community and other stakeholders to support the efforts of the African continent to address the problems of refugees, returnees and internally displaced persons in a spirit of international solidarity and burden sharing. 16. Notes with great concern that the rights of women and children in spite of the progress achieved, remain insufficiently protected in many African countries; welcomes the progress made towards the adoption of the Draft Protocol on the Rights of Women in Africa, and calls upon Member States to take all necessary measures for its early adoption, signature and ratification, and upon coming into force, its timely implementation by States Parties to it 17. Calls upon Member States to fulfill their obligations under international law and, in particular, to take the necessary measures to put an end to the practice of child-soldiers and to ensure the protection of civilian populations, particularly children, women, elderly persons and persons with disability in situations of armed conflict. 18. Calls upon Member States that have not yet ratified the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child to do so as soon as possible, and further calls upon the AU Policy Organs to provide an adequate Secretariat and the necessary financial and material resources to the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child to enable it carry out its mandate effectively. 19. Notes also with great concern the plight of the vulnerable groups including persons with disability in general and calls upon Member States to provide adequate support to the African Rehabilitation Institute (ARI) in Harare, Zimbabwe. 20. Further calls upon Member States to develop a Protocol on the protection of the rights of people with disabilities and the elderly. 21. Notes also with great concern the alarming rate at which HIV-AIDS is spreading as well as the persistent prevalence of Malaria, Tuberculosis and other related infectious diseases in Africa, and urges Member States to take measures to reinforce prevention programmes relating thereto and to promote and protect the rights of people living with HIV/AIDS. 22. Encourages Member States to exert more efforts jointly with the international community, particularly the World Health Organization (WHO) to eradicate HIV/AIDS, Malaria, Tuberculosis and other related infectious diseases which constitute an impediment to the socio-economic development of the Continent and an obstacle to the enjoyment of economic, social and cultural rights. 23. Notes with satisfaction that the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights has been ratified by all Member States, and calls upon the AU policy organs to provide the African Commission with suitable Headquarters, an appropriate structure and adequate human and financial resources for its proper functioning, including the establishment of a Fund to be financed through voluntary contributions from Member States, international and regional institutions. 24. Calls upon the AU Policy Organs to review the operation and composition of the African Commission on Peoples’ Rights with a view to strengthening its independence and operational integrity and ensuring appropriate gender representativity and to report on the progress made to the appropriate AU Organs as soon as possible. 25. Urges Member States which have not yet done so to incorporate in their domestic legislation, provisions of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, its protocols, international humanitarian law in particular the Four (4) Geneva Convention (1949) and their Additional Protocols (1977) and other major international human rights instruments, which they have ratified, and to honour their obligations thereon, including reporting, where applicable. 26. Notes with concern that the Protocol to the African Charter on the Establishment of an African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights which requires fifteen (15) ratifications to come into force, has been ratified by nine (9) Member