Gabon on Friday signed three new African Union treaties during the 35th Ordinary Session of the Executive Council in Niamey, Niger.

The three treaties are the African Union Convention on Cross-Border Cooperation (Niamey Convention), the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Older Persons and the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in Africa.

The treaties were signed in the presence of the Legal Counsel of the African Union, Ambassador Dr. Namira Negm.

The Niamey Convention, which was adopted in 2014, has been signed by 17 nations but only ratified by five of them. The Convention is set to enter into force once 15 countries have ratified it.

The Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Older Persons, adopted in January 2016, has 12 signatories but only one nation has ratified the charter. It requires a similar number of ratifications to the Niamey Convention to enter into force.

The Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in Africa has been signed by four countries, including Gabon, following its adoption in January last year.