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OPENING STATEMENT BY HE MR ERASTUS MWENCHA,
THE DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON OF THE AFRICAN UNION COMMSSION

ON THE OCCASION OF THE LAUNCH OF THE 2ND ECOSOCC GENERAL ASSEMBLY,
NAIROBI, KENYA, 22 DECEMBER 2014

 
OPENING STATEMENT BY HE MR ERASTUS MWENCHA, THE DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON OF THE AFRICAN UNION COMMISSION.

Excellency, Ms. Amina Abdallah, the Foreign Minister of the Republic of Kenya and Member of the Executive Council of the African Union.

The Presiding Officer of ECOSOCC,

Members of the Bureau of ECOSOCC

Members of the ECOSOCC General Assembly

Distinguished Representatives of African Civil Society,

Members of the Press Corps,

Participants,

Invited Guests,

Ladies and Gentlemen

It gives me great pleasure to welcome you all to the inauguration of the Second Permanent General Assembly of ECOSOCC. This is a very important day for the African Union, the African civil society and our continent in general. It marks the transition of the ECOSOCC process as it grows and matures with age. About six years ago in 2008 in Dar Es’ Salaam, Tanzania, I represented the AU Commision at the official ceremony that marked the inauguration of the First ECOSOCC Assembly at an official ceremony in which President Kikwete, the President of Tanzania presided. I am now here for the inauguration of the Second Assembly that is taking place here in Kenya, my home state.

I am happy to have been present at the creation and to be also present at the development and it is my hope and aspiration to have ECOSOCC grow from strength to strength as it develops even further. I learnt that the elections that preceded this inauguration have been conducted in a free and fair atmosphere and with a spirit of collegiality. The result has been accepted by all in a wonderful atmosphere in which there are no winners and losers. The Second ECOSOCC General Assembly is therefore beginning on a strong foundation that gives us the utmost assurance that it would perform excellently and deliver on the promises that inspired the founders of the African Union to create this unique Organ as a bridge for effective partnership between governments and all segments of civil society in Africa.

Excellences,
The Presiding Officer,
Members of the Bureau,
Ladies and Gentlemen

It is important at this stage to retrace the road that led us here to this unique occasion. The tenure of the Second ECOSOCC Assembly expired in September 2012 and the Summit of the African Union that met in June/ July of that year directed the Commission to carry out the next elections on the due date of September 2016.

The Commission then established an Interdepartmental Committee made up of the various relevant departments to verify and appraise the eligibility of the candidates in accordance with the provisions of the ECOSOCC Statutes. The aim was to ensure that the consequent elections would be held in September 2012.

This proved difficult and impossible because though there were several applications for membership, the outcome of the verification exercise did not produce a sufficient pool of candidates required for the elections. Thus the Commision continued to extend the call for applications for elections into the Second ECOSOCC Permanent General Assembly until June/ July 2014 when it submitted a progress report on the exercise to the Executive Council of the African Union in Malabo and suggested a roadmap on the way forward.

Excellences,
The Presiding Officer,
Members of the ECOSOCC General Assembly,
Participants,
Ladies and Gentlemen

The progress report submitted by the Commision to the Malabo Summit in July 2014 proposed four options for the consideration of the Executive Council on the way forward. The first was to relax the requirements for eligibility for Membership as contained in the ECOSOCC Statutes with a particular focus on lowering the criteria that 50 per cent of the resources of an Organization must come from internal African sources.

The second was to carry out a three months sensitization program with a view to mobilizing a sufficient pool of candidates to carry out the elections for a Permanent General Assembly with four-year tenure. The third was to establish an interim ECOSOCC Assembly for two years with whatever number of candidates those are available. The fourth was to carry out the sensitization exercise and if the numbers were sufficient to establish a Permanent General Assembly for four years and if the numbers were still not sufficient to establish an Interim Assembly for two years.

The Executive Council of the African Union accepted the fourth option through its decision EX/CL 849 (XXV) of July 2014. Council was specific that it would not lower the eligibility criteria because it is the measure of authenticity of Africa civil society organizations. Council gave a strict three months deadline for the sensitization and motivation campaign and directed that an ECOSOCC Assembly whether interim or Permanent should be established before the end of 2014.

