Events

LAUNCH OF AfDB 45 million USD GRANT IN SUPPORT OF THE PAN-AFRICAN UNIVERSITY PROJECT OF THE AFRICAN UNION

Addis Ababa, 30 October 2013 – Dr. Martial De-Paul Ikounga, Commissioner for Human Resources, Science and Technology (HRST) of the African Union, and Dr. Corbin Michel Guedegbe, Human Development Department of the African Development Bank (AfDB) both officiated the launching of the AFDB grant support to the Pan-African University ( PAU) on 30 October 2013 at the AUC headquarters, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
The grant to the PAU estimated at 45 million USD is aimed at operationalizing for the next five years governance at central and country levels as well as academic and research activities in three of the five thematic institutes. The institutes include: the PAU institute for basic Sciences, Technology and Innovation (PAUSTI in Kenya), PAU institute for life and earth Science (PAULESI in Nigeria) and PAU institute for governance, Humanities, and Social Science (PAUGHSS in Cameroon). The two remaining hubs in Northern Africa and Southern Africa will be initially supported in the overall project management and implementation through the PAU rectorate and support to AUC HRST.
PAU support is in line with existing institutional frameworks of the AFDB which include the ten year strategy (2013-2022) and Human Capital strategy in finalization process highlighting regional integration, skills and technology.

The launching today was witnessed by senior officials from host countries of the PAU institutes, Rectors and Directors of the PAU hosting Universities, Lead thematic Partners ( Germany with GIZ, KFW and DAAD); Sweden with SIDA ; Japan ( with JICA); India. Development partners included the European Union UNESCO, and the AFDB Ethiopian office. Academic Scientific organizations were represented by the Association of African Universities (AAU) and OSSREA. The occasion was also graced by members of the high level Panel of the PAU as well as some officials of the African Union Commission.

Media Contact:
Esther Azaa Tankou
Senior Editorial Officer
Directorate of Information and Communication
African Union Commission
Tel: Mob. +251911361185
Email- Yamboue@africa-union.org

STEERING COMMITTEE ON PAN-AFRICAN UNIVERSITY MEETS TO DISCUSS ROADMAP

Addis Ababa, 29th October 2013: The Steering Committee on the Pan-African University (PAU) met today, Tuesday 29 October 2013, at the headquarters of the African Union (AU) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to discuss the status and methods of implementation of the PAU. This includes the roadmap for 2013-2014 and the contribution of major stakeholders including PAU host countries, the Regional Economic Communities (RECs) and partner organizations.

Speaking during the opening ceremony, Dr. Martial De-Paul Ikounga, Commissioner for Human Resources, Science and Technology (HRST) of the AUC, stressed that dispensing the framework for the development of the PAU roadmap is a top priority.
He underscored the need to safe guarding the autonomy of the PAU and its institutions and ensuring that the PAU is implemented with its own organs of governance before its allotted time limit of 30 June 2014.
Dr Hakim Elwaer, Director of the HRST, recalled the progress made so far in establishing the PAU and the importance of cooperating with partners in achieving this goal. “It is for this reason that we are excited by the overwhelming response to …. strategize on how we can collectively deliver on the lofty dreams of this pan African institution, responding to the human resource capacity needs for the socioeconomic advancement of the continent “ he noted. (See complete speech of Director Hakim on the AU website: www.au.int ).

Worth recalling that, The Pan African University was conceived as a response to the need to revitalize higher education and research as major tools for ensuring high level human resource and intellectual capital for Africa’s development, while promoting world class yet locally relevant and responsive research, to provide an exemplar for excellence in African higher education and research. The PAU consists of a network of Institutes and Centres in five thematic areas distributed across the five regions, and administered from a central Rectorate. Each institution serves all of Africa, and is supported by Member States and a range of committed Partners.
The Steering Committee on the PAU ends on Thursday 31st October 2013.
LMN/EOJ

Media Contact:
Esther Azaa Tankou
Senior Editorial Officer
Directorate of Information and Communication
African Union Commission
Tel: Mob. +251911361185
Email- Yamboue@africa-union.org

The development of the Draft AU Guidelines came as a result of the call made by Member States at different fora to harmonize and coordinate Africa’s voice in a concerted manner in order to make a meaningful impact on how the different countries utilize their natural resources, how they benefit from the wealth of the existing traditional knowledge and make available ways and means of negotiating mutually agreed terms on access.

