ADDIS ABABA, Feb. 12 (Xinhua) -- The 48th Ordinary Session of the Executive Council of the African Union (AU) concluded on Thursday with a call for enhanced unity, sustainable development, and collective action to address the continent's pressing challenges.
The two-day meeting, attended by foreign ministers from AU members under the framework of the 39th AU Summit, among others elected 10 members of the Peace and Security Council of the AU. Accordingly, Somalia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Uganda, Morocco, Lesotho, South Africa, Benin, Cote d'Ivoire and Sierra Leone are elected to serve the council for a two-year term.
The foreign ministers' session also discussed discussed the AU's strategic engagement with the G20, building on the momentum of the summit held in South Africa, and underscored the need for strengthening its cooperation with member states of the group to tap into possible sources of funding and finance the continent's development programs.
In a concluding remark, Tete Antonio, Angolan Minister of External Relations and outgoing chair of the executive council, underscored the AU's continued commitment to strengthening continental governance, advancing peace and security, and accelerating the implementation of Africa's shared development agenda.
The session appreciated the tangible progress on the African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement and specialized agencies, stressing the need for applying innovative financing and inclusion of the private sector, civil society, and philanthropic foundations to accelerate the continent's development.
The session also underscored the critical importance of AU's 2026 theme on water and sanitation, framing water as a vital collective resource that must be preserved amid climate change, and as a tool for peace and cooperation.
"The session highlighted the huge gap between required and available investment in water and sanitation in Africa," Antonio said, noting that 400 million people in the African continent still lack water for their daily livelihood, and over 800 million African people lack basic hygiene services. ■