DIRCO Annual Report

SUBPROGRAMME 3.2: CONTINENTAL COOPERATION South Africa’s one-year term at the helm of the AU concluded at the 34th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government, held virtually on 6 and 7 February 2021. The African Union’s (AU) theme during the past year was: “Silencing the Guns: Creating Conducive Conditions for Africa’s Development” . South Africa’s declared priorities for its Chairship of the AU were: Peace and Security – Silencing the Guns in Africa; Economic Development and Continental Integration through the Operationaliation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA); Infrastructure Development to Facilitate Continental Free Trade; Advancing the Economic Empowerment of Women; and Support of Good Governance and Democracy. An Interdepartmental AU Chairpersonship Steering Committee was formed to ensure that the priorities, as well as legacy projects, were achieved.

However, the priorities announced at the beginning of the AU Chairship had to be modified as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. As far as was possible within the new restrictive and novel environment, the priorities announced by the President continued to receive high consideration. These included an AU Women’s Financial and Economic Inclusion Strategy, advancement of the AU Convention on Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG), as well as some projects identified by the departments that could be defined as legacy projects for South Africa’s Chairship, e.g. the Pan-African Payment and Settlement Systems Project and the African Green Stimulus Programme. Some projects could, however, not be implemented as planned. The planned back-to-back 13th and 14th extraordinary summits on the AfCFTA and on Silencing the Guns in Africa were postponed and eventually held virtually on 5 and 6 December 2020, respectively. The objectives of both summits were achieved. The commencement of trading under the AfCFTA on 1 January 2021 signals a concrete achievement under the South African leadership that will significantly boost African economic development for many decades to come. On Silencing the Guns, the introduction of periodic reviews every two years was also a major achievement that will ensure that the heads of state and government actively monitor the resolution of conflicts on the continent. As Chair of the African Ministerial Conference on Environment (AMCEN) for the period 2019 to 2021, South Africa has been in a position to provide leadership on African environmental issues at the AMCEN 17th Ordinary Session and over the forthcoming period accordingly, and give leadership on climate change issues for the African continent at heads of state level. It is envisaged that South Africa’s chairing of both the Committee of African Heads of State and Government on Climate Change (CAHOSCC) and AMCEN will provide an opportunity to provide leadership in advancing Africa’s environmental and climate change priorities, particularly within the Africa Group of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) and the African Group of Negotiators (AGN) under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and will afford South Africa the opportunity to shape and influence the African environmental agenda. In terms of the Pan-African Parliament, South Africa continues to implement the Host Country Agreement, especially around the new building. A new site has been identified and the process of finalising the issue of user requirements continues.

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted life across the globe, including the activities of the AU. South Africa swiftly took action with an innovative Pan-African strategy to address the devastating effects of the pandemic in Africa. The President’s leadership as AU Chairperson during the COVID-19 pandemic and the actions spearheaded in this time, contributed to South Africa’s successful Chairship and the concomitant legacy. At the February 2021 AU Summit, the President was appointed AU COVID-19 Champion, in order to continue the work started during his Chairship.

Department of International Relations and Cooperation

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