Abidjan, Nov 28, 2017 (SPS) - The Ivorian capital Abidjan will host on Wednesday and Thursday the 5th African Union-European Union Summit with the aim of boosting partnership between the two continents.
The boosting of this partnership is described by the experts as an “important stake” for Africa and Europe, insofar as the two continents are facing common challenges.
The challenges facing the two continents are mainly relating to peace, security, illegal immigration and the movement of peoples, sustainable development, governance, human rights, investments and trade, as well as the development of skills and the creation of jobs.
The participants will also assess what has been achieved as part of the implementation of the action plan 2014-2017, adopted in the last summit held in Brussels, notably in terms of peace and security.
The African and European leaders will, in this summit, also discuss the future of AU-EU relations and focus on the investment of youth, the main theme of the summit “Investing in youth for sustainable development.”
This theme remains one of AU’s priorities as 60% of the African population is made up of young people.
This summit, which will be marked by the participation of more than 5300 delegates, will also see the participation of 83 heads of State and government representing 55 African countries and 28 European countries, as well as delegations of the invited countries, of AU Commission, EU Commission as well as international, regional and sub-regional organizations.
Abidjan’s Summit will also see the participation of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) whose flag will fly alongside national flags of the participating countries, at Hassan II Avenue in Abidjan. ‘”It is very symbolic,” commented a members of SADR’s delegation.SPS
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