African Union

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African Union

(Flag) (Emblem)
Anthem: Let Us All Unite and Celebrate Together
Capital	Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Membership	53 member states
Official languages	The languages of Africa, as well as Arabic, English, French, and Portuguese1
Formation - As Organisation of African Unity - As AU	- May 25, 1963 - July 9, 2002
Chairman of the African Union	John Kufuor
Chairman of the Commission	Alpha Oumar Konaré
Area  - Total	1st if ranked2 29,797,500 km2
Population  - Total (2005)  - Density	3rd if ranked2 850 million 25.7 people/km²
GDP (2003)  - Total  - Total  - GDP/head  - GDP/head	16th if ranked2   US$1.515 trillion (PPP)   $0.514 trillion (Nominal)   $1,896 (PPP)   $643 (Nominal)
Currencies	Each member state has its own currency.
Time zone	UTC -1 to UTC +4
Internet TLD	Not standardised.
Calling Codes	Not standardised.3
Note 1: Some member states have other official languages. Note 2: Rank if the AU's members are counted as a single country (other organisations are not counted in this way). Note 3: Each member state has its own calling code beginning with +2.
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Life in the African Union
Citizenship Culture Demographics Economy Education Enlargement Foreign relations	Geography History Languages Military Politics Sport Statistics

The African Union (AU) is an organisation consisting of fifty-three African states. Established in 2001, the AU was formed as a successor to the amalgamated African Economic Community (AEC) and the Organisation of African Unity (OAU). Eventually, the AU aims to have a single currency and a single integrated defence force, as well as other institutions of state, including a cabinet for the AU Head of State. The purpose of the union is to help secure Africa's democracy, human rights, and a sustainable economy, especially by bringing an end to intra-African conflict and creating an effective common market.

Contents 1 Overview 2 History of the African Union 3 Membership 3.1 Morocco's withdrawal 4 Summits 5 Organs of the AU 6 Current issues 6.1 Darfur, Sudan 6.2 Somalia 6.3 Regional conflicts 6.3.1 In Mauritania 6.3.2 Elsewhere 6.4 AIDS in Africa 6.5 Internal politics 7 Economy 8 Languages 9 Geography 10 Foreign relations 11 Symbols 12 References 13 See also 14 External links

[edit] Overview

The highest decision making body in the AU is the AU Assembly of Heads of State, currently chaired by President Kufuor of Ghana, elected at the 8th ordinary meeting of the Assembly in January 2007. Its secretariat is the AU Commission, whose first chair is Alpha Oumar Konare, former president of Mali, due to be replaced at the 9th AU summit to be held in Accra, Ghana, July 2007.

Other institutions of the AU include the Executive Council, made up of foreign ministers; the Permanent Representatives Committee, made up of the ambassadors to Addis Ababa of AU member states; the Pan African Parliament; and the Economic Social and Cultural Council (ECOSOCC), a civil society consultative body (see further below).

The AU covers the entire continent except for Morocco, which opposes the membership of Western Sahara as the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic. However, Morocco has a special status within the AU and benefits from the services available to all AU states from the institutions of the AU, such as the African Development Bank. Moroccan delegates also participate at important AU functions, and negotiations continue to try to resolve the conflict with the Polisario Front in Tindouf, Algeria and parts of Western Sahara.

The AU's first military intervention in a member state was the May 2003 deployment of a peacekeeping force of soldiers from South Africa, Ethiopia, and Mozambique to Burundi to oversee the implementation of the various agreements. AU troops are also deployed in Sudan for peacekeeping in the Darfur conflict.

[edit] History of the African Union

The historical foundations of the African Union originated in the Union of African States, an early confederation that was established by Kwame Nkrumah in the 1960s, as well as subsequent attempts to unite Africa, including the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), which was established on May 25, 1963, and the African Economic Community in 1981. Critics argued that the OAU in particular did little to protect the rights and liberties of African citizens from their own political leaders, often dubbing it the "Dictators' Club". [1]

The idea of creating the AU was revived in the mid-1990s as a result of the efforts of the African Unification Front. The heads of state and government of the OAU issued the Sirte Declaration on September 9, 1999, calling for the establishment of an African Union. The Declaration was followed by summits at Lomé in 2000, when the Constitutive Act of the African Union was adopted, and at Lusaka in 2001, when the plan for the implementation of the African Union was adopted.

