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The Assembly of the African Union held Special Session in Tripoli The Assembly of the African Union held a Special Session in Tripoli, Libya on 31 August 2009. The session was convened as per the decision of the 13th ordinary session of the AU Assembly held in Sirte, Libya from 1st to 3rd July 2009. The Special Session was devoted to the consideration and resolution of conflicts in Africa. The Special Session was preceded by workshops and an Executive Council Meeting which served as an input to the Special Session by presenting it with working documents containing recommendations. The main agenda items considered at all levels (the workshops, the Executive Council and the Special Session) were Somalia, Darfur, Great Lakes Region and other conflict situations focusing on the effective implementation of resolutions adapted on those conflict situations. The Special Session adopted two documents: 1) Tripoli Declaration on the Elimination of Conflicts in Africa and Promotion of Sustainable Peace and Development. 2) Plan of Action. The Declaration contains general assessment of conflict situations which, among others, include efforts made so far to prevent and resolve conflicts, the achievements and challenges facing the Union in the area of Peace and Security, the ongoing efforts and commitment of the AU in dealing with conflict situations in the continent. The Plan of Action, on the other hand, contains detailed activities which need to be accomplished by the Union in order to address specific conflict situations. On Somalia, the Plan of Action reconfirmed the need to deploy the three remaining battalions of AMISOM by the end of 2009; requested all member states to provide all necessary support to AMISOM and TFG, including funding, troops, equipment logistics and training, requested the Peace and Security Council of the Union to review the mandate of AMISOM; encouraged the intensification by the Transitional Federal Government of its efforts to promote reconciliation and all inclusive political process while at the same time requesting all Somali parties that have not yet joined the peace process to do so immediately and without any precondition. It also reiterated the need for closer collaboration and coordination between the AU and its partners including the United Nations and for the speedy implementation of sanction of a no-fly zone and naval blockade to prevent the flow of arms and other forms of material support to the insurgents in Somalia, in line with relevant AU and IGAD decisions; called for the imposition of targeted and mandatory sanctions against the leaders and other members of Somali armed groups engaged in destabilization activities against the TFG. On Darfur the Plan of Action seeks to ensure speedy progress in the search for peace, security, justice and reconciliation with the aim of significantly moving the process forward by the end of 2009. Request was made to the Sudanese Parties to commit themselves to an immediate ceasefire in order to create conducive condition for the political process. The Sudanese Parties and the International Community were also requested to extend full cooperation in the implementation of the report of the High Level panel on Darfur. The Sudanese Government was requested to continue taking concrete steps to investigate the abuses committed in Darfur and bring perpetrators to justice. The Special Session reiterated the AU's earlier decision regarding the non-cooperation of its Member States with the arrest and surrender of President Al Bashir, following the arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC). It was decided to establish a mechanism to monitor the implementation of the above mentioned measures and to enhance Africa's role in the strategic leadership of the peace process in Darfur. The relation between Chad and the Sudan and its implication on Darfur was also considered. In this connection the two countries were urged to commit themselves to comply fully with the various Agreements they have signed towards the normalization of their relations, in particular by refraining from providing any kind of support for or hosting armed opposition groups hostile to the other. The developments in the Great Lakes region were noted as positive and encouraging. What was emphasized was the need for the necessary support for the electoral process in Burundi and post-conflict reconstruction and development efforts in the DRC. The need for the mobilization of greater support by Member States for the implementation of the Pact on Security, Stability and Development was also underlined. In his opening statement Muammar Gaddafi, Chairperson of the African Union, indicated that the issue of Eritrea and Ethiopia, though not subject for discussion, merits a suggestion to the effect that both countries resolve their outstanding issues through peaceful means. As should be obvious, Ethiopia has, on various occasions, expressed its readiness to solve the problem with Eritrea through dialogue. The suggestion by the Chairperson of the Union is therefore consistent with the long-held position of Ethiopia-- that the outstanding issues between the two countries can only be resolved through peaceful means. On the other hand, though the Head of the Djibouti Delegation raised the issue of the Eritrean aggression against Djibouti, the Chair chose not to comment on the matter. Other issues that are relevant to the consideration and resolution of conflicts in the continent such as unconstitutional change of Government, post election violence, post conflict reconstruction, the amendment of constitutions to prolong the tenure of African Leaders, accountability in the management of the Fund of the Union were also discussed during the Special Session.
