Museveni leaves for AU summit

President Yoweri Museveni on Saturday morning left Entebbe Airport for Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to join fellow Heads of State and Government in deliberations.

This 33rd Ordinary Summit, which commenced on 21st January, will run until the 10th of February.

Comprising statutory meetings and side events, the summit is being held under the African Union's theme for the year 2020; Silencing the Guns: Creating Conducive Conditions For Africa's Development.

Silencing the Guns is a commitment to achieve the Aspirations of Africa's Agenda 2063, specifically Aspiration 4, which envisions a peaceful and secure Africa, thereby making peace a reality for African people.

The first statutory meeting of the summit was that of the Permanent Representatives Committee (PRC), which was held from the 21st to 22nd of February. The outcomes of the PRC deliberations will be considered by the Executive Council, whose meetings run from the 6th to the 7th of February.

The Executive Council is charged with preparing the documents and drafting the decisions and declarations that will be considered by the Assembly of Heads of State and Government, who are meeting from the 9th to 10th of February.

In addition to the key discussions around the theme of the year 2020 and the road towards implementation of Africa's peace and security agenda, other headline issues to be deliberated upon during the summit include sustainable funding of Africa's development agenda specifically addressing the scale of assessment and contributions to the AU's budget; progress made in the implementation of Agenda 2063; operationalisation of the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA); African candidatures in the international system, the International Criminal Court, and Africa's Digital Transformation Strategy.

Side events organised by the AU and member states matters will discuss matters related to Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment; Reporting on Agenda 2063; Africa's urban realities; the transition of the African energy sector; and food security and nutrition in Africa and its contribution to the maintenance of peace.

The main outcomes of the summit will be the decisions and declarations of the Heads of States and Government and those made by the Executive Council. These decisions will guide the work of the AU for the next year and beyond.