Decisions of the Seventy-Sixth Ordinary Session of the OAU Council of Ministers / Eleventh Ordinary Session of the AEC, 28 June – 6 July 2002, Durban, South Africa, CM/Dec. 651 – 660.
DECISION ON THE FINANCIAL SITUATION OF THE ORGANIZATION AS AT 31 MAY 2002 (CM/Dec. 651)
Council:
1. TAKES NOTE of the Report;
2. COMMENDS the following 8 Member States which have made advance payments towards the Financial Year 2002/2003: Angola, Cote d’Ivoire; Libya, Mali, Uganda, Tanzania, Tunisia and Zambia;
3. COMMENDS the following 21 Member States which have fully settled their assessed contributions to the regular budget towards the Financial Year ended 31 May 2002:
Algeria, Angola, Botswana, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Egypt, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Lesotho, Libya, Mali, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Uganda, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Tunisia and Zambia;
4. DECIDES that the financial year of the African shall begins on 1st January and end on 31 December;
DECISION ON THE REPORT OF THE EIGHTEENTH ORDINARY SESSION OF THE COMMITTEE ON CONTRIBUTIONS (CM/Dec. 652)
Council:
1. TAKES NOTE of the Report;
2. EXPRESSES SERIOUS CONCERN about the increasing arrears of contributions, thus undermining the capacity of the Secretariat to carry out approved programmes and activities;
3. GRANTS temporary and exceptional exemption from sanctions to Niger on account of default of payment of contribution to the regular budget till the approval of the budget for the Financial Year 2002/2003;
4. MAINTAINS the sanctions imposed on the following countries: Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Guinea Bissau, Sao Tome and Principe, Union of The Comoros, Liberia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone and Somalia;
5. ENCOURAGES defaulting Member States to submit rescheduling plans and fulfill their financial obligations;
6. APPROVES the setting up of a Sub-Committee of the Committee on Contributions to look into the ways and means of encouraging Member States to pay their contributions promptly, and REQUESTS that the Sub-Committee submit proposals and appropriate recommendations to the Council of Ministers at its next session.
DECISION ON THE REPORT OF THE EXPERTS’ MEETING HELD ON 3 – 4 JUNE TO REVIEW THE PROPOSALS OF THE UN EXPERT ON THE OAU SCALE OF ASSESSMENT (CM/Dec. 653)
Council:
1. TAKES NOTE of the Report;
2. DECIDES that the Report be re-examined by a Committee of Experts of Member States, as well as by the Standing Committee on the Review of the OAU Scale of Assessment for appropriate recommendations to the next session of the Executive Council.
DECISION ON IMPROVEMENT IN THE CONDITIONSOF SERVICE OF OAU STAFF (CM/Dec. 654)
Council:
1. TAKES NOTE of the Report;
2. DECIDES to grant, as an interim measure, a 15% salary increase, across the board, to the entire staff retroactively, with effect from 1st March 2002;
3. REQUESTS the General Secretariat to determine in absolute terms, the financial implications of the salary increase granted and to take necessary steps to implement immediately the decision for the benefit of the current Staff;
4. ALSO REQUESTS the General Secretariat to incorporate in the Organization’s Budget for 2002/2003 Financial Year, the financial implications as determined in (3) above;
5. FURTHER REQUESTS the General Secretariat to complete, as a matter of urgency, the study on the conditions of service including salary structure in Botswana and at the SADC Secretariat to complement the work already undertaken by the Consultant on the matters.
DECISION ON THE DRAFT PROGRAMME BUDGET FOR THE 2002-2003 FINANCIAL YEAR (CM/Dec. 655)
Council:
1. REQUESTS the Secretariat to continue to operate on provisional monthly supply vote till 31 December 2002. The monthly vote will be calculated on the basis of the 2001-2002 Programme Budget which stands at US$31 million (Thirty One million United States Dollars)
2. DECIDES that the contributions payable by Member States for the period 1 June to 31 December 2002) should be calculated on the basis of the previous budget (2001/2002);
3. FURTHER DECIDES that the financial implications of the meetings and conferences, etc. to be organized during the period, should be calculated by the Secretariat and submitted for the approval of the Advisory Committee on Administrative, Financial and Budgetary Matters, prior to the convening of such meetings, Conferences, etc.
