Rev. 5
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SUMMARY OF THE DISCUSSIONS
The Committee of Twelve Heads of State and Government met in Arusha,
Tanzania, on 22 and 23 May 2008.
The Committee of Twelve based its discussions on the Accra Declaration
and took account of the Report of the Ministerial Committee of Ten on the Union
Government as well as the report of the 12th Ordinary Session of the Executive
Council which met in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, from 27 to 29 January 2008.
The Committee of Twelve was mandated to consider the Report of the
Executive Council on the Union Government as well as the background reports
and submit appropriate recommendations to the next Ordinary Session of the
Assembly in July 2008. The Committee of Twelve was similarly requested to
consider the Report of the 11th Extraordinary Session of the Executive Council
which was held on 6 and 7 May 2008 in Arusha, Tanzania, before it is submitted
to the Assembly in July 2008.
The Committee of Twelve recalled its Terms of Reference as follows:
i.
identification of the contents of the Union Government concept and
its relations with national governments;
ii.
identification of domains of competence and the impact of the
establishment of the Union Government on the sovereignty of
Member States;
iii.
definition of the relationship between the Union Government and
the Regional Economic Communities (RECs),
iv.
elaboration of the roadmap together
establishing the Union Government; and
v.
identification of additional sources of financing the activities of the
Union.
with
timeframes
for
1)
The Committee recalled that, in the Accra Declaration, the Assembly
agreed to “accelerate the economic and political integration of the African
continent, including the formation of a Union Government for Africa with
the ultimate objective of creating the United States of Africa”.
2)
It also recalled that, for attaining the Union Government, the Accra
Declaration identified the following three steps:
a)
Rationalize and strengthen the RECs and harmonize their activities,
in conformity with the earlier decision of the Assembly, so as to