The Forty-Eighth (48th) Ordinary Session of the Executive Council of the African Union (AU) kicked off Wednesday at the AU headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, with a strong call for enhanced unity, sustainable development, and collective action to address the continent’s pressing challenges.
The two-day meeting, comprising foreign ministers from AU member states, is being held under the AU’s 2026 theme of the year: “Assuring Sustainable Water Availability and Safe Sanitation Systems to Achieve the Goals of Agenda 2063.”
Addressing the executive council meeting, Chairperson of the AU Commission, Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, emphasized the critical importance of the 2026 Summit’s theme on water and sanitation, framing water as a vital collective resource that must be preserved amid climate change and leveraged as a tool for peace and cooperation among member states.
“In the face of observed climate disruptions, the prudent use of water in all aspects of daily life is a major imperative. This vital resource must be perceived as a collective good to be preserved at all costs and as a vector for bringing our States closer together and for peace,” said Youssouf.
He emphasized the Commission’s ongoing reform efforts, including the validated 2024-2028 strategic plan and the implementation of institutional reforms in coordination with President William Ruto of Kenya.
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