COMMUNIQUÉ The Peace and Security Council (PSC) of the African Union (AU), at its 595 th meeting held on April 28 2016, adopted the following decision on the role of African non-permanent Members of the United Nations Security Council (A3) and the AU Permanent Observer Mission to the United Nations, in the defense, promotion and the follow-up of decisions and positions of the AU and its Peace and Security Council within the UN Security Council: Council, 1. Takes note of the statements made by the representatives of Angola, in its capacity as coordinator of the A3, the Representative of Egypt, as an African non-permanent Member of the UN Security Council, the Representative of Ethiopia, as an AU Member State, candidate for a non-permanent Member seat of the UNSC, whose candidacy has been endorsed by the AU. Furthermore, Council also notes with regret the absence of the Representative of Senegal, invited to take part in its capacity as an African non-permanent member of the UN Security Council; 2. Recalls Articles 3 (a, d), 9 (1 a, e) and 23 (2) of the Constitutive Act of the AU, which respectively stipulate that the objectives of the Union shall be to: (a) Achieve greater unity and solidarity between the African counties and the peoples of Africa; (d) Promote and defend African common positions on issues of interest to the continent and its peoples; and (1) the functions of the Assembly shall be to: (a) Determine the common policies of the Union; (e) Monitor the implementation of policies and decisions of the Union as well as ensure compliance by all Member States; and furthermore, any Member State that fails to comply with the decisions and policies of the Union may be subjected to other sanctions; 3. Further recalls Article 7 (3) of the Protocol Relating to the Establishment of the Peace and Security Council of the AU, which emphasizes that the Member States agree to accept and implement the decisions of the Peace and Security Council, in accordance with the Constitutive Act; 4. Further recalls paragraph 24 of Decision Assembly/AU/Dec.598 (XXVI), adopted by the 26th ordinary session of the Assembly of the Union, held on 30 and 31 January 2016 in Addis Ababa (Ethiopia), which states that the Assembly reiterates that the African Members of the UN Security Council have special responsibility to ensure that the decisions of the PSC are well reflected in the decision making process of the UNSC on peace and security issues of concern to Africa. In light of the above, the Assembly requests the African members of the United Nations Security Council (A3), working with the Commission, including the AU Permanent Mission to the UN, to present reports through the PSC, to the Assembly, on their efforts within the Security Council and the extent to which they promote African common positions as articulated by the PSC. The Assembly further requests the PSC to provide timely guidance to the African members of the UNSC to facilitate consistency in the promotion and defense of African positions on issues of concern to the continent;