Minister Dlamini Zuma arrives in Egypt ahead of Scheduled AU Foreign Ministers Meeting

Pretoria – South African Foreign Minister Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma will lead the South African Government delegation to the African Union Executive Council of Foreign Ministers meeting scheduled for Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt from Friday – Saturday 27-28 June 2008.

The Executive Council of Ministers meeting will consolidate preparations for the African Union Summit of Heads of State and Government, to which President Thabo Mbeki will lead the South African delegation, scheduled from Monday – Tuesday 30 June-1 July 2008.  The 2008 Summit will be held under the theme: “Meeting Millennium Development Goals (MDG’s) on Water and Sanitation.”

The South African delegation will participate in this session of the African Union Assembly and Executive Council within the context of South Africa’s priority to strengthen institutions of governance on the Continent with a view to achieving the political and economic integration of Africa.

The Executive Council will consider a Report of the AU Commission on the operationalisation of the African Standby Force (ASF).  In this regard, significant progress has been made in the development of policy documents and in the establishment of the Regional Brigades.   Similarly, the report of the meeting of the Ministers of Defence as well as other related Peace and Security reports will also be discussed.

The Council will also consider a Report on Africa’s progress towards achieving the MDGs and on the status of implementation of the MDGs from Africa Steering and Working Group and consider the recommendations.

The Foreign Ministers will further consider the Draft Single Legal Instrument on the merger of the African Court on Human and People’s Rights and the Court of Justice of the African Union as prepared by the Ministers of Justice. The merger instrument has since been finalised following the meeting of Ministers of Justice and Attorneys General and awaits consideration of the Executive Council at its 13th Session. The Ministers of Justice have further made recommendations on the Use of the Principle of Universal Jurisdiction by some Non-African States. 

The meeting will discuss Reports on the situation in the Middle East and from various institutions of the AU such as the Pan African Parliament, Standing Committee of ECOSOCC, the African Court on Human and People’s Rights and the African Commission on Human and People’s Rights. 

The Reports of the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child and of the High Level Panel on High Food Prices  and Food Insecurity held in Johannesburg in May this year will also form part of the Reports to be considered by the Executive Council. 

There will also be elections of the Members of the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child and of the Judges of the African Court on Human and People’s Rights.

Issued by Ronnie Mamoepa on 082 990 4853

Department of Foreign Affairs
Private Bag X152
Pretoria
0001

24 June 2008