Council:

1. COMMENDS the OAU General Secretariat, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN), for their endeavour to update the 1968 African Convention on the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources to the level and standard of modern international environment and natural resources instruments;

2. FURTHER COMMENDS the Governments of Algeria, Burkina Faso, Cameroon and Nigeria, Parties to the 1968 Convention, for their initiative to bring about the revision of the Convention;

3. ENDORSES the revised African Convention on the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources;

4. REQUESTS the Assembly of Heads of State and Government to adopt the Revised Convention;

5. CALLS UPON the Secretary General, UNEP, IUCN and relevant agencies of the United Nations system to ensure that the Revised Convention is opened for signature at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg in August/September 2002.

6. URGES all Member States to, as soon as possible, sign and ratify the said Convention, upon its adoption by the Heads of State and Government, in order to bring it into force at the earliest possible time.

7. REQUESTS the Secretary General to take the necessary measures to ensure that Member States sign and ratify the revised Convention.

DECISION ON THE FOLLOW UP ON THE FIRST AFRICA–EUROPE SUMMIT AND PREPARATIONS FOR THE SECOND AFRICA-EUROPE SUMMIT (CM/Dec. 682)

Council:

1. RECOGNIZES the need for effective preparation for the Second Africa-Europe Summit, in view of the limited progress in the implementation of the Cairo Plan of Action adopted by the First Summit;

2. REQUESTS the OAU Follow-up Committee and the OAU Core Group to ensure that the fifth meeting of the Africa-Europe Bi-Regional Group take place during the second half of September 2002;

3. FURTHER REQUESTS the OAU Follow-up Committee to ensure that all aspects of the preparatory arrangements for the second Africa-Europe Ministerial Conference in Ouagadougou, due in November 2002, are fully coordinated with the Government of Burkina Faso, the host country and in cooperation with all the RECs, ECA and ADB;

4. CALLS UPON all Member States to participate in the Second Ministerial Conference and ALSO APPEALS to all EU Member States to honour their commitments under the Cairo Plan of Action and to cooperate with the African side, so as to ensure that the Conference adopts concrete measures and actions for implementation of the Cairo Plan of Action, and for identification of specific issues to be addressed by the second Africa-Europe Summit in 2003;

5. URGES all African Union and European Union Member States to be represented at the Ouagadougou Conference by Ministers;

6. SUBMITS the offer by Portugal to host the Second Africa-Europe Summit in Lisbon from 4 to 5 April 2003 to the Assembly of Heads of State and Government, for approval;

7. REQUESTS the Secretary General in cooperation with the RECs, to take all the necessary measures to provide technical support for all the preparatory arrangements, as well as to the 5^th Meeting of the Bi-regional Group, the Ouagadougou Ministerial Conference and the Second Africa-Europe Summit.

DECISION ON INTRODUCING KISWAHILI AS A WORKING LANGUAGE OF THE AFRICAN UNION (CM/Dec. 683)

Council:

1. RECALLS Article 25 of the Constitutive Act of the African Union (AU) on the working languages of the African Union providing for, if possible, the use of African languages;

2. ALSO RECALLS Rule 15 of the Rules of Procedure of the Executive Council;

3. FURTHER RECALLS Resolution CMAC/16 (I) on the use of Kiswahili as one of the African Languages in OAU meetings, adopted by the First Conference of African Ministers of Culture in 1986 in Port-Louis, Mauritius, and approved by the Council of Ministers of the OAU;

4. REQUESTS the General Secretariat to put in place appropriate arrangements to operationalise the decision to adopt Kiswahili as one of the working languages of the African Union as soon as possible.

