AU, France sign budgetary support agreement
Posted by African Press International on June 23, 2008
The African Union and France on Friday signed in Addis Ababa a budgetary support aimed at supporting the activities of the AU Commission.
Erastus Mwencha, Deputy Chairperson of the AU Commission, and Mr Stéphane Gompertz, French ambassador in Ethiopia, and the permanent representative of France to the African Union, signed this agreement at the AU headquarters in Addis Ababa.
The agreement also includes an amendment to the Convention which has been governing, since September 2005, budgetary assistance provided by France to the African Union.
“This new text will detail, in accordance with the priorities set up by the African Union, the areas of implementation of the French budgetary assistance to the AU in 2008, which amounts to 1.7 million dollars. These amounts will mainly come in support of capacity-building and AU’s initiatives in three areas,” the AU said.
Accordingly, nearly $700, 000 will be devoted to support the strengthening of the African Standby Force while $390 000 will be directed to the electoral assistance fund, which the African Union has just set up.
The African stand by Force still under discussion by the AU is expected to be functional by 2010.
Half a million dollars will also benefit the programme for promotion of French at the African Union, to be implemented in partnership with the International Organisation of Francophonie.
“Besides, on this occasion, France has been willing to illustrate its commitment with the AU by deciding not to request the reimbursement of the support provided in kind by the French army to the AU mission in Sudan (AMIS), from the facility in Abeche (Chad) from 2004 to 2007. Such an assistance amounts to 1.4 million euros,” the AU added.
“A few days ahead of the summit of Sharm-El-Sheikh, the signing of this text, which renews the framework for French financial assistance in support of AU action, is an additional testimony of our continuous and confident bilateral cooperation,” said Gompertz, the French ambassador.
———————
api.source.apa