DECISION ON THE WTO-COMPATIBLE TRADE NEGOTIATIONS OF THE COTONOU PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT (CM/Dec. 656)
Council:
1. TAKES NOTE of the Report;
2. RECALLS the ACP-EU trade negotiations for WTO-compatible trade arrangements scheduled to start on 27 September, 2002;
3. COMMENDS Member States that have ratified the Cotonou Partnership Agreement and urges that those that have not yet done so, to ratify without further delay;
4. CALLS on all Member States and Regional Economic Communities in the negotiations of Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) with the European Union, to ensure the consistency of these EPAs with the programme of African economic integration under the Abuja Treaty establishing the African Economic Community (Abuja Treaty) and the Constitutive Act of the African Union;
5. ALSO CALLS on all Member States and Regional Economic Communities, as EPAs are expected to be notified to the WTO, to participate actively in the current WTO negotiations so as not only to inject flexibility in the WTO rules, especially those relating to regional trading arrangements and to have the development dimension better taken into account, but to make the future EPAs compatible with the WTO;
6. REITERATES its call on all Member States and Regional Economic Communities to maintain the solidarity of the African and the ACP Groups and to negotiate as a single bloc;
7. FURTHER CALLS on African Member States of the Bi-Regional Group under the Africa-Europe Cooperation to raise the issue of the ratification of the Cotonou Partnership Agreement by the European countries at the meetings of the Group.
DECISION ON THE PROGRESS REPORT ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PROJECT ON ASSISTANCE FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS INDUSTRY IN AFRICA (INDAFTEL) (CM/Dec. 657)
Council:
1. TAKES NOTE of the Report;
2. WELCOMES the initiative taken by the ITU to launch the project on Assistance for the Development of Telecommunications Industry in Africa (INDAFTEL);
3. URGES the ITU to continue to provide support to the project through, among others, allocating more resources for the implementation of the project;
4. APPEALS to all Member States to support the project and actively participate in its implementation by appointing national focal persons and allocating resources for the work of the national focal persons;
5. FURTHER APPEALS to Africa’s development partners to support the project and to provide resources for its implementation;
6. REQUESTS the Secretary General of the OAU to consult with the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Matters with a view to allocating resources as the contribution of the OAU to the funding of the implementation of the project;
7. ENDORSES the establishment of the Inter-agency Coordinating Committee composed of the OAU as Chairman, the ECA as the Vice Chairman, the ITU as the Lead and Executing Agency, and with UNIDO, ATU, RASCOM and the RECs as members, and entrusts it with the responsibility of supervising and monitoring the implementation of the project; and
8. REQUESTS the Inter-agency Coordinating Committee to regularly report to it through the Secretary General of the OAU.
DECISION ON THE PROGRESS REPORT OF THE SECRETARY GENERAL ON THE FOLLOW-UP ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE ABUJA DECLARATION AND FRAMEWORK PLAN OF ACTION ON HIV/AIDS, TB AND OTHER RELATED INFECTIOUS DISEASES (ORID) (CM/Dec. 658)
Council:
1. TAKES NOTE of the Report;
2. ACKNOWLEDGES AND ENDORSES the Mechanism for Monitoring and Reporting on the Implementation of the Abuja Declaration and Plan of Action on HIV/AIDS, TB and ORID as well as the Guidelines on how to operationalise use the Mechanism as adopted by the African Ministers of Health;
3. REITERATES its commitment to using its leadership position at all levels in order to mobilize the whole society in the fight against HIV/AIDS, TB and ORID;
4. COMMENDS Member States for establishment, through the participatory process, of national HIV/AIDS Strategies and Plans of Action, creation of National HIV/AIDS Councils, adoption of multisectoral approaches and the channeling of public resources directly to communities and civil society organizations for the fight against the pandemic;
5. APPEALS to Member States to likewise establish and operationalise National Strategies to implement Directly Observed Treatment-Short Course (DOTS) in the fight against Tuberculosis;
6. URGES Member States to commit adequate domestic resources to research into ways and means of fighting against HIV/AIDS, TB and ORID;
