EU pledges to deepen partnership with AU

The European Union (EU) has pledged to deepen its partnership with the African Union (AU) to build a common future.

This is contained in a communique issued at the end of the sixth EU/AU summit held in Brussels.

It said; “The Heads of State and Government of the Member States of the AU and the EU have agreed to consolidate a renewed partnership for solidarity, security, peace, sustainable and sustained economic development and prosperity for citizens and for future generations, bringing together the two people, regions and organisations”.

The renewed partnership will “be founded on geography, acknowledgment of history, human ties, respect for sovereignty, mutual respect and accountability, shared values, equality between partners, and reciprocal commitments.”

The goal is to serve as the driving force in promoting common priorities, shared values, international law, and preserving together interests and common public goods.

This includes the security and prosperity of citizens, the protection of human rights for all, gender equality and women’s empowerment in all spheres of life, respect for democratic principles, good governance, and the rule of law.

Other aspects will also focus on actions to preserve the climate, environment, and biodiversity, sustainable and inclusive economic growth, the fight against inequalities, support for children’s rights, and the inclusion of women, young people, and the most disadvantaged.

“Our renewed partnership addresses both the immediate opportunities and challenges, as well as the long-term possibilities offered by our partnership.

“The immediate challenge is to ensure fair and equitable access to vaccines. Together we will support local and regional mechanisms for procurement, as well as allocation and deployment of medical products,” it said.

The EU reaffirmed its commitment to provide at least 450 million vaccine doses to Africa, in coordination with the Africa Vaccine Acquisition Task Team (AVATT) platform, by mid-2022.

Contributing to this and complementing the actions of the AVATT, Team Europe has provided more than $3 billion (that is, the equivalent of 400 million vaccine doses) to the Covax Facility, and to vaccination on the African continent.

According to the communique, Team Europe will mobilize EUR 425 million to ramp up the pace of vaccination, and in coordination with the Africa Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to support the efficient distribution of doses and the training of medical teams and the capacity of analysis and sequencing.

Source: GNA

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