Human rights, security, migration, fighting radicalism, Libya: these are the items on the agenda of the 26th African Union Summit in Addis Ababa that will be attended by Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni today.
Minister Gentiloni will also hold bilateral meetings with his African counterparts and with the executives of the AU and IGAD.
The event is organised into two phases: the Executive Council of Foreign Ministers (27-28 January), which will be followed by the Assembly of Heads of State and Government (30-31 January). The fifth meeting of the International Contact Group on Libya will be held on 28 January.
The Summit will launch the African Year of Human Rights, the fulcrum of the meeting and the subject of an expected declaration. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights. The African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights is supported by the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights, which is set out to interpret the law and conduct judicial activities. The African Year of Human Rights will be dedicated to promoting women’s rights.
