Addis-Ababa: At the end of a selection process led by the African Union (AU), from a large panel of high-level candidates and on the basis of criteria of transparency, merit and skills, Mr. Fathallah Sijilmassi becomes the first Director General in the history of the AU Commission.
This new post, created at the end of the 11th Extraordinary Summit of Heads of State and Government of the AU in November 2018, is part of the structural reform of the AU Commission.
Mr. Sijilmassi thus reaches the highest non-elective position in the hierarchy of the African Union Commission. It follows on from the international responsibilities occupied by Mr. Sijilmassi as Secretary General of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM).
Mr. Sijilmassi will, in particular, be responsible for leading the transversal governance of the structures of the AU Commission (AUC), ensuring the operational coordination between the different Departments of the AUC and with the Member States, as well as the responsibility to ensure optimal performance of the Pan-African techno-structure.
The trust placed in this experienced Moroccan diplomat is a testament to the credibility enjoyed by the Kingdom of Morocco and its resources within the African Union and in Africa.
It intervenes in a context marked by a sustained commitment of Morocco, since its return to the Pan-African organization in January 2017, in favor of the implementation of the global reform of the AU and the establishment of good administrative governance and financial within the Institution.
A career diplomat, Mr. Sijilmassi has held senior positions of national and international responsibility. Besides Secretary General of the UfM, Mr. Sijilmassi was, in particular, Ambassador of His Majesty the King in Paris and in Brussels.