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DECISION ON MAINSTREAMING GENDER AND WOMEN’S ISSUES IN THE AFRICAN UNION (CM/Dec. 684)

Council:

1. REITERATES its call, enshrined in Article 4 (1) of the Constitutive Act, for the African Union, to promote gender equality;

2. TAKES NOTE of the efforts so far made by the Secretary General to ensure that the African Union pays due attention to gender considerations;

3. MANDATES the Secretary General to continue with his efforts to mainstream gender into the African Union and its programmes, and to undertake consultations with Member States and other interested parties, with a view to submitting recommendations for consideration by the Executive Council;

4. REAFFIRMS that the gender issue cuts across all the portfolios of the Commission and WELCOMES the establishment of a special unit in the Office of the Chairperson of the Commission to coordinate all activities and programmes of the Commission related to gender;

5. APPEALS to Assembly, the Executive Council and the Secretary General/Chairperson of the Commission to make sure that, at the time of setting-up the Commission, due consideration should be given to gender balance;

DECISION ON AFRICAN CANDIDATURES FOR POSTS WITHIN THE INTERNATIONAL SYSTEM (CM/Dec. 685)

Council:

1. APPROVES the recommendations of the Ministerial Committee on Candidatures as contained in its report;

2. DECIDES therefore to support the following Candidatures:

1. The Republic of Angola for the position of Non-Permanent Member of the United Nations Security Council for the period 2003-2004;

2. Chief Superintendent Abdatt Ould Senny, of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, for the post of delegate for Africa within the Executive Committee of the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) at elections to be held during the 71^st Session of the General Assembly of the Organization scheduled for October 2002 in Yaounde, Cameroon;

3. Judge Abdul G. Koroma, of the Republic of Sierra Leone, for re-election to the International Court of Justice at elections to be held during the 57^th Session of the General Assembly of the United Nations in New York;

4. The Republic of Kenya to represent the East Africa Region within the ILO Governing Body;

5. Mr. Guy Alain Emmanuel Gauze, of the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire, for the post of Executive Director of the International Cocoa Organization (ICCO).

6. The Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia for the post of: Vice-President of the 57^th Session of the United Nations General Assembly;

7. Mr. Abdelfattah Amor, of the Republic of Tunisia for re-election, as a member of the United Nations Human Rights Committee for the period 2003-2006;

8. Mr. Hamadoun Ibrahim Touré of the Republic of Mali for re-election to the Telecommunications Development Bureau (TDB) at elections to be held during the next Plenipotentiary Conference of Member States scheduled to take place between 23 September and 18 October 2002 in Marrakech, Morocco;

9. The Republic of Senegal for a seat on the Industrial Development Board of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization for the year 2003;

10. Mr. Nebout Jean Francois Anoma, of the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire for the post of Vice President for Africa on the INTERPOL Executive Committee at elections scheduled to take place during the 71^st Session of the INTERPOL General Assembly in October 2002, in Yaounde, Cameroon;

11. Mr. Mohamed Charfi, Judge, of the People’s Democratic Republic Of Algeria for the post of Expect on the Civil and Political Rights Committee at elections due to take place in New York in September 2002;

12. Professor Kamel Filali, of the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria for a seat as Expert on the Committee on the Rights of Children, at elections scheduled to hold in New York, in February 2003;

13. The Federal Republic of Nigeria for membership of the International Atomic Energy (IACA) Board of Governors for the period 2003-2004 at elections to be held during the 46^th Ordinary Session of the General Assembly in September 2002;

14. Mr. Doudou Ndir, Judge and Director of Criminal Affairs and Pardons, of the Republic of Senegal, for a post as Judge at the International Criminal Court;

15. Mr Evans Arthur Mukolwe, of the Republic of Kenya, for the post of Secretary General of the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) at elections scheduled to take place at the WMO Congress in May 2003;

16. Mr. Abdelkeri Boussaid, of the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria for the post of Deputy Secretary General of the ITU, at elections due to take place in Marrakech from 23 September to 18 October 2002.

