Decision on the 1st AU Conference of Ministers Reponsible for Communication and Information Technology

DECISION ON THE 1^st AU CONFERENCE OF MINISTERS RESPONSIBLE
FOR COMMUNICATION AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

DOC. EX.CL/261 (IX)

The Executive Council:

1. TAKES NOTE of the Report;

2. RECALLS the various decisions of the Union on the World Summit on Information Society (WSIS) held in Tunis, Tunisia in 2005, particularly the decisions of its 5^th and 6^th, sessions held, respectively in Sirte in July 2005 and Khartoum in January 2006;

3. WELCOMES the convening, by the Union, of the First African Union Conference of Ministers Responsible for Communication and Information Technology hosted by the Government of Arab Republic of Egypt from 18 to 20 April 2006 and ENDORSES the recommendations of the Conference;

4. ENDORSES the Implementation Framework of the Declaration on Communication and Information technology in Africa and the Guidelines for Monitoring and Reporting on the Declaration on Communication and Information Technology;

5. CALLS UPON Member States to implement all the commitments made in the Declaration and in particular the African Regional Action Plan on Knowledge Economy (ARAPKE).

6. FURTHER ENDORSES the recommendation that the Conference of AU Ministers responsible for Communication and Information technology be held regularly and that the Institutionalization of the Conference be carried out in line with the process of establishing the Specialized Technical Committees (STCs);

7. REQUESTS the Commission to ensure active participation in the Forthcoming Events, Conferences and Activities emergent from the World Summit on Information Society and also URGES the member states, civil society and the private sector to participate in the events;

8. FURTHER WELCOMES the existing collaboration between the Commission and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), and URGES for a stronger collaboration for the promotion of Communication and Information Technology in the Continent.