Assembly/AU/Dec.404(XVIII) Page 1 DECISION ON "INTEGRATION AS A FACTOR FOR AFRICAN RENAISSANCE" Assembly/AU/14(XVIII) Add.4 The Assembly, 1. TAKES NOTE of the proposal presented by the Republic of Togo; 2. COMMENDS the President of the Republic of Togo, Mr. Faure Essozimna Gnassingbe, for his thoughtful initiative to present such a crucial topic for discussion with his peers; 3. REAFFIRMS the provisions of the Accra Declaration [Assembly/AU/Decl.2(IX)] on the ultimate objective of African integration and that this process is essential for the development and renaissance of Africa; 4. TAKES NOTE of the recommendations of the International Symposium on “Integration as a Factor for Africa’s Renaissance” held in Lomé, Togo from 17 to 19 May 2011; 5. INVITES Member States to join hands to map out more resilient regional and continental integration policies in the Regional Economic Communities ( RECs) and in the African Union (AU) Commission with focus on priority actions capable of leading, in the shortest possible time, to the free movement of persons, goods and services, and to the building of various intra-and inter-community infrastructure required to speed up the integration process; 6. UNDERSCORES the need for the AU Commission, working closely with the RECs, to develop recommendations on currency convertibility as a crucial factor of economic and commercial integration; 7. INVITES Member States to take the necessary steps to involve the peoples of Africa and the Diaspora in the integration process, the sole guarantee of African renaissance and the affirmation of Africa in the concert of Nations; 8. CALLS UPON the Secretariats of the RECs and the Commission, in collaboration with civil society organizations, to intensify efforts to initiate and undertake necessary actions to accelerate the integration process in the continent in furtherance of its economic, social and cultural development; 9. ALSO CALLS UPON the AU Commission to submit on regular basis reports on the implementation of this Decision.