The African Union was launched in Durban on July 9, 2002, by its first president, South African Thabo Mbeki, at the first session of the Assembly of the African Union. The second session of the Assembly was in Maputo in 2003, and the third session in Addis Ababa on July 6, 2004.

Its Constitutive Act declares that it shall "invite and encourage the full participation of the African diaspora as an important part of our Continent, in the building of the African Union". The African Union Government has defined the African diaspora as "consisting of people of African origin living outside the continent, irrespective of their citizenship and nationality and who are willing to contribute to the development of the continent and the building of the African Union". [2]

[edit] Membership

Main article: Enlargement of the African Union

Current members

Algeria  Angola  Benin  Botswana  Burkina Faso  Burundi  Cameroon  Cape Verde  Central African Republic  Chad  Comoros  Democratic Republic of the Congo  Republic of the Congo  Côte d'Ivoire  Djibouti  Egypt  Equatorial Guinea  Eritrea

Ethiopia  Gabon  Gambia  Ghana  Guinea  Guinea-Bissau  Kenya  Lesotho  Liberia  Libya  Madagascar  Malawi  Mali  Mauritius  Mozambique  Namibia  Niger

Nigeria  Rwanda  Western Sahara (SADR)  São Tomé and Príncipe  Senegal  Seychelles  Sierra Leone  Somalia  South Africa  Sudan  Swaziland  Tanzania  Togo  Tunisia  Uganda  Zambia  Zimbabwe

Suspended members 

 Mauritania currently suspended following a coup d'état.It is likely to rejoin after the country's democratic elections in 2007.

Former members 

 Morocco left predecessor organisation in 1984 because of its refusal to recognize the SADR.

[edit] Morocco's withdrawal

The only African state which is not a member of the African Union is Morocco which chose to leave the AU's predecessor, the OAU, in 1984 when the other African countries supported the Sahrawi nationalist Polisario Front's Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic.^[1][2] Some countries have since retracted their support for the Sahrawi Republic.^[3]

See also: List of African Union member states by political system

See also: List of African Union member states by population

[edit] Summits

No.	Host city/country		Date
1st	Durban	South Africa	9-11 July 2002
2nd	Maputo	Mozambique	10-11 July 2003
	Sirte	Libya	February 2004 *
3rd	Addis Ababa	Ethiopia	6-8 July 2004
4th	Abuja	Nigeria	24-31 January 2005
5th	Sirte	Libya	28 June - 5 July 2005
6th	Khartoum	Sudan	16-24 January 2006
7th	Banjul	The Gambia	25 June - 2 July 2006
8th	Addis Ababa	Ethiopia	22-30 January 2007

* Extraordinary meeting.

[edit] Organs of the AU

The African Union has a number of official bodies:

Pan-African Parliament (PAP) 

To become the highest legislative body of the African Union. The seat of the PAP is at Midrand, South Africa. The Parliament is composed of 265 elected representatives from all fifty-three AU states, and intended to provide popular and civil-society participation in the processes of democratic governance. The current President of the Pan African Parliament is Gertrude Mongella of Tanzania.

Assembly of the African Union 

Composed of heads of state and heads of government of AU states, the Assembly is currently the supreme governing body of the African Union. It is gradually devolving some of its decision-making powers to the Pan African Parliament. It meets once a year and makes its decisions by consensus or by a two-thirds majority. The current Chairman of the Assembly is John Kufuor, president of Ghana.

African Commission 

The secretariat of the African Union, composed of ten commissioners and supporting staff and headquartered in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. In a similar fashion to its European counterpart, the European Commission, it is responsible for the administration and co-ordination of the AU's activities and meetings.

