The President of the ECOWAS Commission, H.E. Dr. Omar Alieu Touray, participated in the 8th session of the Annual Conference of the African Union and the United Nations on October 22, 2024. The event took place in Addis Ababa and focused on discussing the Report of the Independent High-Level Panel on Security and Development.
The session was co-chaired by H.E. Antonio Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, and H.E. Moussa Faki Mahamat, Chairman of the African Union. The report was presented by H.E. Mahamadou Issoufou, former President of Niger and Chairman of the Group responsible for compiling it.
The report suggested that 18 African countries be included in a new configuration with an emphasis on governance, security, socio-economic conditions, resource mobilization, and partnerships. This list includes 13 ECOWAS countries along with three Maghreb countries and two Central African countries.
In his address at the conference, President Touray highlighted that several recommendations from the report align with ECOWAS Commission’s strategic objectives known as “4 x 4.” He emphasized that strengthening institutional capacity and improving coordination between existing regional bodies such as the African Union and regional economic communities should be considered by the panel.
The conference concluded with a call for further consultations to conduct an in-depth examination of the report’s findings.