7. ALSO APPEALS to the International Community and stakeholders to support Member States in the implementation of the Abuja Declaration and Framework Plan of Action;
8. FURTHER APPEALS to UNAIDS, WHO and all UN Agencies, Stakeholders and Donors to support Africa in a quest for debt-relief in favour of the fight against these diseases and FURTHER URGES Member States to target funds thus saved to accelerate Health Systems Reform with a focus to fighting against HIV/AIDS, TB and ORID;
9. REQUESTS the General Secretariat in collaboration with UNAIDS to facilitate negotiations with multinational drug corporations with a view to promoting access to drugs at affordable price;
10. REQUESTS UNAIDS, WHO, UNICEF and all other relevant partners to assist the General Secretariat both technically and financially to strengthen its capacity in order to be able to follow-up, monitor and report on the implementation of the Decision and Plan of Action on HIV/AIDS, TB and ORID;
FURTHER REQUESTS the Secretary General in collaboration with WHO, UNICEF, ECA, UNAIDS, ADB and RECs to follow-up on the implementation of National Strategic Plans on HIV/AIDS and TB as outlined in the Abuja Framework Plan of Action and report regularly to Council about progress made by member States.
DECISION ON REPORT OF THE SECRETARY GENERAL ON THE PROGRESS BEING MADE IN THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE ABUJA DECLARATION AND PLAN OF ACTION ON ROLL-BACK MALARIA (CM/Dec. 659)
Council:
1. TAKES NOTE of the Report;
2. REITERATES its commitment to use its leadership position in mobilizing the whole society in the fight against Malaria in order to reduce the mortality rate due to malaria in Africa by half by year 2010;
3. COMMENDS Member States for the inception and implementation of country Strategic Plans for Roll-Back-Malaria;
4. APPEALS to Member States to accelerate antimal Drug Policy change in order to overcome the challenge of drug resistance of the malaria parasites and vector resistance to insecticides;
5. FURTHER APPEALS to UN Agencies, Donors and other international partners to support Member States in building research capacity necessary to prevent and control Malaria;
6. REQUESTS the Secretary General, in collaboration with WHO and UNICEF to assist Member States in follow-up, monitoring and evaluation of the implementation of Roll-Back Malaria Strategic Plan and report to the next Session of the Executive Council.
DECISION ON THE PROGRESS REPORT ON IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PROGRAMME OF ACTION OF THE EDUCATION DECADE IN AFRICA (CM/Dec. 660)
Council:
1. TAKES NOTE of the Report;
2. REITERATES its recommendations to Member States to implement the Programme of the Decade of Education at national level;
3. APPROVES the strategy of the Secretary General who has opted for a regional approach to, and regional management of the Decade, particularly through the organization of regional seminars and establishment of regional coordination structures;
4. EXPRESSES GRATITUDE in this regard, to the countries which hosted the five (5) regional seminars on the Decade, as well as the countries hosting the regional coordination secretariats, and those which accepted to second officials to work for the Decade, while remaining in their respective countries, namely: The Gambia, Cameroon, Gabon, Kenya, Mozambique and Libya;
5. ALSO EXPRESSES GRATITUDE to the partners which so readily provided invaluable assistance towards implementation of the Programme of Action of the Decade, particularly UNESCO/IICBA, ECOWAS, SADC, CEN-SAD, and others;
6. CALLS UPON the Regional Economic Communities to develop integrated education programmes for inclusion in their overall development programmes with a view to strengthening human resource capacities in Africa;
7. ENDORSES the recommendations of the Second ordinary session of the Decade Steering Committee which took place in Tripoli in April 2002, particularly the call on African Member States to accede to the Pan-African Institute for Development Education (IPED), and URGES the Pan-African Union to provide financial assistance to the Institute;
8. INVITES international institutions/organizations as well as concerned bilateral and multi-lateral partners to extend their support to the General Secretariat towards mobilizations of the additional resources needed to implement the Programme of Action of the Decade and the regional projects identified at the level of each Regional Economic Community.