Assembly/AU/Dec.585(XXV) Page 1 DECISION ON REPORT OF THE COMMISSION ON GOVERNANCE IN AFRICA (WITH FOCUS ON THE AFRICAN GOVERNANCE ARCHITECTURE AND ELECTIONS) Doc. Assembly/AU/8(XXV) The Assembly 1. TAKES NOTE of the Report of the Commission on Governance in Africa (with focus on the African Governance Architecture and Elections) and the recommendations contained therein; 2. RECALLS the previous Decision of the Assembly (Assembly/AU/Dec.304 (XV) at its 16h Ordinary Session dedicated to the theme “Towards Greater Unity and Integration Through Shared Values” held in Addis Ababa in January 2011, which called for the establishment of a “Pan-African Architecture on Governance”; 3. COMMENDS and ENCOURAGES the Commission to continue its efforts towards ensuring synergies and complementarity between the African Governance Architecture (AGA) and the African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA) and for establishing the AU Commission Interdepartmental Conflict Prevention Task Force; 4. CALLS UPON Member States to ratify, domesticate and implement all AU Shared Values Instruments, including the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance; 5. ENCOURAGES Member States to continuously ensure the conduct of democratic, credible and peaceful elections that guarantee peace, security and stability of the continent; 6. URGES Member States to intensify measures to strengthen the effectiveness of state institutions in their delivery of public services, ensuring decentralization of governance machinery, improving planned urbanization, combatting corruption and reversing illicit financial outflows from Africa; 7. CALLS UPON Member States to redouble their efforts in entrenching a culture of constitutionalism, human rights and the rule of law; 8. FURTHER ENCOURAGES Member States to put in place institutional mechanisms, where they do not exist, for the constructive management of diversity including the establishment and strengthening of national infrastructures for peace; 9. REQUESTS the Commission to report to the Assembly regularly on the implementation of this Decision.