More and speedier economic integration is necessary to boost development across the African continent. This was the key message delivered at the 18th African Union (AU) Summit, gathering African Heads of State and Government in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (23-30 January, 2012).

Strengthening intra-African trade was the central theme of the meeting, with Head of the African Union Commission, Jean Ping, calling for more progress in this field. The “Action Plan for Boosting Intra-African Trade” discussed at the summit, aims to deepen Africa’s market integration and to increase the volume of trade that African countries undertake among themselves, by identifying key obstacles and outlining strategies to address these constraints. The Action Plan also includes proposals to speed up progress towards the creation of a Pan-African Free Trade Area by 2017 and a mechanism to monitor market integration.

Conflict prevention was also high on the agenda. Mr Ping stressed that that prevention of disputes should be at the centre of all AU policies. Participants also discussed the growing tension between Sudan and South Sudan over border and oil issues.

“Trade and investment are crucial for development. But Africa’s future also depends on investments in civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights”, said United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who attended the summit. “The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is a promise to all people in all places at all times.” In this context, he called on African leaders to end discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity.

The vote to elect a new Chairperson of the AU Commission, in which the incumbent Mr Ping stood against Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, a former South African foreign minister and current Home affairs Minister, ended in a deadlock as no candidate obtained a clear majority. The new Chairperson is expected to be elected at the next AU summit in Malawi this summer.

On the margins of the summit, the AU Commission and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) organised a Humanitarian Partnership Event, highlighting joint actions taken to respond to humanitarian crises in 2011. The event was an opportunity to mobilise support and to improve awareness of the existing humanitarian tools and services.

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18th African Union summit