Decision on the First Ordinary Session of the Labour and Social Affairs Commission of the African Union

DECISION ON THE FIRST ORDINARY SESSION OF THE LABOUR
AND SOCIAL AFFAIRS COMMISSION OF THE AFRICAN UNION
DOC. EX/CL/48(111)

The Executive Council:

1. TAKES NOTE of the Report;

2. ENDORSES the recommendations as contained in the report of the First Ordinary Session of the Labour and Social Affairs Commission of the African Union, held in Grand Bay, Mauritius, from 10 to 15 April 2003;

3. CALLS UPON Members of the Bureau, together with the AU Commission, to follow up on and monitor implementation of the decisions and recommendations of the Labour and Social Affairs sessions;

4. REQUESTS the AU Commission to ensure that the principle of tripartism is adhered to in the Rules of Procedure of the Specialized Technical Committee on Labour, Employment and Social Affairs and maintain the annual meeting on Labour and Social Affairs when relevant AU organs are established and consolidated;

5. WELCOMES the decision to elaborate a Social Policy Framework for Africa, establish a tripartite Committee to draft the Terms of Reference and supervise the work of Consultants to produce the Framework and CALLS ON the ILO and other social partners to support and assist in the drafting of the Policy Framework;

6. APPEALS to Member States to show political will and commitment to children by ratifying the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child and implementing the goals contained in the African Common Position on Children;

7. REQUESTS the AU Commission not to limit itself solely to monitoring, but to follow­up on implementation of the decisions on fundamental issues related to children, youth and other vulnerable groups;

8. DECIDES that, in future, the report of the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child should be submitted to the Executive Council for consideration and CALLS UPON the policy organs to provide the Committee with a Secretariat and adequate resources to enable it carry out its mandate effectively;

9. FURTHER CALLS UPON the AU policy organs to provide the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child with a Secretariat and adequate resources to enable it carry its mandate effectively;

10. WELCOMES the elaboration of a Plan of Action on the Family in Africa which will constitute Africa’s contribution to the Tenth Anniversary of the International Year of the Family (IYF);

11. RECOGNIZES that the New Vision of the Job in Africa (JIA) is critical for the Employment Creation Agenda in Africa and CALLS UPON the AU Commission to provide the political support for the JIA Vision and the ILO to provide more resources from its regular budget to meet the employment challenge in Africa;

12. REQUESTS Member States to support the AU Specialized Agencies such as the African Rehabilitation Institute (ARI), the Pan-African Youth Movement (PYM), the Supreme Council for Sports in Africa (SCSA) and the African Centre for Applied Research and Training in Social Development (ACARTSOD), particularly by becoming members thereof, for those that have not yet done so, and by paying up their contributions;

13. FURTHER REQUESTS Member States to participate actively in the All-Africa Games to be held in Abuja, Nigeria, in October 2003.