Kigali, 18 July 2016: The Chairperson of the COmiisssion of the African Union, Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, welcomes the groundbreaking decision of the Assembly of the African Union to institute a levy of 0,2 percent on eligible imports, in order to address the funding challenges the African Union has faced since its inception.
The Chairperson of the Commission particularly welcomes the decision of the Assembly to operationalize the Peace Fund, in order to finance the peace and security operations of the Union, through the provision of USD65 million by each of the continent's five regions per year through the import levy, increasing to USD80 million per region by the year 2020. This is in fulfillment of the commitment by the Heads of State and Government, made in 2015, to finance 25 percent of the cost of African Union peace support operations.