UNIÃO AFRICANA

AFRICAN UNION	                  UNION AFRICAINE
Addis Ababa, ETHIOPIA	P. O. Box 3243	Telephone:  517 700	Fax: 5130 36
 	website:  www.au.int

DECISION ON THE SIXTEENTH REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE OF TEN HEADS OF STATE AND GOVERNMENT ON THE REFORM OF THE UNITED NATIONS SECURITY COUNCIL
Doc. Assembly/AU/12(XXV)
Decision No: Assembly/AU/Dec. 574(XXV)

The Assembly,

1.	RECALLS Decisions Assembly/AU/Dec.564(XXIV), Assembly/AU/Dec.573 (XXIII), Ext/Assembly/AU/Dec.1 (IV), Assembly/AU/Dec.430 (XIX) and Assembly/AU/Dec.485 (XXI);

2.	TAKES NOTE of the Sixteenth Report of the Committee of Ten Heads of State and Government on the reform of the United Nations Security Council;

3.	ALSO TAKES NOTE of the Committee Heads of State Consultative Summit Held in Livingstone, Republic of Zambia on 9th May 2015 and the high level outreach consultations with the Five Permanent Members of the Security Council;

4.	FURTHER TAKES NOTE of the progress made at both the intergovernmental negotiations and outreach with Member States of the United Nations in garnering support for the Common African Position;

5.	WELCOMES the support that the Common African Position continues to garner on United Nations Security Council reform;

6.	REAFFIRMS that the Common African Position, as contained in the Ezulwini Consensus and Sirte Declaration, shall continue to serve as the only viable option that reflects Africa’s legitimate right and aspiration to rectify, inter alia, the historical injustice endured by the Continent;

7.	ALSO REAFFIRMS its unanimous and unequivocal adhesion to the Common African Position contained in the Ezulwini Consensus and the Sirte Declaration consisting of the claim of two additional seats in the category of the non-permanent members and two seats in the category of permanent members with same rights, privileges and obligations accorded to the current permanent members, including the right to veto; 

8.	RESERVES the right to determine the criteria for the selection of the two Member States to represent Africa in the Security Council as Permanent Members; 

9.	UNDERTAKES to defend the African Union Common Position during the negotiations on the reform of the Security Council;

10.	CALLS ON all African Union Member States to continue to speak with one voice on the need to not adhere to other negotiating groups or special interests, as it is not in keeping with the spirit of the Common African Position;

11.	REQUESTS the Coordinator to present this decision to the next session of the United Nations General Assembly, in order to garner the support of friendly countries in favour of the Ezulwini Consensus and the Sirte Declaration;

12.	REITERATES its call on all African Union Member States to include the issue of the Security Council reform among their foreign policy priorities in their engagements with non-African partners; in particular, to include in their statements during the debates of the United Nations General Assembly, the need to correct the historical injustice that the African continent continues to suffer;

13.	DECIDES to include an allocation in the Commission’s Budget for the purpose of funding the activities of the Committee of Ten;

14.	REITERATES that the Committee of Ten remains seized of its mandate until
Africa achieves its objectives on the reform of the UN Security Council, and requests the Committee to present a report to the next Ordinary Session of the Assembly in January 2016.