Addis Ababa – The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Téte António, arrived in Addis Ababa on Wednesday to lead the Angolan delegation participating in the preparatory work for the 37th summit of the African Union (AU), scheduled for the 17th to 18th of this month.
Starting today, the Ethiopian capital will host the work of the 44th session of the AU Executive Council (EC), which is expected to prepare the agenda for the ordinary summit of AU heads of state and government to be held also in Addis Ababa.
According to a note distributed to the press, the EC meeting will evaluate and adopt the report compiled by the Permanent Representatives Committee (COREP), which comprises reports from the 15 Specialized Technical Committees (CTE) and their Subcommittees.
Preparation work for the summit of heads of state began at the level of COREP, an AU body made up of African ambassadors accredited in Addis Ababa.
Its sessions made it possible to prepare the agenda and draft decisions of the Executive Council, which brings together the heads of diplomacy of the African Union member countries.
The election of 10 new members of the AU Peace and Security Council (CPS), including Angola, and the analysis of the AU's participation modalities and priorities in the Group of 20 emerging countries (G20) are among the points on the Executive Council's agenda.
The executive body will also focus on preparations for the election of a new leadership of the AU Commission, in February 2025.
New CPS Members
Ten of the ongoing PSC members end their two-year term on 30 March 2024, following their election at the February 2022 AU summit, also in Addis Ababa.
Among the 10 members at the end of their term, three ran for re-election during this year's summit, namely Tanzania, Gambia and Uganda, to which other new candidates join, including Angola.
The election of new members of the CS is the responsibility of the Assembly of Heads of State as the highest decision-making body of the AU, but it has delegated its powers in this matter to its ministers meeting in the Executive Council.
The new members to be elected during the 44th session of the Executive Council take office on April 1, 2024, joining five others elected for a three-year term.
In addition to Angola, Tanzania, Gambia and Uganda, the other candidates for this year are the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Algeria, Egypt, Mauritania, Botswana, Côte d'Ivoire and Sierra Leone.
In the event of an election, Angola will mark its return to the Peace and Security Council in its fourth presence, after the 2007-2010, 2012-2014 and 2018-2020 mandates. IZ/VIC/DOJ
