DECISION ON SPECIALISED TECHNICAL COMMITTEES (STCs)
Doc. EX. CL/970, 71, 72 & 974(XXVII)
The Executive Council,
1. TAKES NOTE of all the reports of the Specialised Technical Committees and ADOPTS the recommendations contained therein;
A. On Gender Equality And Women Empowerment - Doc. EX.CL/970(XXIX)
2. TAKES NOTE of the report of the Specialized Technical Committee on Gender Equality and Women Empowerment held on January 18, 2016 in Addis Ababa, and adopts the recommendations contained in the Communique;
3. REQUESTS the competent Sub-Committee of the Permanent Representatives Committee to examine recommendation 19 on guaranteeing a gender alternating system in the leadership of the Commission within the framework of the review of the Rules of procedure of the Policy organs;
B. On Finance, Monetary Affairs, Economic Planning and Integration - Doc. EX.CL/971(XXIX)
4. DECLARES 2017-2026 as the Decade for repositioning Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) in Africa’s continental, regional and national development agenda and URGES governments to respond with appropriate action;
C. On Trade, Industry and Minerals - Doc. EX.CL/972(XXIX)
5. REQUESTS the Assembly to declare 2019 as the Year of “Africa’s Structural Transformation through Industrialization and Mineral Resources Development under Agenda 2063”;
6. ALSO REQUESTS the Commission to mobilise the necessary resources to carry out the following activities:
i) Organise meetings of the Sub-Committees on Trade, Industry, Minerals and Directors General of Geological Surveys;
ii) Undertake technical studies with pertinent data underlining Africa’s potential in trade, industry and mining sectors in order to boost investments in identified priority sectors including pharmaceuticals;
iii) In collaboration with UNECA, undertake a study that will enable Africa to formulate a common approach to future Africa-US trade and investment relations including an analysis on the low utilization of AGOA.
D. On Youth, Culture and Sport - Doc. EX.CL/974(XXIX)
7. REQUESTS the Commission to expedite the establishment of the African Youth Development Fund and develop clear programs and initiatives to address emerging issues affecting young people, including migration;
8. CALLS UPON Member States to engage in the process of development of the African Union Model Law on the Protection of Cultural Property/Heritage through regional consultations to take place in 2016 and 2017 to ensure ownership of the Model Law;
9. URGES Member States to:
i) Comply with UNESCO Convention on Doping and other Instruments to promote a drug free environment in all competitions; and REQUESTS the Commission in collaboration with the World Anti-doping Agency (WADA) to convene an Anti- Doping forum to sensitize Member States on the fight against doping in Sport in June 2017;
ii) Approve the proposal by the Sudan to convene a workshop on the African Capitals cities in Khartoum, Sudan in 2016 in collaboration with the Commission;
iii) Provide technical and financial support to the Great Museum of Africa being established in Algiers, Algeria and RECOMMENDS that the Great Museum of Africa becomes one of the Flagship programmes of the AU Agenda 2063 in the first ten (10) year plan for the arts and culture sector; and in this regard, AGREES to establish a Technical and Advisory Committee composed of Member States, the Commission and stakeholders led by Algeria to develop the road-map for the launching of the Great Museum of Africa.
10. ENDORSES the offer by Equatorial Guinea to host the 2019 African Games; and INVITES Member States to submit bids for hosting the 2023 African Games;
11. APPROVES the proposal by the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to institutionalize an Africa Music Day to be celebrated on 24 April each year in memory of the artist/musician Wembadio Shungu also known as “Papa Wemba”;
12. ALSO APPROVES the offer by the Republic of Congo to host the Pan-African Festival on Music (FESPAM); in this regard, REQUESTS the Commission to assist the Republic of Congo to submit a working document on the role to be played by all stakeholders in the organization of the activities of FESPAM; also CALLS ON all Member States and the Diaspora to participate fully in the festival;
13. ENDORSES the Roadmap and accompanying matrix of key activities as the main guiding framework for the commemoration of the 2017 theme of the year “On Harnessing Dividend Through Investment in Youth” and CALLS ON all Member States and Regional Economic Communities to be guided by its recommendations and key actions to help position Africa towards harnessing the demographic dividend;
14. REQUESTS the Commission to convene an extraordinary session of the Specialized Technical Committee on Youth, Culture and Sport (STC-YCS2) in September 2016 to consider the Draft Statute of the African Film Commission and ACCEPTS the offer of the Republic of Kenya to host the extraordinary session.