DECISION ON MULTILATERAL COOPERATION
DOC. EX. CL/462 (XIV)
The Executive Council;
1. TAKES NOTE of the Report of the Commission on the activities relating to multilateral cooperation and various partnerships;
2. ALSO TAKES NOTE of the progress made in the preparation for the various summits scheduled to take place during the year 2009;
3. RECALLS that these partnerships are vital to the process of Africa’s development and URGES for maximum preparation in order for Africa to fully appropriate the benefits and opportunities of these partnerships;
4. FURTHER RECALLS the successful conduct of the Africa-Turkey Partnership Summit that was held in Istanbul, Turkey in August 2008;
5. CALLS ON Member States to fully participate in the implementation of the outcomes of the Africa-Turkey Partnership Summit, the Africa-India Forum Summit, and TICAD IV;
6. REQUESTS the Commission to continue to work closely with the relevant AU organs with a view to concluding the joint plan of action of the Africa-India Forum Summit, and to develop that relating to the Africa-Turkey Partnership Summit in order to derive maximum and concrete benefits;
7. NOTES WITH APPRECIATION the concrete proposals made by India with ear-marked funding within the framework of the Africa-India Forum Summit;
8. ALSO NOTES the proposal by the Venezuelan Government to host the Second Africa-South America Summit in August 2009, in Venezuela and REQUESTS the Commission to liaise with the host with the view to proposing specific dates;
9. FURTHER TAKES NOTE of the proposal by the Commission and the General Secretariat of the Organization of Islamic Conference to review the draft Agreement between them, approved by the Council of Ministers of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) in 2000, and REQUESTS that the outcome be brought to the attention of this Council in due course;
10. FURTHER REQUESTS the Commission to conclude the global review, study of all the existing partnerships and report to the next Session of the Executive Council in July 2009, and DIRECTS that no new partnership be considered until the review has been concluded;
11. RECOMMENDS to the Assembly that the partnership summits scheduled to take place this year be held as follows:
i. Africa-South America Summit, during the month of August 2009, with the specific date being agreed through consultation;
ii. Africa-Diaspora Summit later in the year 2009, in South Africa, at a date to be mutually agreed upon with the host country;
iii. The Second Afro-Arab Summit on a date to be agreed upon.
12. REQUESTS the Commission to take all necessary measures to participate in the preparation and holding of future meetings of the partnerships with China and Japan, as per previous decisions on this issue;
13. STRESSES the need to ensure harmony of strategies within various partnerships and REQUESTS the Commission to appoint a coordinator to that effect.