Assembly/AU/Dec.293(XV) DECISION ON THE ADOPTION OF THE AFRICAN MARITIME TRANSPORT CHARTER Doc. Assembly/AU/3(XV) The Assembly, 1. TAKES NOTE of Decision EX.CL/Dec.542(XVI) on the Report of the Second African Union Conference of Ministers responsible for Maritime Transport adopted by the Sixteenth Ordinary Session of the Executive Council held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in January 2010; 2. ADOPTS the African Maritime Transport Charter as recommended by the Second African Union Conference of Ministers responsible for Maritime Transport held in Durban, South Africa in October 2009 and the Sixteenth Ordinary Session of the Executive Council held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in January 2010; 3. URGES Member States to speed up signature and ratification of the African Maritime Transport Charter in order to ensure its speedy entry into force to facilitate accelerated development of maritime transport in the Continent; 4. ALSO URGES Member States, the Regional Economic Communities and Specialised Agencies to participate effectively in the implementation of the African Maritime Transport Charter; 5. APPEALS to the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, the African Development Bank, the International Maritime Organization, the United Nations Development Programme, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the World Bank, European Union, interested countries and all development partners to support the implementation of the African Maritime Transport Charter; 6. REQUESTS the Commission to prepare and manage a plan of action for the implementation of the African Maritime Transport Charter; 7. FURTHER REQUESTS the Commission to report regularly to the Assembly through the Executive Council on the implementation of this Decision. Adopted by the Fifteenth Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the Union on 27 July 2010 in Kampala, Uganda