The 50th Ordinary Session of the Permanent Representatives’ Committee (PRC) kicked off on 9 June 2025, ahead of the 47th Ordinary Session of the Executive Council and the 7th Mid‑Year Coordination Meeting (MYCM) between the African Union, the Regional Economic Communities (RECs), and the Regional Mechanisms, scheduled to take place from 10 to 13 July 2025 in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea.
The Deputy Chairperson of the African Union Commission, H.E. Selma Malika Haddadi, stated that the new leadership’s dedication to enhancing a massive partnership with Member States and Regional Economic Communities (RECs) to propel Africa’s integration towards peace and development must translate into implementation and tangible progress. Key factors such as the review of continental priorities, including the flagship projects under Agenda 2063, ongoing peacebuilding and security enhancements, economic development, health and quality education, and climate change mitigation (which also includes the Sustainable Development Goals) were highly emphasized during the PRC Session.
The Permanent Representatives’ Committee Session not only discussed issues to be addressed in Africa regarding development, but it also emphasized the AU’s 2025 theme, “Justice and Reparations for Africans and People of African Descent”a critical and complex issue encompassing historical injustices, systemic discrimination, and the ongoing effects of colonialism and slavery that many African nations and communities of African descent have suffered over centuries of exploitation, forced labor, and cultural erasure.
H.E. Amb. Prof. Miguel Bembe, Ambassador of the Republic of Angola to Ethiopia and Permanent Representative to the African Union and Chairperson of the PRC, stated that the PRC is one of the strong pillars of the AU and the guardian of political and technical coherence between high‑level decision‑making and the everyday realities of implementation in our Member States. “It is our responsibility to ensure that processes are transparent, that methods are effective, and that outcomes reflect the spirit of Agenda 2063, ‘The Africa We Want.’”
Ermias Tilahun | Correspondent | Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
