On page 2 of this report, this article is titled: ‘Regional coordination against COVID-19: what role for the RECs? ‘ As African Union (AU) member states prepare for the scheduled mid-year coordination meeting between the AU Bureau and regional economic communities (RECs), initially planned for early July, RECs are increasingly coordinating their efforts to contain the COVID-19 pandemic. On page 8 the article is titled: “The AU can assist as Somalia prepares for elections”. The PSC has discussed the situation in Somalia twice since the beginning of 2020. The meetings focused on upcoming elections, the future of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), and the renewal of AMISOM’s mandate for an additional nine months.
On page 11: “Crucial months ahead for the AU Commission to implement reforms”. Despite restrictions linked to COVID-19, the AU has started the process to elect a new AU Commission (AUC) in January 2021. In line with the AU reform process that began in 2016 under the supervision of Rwandan President Paul Kagame, the new AUC will have fewer commissioners and will be elected through a new merit-based system. On page 14: “Silencing the guns in Africa’s borderlands”. The AU commemorated the 10th Africa Border Day on 7 June within the framework of ‘Silencing the guns’ in Africa, the AU’s theme for 2020. According to Smail Chergui, AU Commissioner for Peace and Security, ‘there is no better place to realise the goals of silencing the guns than in the African borderlands’. On page 17: ” Young people take the AU’s ‘silencing the guns’ campaign online”. On Tuesday, 23 June, the PSC discussed the issue of youth, peace and security and deliberated on the adoption of two key documents – the African Union’s (AU) Continental Framework for Peace and Security, including its 10-year plan (2020–2029), and the Study on the Roles and Contributions of Youth to Peace and Security in Africa. These documents both set out priorities in this important issue and have been outstanding since their validation with regional economic communities/regional mechanisms and youth groups in October 2019.
