Addis Ababa, 27 April 2015: The Commission of the African Union (AU) and the General Secretariat of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) signed, on 25 April 2015, in Istanbul, Turkey, on the margins of the Summit for Peace, organized on the occasion of the commemoration of the Centenary of the Battle of Gallipoli, a Partnership Agreement on the fight against terrorism and violent extremism in Africa. The Agreement was signed by the Commissioner for Peace and Security, Sma?l Chergui, on behalf of the AU, and by the Secretary-General of the OIC, Iyad Amin Madani, on behalf of that Organization. 

The Agreement is a follow-up to the communiqué adopted by the meeting of the Peace and Security Council (PSC) held at the level of Heads of State and Government, in Nairobi, on 2 September 2014. In that communiqué, the PSC welcomed the generous contribution of a sum of 10 million US dollars made by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, the Late King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz of Saudi Arabia, in support of the AU’s efforts to combat terrorism and violent extremism and to strengthen the partnership between the AU and the OIC in this area, as announced by the OIC Secretary-General in his statement to that PSC meeting. 

As provided for in the Agreement, the OIC contribution will be used to enhance the role of relevant institutions, including the judiciary, in the fight against terrorism; border management; the fight against money laundering, as well as the efforts to combat radicalization and address conditions conducive to the emergence of violent extremism and terrorism in Africa. The contribution will also be used to support processes aimed at furthering security cooperation at regional level, as well as other related projects.  

The OIC contribution and the Agreement that has just been signed mark a new step in the deepening of the partnership between the AU and the OIC in the area of peace and security, in particular the fight against terrorism and violent extremism in Africa. The two organizations plan to carry out a number of joint activities in support of the efforts to promote peace, security and stability on the African continent. 

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