According to Nova, there are four pillars on which the final statement of the fifth Ue-Africa summit, which ended today in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, is based on:
· greater incentives for investments for the "structural and sustainable" transformation of Africa;
· more investments in education, science, technology and skills development;
· strengthening the peace, security and governance of the continent;
· mobility management and migration flows.
In the declaration, European and African leaders reaffirmed their shared commitment to investing in young people for a sustainable future on both continents, as envisaged by the theme chosen for the summit. As for the first point, the declaration refers to the need to strengthen the entrepreneurship of women and young people, thanks also to the new platform for sustainable business for Africa (SB4A), which "will allow a structured dialogue with the European private sector and African".
Regarding the second point, European and African leaders stressed the importance of supporting inclusive education and vocational training and also agreed to improve the mobility of students and academics across the African continent, as well as exchange programs. between Africa and Europe. On the third pillar, the two sides reaffirmed their commitment to intensify their work to improve peace and security on both continents by strengthening strategic, political and operational cooperation between the African Union and the European Union, in close cooperation with the United Nations. The support for the ongoing counter-terrorism operations, including the joint multinational task force against Boko Haram, the joint force G5 Sahel and the African Union Mission in Somalia (Amisom), of which the EU is the largest contributor.
Finally, European and African leaders reiterated their strong political commitment to address the root causes of irregular migration "in a spirit of genuine partnership and shared responsibility, in full compliance with international law and human rights and in the common goal of creating pathways laws of migration ". The two sides therefore underlined the need to improve the conditions of migrants and refugees in Libya and to undertake "all the necessary actions to provide them with appropriate assistance and to facilitate their voluntary repatriation in their countries of origin, as well as lasting solutions for refugees ".
In this regard, yesterday the UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, the President of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, the President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, and the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign affairs and security policy, Federica Mogherini, have established the creation of a joint task force between the EU, the African Union and the United Nations to save and protect the lives of migrants and refugees along the migratory routes, particularly in Libya. In the meeting, which took place in the margins of the Abidjan summit, it was agreed to develop a joint task force to save and protect the lives of migrants and refugees along the migratory routes, particularly in Libya, accelerating the assisted voluntary returns. in the countries of origin, and on the resettlement of those in need of international protection.
This action will be built on the expansion and acceleration of work already underway from the countries of origin with the International Organization for Migration (OIM), with EU funding, which has made the voluntary returns in the countries of origin of 13 thousand migrants since January. The work of the task force will be closely coordinated with the Libyan authorities and will be part of a joint comprehensive work that the AU and the EU, and the UN, will intensify to dismantle the networks of criminals and traffickers, and to provide opportunities for development and stability to countries of origin and transit, addressing the root causes of immigration. The UN, the AU and the EU have agreed to systematically update their trilateral cooperation, and to meet on a regular basis at the highest political level, especially at the margins of the UN General Assembly.
The summit was attended by 83 Heads of State and Government representing 55 African countries and 28 European countries, as well as representatives of partner countries, the African Union Commission, the European Commission and international, regional and sub-regional organizations. regional. The Abidjan Summit, the third to be hosted on the African continent and the first in the sub-Saharan area, serves as a platform for dialogue between African and European countries to strengthen the partnership between the two sides. The first EU-Africa summit was held in Cairo in 2000, the second in Lisbon in 2007, the third in Libya in 2010, the fourth in Brussels in 2014.