************** CAHOSCC elects Ethiopia to head Africa's delegation for the climate change negotiations Readers may recall that last week the Week In the Horn presented the conclusions of the meetings of the African lead negotiators on climate change and representatives of the Conference of African Heads of State and Government on Climate Change (CAHOSCC) that met in Addis Ababa on 24 August 2009. CAHOSCC, which is empowered to negotiate on behalf of all member states of the African Union, is composed of the Chairperson of the African Union, Ethiopia, Algeria, the Republic of Congo, Kenya, Mauritius, Mozambique, Nigeria, Uganda, the Chairperson of the African Ministerial Conference on Environment (South Africa), the Chairperson of the African Union Commission and technical negotiators on climate change from Member states. The two meetings presented their suggestions on the way forward in the five main pillars of the climate change negotiation: shared vision, adaptation, mitigation, finance and technology. The proposals were based on "The African Platform to Copenhagen", which was adopted by the 13th Ordinary Session of African Union Assembly of Heads of State and Government held in Sirte, Libya in July, 2009 . The conclusion of the two meetings emphasized the need to increase funding and technology transfer from the developed world for mitigation and adaptation activities to curb the impact of climate crisis on the continent. It also articulated that finance for climate change has to be new, predictable, adequate and additional to the development assistance Africa is currently receiving. Recognizing the fact that the existing financial mechanisms are inadequate, complex and fragmented and have constrained Africa from gaining access to these resources, the conclusion stressed Africa's interest in the decision concerning the structure, governance, and allocation of the funds to be established through the climate change negotiations. The outcome of the meetings was presented to the meeting of the Conference of African Heads of State and Government on Climate Change (CAHOSCC) held on the sidelines of the Special Summit in Tripoli, Libya on the 31st August 2009. CAHOSCC endorsed the report of the two meetings. It also reiterated that "The African Platform to Copenhagen" shall serve as a working document for Africa's Common Position on Climate Change. It further requested the Commission to organize another meeting of CAHOSCC with the Group of African Technical Negotiators in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in October /November 2009 to enable CAHOSCC to consolidate Africa's common position on climate change. As proposed by the meeting of the African lead negotiators and representatives of CAHOSCC, Ethiopia is elected to lead and coordinate the single African delegation to Copenhagen which will represent the Continent in the upcoming negotiations. The issue of climate change is of vital importance to the African Continent. It goes without saying that although Africa is least responsible for global warming, it suffers most from the problem that it has not created. It is clear that climate change will fundamentally affect agricultural productivity, increase the prevalence of diseases and poverty, increase water stress and even trigger off conflicts. Unless urgent steps are taken to address the problem, Africa's development aspirations will be at stake. It was in recognition of the significance of this issue that the February 2009 Summit of the AU made a landmark decision for building a common African position in preparations for climate change negotiations in Copenhagen , December 2009, and for Africa to be represented by one delegation that is empowered to negotiate on behalf of all Member States.
************** Who Said What in Tripoli on Ethiopia and Eritrea May 20, 2009 was a decisive moment in terms of crafting a proper approach on the part of the Horn of Africa countries to the situation in Somalia. That approach which zeroed in on the destructive role of Eritrea in Somalia, and by implication in the rest of the region, also demonstrated a new spirit of co-operation and joint effort by the IGAD countries. What the IGAD Ministers did on May 20 was to be brutally frank about what they felt was one of the major sources of instability in the Horn of Africa—Eritrea. That was why they felt they should request the Security Council, inter alia, to take punitive measure against Eritrea. At its meeting two days later, the Peace and Security Council of the AU, decided to endorse the request to the Security Council by IGAD members for sanctions against Eritrea. There were a few who were inclined to question that decision of the AU Peace and Security Council, arguing that perhaps the decision needed endorsement at the summit level. With the Sirte Summit having endorsed the IGAD position and African Heads of State and Government themselves having decided to request the UN Security Council to impose sanctions on Eritrea, that whole debate is now moot. The request to the Security Council for measures against Eritrea is not merely an IGAD position, but rather a stance adopted by the AU with not even a single objection. Now coming to the AU Special Session on African conflicts convened in Tripoli on August 31, what should be underlined from the outset in the interest of avoiding confusion, is the terms of reference of the Special Session. Obviously, it was quite clear right from the beginning in Sirte when the proposal on the Special Session was made, that it would be a unique forum and that its responsibility was not to lead to the adoption of new decisions only two months after the entire panoply of conflict situations in Africa were discussed and the appropriate resolutions were adopted on them. The mandate of the Special Summit was one and only one: to explore possibilities and find ways and means of ensuring the effective implementation of AU summit decisions on the various conflict situations, including the implementation of decisions that were adopted in Sirte. The AU Ministers who met on the eve of the Tripoli summit, at a workshop in the morning of August 30, and to prepare the documents for the summit in the afternoon of the same day, had no confusion about the mandate of the Special Session and everyone thought that the focus would be on ways and means of ensuring effective implementation of AU decisions on conflicts in Africa. Coming to the crux of the matter with respect to who said what at the Special Session on Ethiopia and Eritrea, what needs to be underlined before anything else is that there was no debate on the issue. The Chairperson of the summit did mention the issue emphasizing, among other things, that it was not possible to include an item on this matter on the agenda of the Special Session. Clearly, an item which is not planned to be on the agenda cannot be a major issue that dominated the Special Session. Those who disseminated the story that it was, are being downright mendacious and peddling falsehood. As a matter of fact, Eritrea’s aggression against Djibouti was also raised by a delegation though the Chair did not comment on that --- a conflict situation regarding which the Security Council had adopted resolution 1862 which still awaits follow up and implementation by the Security Council. No need to remind Week-in-the Horn readers that that particular resolution provides for measures on Eritrea by the Security Council. To return to the main theme of this item, the situation between Ethiopia and Eritrea was not, despite the claim to the contrary, a major issue of discussion at the AU Special Session in Tripoli. The most interesting question however is: why fabricate the story?
