DECISION ON THE REPORT OF THE AU JOINT CONFERENCE OF MINISTERS OF AGRICULTURE AND MINISTERS OF TRADE
Doc. EX.CL/768(XXII)
The Executive Council,
1. TAKES NOTE of the Report of the AU Joint Conference of Ministers of Agriculture and Ministers of Trade held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, from 26 to 30 November 2012, and the declarations contained therein, and URGES all concerned parties to take necessary measures for their implementation;
2. ALSO TAKES NOTE of the offer made by the Arab Republic of Egypt to provide agricultural training and expertise to the Member States;
3. FURTHER TAKES NOTE of the proposal by the Republic of Burkina Faso concerning the ongoing negotiations, notably:
a) At the World Trade Organisation (WTO) to negotiate for:
• An equitable agreement that takes into account development issues in a
satisfactory manner;
• To reject attempts to discuss non-trade related issues.
b) the economic Partnership Agreement (EPAs):
• to unanimously call for additional and sufficient resources to support
measures that would be necessary in opening up African markets and compensate losses from customs, and continued access to the EU markets up to the time of the full implementation of the EPAs
c) recommends the report to the Assembly for adoption
4. ENDORSES the Joint Declaration on boosting Intra-African Trade as a key to agricultural transformation and ensuring Food and Nutrition Security, the Declaration on WTO issues, the Declarations on Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs), the Declaration on AGOA as well as the Declaration of African Ministers of Agriculture and URGES all concerned parties to take necessary measures for their implementation;
5. CALLS UPON Member States to accelerate the implementation of CAADP and AIDA and the signing of CAADP Compacts for those that have not yet done so, as a means of enhancing agricultural productivity, food nutrition security and transformation;
6. FURTHER CALLS UPON Member States to invest in the development of infrastructure, to create incentives aimed at boosting agriculture and trade;
7. ENCOURAGES the increased involvement and role of the RECs in the promotion of agriculture and trade in the continent;
8. ACCEPTS the offer made by the Government of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia to host the AGOA forum in June 2013 in Addis Ababa, and ENCOURAGES Member States to actively participate in the Forum;
9- REQUESTS the Commission in consultation with the PRC to submit a proposal on the funding of the implementation of Assembly decision AU/DEC 449 (XIX) on the Proclamation of 2014 as the Year of Agriculture and Food Security and the celebration of the 10th Anniversary of CAADP;
10. REQUESTS the Commission in collaboration with Member States and Private Sector organisations to undertake efforts aimed at enhancing trade and investment flows among African countries by organising trade fairs regularly;
11. REAFFIRMS support for the candidature of Mr. Alan John Kwandwo Kyerematen of the Republic of Ghana for the position of Director General of the World Trade Organization as endorsed by the July 2012 Summit and REQUESTS the support of all Member States;
12. REQUESTS the Commission to report on the implementation of this Decision after two years.