Excellences,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

The Commission approached this task with due diligence. It developed and approved a roadmap that complied with the strict deadline, defined targets and timelines imposed by Council. The ECOSOCC Sensitization and Motivation Campaign was carried out across the five regions of the continent in the period between August and early October 2014.it was a very successful campaign that has set the pace for AU image building and the mobilization of the African grassroots in support of the processes of integration and development of the continent. The positive effect of this campaign has been widely acknowledged and sets precedence for the wider AU family.

This was followed by close scrutiny, verification and appraisal of the eligibility of candidates according to the requirements stipulated in the ECOSOCC Statutes. Elections into the ECOSOCC General Assembly were then conducted in the immediate period preceding this inauguration from 18-22 December 2014. At the end of the exercise 64 candidates were elected into the ECOSOCC General Assembly, which together with the six nominated Members of the Commission amounts to about 70 foundation Members of the new ECOSOCC Assembly. Thus what we are establishing today would be a Second Permanent General Assembly of ECOSOCC.

It is also on record that the number of Members that would begin the work of the Second General Assembly is above those that began the work of the First ECOSOCC General Assembly. At her meetings with the former African Heads of States and a section of the Executive Council of the Union last weekend in South Africa, the Chairperson of the Commission, Her Excellency Dr. Nkozasana Dlamini Zuma had promised the Commission was faithfully implementing the task and would report on the establishment of a Permanent General ECOSOCC Assembly at the 2015 January Summit. Her Excellency and the Commision under her leadership are now delivering on that promise. What we said we shall do is what we have now done.
Excellences,
The Presiding Officer of ECOSOC,
Members of the Bureau and Assembly of ECOSOCC,
Participants,
Invited Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen

I cannot end our presentation without thanking the foot soldiers of the Commission of the African Union that were part and parcel of this effort under the guidance of the Chairperson and the Commision. I wish to acknowledge the work of the Interdepartmental Committee on the Verification and appraisal of the candidates for ECOSOCC elections that embraces various segments of the Commission, the Office of the Legal Counsel for its various contributions, and the various units and arms of the Commission that have worked together strenuously to implement the decision of the Summit. Above all, I must acknowledge the excellent work of the Secretariat in CIDO under the leadership of the Director that has shaped this enterprise.

Now that the Commission has set the foundation, the main challenge of the Second ECOSOCC Permanent Assembly that would be led by Mr. Joseph Chilengi and the ECOSOCC Bureau is to deliver on the promise of ECOSOCC. In doing this, they must learn from the challenges of the preceding ECOSOCC Assembly and the illustrious example of the Interim ECOSOCC. ECOSOCC needs to operationalize its cluster Committees and play its desired role in the policy making process.

It must be an agent of progressive change in the AU system as well as a practical tool for popularizing AU activities and program while harnessing the contributions of the Ordinary African citizens in the affairs of the AU. ECOSOCC must play a critical role in advancing Agenda 2063. It must also lead by example and not fall prey to those weaknesses that it criticizes our governments for.

The African Union Commission assures you of its support and cooperation in this enterprise.

