Lesotho has ratified the Treaty Establishing the African Risk Capacity (ARC).
This is according to the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Lesotho to Ethiopia and Permanent Representative to the African Union (AU) and the United Nations Commission for Africa (UNECA), Ms Nts’iuoa Sekete.
She said that on behalf of the Kingdom, she deposited the instruments of ratification at the African Union Commission (AUC) last week.
She said that the Kingdom of Lesotho has become the 14th country to ratify the Treaty.
Moreover, she highlighted that the ratification of the Treaty signifies Lesotho’s commitment to Africa’s integration goal, but most importantly; commitment to take the lead in responding and addressing risk on the continent, following numerous climate crises and disease outbreaks.
Meanwhile Lesotho was elected Chair of the ARC Agency in April 2024 in the Capital Addis Ababa by the Conference of Parties (CoP).
African Risk Capacity is a Specialized Agency of the AU, mandated to help Member States improve their capacities to better plan, prepare and respond to weather-induced events and disease outbreaks.
The ARC Treaty was adopted by Ambassadors of AU Member States on November 23, 2012, and has been signed by 38 Member States, while it entered into force on April 15, 2020 following the deposit of the 10th instrument of ratification at the AU Commission by Niger.
The CoP, is the supreme decision-making body of the Agency, whose responsibility is to provide the final approvals on critical strategic matters that define the ARC Group’s work after Board reviews and endorsements.
Source: Lesotho News Agency (LENA)
