Assembly/AU/Dec.383(XVII) Page 1 DECISION ON THE SUPPORT OF A DRAFT RESOLUTION AT THE SIXTY SIXTH ORDINARY SESSION OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE UNITED NATIONS TO BAN FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION IN THE WORLD Doc. Assembly/AU/12(XVII) Add.5 The Assembly, 1. TAKES NOTE of the proposal by Burkina Faso for a resolution to be adopted at the Sixty Sixth Ordinary Session of the General Assembly of the United Nations to ban female genital Mutilation (FGM) in the world; 2. RECOGNIZES that female genital mutilation (FGM) is a gross violation of the fundamental human rights of women and girls, with serious repercussions on the lives of millions of people worldwide, especially women and girls in Africa; 3. RECALLS the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights adopted on 21 June 1981 by the Eighteenth Session of the Assembly of Heads of States and Governments of the Organization of African Unity held in Nairobi, Kenya; 4. ALSO RECALLS the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa, adopted on 11 July 2003 in Maputo, Mozambique which in its Article 5 requires State Parties to prohibit and condemn all forms of female genital mutilation through legislative measures enforced by sanctions; 5. COMMENDS Member States and African Union initiatives to ban FGM and efforts to pursue the necessary steps for full implementation of the Maputo Protocol. At the same time, EXPRESSES DEEP CONCERN at the continued practice of FGM in spite of numerous campaigns conducted over the last thirty (30) years; 6. CALLS UPON the United Nations (UN) General Assembly to adopt a resolution at its Sixty-sixth session to ban female genital mutilation worldwide, by harmonizing the actions of Member States and providing recommendations and guidelines for the development and strengthening of regional and international legal instruments and national legislations; 7. URGES all Member States to provide strong support for efforts to adopt a draft resolution to ban female genital mutilation worldwide, which draft will be submitted to the Sixty-sixth session of the General Assembly of the United Nations; 8. INVITES all Member States of the United Nations and other international organizations to support this initiative and contribute to its adoption after submission to the Sixty-sixth session of the UN General Assembly; 9. REQUESTS the Commission to report on the implementation of this Decision next Ordinary Session of the Assembly in January 2012.