I thank you all

Talking points of the AU Commission Chairperson, Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, at the launch of the Africa Against Ebola Ethiopia SMS Campaign Launch
20 December 2014. Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
A very warm welcome to the African Union Headquarters and greetings to the CEO of the Ethio Telecommunications, representatives from Ethiopia Business, and to our partner, the Ethiopian Private-Public Consultative Forum.
Welcome to the Representatives of the Media and AU Staff
We were here just over a month ago at the Private Sector Roundtable against Ebola, where we discuss two main issues.
Firstly, we wanted the business community to join the fight against Ebola, and we want them to contribute financially and other capacities they had to assist. Secondly, we told the telecoms companies that we want to galvanise Africans as individuals, who may not be in business or who are not health workers that can go to these countries, to make a contribution. I’ve spoken to many individuals who asked me what they can contribute.
The major mobile network operators across Africa have come together since then. We are proud of the response to the call, and across the continent we have countries with their telecoms companies launching the Africa Against Ebola SMS campaign. We also thank our governments and regulators for giving permissions for the common short codes.
Since the beginning of December, countries across the continent have launched the Africa Against Ebola SMS campaign:
• 7979 in Ethiopia, Botswana, Burundi, Botswana, Burundi, Central African Republic, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Madagascar, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe
• 40797 in South Africa
• 6969 in Chad
• 1919 in Senegal
We are also grateful to Ethiopia, because they have this week sent 187 of their young men and women as health workers, to work on the frontline. As the figures stand now, Ethiopia have the African largest contingent on the ground, then Nigeria and others will follow like the DRC next week and then Kenya.
For Ethiopia, this must have been also a tough decision, because Ethiopia is also raising resources for the Renaissance dam, and therefore you joining this campaign is a true act of solidarity. I believe the Ethiopian nation will rise to the occasion, because they have seen their young men and women leaving for Sierra Leone and Liberia.
We therefore thank the Ethiopian Government, the Ethiopian Private Sector and to Ethio Telecoms.
We are very proud of all of our ASEOWA volunteers, young men and women, who are part of this African fight.
Our partners from outside Africa have supporters us, and they can also feel proud that Africa is sending its young men and women in numbers to the frontline, and are also contributing financially. We are not only waiting for others to do things for us, but we are helping ourselves. When your house is on fire, you call on the neighbours to help, but you also find the buckets of water to help extinguish the fire.
Through all these efforts, we hope to be able to make a difference in the fight against ebola, that we can end it in 2015. We now have just under 500 health workers on the ground, through your efforts, we want to take it to above 1000 health workers in the next month.
Ethiopia occupies a special place in the history of our continent, it was the headquarters of the OAU and now of the AU, and therefore it is appropriate that they have shown the solidarity and unity, by sending there men and women to the frontlines of the fight against Ebola.
Africa has been doing this with regards to conflicts on the continent, we are the cheetahs and sprint to get on the ground to stop the killings; the UN are the elephants being slower to respond. For example in CAR we were there first and handed over to the UN in September, we are still in Somalia.
Ordinarily it is the responsibility of the WHO for global health emergencies, but this epidemic was different, we all had to contribute to this effort and all put our shoulders to the wheel.
Africa has a long and proud history of solidarity, of caring and working together, and the Africa against Ebola campaign that we are launching today, is an example of this.
Many countries are celebrating 25 December and in Ethiopia on 7 January, as we do so, we must remember that our brothers and sisters in Sierra Leone and the other countries will not have a festive season. As we donate through the SMS campaign, we must be with them in solidarity during this trying time, as we celebrate Christmas.
We can discuss with our people how to avoid Ebola, even if you are in the affected countries. But even if you do contract the virus, and you get treatment early, you can survive. We all talk about the deaths, but there are a huge numbers of survivors and they have joined the fight against Ebola in the forefront, in their communities to ensure that they understand the importance of early reporting and seeking treatment, because chances of survival are greater.
Finally, even if not directly affected, we can all contribute.
The AU message is therefore that you can Avoid Ebola, you can Recover from Ebola and you can Contribute towards to stop Ebola.
Together we can defeat Ebola

Opening Statement of Mr. Erastus Mwencha, Deputy Chairperson, African Union at the Retreat on Strengthening Collaboration between the AUC-ECA-AfDB and the Regional Economic Communities

08 December 2014
Johannesberg, South Africa

Excellency, the Deputy Executive Secretary of UNECA

Excellency, the Vice-President of the African Development Bank

Distinguished Participants,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The beginning of the new millennium opened up a good opportunity for Africa to launch a big new initiative for development. As Africa celebrated its 50th anniversary since the founding of the OAU in 1963, Africa’s political leadership acknowledged past achievements and challenges and rededicated itself to the Pan African vision of “an integrated, prosperous and peaceful Africa, driven by its own citizens and representing a dynamic force in the global arena.” The 2013 Summit tasked the African Union Commission (AUC), supported by the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) Planning and Coordinating Agency (NPCA), the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), to prepare such a continental agenda through a people-driven process. It embarked on a consultative process to develop a vision for the next 50 years – the outcome was Agenda 2063 launched on the occasion of the Golden Jubilee of the OAU.

Agenda 2063, a plan for Africa’s structural transformation, was agreed upon as a long term roadmap with milestones and strategies to achieve this vision in the shortest possible time. The converging voices of Africans of different backgrounds have expressed vividly what they desire for themselves and the continent in the future. This has culminated in defining the seven common set of aspirations: i) A Prosperous Africa based on inclusive growth and sustainable development; ii) An Integrated Continent, Politically United, based on the ideals of Pan Africanism and the Vision of Africa’s Renaissance; iii) An Africa of Good Governance, Respect for Human Rights, Justice and the Rule of Law; iv) A Peaceful and Secure Africa; v) An Africa with a strong Cultural Identity, Common Heritage, Values and Ethics; vi) An Africa whose development is people-driven, especially relying on the potential offered by its women and youth; and vii) Africa as a Strong, Resilient and Influential Global Player and Partner. These seven aspirations show strong convergence with the AU Vision, and are in line with the eight priorities of the OAU/AU 50th Anniversary Solemn Declaration. In addition, they collectively demonstrate a strong continuity of thinking between the Founders’ and the present generation of Africans, albeit in a different context.

