AS Zambia readies to host the 41st Ordinary Session of the Executive Council of the African Union and the 4th Mid-Year Coordination Meeting (MYCM) of the AU and the Regional Economic Communities (RECS) next month, preparations have reached an advanced stage.
The high-level meeting, which will be held at the recently built and commissioned US$65 million Kenneth Kaunda International Conference Centre in Lusaka from July 14 to 17, 2022, is expected to attract a total of 14 heads of state and over 8,000 foreign delegates.
The meeting will focus on the status of regional integration, while the 55-member Executive Council will meet prior to the Mid-Year Coordination Meeting to prepare documentation and also discuss the budget of the Union for 2023.
The Mid-Year Coordination Meeting brings together the bureau of the Assembly of the African Union, the Regional Economic Communities, the AU Commission and the Regional Mechanisms. It is aligned to the institutional reforms of the AU, particularly the pillar on managing the business of the Union efficiently and effectively, at both political and operational levels.
It was instituted by an Assembly decision in 2017, and the first such meeting was held in July 2019 in Niamey, Niger.
To ensure that all is going according to plan, an African Union Commission delegation, led by the AU Commission’s Deputy Chief of Staff Ambassador Tordeta Ratebaye was recently in the country to engage with Zambian officials on areas such as: COVID-19 regulations, facilities, legal, protocol, security, communication and publicity, information systems, and procurement.
“As the secretariat of the AU, the Commission works closely with member states, and we are in Lusaka with our experts to support Zambia in the organisation of the 4th Mid-Year Coordination Meeting. We are happy with what we have seen so far,” stated Ambassador Ratebaye in a statement obtained from their website.
President Hakainde Hichilema, who recently commissioned the 2,500-seater conference wing, also assured the 35th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the African Union in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, that Zambia is ready to host the mid-year coordinating summit this July.
Delivering his maiden speech from the Nelson Mandela Hall, Mr Hichilema said Zambia looks forward to receiving heads of state to the summit, with warm hospitality.
“Your Excellencies, distinguished ladies and gentlemen, Zambia is ready to host the mid-year coordinating summit this July. We are looking forward to receiving you to our country,” Mr Hichilema said.
So far, it looks set and ready for the meeting.
The African Union is a continental body consisting of the 55-member states that make up the countries of the African continent. It was officially launched in 2002 as a successor of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU, 1963-1999).
The successful hosting of the meeting will contribute to uplifting the country’s image on the international map. To ensure that all goes well, without any hitches and lapses, President Hichilema has constituted an organising committee comprising cabinet ministers to spearhead the successful hosting of the meeting that offers an opportunity to showcase Zambia’s hospitality and readiness to receive high-level delegations.
The hosting of the meeting is also viewed as a huge tourism boost. It offers an opportunity for the resuscitation of the tourism industry, which is just recovering from the devastating effects of the coronavirus pandemic.
The Mid-Year Coordination Meeting will not only raise the country’s profile on international travel industry, but also stimulate interest as a destination of choice for holiday and global conferences and conventions.
The meeting is aligned to the commitment by the African Union heads of state and government to the development and integration of the continent, as articulated in Article 3 of the Constitutive Act of the African Union, which sets out the key objectives, including accelerating the political and socio-economic integration of the continent and promoting sustainable development at the economic, social and cultural levels, as well as the integration of African economies.
In January 2017, as part of the African Union Institutional Reforms, the heads of state and government adopted a decision on managing the business of the African Union efficiently and effectively, at both political and operational levels.
They decided that in place of the previously convened June/July summit, the Bureau of the African Union Assembly would proceed to hold a coordination meeting with the Regional Economic Communities, with the participation of the Chairpersons of the Regional Economic Communities, the AU Commission and Regional Mechanisms.
In 2013, member states of the African Union agreed upon “Agenda 2063: The Africa We Want”, working towards an integrated, prosperous and peaceful Africa, driven by its citizens, representing a dynamic force in the international arena.
Just like the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), this (Agenda 2063) is the blueprint and master plan for transforming Africa into the global powerhouse of the future. It is the strategic framework for delivering on Africa’s goal for inclusive and sustainable development and is a concrete manifestation of the pan-African drive for unity, self-determination, freedom, progress and collective prosperity pursued under Pan-Africanism and African Renaissance.
In line with this vision, the Mid-Year Coordination Meeting between the African Union, the Regional Economic Communities and the Regional Mechanisms and the meetings of the African Union Executive Council and the Permanent Representatives’ Committee will focus on various priority areas that include, but are not limited to, budget of the union, multilateral cooperation, structural reforms, theme of the year, elections, and the status of regional integration in Africa.
Others are operationalisation of the Africa Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, and also the division of labour between the member states, AU and the Regional Economic Communities.
This article was also published in the Zambia Daily Newspaper of Friday, June 10, 2022.
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