African Court of Justice 

To rule on human rights abuses in Africa. The court will consist of eleven judges elected by the Assembly. Kenya and Uganda have expressed interest in hosting the court.

Executive Council

Composed of ministers designated by the governments of members states. It decides on matters such as foreign trade, social security, food, agriculture and communications, is accountable to the Assembly, and prepares material for the Assembly to discuss and approve.

Permanent Representatives' Committee 

Consisting of nominated permanent representatives of member states, the Committee prepares the work for the Executive Council. (European Union equivalent: the Committee of Permanent Representatives (COREPER).

Peace and Security Council 

Proposed at the Lusaka Summit in 2001. It has fifteen members responsible for monitoring and intervening in conflicts, with an African force at its disposal. Similar in intent and operation to the United Nations Security Council.

Economic, Social and Cultural Council 

An advisory organ composed of professional and civic representatives, similar to the European Economic and Social Council. The interim chair of ECOSOCC is Nobel prizewinner Wangari Maathai of Kenya

Specialised Technical Committees 

These address Rural Economy and Agricultural Matters; Monetary and Financial Affairs; Trade, Customs, and Immigration Matters; Industry, Science and Technology, Energy, Natural Resources, and Environment; Transport, Communications, and Tourism; Health, Labour, and Social Affairs; Education, Culture, and Human Resources.

Financial institutions 

African Central Bank, African Investment Bank, African Monetary Fund.

[edit] Current issues

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The AU faces many challenges, including health issues such as combating malaria and the AIDS/HIV epidemic; political issues such as confronting undemocratic regimes and mediating in the many civil wars; economic issues such as improving the standard of living of millions of impoverished, uneducated Africans; ecological issues such as dealing with recurring famines, desertification, and lack of ecological sustainability; as well as the legal issue of the still-unfinished decolonization of Western Sahara.

[edit] Darfur, Sudan

In response to the ongoing Darfur conflict in Sudan, the AU has deployed 7,000 peacekeepers, many from Rwanda, to Darfur. While a donor's conference in Addis Ababa in 2005 helped raise funds to sustain the peacekeepers through that year and into 2006, as of July 2006, the AU has said it will pull out at the end of September when its mandate expires.[3] Critics of the AU peacekeepers, including Dr. Eric Reeves, have said these forces are largely ineffective due to lack of funds, personnel, and expertise. Monitoring an area roughly the size of France has made it even more difficult to sustain an effective mission. In June 2006, the United States Congress appropriated US$173 million for the AU force. Some, such as the Genocide Intervention Network, have called for United Nations (UN) or NATO intervention to augment and/or replace the AU peacekeepers. The UN is currently considering deploying a force, though it would not likely enter the country until at least January 2007.[4]The under-funded and badly equipped AU mission expires on December 31, 2006 but so far there is no agreement on what will happen after that date.[5]

In response to the death of Gnassingbé Eyadéma, President of Togo, on February 5, 2005, AU leaders described the naming of his son Faure Gnassingbé the successor as a military coup.^[4] Togo's constitution calls for the speaker of parliament to succeed the president in the event of his death. By law, the parliament speaker must call national elections to choose a new president within sixty days. The AU's protest forced Gnassingbé to hold elections. Under heavy allegations of election fraud, he was officially elected President on May 4, 2005.

[edit] Somalia

On March 6, 2007, Ugandan AU soldiers arrived in Mogadishu as part of a peacekeeping force that is intended by the AU to eventually be 8,000 strong. Burundi, Nigeria, Malawi and Ghana are also expected to contribute, but have yet to do so.[6]

[edit] Regional conflicts

[edit] In Mauritania

On August 3, 2005 a coup occurred in Mauritania that led the African Union to suspend the country from all organisational activities. The Military Council that took control of Mauritania promised to hold elections within two years.

[edit] Elsewhere

Current conflicts also include the Casamance Conflict in Senegal; the Ituri Conflict, an extension of the Second Congo War; the Ivorian Civil War; and the Somali Civil War, associated with Somaliland's claim for independence. There is still political fall-out from the Chadian-Sudanese conflict, North-South Conflict in Sudan, and the Ugandan conflict with the Lord's Resistance Army. Zimbabwe is also facing a political crisis.