Distinguished Participants,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

In similar vein, the post 2015 development agenda evolved as a critical milestone towards the realization of Agenda 2063, and provides a good opportunity for Africa to complete the unfinished business of the MDGs. The post-2015 universal agenda looks like being bolder and more transformational than what preceded it. There is also broad agreement that it should be a universal agenda – applying to all countries - developed and developing.

At the global level, the findings from the universal consultations informed the deliberations of the Open Working Group on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which was appointed by the UN General Assembly. The seventeen goals and 169 targets which it has proposed do reflect much of what people have said they want in the new agenda, including some of the most transformative elements.

As a prelude to the adoption of the global SDGs, Africa developed its post-2015 development agenda commonly known as an African Position (CAP) based on the premise that the realization of the vision of Agenda 2063 requires transformation in critical Pan African priority areas. The CAP emanates from the decision of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the Union of July 2012 (Assembly/AU/Dec.423 (XIX), which mandates the African Union Commission, in close consultation with Members States and Regional Economic Communities, to identify Africa’s priorities for the post-2015 Development Agenda. This document represents the aspirations of the African people and their contribution to the global debate on the formulation of the Post-2015 Development Agenda. The CAP identifies substantive issues of importance to Africa and arrives at a consensus on Africa’s key priorities, concerns and strategies to be reflected in the outcomes of the post-2015 negotiation process. This was achieved by taking into account the wealth of information collected and collated from national and regional stakeholders (the executive and legislative arms of governments, private sector, civil society organizations, youth associations, women groups, trade unions, and academia) African multilateral institutions and selected pertinent UN organizations and agencies. The Cap is based on six pillars that are critical to African aspirations: i) Structural economic transformation and inclusive growth; ii) science, technology and innovation; iii) people-centered development; iv) environmental sustainability, natural resources management and disaster risk management; v) peace and security; and vi) finance and partnerships.

Distinguished Participants,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Towards the realization of the overall development agenda, aspirations of the Agenda 2063 and the expressed post-2015 African position, regional integration has been seen as a key element of the development strategy of African countries in the post–independence period. The importance attached to regional integration as an instrument for the promotion of socio-economic development is reflected in the large number of integration schemes on the continent. Regional integration in Africa is crucial for the attainment of competitiveness and effective integration of the continent into the global trading system and for addressing some of the developmental challenges.

The blue print for Africa’s economic integration was laid by the Abuja Treaty Establishing the African Economic Community (AEC). In spite of the importance attached to it in Africa’s development strategy; progress towards the achievement of the AEC has been unsatisfactory. Many of the milestones set for the establishment are yet to be achieved. Adopted in 1991 by the OAU Heads of State and Government, the Treaty provides for the economic integration of Africa, over a period of 34 years and in six stages of variable duration. Pursuant to this decision, eight of the existing fourteen regional integration groupings in Africa have been recognized by the African Union (AU) as the building blocks of Pan-African continental integration. All African countries belong to at least one regional integration grouping, while half of the countries have multiple membership of two or more integration schemes. We all are aware that these institutions are faced with weaknesses relating to sovereignty issues, inadequacy of resources and capacities; and lack of empowerment - just to mention a few.

Distinguished Participants,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

It was in response to the directives of the Heads of State decision of that the Joint Secretariat comprising of the Chief Executives of OAU, ECA, and AfDB was established in 1989 by the three organizations. This was further strengthened by signing an MOU among the 3 JSIs leading to the establishment of the Joint Secretariat Support Office (JSSO), to serve as the operational mechanism and for the Joint Secretariat.

Since the signing of the MOU in 2010, JSSO under the guidance of the Steering Committee has been an active partner in contributing to and supporting the various initiatives of the JSIs in strengthening their collaboration. JSSO has also been working with the RECs, albeit at a lesser degree. Notwithstanding its important role , JSSO’s efforts have been met with some challenges that hamper its contribution.

Your unstinted support and valuable input, dear delegates, is therefore important as the effectiveness and efficiency of this Office is critical for the success of the joint efforts of the AU-ECA-AfDB and the RECs in the promotion of Africa’s economic integration and development.

I thank you for your kind attention.