Assembly/AU/Dec.269(XIV) Rev.1 Page 3 c) DECIDES ALSO that Member States should, upon the occurrence of an unconstitutional change of Government, not recognize the de facto authorities; and CALLS ON all non-African international bodies, including the United Nations and its General Assembly, to refrain from granting accreditation to such authorities, thus strengthening the automatic suspension measures taken by the AU against those countries in which unconstitutional changes of Government have taken place; ii) Revitalization of the mechanism for Unconstitutional Changes of Government a) UNDERSCORES STRONGLY the importance of the signing and ratification by Member States that have not already done so, of the AU Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance, and of adhering to the principles of good neighbourliness and non-subversion. With respect to good governance and the rule of law in particular, the Assembly REITERATES the need for Member States to uphold the rule of law and abide by their own Constitutions, especially with regard to constitutional reforms, bearing in mind that failure to respect these provisions could lead to situations of tension which, in turn, could trigger political crisis; (b) REQUESTS the Peace and Security Council, pursuant to the provisions of Article 7(m) of the Protocol Relating to the Establishment of the PSC, which stipulates that this body, in collaboration with the Chairperson of the Commission, shall “follow-up, within the framework of its conflict prevention responsibilities, the progress towards the promotion of democratic practices, good governance, the rule of law, protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms, respect for the sanctity of human life by Member States”, to examine regularly progress made in the democratisation processes, on the basis of a report prepared by an independent Rapporteur to be appointed by the Chairperson of the Commission, who will be given the necessary support in terms of personnel and expertise. The Assembly DECIDES that, for 2010, Year of Peace and Security in Africa, this review shall be effected by a meeting of PSC at ministerial level; (c) REQUESTS the Commission to redouble its efforts to ensure the follow-up and effective implementation of the recommendations made by the Panel of the Wise in its Report on the Strengthening of the Role of the African Union in the Prevention, Management and Resolution of Elections-related tensions and violent conflicts in Africa as endorsed by the Thirteenth Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the Union [Document Assembly/AU/6(XIII) structural prevention Adopted by the Fourteenth Ordinary Session of the Assembly in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on 2 February 2010 of

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