Rabat: CESE-led UCESA and AU’s ECOSOCC sign memorandum of understanding

The Union of Economic and Social Councils and Similar Institutions of Africa (UCESA) and the African Union‘s Economic, Social and Cultural Council (ECOSOCC) signed a memorandum of understanding in Rabat on Thursday, October 22, the Economic, Social and Environmental Council (CESE) said in a statement on Friday.

Abdelkader Amara, President of the CESE of the Kingdom of Morocco and current President of UCESA, signed the agreement and hosted ECOSOCC President Louis Cheikh Sissoko in the capital as part of efforts to strengthen ties between the two bodies.

Under the memorandum, the two organisations will structure their cooperation around consultation, the sharing of expertise and joint initiatives on issues of shared interest. By pooling their networks and know-how, they aim to give economic and social actors and organised civil society a greater role in the continent’s development and integration policies.

The CESE said the partnership is also meant to involve these actors more closely in Africa’s major transformation projects, chief among them the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

Women and young people will receive particular attention. Their priorities and aspirations are set to form a central strand of the cooperation, notably in employment, skills, innovation, mobility and the sustainable management of water resources.

The ceremony brought together the two signatories, members of the CESE Bureau and its Secretary General. It was the first official event held at the headquarters of UCESA’s Permanent Secretariat in Rabat.