Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry expressed Egypt's appreciation for all efforts exerted by the African Union (AU) to reform its institutional structure, including the upgrades to the African Union Commission and the Secretariat of the African Regional Economic Communities (ARECs). Addressing the 37th ordinary session of the AU Executive Council, Shoukry said the reforms would enable the continental body to put the plans and programs of the 2063 Agenda into force. The meeting, held virtually on 13-14 October, tackled a number of African issues, especially the progress made in handling impacts of the coronavirus pandemic on the African states, preparations for a 2nd AU-RECs summit, and preparations for a joint action plan in the culture domain for the year 2021. The total number of confirmed COVID-19 positive cases across the African continent has reached 1,592,549 as of Wednesday, while the death toll hit 38,868, according to the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC). Egyptian Finance Minister Mohamed Maait had stressed last month Egypt is keen on unifying African efforts to contain the coronavirus pandemic and alleviate its health, social, and economic consequences. During the two-day meeting, the council approved the union's 2021 budget, balancing between the economic consequences of the pandemic on the state members and the necessity of supporting them to ensure the continuity of the union's work.
