Negotiation on Development Cooperation between the African Union (AU) and Government of the Federal Republic of Germany were held in Addis Ababa on 18 November 2009.
The German delegation emphasized the pivotal role of the AU for the process of African integration and for Africa as a partner in the globalised world. Specifically, the German delegation lauded the AU Strategic Plan 2009-2012 and the significant progress the AU made in advancing the African political agenda, e.g. peace & security. Both parties shared the view that the voice of Africa should be more clearly audible in global fora.
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Both delegations agreed to focus cooperation on few selected areas of pan-African importance to maximize impact and visibility and to enhance aid effectiveness. The following priority areas of cooperation were agreed upon:
Ø Peace and Security
Ø Shared Values (Good Governance)
Ø Water and
Ø Institutional Transformation.
In the negotiations the German government committed additional funding amounting to € 30 million - i.e. USD 45 million – for the period of 2009/2010 for the cooperation with the AU and AU-Commission, thus duplicating previous levels of commitment. AU/German cooperation will be fully alligned to the new AU strategic objectives – Peace and Security, Shared Values, Development, Integration and Cooperation, and Institutional Transformation.
AU/German Cooperation will focus on respective priority agendas, in particular the establishment of the African Peace and Security Architecture, the Sharm el Sheik Water agenda and the Charter for Democracy and Elections, amongst others. Special emphasis is put on regional infrastructure. Germany will contribute € 10 million to the Infrastructure Project Preparation Facility at the African Development Bank, which is preparing regional and pan-African AU priority infrastructure projects.
The AU delegation was led by the Deputy Chairperson of the African Union Commission, H.E. Erastus Mwencha. The delegation of the Federal Republic of Germany was headed by Mr. Thomas Albert, Deputy Director General in the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development together with the German Ambassador to the AU, Dr. Claas Knoop.