The African Ministerial Conference on Meteorology (AMCOMET) is participating at the inaugural Conference of the African Union (AU) Specialized Technical Committee (STC) to push for the inclusion of Meteorology (Weather and Climate as an additional sector component of the STC whose current sectors includes, Agriculture, Rural Development, Water and Environment.

The African Union Assembly of Heads of State and Government had in January 2009 and July 2011 respectively, adopted the configuration of the Specialized Technical Committees (STCs) and the modalities of their operationalization as Organs of the Union. The Specialized Technical Committees are composed of Ministers or senior officials responsible for sectors to provide support in their respective areas of competence. The STCs are responsible for preparing projects and programmes of the Union and submitting them to the Executive Council mad up of Ministers of Foreign Affairs. The STC have also the duty to ensure proper supervision, follow-up and evaluation of the implementation of decisions taken by the organs of the Union and the coordination and harmonization of projects and programmes of the Union.

The STC is further expected to carry out any other functions assigned to it for the purpose of ensuring the implementation of the provisions of relevant AU Acts. The STCs are expected to meet at least every two years in order to discharge the responsibilities vested upon them by the AU Assembly.

The overall objectives of the Inaugural Conference of the AU Specialized Technical Committee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Water and Environment is to review relevant strategic goals, facilitate mutual accountability and Identify synergies, linkages and complementarities in on-going agriculture, rural development, water and environment related initiatives, and their implications on the achievement of the overarching goals of Africa Accelerated Agricultural Growth and Transformation (3AGT) agenda for attaining food and nutrition security, reduce poverty, boost intra-African trade, and enhance resilience of production systems and livelihoods to Climate Change and related shocks. More specifically, the Inaugural Conference of the AU Specialized Technical Committee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Water and Environment aims to attain the following objectives:

a. To review and adopt the Rules of Procedure of the Specialized Technical Committee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Water and Environment;

b. To facilitate broad-based consultation and dialogue among all relevant stakeholders on mutual accountability, mutual learning and biennial reporting on previous commitments;

c. Consideration of various strategic documents related to Agriculture, Rural Development, Water and Environment;

d. To identify synergies, linkages and complementarities in on-going agriculture, rural development, water and environment initiatives and agree on areas of follow up actions at various levels; and

e. To examine and internalize the strategic and operational modalities for coordination mechanisms between the relevant sector ministries at Member State level, which are also linked to those at the Regional Economic Community (REC) level.

The Inaugural AU STC Conference will, therefore, provide a peer environment for exchange and learning to support the achievement of individual and collective responsibilities for targets set by relevant sector ministries.

Venue:
African Union Conference Centre African Union Commission,
Roosevelt Street (Old Airport Area), Addis Ababa,
Ethiopia

Date: 5-9 October 2015

More Information:
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For more information

AMCOMET Secretariat:
World Meteorological Organization
7 bis, avenue de la Paix – P.O. Box 2300
CH 1211 Geneva 2 – Switzerland
Tel.:  +41 (0) 22 730 8513
Fax:  +41 (0) 22 730 8053
Email: amcomet[at]wmo.in

Kosmos E. Akande-Alasoka
Public Information Officer
African Ministerial Conference on Meteorology (AMCOMET).
World Meteorological Organization
7 bis, avenue de la Paix
P.O. Box 2300
CH-1211 Geneva 2, Switzerland
Office Tel. +41 (0) 22 730 8097
Email: kakande-alasoka@wmo.int

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