[edit] AIDS in Africa

However, the most serious issue to face Africa is not a dispute between nations, but rather the rapid spread of HIV and the AIDS pandemic. sub-Saharan Africa is by far the worst affected area in the world, and as the infection is now starting to claim lives by the millions. The epidemic has affected over 25% of the population of southern Africa, with South Africa, Botswana, Kenya, Namibia, and Zimbabwe all expected to have a decrease in life expectancy by an average of 6.5 years. The effects on South Africa, which composes 30% of the AU's economy, threatens to significantly stunt GDP growth, and thus internal and external trade for the continent.

[edit] Internal politics

Controversy arose at the 2006 summit when Sudan announced a candidate for the AU's chairmanship. Five member states threatened to withdraw support for a Sudanese candidate because of tensions over Darfur. Sudan ultimately withdrew its candidacy and Denis Sassou-Nguesso of the Republic of the Congo was elected to a one-year term.

[edit] Economy

Main article: Economy of the African Union

[edit] Languages

Main article: Languages of the African Union

The African Union promotes the use of African languages wherever possible in its official work. Its other working languages are Arabic, English, French, and Portuguese, although many other languages are used officially by some member states (e.g. Spanish is co-official with French in Equatorial Guinea.) Supplemental protocols to the African Union have made Swahili an official language of the African Union. Founded in 2001, the African Academy of Languages promotes the usage and perpetuation of African languages amongst African people.

[edit] Geography

Main article: Geography of the African Union

[edit] Foreign relations

Main article: Foreign relations of the African Union

[edit] Symbols

The emblem of the African Union consists of a gold ribbon bearing small interlocking red rings, from which palm leaves shoot up around an outer gold circle and an inner green circle, within which is a gold representation of Africa. The red interlinked rings stand for African solidarity and the blood shed for the liberation of Africa; the palm leaves, for peace; the gold, for Africa's wealth and bright future; the green, for African hopes and aspirations. To symbolise African unity, the silhouette of Africa is drawn without internal borders.

The flag of the African Union bears a broad green horizontal stripe, a narrow band of gold, the emblem of the African Union at the centre of a broad white stripe, another narrow gold band and a final broad green stripe. Again, the green and gold symbolise Africa's hopes and aspirations as well as its wealth and bright future, and the white represents the purity of Africa's desire for friends throughout the world. The flag has lead to the creation of the "national colours" of Africa of gold and green (sometimes together with white).

The African Union has adopted a new anthem, Let Us All Unite and Celebrate Together, and has the chorus O sons and daughters of Africa, flesh of the sun and flesh of the sky, Let us make Africa the tree of life.

[edit] References

[edit] See also

African Century African Development Bank African diaspora African nationalism African Renaissance African Unification Front Africanization

Black nationalism Continental union: Asian Union European Union North American Union Pacific Union CSN

Indigenous peoples of Africa Non-Aligned Movement Pan-Africanism

[edit] External links

• African Union official site
• African Union Summit 2002 in Durban, South Africa
• African Union Summit 2003 in Maputo, Mozambique
• African Union Summit 2005 in Sirte, Libya.
• 6th African Union Summit 2006 in Kartoum, Sudan.
• 7th African Union Summit 2006 in Banjul, The Gambia.
• 7th African Union Summit 2006 in Banjul, The Gambia, website created by the host government.
• BBC Profile: African Union
• Africa turns from instability and conflict to mutual co-operation Jane's Intelligence Review, September 2006
• African Union replaces dictators' club - BBC, July 8 2002
• Open Directory Project - African Union directory category
• AfriMAP/Oxfam/AFRODAD report 'Towards a People-Driven African Union'
• Yahoo! - African Union directory category
• US-Africa.org
• Contemporary Africa Database
• African Elections Database
• Africare.org
• Femmes Africa Solidarité
• A single African currency in our time?
• Picture of the African Union