Towards a People-driven African Union

Towards a People-driven African Union

Author: Ibrahima Kane

Publisher:

Published: 2007

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13:

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"Towards a People-Driven African Union: Current Obstacles & New Opportunities presents research on the preparations for and conduct of African Union summits, from some of the civil society organizations currently working with the African Union to realize its own vision. It concludes that, although significant space has been opened up for greater and more sustained participation by a diversity of interested groups, the promise of a people-driven African Union (AU) remains largely unfulfilled. Inadequate institutional capacity and inappropriate policies and procedures have hindered the realisation of the vision that the AU should build 'a partnership between governments and all segments of civil society ... to strengthen solidarity and cohesion among our peoples.' Many institutional obstacles still block the realization of the African Union's original vision. There is a growing perception among civil society organizations that the initial AU enthusiasm for non-state participation in its policy development processes has given way to a more closed stance. Despite the reorganization of the former OAU secretariat into the AU Commission, many staff seemed to retain their old habits and attitudes. There are still considerable difficulties in obtaining access to information about policies and documents under discussion by AU organs, preventing effective participation by Africa's citizens in continental decision-making processes. Moreover, the sheer proliferation of AU ministerial meetings, ordinary and extraordinary summits is taking a heavy toll on both the AU Commission and governments, according to this report. Unless Commission budget shortfalls and capacity constraints in member states are remedied, the African Union will not be able to deliver on the promise of its decisions, resolutions and treaties. The report calls on the African Union Commission and member states to take urgent action to simplify and improve the multiplicity of legal frameworks, incoherent institutional arrangements and unclear policies and procedures, and to provide more consistent and timely access to documentation in all its processes."--Publisher description.


Towards a People-driven African Union

Towards a People-driven African Union

Author: Ibrahima Kane

Publisher:

Published: 2007

Total Pages: 68

ISBN-13: 9781920051419

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"Towards a People-Driven African Union: Current Obstacles & New Opportunities presents research on the preparations for and conduct of African Union summits, from some of the civil society organizations currently working with the African Union to realize its own vision. It concludes that, although significant space has been opened up for greater and more sustained participation by a diversity of interested groups, the promise of a people-driven African Union (AU) remains largely unfulfilled. Inadequate institutional capacity and inappropriate policies and procedures have hindered the realisation of the vision that the AU should build 'a partnership between governments and all segments of civil society ... to strengthen solidarity and cohesion among our peoples.' Many institutional obstacles still block the realization of the African Union's original vision. There is a growing perception among civil society organizations that the initial AU enthusiasm for non-state participation in its policy development processes has given way to a more closed stance. Despite the reorganization of the former OAU secretariat into the AU Commission, many staff seemed to retain their old habits and attitudes. There are still considerable difficulties in obtaining access to information about policies and documents under discussion by AU organs, preventing effective participation by Africa's citizens in continental decision-making processes. Moreover, the sheer proliferation of AU ministerial meetings, ordinary and extraordinary summits is taking a heavy toll on both the AU Commission and governments, according to this report. Unless Commission budget shortfalls and capacity constraints in member states are remedied, the African Union will not be able to deliver on the promise of its decisions, resolutions and treaties. The report calls on the African Union Commission and member states to take urgent action to simplify and improve the multiplicity of legal frameworks, incoherent institutional arrangements and unclear policies and procedures, and to provide more consistent and timely access to documentation in all its processes."--Publisher description.


Towards a People-driven African Union

Towards a People-driven African Union

Author: Ibrahima Kane

Publisher: African Minds

Published: 2007

Total Pages: 78

ISBN-13: 192005183X

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This report is the first independent, substantive and public assessment of the progress of the African Union. "Towards a People-Driven African Union: Current Obstacles and New Opportunities" analyses the preparations of African Union member-states, the AU Commission and civil society organizations 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. Published by AFRODAD, AfriMAP and Oxfam, this report is endorsed by more than a dozen other organizations in Africa and elsewhere, and is based on interviews with more than 50 representatives of member-states, the AU Commission and civil society organizations in eleven African countries.


Towards a People-Driven African Union

Towards a People-Driven African Union

Author: AfriMAP AfriMAP

Publisher: African Books Collective

Published: 2007-12-29

Total Pages: 80

ISBN-13: 1920489622

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This report is the first independent, substantive and public assessment of the progress of the African Union. "Towards a People-Driven African Union: Current Obstacles and New Opportunities" 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. 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.


