Deliberations at the summit were on the following main issues:

1. UN Security Council Reform;
2. The state of peace and security on the continent, with particular focus on the situations in Burundi, South Sudan, Libya and the DRC;
3. The Summit also issued three political declarations namely on Palestine, Cuba, and an appeal to the United States to lift its sanctions on Sudan.

On the theme of the Summit, the 9th AU Gender Pre-Summit Meeting was held from 18 – 20 January 2016 with the objective of ensuring that women’s voices are captured in the main Summit as this is the second consecutive year that the AU theme for the year focuses on women. Issues discussed during the deliberations included: harnessing the demographic dividend (Africa’s population is predominantly youthful), women in the blue economy, women in peace and security, the impact of climate change on women and the financial inclusion of women.

A Special Summit of the Committee of Participating Heads of State and Government of the African Peer Review Mechanism (APR Forum) was held on 29 January 2016 and was preceded by a Meeting of the Committee of the APRM Focal Points on 28 January 2016. Some of the decisions of the Special Summit include:

Available: http://www.dirco.gov.za/docs/speeches/2016/mash0204.htm