This photo taken on Feb. 12, 2025 shows a scene during the 46th Ordinary Session of the Executive Council of the African Union (AU) at the AU headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The session kicked off here on Wednesday, emphasizing the urgent need to enhance efforts aimed at promoting continental development, stability, and unity. (Xinhua/Han Xu)
ADDIS ABABA, Feb. 12 (Xinhua) -- The 46th Ordinary Session of the Executive Council of the African Union (AU) kicked off Wednesday at the AU headquarters in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, emphasizing the urgent need to enhance efforts aimed at promoting continental development, stability, and unity.
The two-day meeting, comprising foreign ministers from AU members, is being held under the AU's theme for the year 2025: "Justice for Africans and People of African Descent Through Reparations."
Addressing the meeting, Chairperson of the AU Commission Moussa Faki Mahamat emphasized the importance of collective efforts to promote peace and security across the continent. He highlighted the necessity of fostering good governance, socioeconomic development, sustainable financing, and institutional reform of the AU. He also stressed the need to enhance Africa's position and unity on the global stage.
Faki noted that recent initiatives have strengthened Africa's pursuit of continental integration, public health, and education, primarily driven by the African Continental Free Trade Area and the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. He also recognized Africa's increasing influence and presence on the global stage.
"African positions on climate change are being strengthened. Agriculture and the blue economy are gradually taking their natural place in our strategic choices. The infrastructure and energy sector has made significant strides," Faki said.
He stressed that while these achievements are commendable, they should not overshadow the significant challenges and shortcomings that Africa still faces. He said ongoing violent conflicts remain a pressing issue across the continent, highlighting the urgent need to tackle security threats, particularly in Sudan and the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
"This situation is all the more worrying at a time when multilateralism, already in bad shape for some time, seems to have to face new challenges and blows from across the Atlantic. We have to pull ourselves up, and we need to do it here and now," Faki told African foreign ministers.
The executive council meeting, among other things, is set to elect six commissioners for the AU Commission. Additionally, it will review the draft agenda and decisions for the 38th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the AU, which is scheduled to take place on Feb. 15-16.
Ethiopian Minister of Foreign Affairs Gedion Timothewos, on his part, emphasized the importance of strengthening both the AU and the global multilateral system. He highlighted that addressing critical issues such as climate change, pandemics, and security threats requires collaboration at both the continental and global levels.
"We are confronting the reality of turbulent changes that are severely challenging multilateralism. For Africa and the rest of the Global South, multilateralism is both a choice and a necessity. It is a choice because we believe in collaboration, consensus building, and partnership. It is a necessity because most of the challenges we face are global, and their solutions are found in multilateral frameworks," Timothewos said. ■
This photo taken on Feb. 12, 2025 shows an exterior view of the African Union (AU) headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The session kicked off here on Wednesday, emphasizing the urgent need to enhance efforts aimed at promoting continental development, stability, and unity. (Xinhua/Han Xu)
Chairperson of the African Union (AU) Commission Moussa Faki Mahamat (1st R) addresses the 46th Ordinary Session of the Executive Council of the AU at the AU headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on Feb. 12, 2025. The session kicked off here on Wednesday, emphasizing the urgent need to enhance efforts aimed at promoting continental development, stability, and unity. (Xinhua/Michael Tewelde)
Ethiopian Foreign Minister Gedion Timothewos (at podium) addresses the 46th Ordinary Session of the Executive Council of the African Union (AU) at the AU headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on Feb. 12, 2025. The session kicked off here on Wednesday, emphasizing the urgent need to enhance efforts aimed at promoting continental development, stability, and unity. (Xinhua/Michael Tewelde)
Ethiopian Foreign Minister Gedion Timothewos (at podium) addresses the 46th Ordinary Session of the Executive Council of the African Union (AU) at the AU headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on Feb. 12, 2025. The session kicked off here on Wednesday, emphasizing the urgent need to enhance efforts aimed at promoting continental development, stability, and unity. (Xinhua/Michael Tewelde)
