Egypt supports reforms in the African Union: FM

CAIRO – 14 December 2017: Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry took part in the closing session of the African Union on Thursday. He expressed Egypt’s eagerness to reinforce the working methods of the Permanent Representatives Committee at the African Union in a manner that would bridge the gap in member states’ views to endorse decrees and execute the African policies.

The Joint Retreat between the Permanent Representatives and the African Union Commission Working Methods was held in Cairo from Sunday December 10 through Thursday December 14 to review, evaluate, and come up with recommendations on the working methods and strategic partnerships within the African Union.

The working methods meetings tackled the mechanisms used to improve the African Union (AU)’s performance to effectively fulfill the interests of its member states. The strategic partnerships meetings addressed strengthening the union’s partnerships with the European Union, Arab countries, China, India, and South Korea in addition to benefiting from the competitive advantage of each partner to achieve development and prosperity in Africa.

The minister asserted that Egypt supports the ongoing structural and institutional reforms at the Union, which aims to accomplish governance and empower the African Union Commission to help member states fulfill the goals of the 2063 Agenda. In addition, he emphasized the importance of foiling any attempts to undermine the member states’ roles in supervising, monitoring, and evaluating the commission’s performance.

The ministry’s spokesperson Ambassador Ahmed Abou Zeid told press that Egypt hosted the Joint Retreat out of its desire to realize peace, security, and development in Africa, and its care for African causes and priorities.

Earlier this month, Egypt hosted the Africa Forum 2017 in Sharm El-Sheikh focusing on investments in the continent, and the meetings of the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM). In November, the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs organized a high-level meeting titled “Peace, Security and Prosperity in the Red Sea: Towards a Regional Cooperation Framework,” which was the first of its kind in Africa and the Arab world to address common challenges and opportunities in the region.

The commission headquartered in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa acts as the administrative body of the African Union comprising 55 member states. The commission’s members are in charge of different areas of policies.