************** CAADP Ethiopia kicked off at Adama A round table discussion and signing of compact on Comprehensive Africa Agricultural Program -CAADP- Ethiopia has been kicked off at Adama on 26-28 August, 2009. CAADP Ethiopia is meant to advance the government of the FDRE’s vision and commitment for economic and social development. Its objective is to support the implementation of Agricultural Development led Industrialization, ADLI, and specifically the agriculture and rural-centred development strategy. CAADP Ethiopia, according to Dr. Aberra Deressa, the State Minister for Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, is believed to add up to the efforts of the Government of Ethiopia to fight poverty in an efficient manner. He also underscored that “the focus of the Ethiopian CAADP process is to reinforce these achievements through strengthening and adding value to rural economic development and food security under the ongoing plan for accelerated and sustained development to end poverty (PASDEP)”. Most African states base their economy on subsistence small scale farming and are known for poverty and hunger, mainly in the rural areas where over 80% of their populations live. These countries’ harvest results as stated by Dr. Cris Muyunda of AU/NEPAD have been minimal for the last decade and half. Population growth is high in these countries and there is a need to address the problems jointly; and hence the need for CAADP. Every country is to commit itself to allocating 10% of its annual budget to agriculture and make every effort to register a minimum of 6% annual growth in agriculture to meet the objectives of CAADP. According to the commitments made by African heads of states in ABUDJA in 2007, the targets are set to help countries move forward in fighting poverty and hunger and to reach at the target of the Millennium Development Goals by 2015. So far it is only Burundi, Rwanda and Ethiopia who have signed the national CAADP’s compacts thereby committing themselves to enhancing agricultural development to properly address the challenges they face in development. Another really encouraging development was that there are at least thirteen other member countries of COMESA that have completed their studies and are ready to sign the compact and to implement the collective agreement of the leaders of Africa, the objectives of AU/NEPAD and of those who are trying to get their voices heard in a more coordinated and organized manner to eradicate poverty and hunger from the continent. The will of the partners of the continent to help the development of agriculture via CAADP is also welcomed and is seen as encouraging. With respect to the coalition and success of African and foreign countries towards the implementation of CAADP, Mrs. Tumusiime of AU commission underlined that “The African Union welcomes recent pronouncements by development partners, specially at the G-8 as well as the recent statement by the United States Government, reaffirming commitments to boosting their support to African agriculture through the CAADP framework and processes”. On the first day of the round table discussion of the Ethiopian CAADP, works of the national private consulting group that had taken a solid year was properly reviewed and developed by different stakeholders; representatives of the government, private sector, NGOs, partners, UN agencies and others. It was pointed out during the meeting that the works of the consultants have taken the existing studies on agriculture into account. The study also pointed out that the development policies, strategies, planning mechanisms that the Ethiopian Government has been following have significantly contributed to the achievements registered so far in the sector. It also stated vividly the existence of shift (though small in size) from agriculture to other non agricultural sectors and growth in agro processing industries, decline in the rural food poverty head index from 41% to 38.5% despite the existence of post and pre harvest losses that are significant in terms of volume, underpinning ADLI’s success. The study has also made references to the significant achievements made in other sectors and the huge potential of the agricultural sector in the country. According to the Deputy Secretary General of COMESA, Ethiopia is the only country that has met in a qualified manner both targets of CAADP. The reason for this, the Deputy Director said, was the unflinching commitment of the government to meet these targets and to change the situation of the rural poor. However, there is more to the fight against poverty than what has been achieved so far. It is rather high time to capitalize on the achievements registered so far and do more to meet the objectives of the MDGs. It is underscored that it is an era of commitment to end poverty and hunger. CAADP demonstrates the fact that unity is key to solve the problems of Africa and a panacea for its underdevelopment. Identifying the major challenges and committing jointly to do away with them is very essential. Africa is believed to have every means, except financial capital, to alleviate poverty. The continent has a big market potential and hence enhancing trade and business activities between countries of the continent, taking into account the comparative advantage of each country, is of paramount importance. Finally it was emphasised that it is high time for Africans to know for themselves and to enter into more commitments to solve their problems. Time, it was further reiterated is, of more essence in the endeavour to meet Africa’s objectives. The signing procedure of the pact embodied this spirit of urgency. The signing of the pact was attended by governments and private sector representatives, Partners, NGOs, Representatives of RECs, and others; all committing themselves to helping the program move forward at every level in a well harmonized manner. All have expressed their commitment to do their best and to fulfil what is expected of them for the realization of the CAADP frame work.
