contributed to the Africa-European Dialogue.
The opening session of the consultation was followed by the adoption of the agenda; presentations of the African Union and the European Union made by Dr Kouassi Nguettia, Director of the Department Economic and Mr Dietmar Krissler, Head of the Political Section and EU information
Following the plenary discussions, the meeting went into working groups to discuss the eight partnership in detail and suggest some recommendations.
The 2nd AU regional consultative meeting on the Implementation of the First Action Plan of the Africa/EU Strategy will take place in Lesotho, Maseru, on the 14-15 of April 2008!
Further information and the report will follow soon on europafrica.org.
Programme – doc
Speech by M. Mkwezalamba – doc
Speech by Alain Francis Gustave Ilboudo – doc
Press Release by the AU – doc
