Towards a People Driven African Union: Current Obstacles and New Opportunities
Author: Afrimap, AFRODAD and Oxfam
Source: Afrimap
This report is the first independent, substantive and public assessment of the progress of the African Union. It analyses the preparations of African Union member-states, the AU Commission and civil society organisations for the twice-yearly AU summits.
The main finding is that despite some welcome new opportunities for participation, the African Union's vision of ‘an Africa driven by its own citizens’ remains largely unfulfilled. Detailed recommendations are offered to help deliver on this vision in future. These include that:
The AU Commission should adopt an access to information policy similar to those of other international organisations such as the World Bank, providing for publication of all but a few confidential documents.
Member states should broaden and deepen their national consultation processes in advance of summits, in particular by informing and consulting national parliaments.
The rules of procedure governing preparations for and follow-up to summits should be substantially revised to require hosting states to facilitate civil society meetings around the summit dates, to provide for draft documents to be circulated and made public well in advance of the meetings at which they will be debated, and to ensure proper follow-up.
Upcoming elections to replace ECOSOCC’s interim structures must be held according to rules that ensure that they are democratic and transparent. ECOSOCC’s independence from the AU Commission should be strengthened.
Published by AFRODAD, AfriMAP and Oxfam, this report is endorsed by more than a dozen other organisations in Africa and elsewhere, and is based on interviews with more than 50 representatives of member-states, the AU Commission and civil society organisations in eleven African countries.
Click here to read the full report