The historic 21st Ordinary session of the Summit of the African Union, which incorporated the celebrations of the 50th anniversary of the Organisation of African Unity/ African Union ended Monday, 27 May 2013, at the AU headquarters in Addis Ababa. The current rotating AU Chairperson, Ethiopian Prime Minister, Mr Hailemariam Desalegn declared the celebrations 'a resounding success.'
A major outcome of the summit was the adoption of the Declaration of the OAU/AU 50th anniversary, in which the leaders committed themselves to achieve the AU goals of an integrated and prosperous Africa, at peace with itself and with the world; an Africa whose development is driven by its own citizens and which is a significant player on the world stage. The leaders also pledged to translate the provisions of the declaration into action in their different countries.
The summit also adopted the strategic plan of the African Union Commission (AUC) for the years 2014 to 2017, and considered a report on alternative sources of funding which aims at ensuring that Africa takes ownership of its Pan African strategies.
The key decisions taken by the 21st Ordinary Summit of the African Union include a common position on a number of issues, including the post-2015 Development Agenda, Establishment of the High Level Committee of Heads of State and Government; Development of the African Union Commission Strategic Plan 2014-2017 and the AU Agenda 2063.
The full list and description of the decisions will be made available on the African Union Website.
