African Union (AU)

European Commission to hold executive talks with the African Union

Brussels: On 25 and 26 April, President Barroso and six European commissioners will meet their African Union (AU) counterparts in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. This college-to-college meeting will launch the preparations of the EU-Africa Summit to take place in April 2014 and will be an opportunity to take a fresh look at the EU-African Union strategic relationship. The EU and AU are working jointly on a broad range of areas to be discussed during this meeting such as peace and security, education, health, agriculture, trade, climate change and science and technology. The topics for the plenary meeting will also include an exchange on the post-2015 development framework.

Central African Republic PM seeks French, African help to secure country

Bangui:  Central African Prime Minister Nicolas Tiangaye has appealed for the help of France and of a regional African force to help secure the country following violence in the wake of the rebel takeover last month. In a radio-television address late Tuesday, Tiangaye made the appeal to France and the multinational African peacekeeping force, Fomac, after around 20 people were killed at the weekend in Bangui amid clashes between former rebels and residents.

UNECA/AU finance ministers: ministerial statement

1. We, African Ministers of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, met in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, 25 and 26 March 2013 for the Sixth Joint Annual Meetings of the African Union (AU) Conference of Ministers of Economy and Finance and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) Conference of African Ministers of Finance, Planning and Economic Development.

Central African Republic: AU walking on a time bomb, as Nigerian envoy urges calm

Lagos:  Three weeks after renegades truncated yet another African democratic government in the Central African Republic, that country continues to slide towards possible anarchy in the absence of an African Union intervention. But it was learnt by The Guardian at the weekend that a sensible AU intervention beyond condemnations and imposition of ineffective sanctions is the most potent panacea to the political crisis in that country.

Central African Republic: AU Peace and Security Council statement

Addis Ababa: The Peace and Security of the African Union (AU), at its 366th meeting, held on 16 April 2013, followed a briefing by the Commission on the situation in the Central African Republic (CAR). Council also followed the statements made by the representatives of Chad, in its capacity as the Chair of the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), South Africa, Rwanda, the ECCAS Secretariat and the United Nations. The representative of Togo also attended the meeting. Council expressed its deep concern at the abuse, rape, looting and other violations of human rights and of International Humanitarian Law involving the elements of the rebel group Seleka and causing increased displacement of the civilian population, both within the CAR and towards the neighboring countries, particularly Cameroon, the Republic of Congo and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Council made an appeal for the mobilization of adequate humanitarian assistance for the affected populations, and expressed appreciation to all neighboring countries hosting CAR refugees.

Prevention of conflicts in Africa: UNSC debate summary

New York: The Security Council met on Monday morning to discuss “Prevention of conflicts in Africa:  addressing root causes”.  The Council had before it a letter dated 2 April from the Permanent Representative of Rwanda to the United Nations, addressed to the Secretary-General (document S/2013/204).  An annex to that letter contained the concept note for a briefing in the Security Council on “Prevention of conflicts in Africa:  addressing root causes”, on Monday, 15 April. The context for the briefing was the prevalence of African issues on the Security Council agenda and the growing number of peacekeeping operations taking place in Africa. 

Nigeria’s foreign policy: new realities in a changing world

Lagos:  Nigeria’s fundamental principles of foreign policy have been fairly consistent since they were first espoused shortly after independence in October 1960. Yet the specific interests, priorities and emphasis of Nigeria’s foreign policy have continued to change and evolve in the context of the domestic and international environment. The main elements of the changing world and context are the following:

UNSG: remarks at debate on conflict prevention in Africa

New York:  I am pleased to address the Security Council on the important subject of preventing armed conflicts and addressing their root causes.  Although we are focused today on Africa, there are universal lessons in conflict prevention that apply everywhere around the world. Conflicts breed where there is poor governance, human rights abuses and grievances over the unequal distribution of resources, wealth and power.  Tensions simmer where people are excluded, marginalized and denied meaningful participation in the political and social life of their countries.  Unrest flourishes where people are poor, jobless and without hope.

The Status of Integration in Africa 2013

Addis Ababa:  Since the establishment of the Organisation of the African Unity (OAU), Regional integration has been the priority of the Continent, which was strengthened by the transformation of the OAU into the African Union (AU) in 2002. The Abuja Treaty (1994), establishing the African Economic Community (AEC), is the legal framework of the African Integration process which specified in its Article 6 (2) the six stages leading to the AEC. In addition, The Sirte Declaration of 1999 urged African countries to accelerate the implementation of the Abuja Treaty and the Accra Declaration of July 2007 stressed the need to accelerate the economic and political integration of the African Continent. Taking into account the abovementioned, the AUC is mandated to monitor the integration process at Continental and Regional levels.

The Pan African Network of the Wise: update

Addis Ababa:  This Retreat, and the idea to establish the Pan African Network of the Wise (PanWise), is taking place at an opportune time, on the eve of the Fiftieth Anniversary of the OAU, celebrated this whole year under the theme of “Pan Africanism and African Renaissance”. Therefore, let us reflect on the background to the creation of the PanWise. It will be recalled that since the establishment of the Organization of African Unity, various efforts were made towards preventing conflicts and mediating in long-lasting ways the conflicts on the continent; with various degrees of success. Among the main constraints were the lack of proper policies, strategies, instruments and structures at both continental and regional levels; that would have also advanced closer cooperation between the OAU and Regional Groupings - that today are regional economic communities.

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