14. We pay tribute to the OAU and rededicate ourselves more resolutely to its principles and objectives and to the ideals of freedom, unity and development which the founding fathers sought to achieve in establishing the Organization thirty-nine years ago. We have determined that to do so most effectively, we have to deepen and expand our unity in the African Union, which we now establish in the place of the Organization of African Unity. As we bid farewell to the OAU, we rededicate ourselves to its memory as a pioneer, a liberator, a unifier, an organizer, and the soul of our continent and an ardent advocate of the cause of our peoples. We pledge to strive more resolutely in pursuing the ultimate goals of the OAU and in furthering the cause of Africa and its people under the African Union. 15. We reiterate our commitment to the establishment of the African Union which was initiated at the fourth extraordinary session of the OAU Assembly of Heads of State and Government in the Great Socialist People’s Libyan Arab Jamahiriya and as embodied in our 9.9.99 Sirte Declaration. We further rededicate ourselves to the objectives on the New Partnership of Africa’s Development (NEPAD), as a programme of the African Union and which is also a response to the need to reposition Africa in a globalising world and to overcome the prevalence of poverty and strive for a better quality of life for all the peoples of Africa. 16. We reaffirm the principles enshrined in the Constitutive Art of the African Union and our decisions, at this inaugural session of the Assembly, on the institutional structure of the African Union as well as our deliberations on the programmes and mechanisms to be established to give concrete effect to our vision and aspirations for a peaceful, stable and prosperous Continent; 17. We commit ourselves to urgently establish all institutional structures to advance the agenda of the African Union and call on all Member States to display the political commitment and take the necessary actions in giving unwavering support in pursuit of the objectives of peace, security and stability. To this end, We dedicate ourselves to the peaceful resolution of all conflicts on the Continent and call for the immediate cessation of hostilities and all forms of armed conflict; 18. We recommit ourselves to ensuring the early establishment of the Pan African Parliament in order to provide the common platform for our peoples and civil society formations to actively participate in discussions and decision-making on the challenges facing our Continent; we undertake to implement appropriate policies for