Media Briefing: Consultative Summit for the African Capacity for Immediate Response to Crises (ACIRC), 5 November 2013
South Africa hosted a successful Consultative Summit on the African Capacity for Immediate Response to Crises (ACIRC) on 5 November 2013, in Pretoria.
The Assembly of Heads of State and Government decided, in principle, during the AU Summit of May 2013 to establish an African Capacity for Immediate Response to Crises (ACIRC), as a transitional arrangement pending the full operationalisation of the African Standby Force (ASF) and its Rapid Deployment Capability (RDC), within the framework of the agreed upon African Peace and Security Architecture.
Following this decision, the African Union Commission requested African Union Member States to volunteer by providing indicative pledges as a key step towards the establishment of the ACIRC. As this group of countries, we then responded and subsequently took a decision to meet and look at the best way to operationalise this capacity.
The establishment of this African Capacity for Immediate Response to Crises is very much in keeping with our search for African Solutions to African problems within the African Peace and Security Architecture. This Consultative Summit provided an opportunity to the volunteering countries, to consider modalities for the operationalisation of the African Capacity for Immediate Response to Crises.
Discussing the way forward, we decided to establish a Working Group comprising all Chiefs of Defence Staff of volunteering countries. Furthermore, as Heads of State and Government, we have agreed on guidelines to direct the Working Group in fulfilling their mandate.
This Group will then follow-up on the agreed upon processes and advise us accordingly, with the view to table a progress report at the next AU Summit in January 2014.
For enquiries please contact Mr Clayson Monyela, Spokesperson for the Department of International Relations and Cooperation, at 082 884 5974.
ISSUED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS AND COOPERATION
www.dirco.gov.za
OR Tambo Building
460 Soutpansberg Road
Rietondale
Pretoria
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