Strengthening Popular Participation in the African Union

Strengthening Popular Participation in the African Union

Author: Oxfam

Publisher: African Books Collective

Published: 2010

Total Pages: 76

ISBN-13: 1920355243

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The African Union (AU) has committed to a vision of Africa that is "integrated, prosperous and peaceful ... driven by its own citizens, a dynamic force in the global arena" (Vision and Mission of the African Union, May 2004). Strengthening Popular Participation in the African Union aims to take up the challenge of achieving this vision. It is a tool to assist activists to engage with AU policies and programmes. It describes the AU decision-making process and outlines the roles and responsibilities of the AU institutions. This guide aims to help those organizations that wish to engage the AU but do not currently know where to start by providing an outline of the key institutions and processes and suggesting ways to influence them. The guide is divided into three sections: *Part 1: A description of AU organs and institutions. *Part 2: Suggestions on how to influence AU decisions and policy processes. *Part 3: A summary of the debate to restructure the AU into a "Union Government."


The African Union

The African Union

Author: Diedre L. Badejo

Publisher: Infobase Publishing

Published: 2008

Total Pages: 126

ISBN-13: 143810295X

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Based in Ethiopia, the Africa Union, established in July 2002, is the successor to the Organization of African Unity, created in 1963. The AU aims include promoting democracy, human rights, and sustainable economic development across Africa, especially by increasing foreign investment through the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD).


Transcending Member States

Transcending Member States

Author: Babatunde Fagbayibo

Publisher: Springer Nature

Published: 2022-09-14

Total Pages: 177

ISBN-13: 3031124510

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This book explores innovative and context-driven political and legal policy measures designed to expand the powers of the African Union (AU) in order to meaningfully drive the continental integration process. In this regard, the book addresses issues of context, political will, and innovative and inclusive approaches as essential elements that must be considered. Africa is currently experiencing one of the most critical phases of its integrative development. Since 2015, there have been increasing efforts to develop policies and practices that grant the AU broader powers to coordinate and create binding rules regarding the regional integration process. In other words, these processes seek to endow the AU with supranational powers like those exercised by the European Union, which, despite its internal problems, remains the most successful experiment in supranationalism in the world. This has included the decision to finance the AU through a 0.2% tax on eligible imports into member states; the decision to reduce the number of AU Commission portfolios from eight to six; the adoption and entry into force of the much touted Agreement establishing the African Continental Free Trade Area; the adoption of the Protocol to the Treaty Establishing the African Economic Community Relating to Free Movement of Persons, Right to Residence and Right of Establishment; and the adoption of the AU Agenda 2063 policy framework in 2015. How these processes will change the direction of regional integration in Africa, the book argues, largely depends on the existence of quality-driven institutions.


Contesting Sovereignty

Contesting Sovereignty

Author: Joel Ng

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2021-07-22

Total Pages: 317

ISBN-13: 1108490611

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Examines and compares diplomatic practices and normative change in the African Union and ASEAN.


The African Union

The African Union

Author: Samuel M. Makinda

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2007-11-13

Total Pages: 229

ISBN-13: 1134141157

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A comprehensive examination of the work of the African Union (AU), with special emphasis on its capacity to meet the challenges of building and sustaining governance institutions and security mechanisms. Samuel Makinda and F. Wafula Okumu show how Africa and, in particular, the AU can effectively addressed the challenges of building and sustaining governance institutions and security mechanisms only if they have strategic leadership. Current debates on, and criticisms of, leadership in Africa are also analyzed as well as key options for overcoming the constraints that African leaders face. Core topics covered include: the colonial policies of the European powers the emergence of Pan-Africanism the creation of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) in 1963 the evolution of the OAU into the AU in 2002 the AU’s capacity to address poverty alleviation, conflict management and resolution, peacebuilding and humanitarian intervention.


African Politics

African Politics

Author: Joelien Pretorius

Publisher: Juta and Company Ltd

Published: 2008

Total Pages: 244

ISBN-13: 9780702177361

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In 1991 Samuel Huntington published "The Third Wave: Democratisation in the Late Twentieth Century". The book informed much of the scholarly work on democratisation in Africa. Although comprehensive in classifying the causes and limitations of transitions to democracy, "The Third Wave" was also limited in its definition of democracy and expectations of a new democracy. This volume engages with the topics of democracy and democratisation in contemporary African politics at the local, national and continental level. It acknowledges a conceptual debt to Huntington when discussing elections, party systems, leadership and the development of continental norms of liberal democracy, but also highlights new conversations (eg: about participatory spaces) that go beyond the Third Wave.