Heads of State and Government from the 54 member countries of the African Union (AU) commenced the proceedings of the 37th ordinary session of the Summit of the pan-African organization on Saturday, February 17th in Addis Ababa.
Speakers at the opening ceremony of the 37th AU Summit included the AU Commission Chairperson, Ethiopian Prime Minister, Secretary General of the League of Arab States, UN Secretary General, President of the State of Palestine, President of Brazil, and the Chairperson of the AU.
The African Union Summit will also launch the theme of the Year for 2024: "Educate and Skill Africa for the 21st Century - Building resilient education systems for increased access to inclusive, lifelong, quality, and relevant learning in Africa" during this open session.
In this 37th Summit, Heads of State and Government will examine reports on the activities of the Peace and Security Council (PSC), the 4th biennial review of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP), modalities of AU participation in the G-20 and AU priorities within it, reports from Conference Committees, draft legal instruments, the election and appointment of ten members of the PSC, as well as preparation for the election of AU Commission members in 2025, are on the agenda of this ordinary session of the Summit.
Furthermore, Summit participants will consider other reports, including those concerning the institutional reform of the Union, evaluation of the first ten-year implementation plan of Agenda 2063, and the adoption and launch of the second ten-year implementation plan, among others.
Morocco Donates a Fountain to the AU
On the eve of the 37th AU Summit, Morocco donated a fountain to the organization, which was installed at the headquarters in Addis Ababa. The Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation, and Moroccans Living Abroad, Nasser Bourita, representing King Mohammed VI at the Summit, presided over the inauguration ceremony of this fountain along with the Chairperson of the AU Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat.
This ceremony took place on Thursday, February 15th, in the presence of foreign ministers from African countries, the Vice-Chairperson of the AU Commission, Union Commissioners, senior officials of the pan-African organization, several dignitaries and members of the diplomatic corps, as well as the media.
Installed in the grand exhibition hall at the AU headquarters, the fountain reflects the authenticity of Moroccan craftsmanship through its flagship, the zellige.
Thanks to the art of zellige, intricate patterns of cut tiles, Moroccan artisans have achieved their most sophisticated expression of precision, spatial geometry, and aesthetics, emphasized Mohammed Kamal Bedraoui, architect of the project, and Zouhair Kabbaj from "Kazo designer&build" who were in charge of this project.
Erected in front of the Nelson Mandela Grand Hall, the Moroccan fountain is autonomous and powered by electricity from solar energy.
