Assembly/AU/ Decl.1 (XI) Page 1 SHARM EL-SHEIKH COMMITMENTS FOR ACCELERATING THE ACHIEVEMENT OF WATER AND SANITATION GOALS IN AFRICA WE, the Heads of State and Government of the African Union, meeting at the 11th Ordinary Session of our Assembly in Sharm El-Sheikh, Arab Republic of Egypt, from 30 June to 1 July 2008, Recognizing the importance of water and sanitation for social, economic and environmental development of our countries and Continent; Reaffirming our commitment to the principles and objectives, stipulated in the Constitutive Act of the African Union aimed at promoting cooperation and integration between our countries in all fields with a view to raising the living standards of our peoples and the wellbeing of future generations; Recognizing that water is and must remain a key to sustainable development in Africa, and that water supply and sanitation are prerequisites for Africa’s human capital development; Concerned that there is an underutilization and uneven sharing of water resources in Africa, and that remains a growing challenge in the achievement of food and energy securities; Reaffirming our commitment to the African Water Vision 2025, the Sirte Declaration on Agriculture and Water in Africa; the Declaration on Climate Change in Africa; and the Millennium Development Goal on water supply and sanitation; Mindful that our Summit is taking place mid way to the 2015 water, sanitation and other MDGs targets and aware that not much progress has been made in Africa compared to the rest of the world to achieve the MDGs target, and that based on current trends, Africa needs to accelerate its efforts; Welcoming the Declaration by the international community of 2008 as the year of action on the MDGs, and the Declaration by the United Nations of 2008 as the “International Year of Sanitation” which, for Africa, provides an opportunity for accelerating its regional action plans and implementation strategies by adopting concrete decisions at our Heads of State and Government Summit; Aware of the need to make progress on the challenges of water and sanitation infrastructure financing, water conservation and equitable distribution, closing the sanitation gap, breaking the silence on sanitation and hygiene, adapting to climate change, integrated management of national and transboundary surface and ground