Rev. 5 Page 4 • • • • • • • • free movement of persons, goods and services; inter-regional and continental infrastructure (road networks, bridges, railways, ports, energy, communication, etc.); environmental issues (global warming, desertification and coastal erosion); epidemics and pandemics such as HIV/AIDS; research/university centres of excellence; international trade negotiations; peace and security; and transnational crime (terrorism, drug and arms trafficking). (x) The Committee agreed that, as the need arises, other domains of competence could be considered in the future. On foreign affairs and defense, the Committee agreed that there should be some level of harmonization and coordination in these sectors, in accordance with mechanisms and instruments already in existence in the Union; (xi) There is a need to strengthen the AU organs, particularly the AU Commission in order to enable them fulfill their mandates; (xii) There is a general agreement on the recommendations made by the 11th Extraordinary Session of the Executive Council, Arusha (67 May 2008) on the Audit of the Union. In this regard, the concerned Organs and in particular, the AU Commission, are called upon to take necessary action and report thereon to the Executive Council; (xiii) On the financing of the Union, the Committee endorsed the recommendation of the 11th Extraordinary Session of the Executive Council (Arusha, Tanzania, 6-7 May 2008), to request the AU Commission to finalize the study on alternative sources of financing the Union and submit a report thereon to the Executive Council in January 2009; (xiv) On the timetable for the establishment of the Union Government and the United States of Africa, the Committee agreed to move forward on the basis of the agreed accelerators and benchmarks as spelt out in the Report of the High Level Panel on the Audit of the Union. In this regard, it requested the AU Commission to work out appropriate modalities for monitoring progress made on the abovementioned accelerators and benchmarks and conduct annual reviews for submission to the Assembly through the Executive Council.