************** PM Meles’s Speech on Global warming On 31 August 2009, the special session of the African Union Heads of State and Government summit in Tripoli took the decision to authorize Ethiopia to lead and coordinate the African Delegation to Global Conference on Climate Change at Copenhagen in December. On Thursday, the African Partnership Forum on Climate Change held its own special session in Addis Ababa and, appropriately, Prime Minister Meles gave the opening keynote address, noting that the decision to field a single negotiating team empowered to negotiate on behalf of all AU member states at Copenhagen was unprecedented. It would, he said, pose a series of organizational and managerial issues but more than any challenges were the opportunities that the decision opened up. It meant, the Prime Minister said, that over fifty countries, more than a quarter of United Nations member states would be speaking with one voice. Africa's interests and its positions would not be muffled as so often in the past when every African country spoke for itself. It was a bold new experiment in the interests of all. He hoped the Partnership Forum would help overcome any teething problems and assist in bringing success to negotiations on climate change. The Prime Minister stressed that Africa's interest was not so much to claim compensation for climate change and its damages, but rather to prevent it from happening. Africa's eco-systems were among the most fragile in the world and highly vulnerable to the smallest changes in temperature. The continent might have to live with the damage already caused by current unavoidable levels of global warming and seek compensation and assistance to limit that damage, but it was not prepared to live with global warming above minimum unavoidable levels. Africa would therefore line up, unequivocally, with those committed to limit global warming to the minimum possible. The Prime Minister emphasized that Africans had contributed virtually nothing to global warming and there was indeed little it could do to curb it. Equally, it wanted to play its part, to keep its forests intact, to re-afforest areas that had become degraded. This was economically more rewarding and sustainable. Africa was an open field for investment simply because it was the world's least developed region. By partnering Africa in green development, the developed world could create more robust markets and a better overall environment to lessen the severity of the actions it alone had to take. In other words, Africa wanted to be part of efforts at mitigation as well as involved in the solutions. Prime Minister Meles pointed out that Africa would, in fact, now participate in Copenhagen, not as a supplicant or as an invitee but as a full blooded negotiator defending its views and interests and reaching out to others to achieve common positions. That Africa for the first time would be represented by one negotiating team would reinforce its role as a key stakeholder. The Prime Minister said that Africa, as a prime victim of climate change and as a primary beneficiary of any meaningful agreement, would be a responsible actor and negotiator. It would defend its corner and highlight its common humanity and destiny, but it must also reach out to curb the insanity that is global warming. Africa's participation would certainly contribute to a more progressive and environmentally friendly out-come. Africa, the Prime Minister said, would go to Copenhagen to protect the common interest of the world, and, within that common interest, the specific requirements of Africa. It would not be merely prepared to rubber stamp any agreement by the powers-that-be just because this was the best obtainable at that moment. Africa would use its numbers to de-ligitimize any agreement that was inconsistent with its minimal position. It would be prepared to walk out of any negotiations if these threatened another rape of the continent. However, the Prime Minister was sure that with the support of the Partners Forum this would not be necessary. He was confident that over the next few months it would be possible to build the necessary consensus to prevent any such action. He made it clear he hoped for fruitful discussions with partners to facilitate a successful outcome in Copenhagen, and took the opportunity to thank the Partners, the AU Commission and the ECA for their contributions to the meeting, specifically singling out Lord Nicholas Stern for his assistance and for his contribution to elaborating a common African position on climate change.
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Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia
Ministry of Foreign Affairs