Strengthening collaboration in democracy, governance and promotion of human rights in Africa.

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October 24, 2021

The African Governance Architecture has concluded a Political meeting of the African Governance Platform preceded by the Technical Meeting focused on key strategic issues including strengthening collaboration in addressing issues of democracy, governance and promotion of human rights on the continent. The meeting is convened annually as a statutory meeting of the African Governance Platform whose members include, the African Union Commission, the African Union Organs, and the Regional Economic communities. The Platform reflected on the status of Africa’s democracy and governance trends and deliberated on actions and opportunities to enhance engagement that promote good governance on the continent. It was also an opportunity to deliberate on avenues to enhance synergy and collaboration in the joint flagship projects that promote the ratification and implementation of African Union Shared Values instruments, with particular focus on African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance (ACDEG). Discussions were also held on the upcoming annual AGA High Level Dialogue that will interrogate and advance the role of arts, culture and heritage in promoting good governance in the various sessions that will be held with women, youth, civil societies and at the high level forum.

The meeting also conducted elections of the new Bureau members of the Platform. The African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR), an Organ of the African Union, has assumed Chairmanship of the new Bureau for the period 2021- 2023, taking over from the African Union Advisory Board on Corruption (AUABC). The new Chairperson will be deputized by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), a Regional Economic Community, taking over from the East African Community (EAC).

Outgoing Chair, AUABC, in the handover report, recalled the progress achieved by the AGA in the period of 2019- 2021, highlighting activities and projects such as the development of the AGA Roadmap for 2020-2023; roll out of the technical Assistance programs in a joint project between AGA and the Republic of the Gambia that includes the Training of Trainers (TOT) programme on Youth Participation in Electoral Processes; the implementation of activities under the Joint AGA-COMESA project (2019-2022) on Youth Participation in Democratic Governance and Socio Economic Development such as the Youth Innovation Challenge on Democratic Governance and the establishment of the first-ever COMESA Youth Advisory Panel; development of the manual on Youth Participation in Electoral Cycle; development of the Manual on Pan-African Youth Leadership; operationalization of the African Union Permanent Representatives’ Committee (PRC) Sub Committee on Human Rights, Democracy and Governance; and the implementation of the AU Reform on the merger of the AGA-APSA Secretariat; among other key activities.

While receiving the handover report, new Bureau committed to oversee the current activities to their fruitful conclusion, underscoring the importance of protecting and promoting good governance on the continent to ensure the accumulated gains over the years are not reversed especially with the regression of some gains in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. This was also reiterated in the commemorative activities of the African Human Rights Day, a flagship initiative of the African Governance Platform. A celebration of the Africa Human Rights Day was conducted on the 21st of October with all the AGA members to mark the coming into force of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, the founding treaty of the African Human Rights System. The 2021 Commemoration marked the 40th anniversary of the adoption of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and was marked in a High- Level Event focused on “Africa Human Rights 40 years after the adoption of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights that ensured the participation of all AGA Platform Members. #AfricaHumanRightsDay.

The flagship projects of the African Governance Platform are aligned to the fulfilment of Aspirations 3 and 4 of Africa’s Agenda 2063 that call for “an Africa of good governance, democracy, the respect for human rights, justice and the rule of law” and “a peaceful and secure Africa” respectively. Both aspirations demonstrate the commitment of African leaders to promote good governance, as necessary pre-conditions for a prosperous, united and peaceful Africa. Democracy and governance deficits specifically weak state institutions, lack of accountability, and legitimacy; marginalization of citizens and groups; lack of civic engagement, participation; lack of basic human rights; lack of justice; and the rule of law continue to threaten and also lead to instability in various countries on the continent.

The African Governance Architecture (AGA) is one of the key structures within the African Union that has continually advocated, promoted and consolidated the principles of good governance and strengthened democracy in Africa. The African Governance Platform - the institutionalised mechanism of the AGA - aims at strengthening synergy among Platform members, and focuses on ensuring prevention, management and resolution of conflicts from a democracy and governance outlook. The strategy is to undertake evidence-based annual research on governance; promotion of inclusive dialogue at national, regional and continental levels on democracy and governance dimensions; conducting assessment for Member States on governance; and supporting the ratification, domestication and implementation of AU shared Values, more specifically instruments on democracy; and governance and human rights; advance knowledge sharing on best practices.

For further information please contact:

Ms. Makda Mikre Tessema | Democracy and Governance Expert: African Governance Architecture | E-mail: MakdaM@africa-union.org | Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.