Panafrican News Agency

AU Executive Council defers decision on granting Israel observer status to next AU Summit

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (PANA) - The Executive Council of the African Union (AU) has deferred to the next AU Summit the consideration of the decision of the Chairperson of the AU Commission to grant observer status to Israel in the pan-African organisation.

Several African countries last August vigorously opposed the decision of the chairperson of the AU Commission to grant observer status to Israel within the organisation. 

This formed part of decisions of 39th ordinary session of the Council which ended on Friday.

An AU statement said the representatives of the 54 member countries of the continental body adopted several decisions relating notably to the reports of the 42nd Ordinary Session of the AU Permanent Representatives Committee, the operationalisation of the African Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, as well as the concept note and roadmap relating to the 2022 theme on nutrition and food security in addition to the election of two commissioners of the AU Commission.

The approval of the AU budget for the year 2022 and a supplementary budget for the year 2021 were also among the decisions adopted by the Council, which also considered human resources.

The Council, in considering the report of the Sub-Committee of the Permanent Representatives Committee (PRC) on Audit Matters, urged all AU organs, among other things, to strengthen internal control systems, operational processes, governance and risk management, expressing, at the same time, its concern at the lack of implementation of previous Executive Council decisions.

On the COVID-19 pandemic, the Council stressed the need to pursue the objective of correcting the current imbalance in access to the means of combating the disease, including diagnostics, therapies and vaccines.

It highlighted the persistent inequality in access to vaccines, with less than 5% of the population fully vaccinated by the end of September, compared to a global average of over 50%.

-0- PANA AM/AD/IN/IS/BBA 17Oct2021