Nairobi, Kenya. October 22, 2018- “We are here to access the challenges and see how best to unlock the road towards ratification, domestication and implantation of the AU treaties by member states. These treaties are critical to our integration and will make a difference in Africa”, said Amb. Dr. Namira Negm, the African Union Legal Counsel in her opening remarks to delegates at the inception workshop co- organized by African Union Office of the Legal Counsel (OLC) and the United Nations development programme (UNDP) supported by the Government of Sweden.
The joint AU-UNDP project “Accelerating the ratification and domestication of the African union treaties, is a three-year multi country and regional initiative supported by the government of Sweden. The project is designed to address challenges and bottlenecks associated with ratification and domestication of treaties, and help enhance the capacity of the AU for the medium and long term to enable, manage the ratification process, and provide tailored support to member states with domestication challenges.
“Regional Economic Communities (REC’s), are critical in championing ratification, domestication harmonization and alignment of AU treaties by Member States with less duplication of efforts”, said Legal Counsel. She also recognized the role of NGO’s & CSO’s, as active agents of development processes, to help advocate aspirations of citizens, a pivotal role in pushing for AU treaties implementation.
Siddharth Chatterjee – UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative, in his address at the opening session said, “The Africa we want is about making sure there’s peace prosperity and harmony; integrated across borders to inform political and economic stability at national and regional levels, most importantly, situate the global shared vision of leaving no one behind.” He stressed the importance of ratification treaties as a key component to achieving development objectives, highlighted in Agenda 2063 and Sustainable Development Goals. “Domestication of these treaties provides an integral link to ending poverty, fighting inequality and injustice including improving living conditions on the continent for all” Mr. Chatterjee added.
The Political and Diplomatic Secretary of the Kenya Foreign Affairs Ministry, Amb. Tom Amollo, in his key note address, called on Member States to expedite domestication of the treaties they have committed to the African Union, he said “There is a need for political will, seamless coordination at regional & national level and robust systems that are innovative to enable us ratify and domesticate AU treaties so as to reflect our integral collective aspirations as Africa”. He further noted that the participation of youth was going to be critical for ensuring the Africa we want.
Amb. Anna Jardfelt, Sweden’s representative to Kenya, UNEP & UNHABITAT attended the opening ceremony. In her speech, she lauded the African Union for pushing the ratification and domestication of the treaties as they are fundamental towards making a difference in the lives of ordinary African citizens.
To kick start the AU-UNDP project, the inception workshop was organized to provide space to understand the status of ratification and domestication of six select treaties namely, The Africa charter on human and people’s rights adopted in 1981, The protocol on the African charter on human and people’s rights on the rights of women in Africa, The African youth charter, African charter on the rights and welfare of the child, the African charter on democracy, elections and governance and the AU convention on prevention and combatting corruption in six countries namely Senegal, Burkina-Faso, Kenya, Mozambique, Tunisia and Sao tome and Principe. Following two days of knowledge sharing on best practices and challenges, the meeting concluded with concrete outcomes on fast tracking ratification and domestication. A full report will be distributed soon.
Mr. Lamin Manneh, Director, UNDP Regional Service Center for Africa, in closing the successful workshop, thanked the delegates for contributing to the project that aims to accelerate the ratification and domestication of treaties with the aim of boosting development which is in line with AU Agenda 2063.
For further information: Directorate of Information and Communication | African Union Commission I E-mail: DIC@africa-union.org I Web Site: www.au.int I Addis Ababa | Ethiopia
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