17. The Republic of Mauritius as a member of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Council for the term 2002-2006 during the forthcoming Plenipotentiary Conference which will be held in Marrakech, Morocco, from 23 September to 8 October 2002;

18. The Republic of Mali for the membership of the Council of the International Telecommunications Union during the Conference of Plenipotentiaries due to be held from 23^rd September to 18^th October 2002 in the city of Marrakech, Morocco.

19. The Arab Republic of Egypt for the membership of the Council of the International Telecommunications Union during the Conference of Plenipotentiaries due to be held from 23^rd September to 18^th October 2002 in the city of Marrakech, Morocco.

20. Libyan Arab Jamahiriya for the post of President of the 59^th Session of the Human Rights Commission at election due to take place during 2003

3. TAKES NOTE also of the candidatures of Professor Akua Kuenyehia of the Republic of Ghana, Ms. Pramila Patten, Lawyer of the Republic of Mauritius, Mrs Meriem Belmihoub Zerdani of the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria Judge Mary Atieno Ang’awa of the Republic of Kenya, and Mrs Tadeletch Haile Michaele of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia for one of the twelve (12) seats to be filled at elections to be held on 29 August 2002, in New York, at the 12^th Meeting of States Parties to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women and REQUESTS the concerned Member States to hold consultations on equitable geographical distribution. In any case, candidates for this post shall be elected on the basis of their personal merit.

4. TAKES NOTE also of the candidature of the Central African sub-Region, submitted by the Republic of Gabon, on behalf of all Member States of the Sub-Region, for the post of President of the 59^th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in 2004, in addition to that of The Sudan whose candidature Council had already noted, by Decision CM/Dec. 650 (LXXV) in March 2002 and REQUESTS the African Group in New York to examine these candidatures and come up with appropriate recommendations.

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DECISION ON THE REPORT OF THE SECRETARY GENERAL ON THE PROCLAMATION OF THE "AFRICAN ENVIRONMENT DAY" (CM/Dec. 686)

Council:

1. TAKES NOTE of the Report;

2. WELCOMES the proposal by the Great Socialist Peoples’ Libyan Arab Jamahiriya regarding the institutionalization of the Africa Environment Day and its celebration on 3 March each year;

3. DECIDES that Member States celebrate the Africa Environment Day, by urging enterprises, institutions and centers concerned by environmental problems to under take the following:

1. Organization of conferences/debates, symposia and information campaigns to sensitize African populations on environmental problems;

2. Organization of visits and excursions to beaches, forests, zoological parks and natural reserves with a view to involving the African population in the preservation of the environment;

3. Focusing efforts on desertification and drought control programmes, as well as an maximum and judicious exploitation of natural resources;

4. Mobilization of all available means of information to cover the celebration of the Africa Environment Day.

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DECISION ON THE ESTABLISHMENT OF ELECTION MONITORING UNIT IN AFRICA (CM/Dec. 687)

Council:

• HAVING TAKEN NOTE of the Report of the Secretary General

• RECALLING decision AHG/Dec.142(XXXV) adopted by the OAU Summit in Algiers in 1999 on rejection of unconstitutional changes and promotion of democracy in Africa;

• REFERRING ALSO to the Lomé Declaration of July 2000 on the role of the Civil Society in ensuring gender equity in the political process;

• STRESSING the importance of OAU/AU involvement in election observation and monitoring as well as the promotion and advancement of the political process in Africa through the use of a more credible and effective approach:

1. DECIDES to establish an administrative unit for election monitoring within the Office of the Commission responsible for Political Affairs to be responsible for coordinating and streamlining participation in election monitoring in collaboration with the competent authorities of the countries concerned;

2. The election observer team shall comprise the following:

   1. OAU/AU

   2. Other members who should be experienced and competent in the area of election monitoring shall be selected from OAU/AU Member States and other independent persons. Membership of the team should include women.

• Those providing members of the team shall bear the cost of their participation where possible.

• The observer team shall submit a report on its participation in the election monitoring to the Secretary General, who shall in turn submit it to the Council of Ministers/the Executive Council.