Assembly/AU/Dec.369(XVII) Page 3 Assembly WELCOMES the partnership between the Commission, the International Labor Organization (ILO) and IGAD, in convening a Stakeholders’ and Development Partners’ Conference on Employment for Peace, Stability and Development in the Horn of Africa, in Addis Ababa on 11 and 12 April 2011, and REQUESTS the Commission to pursue its efforts, including consultations with all stakeholders, with the view to facilitating the early convening of the envisaged regional conference on peace, security, stability and development in the Horn of Africa, as provided for in the above-mentioned decision; 12. RECALLS the Solemn Declaration on Sudan adopted at its 16 th Ordinary Session, following the successful holding of the self-determination referendum for Southern Sudan, the main pillar of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA). The Assembly ACKNOWLEGES the overwhelming choice for separation made by the people of Southern Sudan, and LOOKS FORWARD to welcoming the Republic of Southern Sudan as the newest member of the AU, immediately upon its independence on 9 July 2011; 13. URGES the Sudanese Parties to the CPA, in particular President Omar Hassan Al Bashir and First Vice-President Salva Kiir Mayardit, President of the Government of Southern Sudan (GoSS), to continue to demonstrate the commitment required to complete the implementation of the CPA and finalize the post-referendum negotiations, with the support of the AU High-Level Implementation Panel (AUHIP) and in the spirit of creating two viable States, mutually supportive and at peace with one another; 14. WELCOMES, in this respect, the signing, in Addis Ababa, on 20 June 2011, by the Government of Sudan (GoS) and the Sudan People‟s Liberation Movement (SPLM), of an Agreement on Temporary Arrangements for the Administration and Security of Abyei Area, under the facilitation of the AUHIP, which will enable security to be established and displaced persons to return to their homes in that district, as well as create conditions under which the Panel can make its recommendation on the final status of Abyei at a time to be agreed upon. The Assembly ENDORSES the Agreement and URGES the Parties to build on this breakthrough to resolve the pending issues in their negotiations. The Assembly ALSO CONGRATULATES the Government of Ethiopia, in particular Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, for the key role it played in facilitating this breakthrough and for its readiness to provide troops for the Interim Security Force for Abyei (ISFA) without delay. In this respect, the Assembly WELCOMES the adoption, on 27 June 2011, by the Security Council, of resolution 1990(2011), authorizing the deployment of the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA), to facilitate the implementation of the Agreement, and STRESSES that this decision is an eloquent illustration of how best the AU and the UN can judiciously combine their respective comparative advantages to address peace and security challenges in Africa;