At the political level the AU Assembly of Heads of States and Government have already decided in one voice that issues of biological diversity should be among the priority areas of the African Union and called on the Commission to report on initiatives implementing this decision. What is more, the African Ministers Conference on the Environment (AMCEN), besides formally establishing the African Group of Negotiators on biodiversity last year has endorsed the process of the development of the AU Guidelines on ABS also calling for African countries to ratify the Nagoya Protocol on ABS and further scale up measures to implement it at the national level.

AFRICAN UNION COMMISSION MAKING STRIDES ON EARTH OBSERVATION SYSTEMS FOR AFRICA

Johannesburg, October 25, 2013 - A delegation of the African Union Commission (AUC), led by the Director of Human Resources, Science and Technology, Dr. Abdul-Hakim Rajab Elwaer, participated at the Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES) Validation Workshop that took place in Johannesburg, South Africa on October 24-25, 2013.
The delegates from African Member States and officials from the African Union and European Union Commissions underlined the strategic role and importance that Earth Observation (EO) plays in supporting continental, regional and national policies for sustainable development.
Launched in 2007, within the framework of the Lisbon Process under the AU-EU Partnership, the GMES and Africa Action Plan seeks to strengthen Africa’s capacity and ownership with respect to Earth Observation (EO) technologies and applications, and utilize the full potential of the continent’s space systems through three thematic areas (marine and coastal areas, water resource management, long term management of natural resources) in order to ensure the promotion and protection of the socio-economic interests of Africa and African populations in this era of African renaissance.
This Validation Workshop constitutes a milestone in the continental process of the development of the GMES and Africa action plan. It was preceded by the Marine and Coastal Areas Workshop held in Kenya in October 2012, the Water Resource Management Workshop held in Nigeria in April 2013, and the Long Term Management of Natural Resources Workshop held in Egypt in June 2013.
In view of the cross-cutting nature of the issues addressed during this Workshop, a Call for Implementation was adopted, requesting the AUC to: (1) put in place an institutional arrangement for the coordination of the GMES and Africa initiative and EO projects; and (2) develop an AU Governance Framework for the GMES and Africa initiative in accordance with the overall governance policy of the African Space Policy and Strategy, to be adopted by the African Ministerial Council on Science and Technology (AMCOST). In this Call for Implementation, the need for GMES and Africa to build on existing infrastructure and to facilitate access to existing European, African and Global Earth Observation data was strongly highlighted. The Call for Implementation also recommended that, in the next EU-Africa Summit in 2014, emphasis be put on long term cooperation on Earth Observation between Europe and Africa, and to encourage, support and strengthen this cooperation within the framework of the GMES and Africa initiative.

Further details on the Call for Implementation are available at: http://hrst.au.int/en

Joint Press Conference /Invitation to the Journalists

Journalists are invited to participate in a press conference on the African Observatory for Policy Practice and Youth Studies scheduled to take place on Friday 18 October 2013 at the African Union headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in Briefing room 1, at 4:00 pm

The Press Conference is jointly organized by the Youth Division of the Department of Human Resources, Science and Technology (HRST) of the African Union Commission (AUC), the UN Habitat and the African Observatory for Policy Practice and Youth Studies.

The joint press conference will be addressed by:

1. H.E Dr Martial De-Paul Ikounga, Commissioner HRST
2. MR. Ahmad Alhendawy, UNSG Envoy on Youth

The issues to be addressed during the joint press conference are the following:

• Highlights of the Envoy’s Visit to Africa and the AUC
• Dossier of the Envoy and Africa’s narrative
• Emerging opportunities for consolidated UN-AU collaboration on Youth

BACKGROUND

The new strategic plan 2014-2017 has made the bold move to position youth at the center of the continents efforts towards sustainable growth and development and in shaping an intergenerational approach for the 2063 Africa Strategy.

The visit of the UN Envoy to the AU aims among others to seek:

a) The support of the AU Commission, in the engagement of its member states at all levels in the recent efforts at the UN, and building from the Mexico 2010 World Youth Conference, the 2011 UN High level meeting on Youth and towards the 2014 Sri-Lanka World Youth Conference.
b) Explore opportunities for strengthening the voices of Africa’ youth through the AUC within a UN System-wide Plan of Action on Youth at the General Assembly
c) Forge strategic alliance with relevant AUC Departments and Programmes in strengthening the narrative to support Africa’s position.