Events

AUC Chairperson congratulates Mauritius’s first woman President

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 5 June 2015: The Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, has warmly congratulated H.E. Ameenah Gurib-Fakim on her appointment as the new President of the Republic of Mauritius. H.E. Ameenah Gurib-Fakim is the first woman to be appointed to the ceremonial position in the Republic of Mauritius.

“Your overwhelming approval by Parliament is a mark of confidence in women’s leadership and in what you personally have to offer, given your experience”, the AU Commission Chairperson said.

Prof. Ameenah Gurib-Fakim, a renowned scientist, received an overwhelming approval from both government and opposition political parties in the Parliament of Mauritius, after the Prime Minister of Mauritius, Sir Anerood Jugnauth, nominated her for approval. She replaces President Kailash Purryag, who had stepped down.

President Ameenah Gurib-Fakim will be sworn-in on Friday 5th June as the sixth President since the Mauritius became a Republic in 1992. The AU Commission Chairperson wishes the new President every success during her tenure.

Jacob Enoh Eben

Spokesperson of AUC Chairperson

Addis Ababa, 2 June 2015: The Chairperson of the Commission of the African Union (AU), Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, has, today, appointed former President Alpha Oumar Konaré, of Mali, as the AU High Representative for South Sudan. She expresses her deep appreciation to him for accepting to undertake this important assignment.

This decision, by the Chairperson of the Commission, aims at further strengthening the AU’s contribution towards ending the conflict in South Sudan and the untold suffering inflicted upon the civilian population. It is also in the same spirit that the Commission is working towards the early operationalization of the AU High-Level ad hoc Committee that was established by the Peace and Security Council (PSC) at its 474th meeting, held on 5 December 2014, in order to enhance Africa’s support to the mediation efforts of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD). The High-Level ad hoc Committee, which comprises the Heads of State and Government of Algeria, Chad, Nigeria, Rwanda and South Africa, will meet on the margins of the next AU Summit, scheduled to take place in Johannesburg, South Africa, in mid-June 2015.

In making this appointment, the Chairperson of the Commission is convinced that the outstanding experience of Mr. Konare, who was President of the Republic of Mali from 1992 to 2002, Chairperson of the AU Commission from 2003 to 2007 and Chairperson of the AU High Level Panel for Egypt, between 2013 and 2014, and his long standing commitment to pan-Africanism will be a major asset in the search for a solution to the conflict that is tearing South Sudan apart. In the discharge of his responsibilities, the High Representative will maintain close contact with the South Sudanese parties and other stakeholders; interact with the IGAD leaders, other African stakeholders and the members of the ad hoc High - Level Committee, to facilitate a collective and coordinated African action, in the search for a negotiated solution; and work with the United Nations and other international actors, in support of the African - led efforts.

Fellow Africans on the Continent and in the Diaspora

Our Friends and Partners across the world

On this, the fifty-second occasion of us marking the birth of our beloved continental bodyI have the singular honour to wish all of you a happy and fulfilling Africa Day.This year’s celebration comes at the time when the African Union is celebrating 13 years since its transformation from the Organization of African Unity. We have indeed transformed the organisation from one pursuing the struggle to liberate the continent and safeguard the independence of African States to one that facilitates work for a united, prosperous and peaceful Africa.

This year’s theme which is: “Women’s Empowerment and Development towards Africa’s Agenda 2063” is a recognition of centuries of African women and women from the Diaspora to the struggles against slavery, racial and gender discrimination, and for the emancipation of our continent and African men and women everywhere.

Women and girls continue to play critical roles – paid and unpaid – in their families, communities, countries and regions, that directly impact on economies and societies.

Despite the constraints that they continue to face, we have made strides, as a result of different waves of struggles by the women’s movements. Since the historic Beijing Conference twenty years ago, and the recognition of women’s rights as human rights, we have seen progress on women’s representation, in the advancement of reproductive rights, on equal pay for equal work, on access to education and basic services.

At the same time, it is estimated that if real change happens at the same, it will take us 80 years before reaching full gender parity. This is simply not good enough. It will mean that our efforts to reverse the curse of underdevelopment and conflicts must wait another 80 years to come to fruition. It also means that Africa will also continue to use less than half of its talents, skills and potentials.

To address these constraints, we crisscrossed the continent and solicited the inputs of all sectors, spheres and levels of society. Our only question was … What Africa do YOU want to see by 2063. Agenda 2063 is the resulting mandate from the people of Africa here and in the diaspora. Agenda 2063 is an intergenerational mission, an inclusive African strategy to use Africa’s resources for the benefit of all Africans.

Our Africa Day celebration is therefore facilitating and celebrating African narratives of the past, present and future that will enthuse and energize the African population and use their constructive energy to accelerate a forward looking agenda of Pan-Africanism and African Renaissance in the 21st century.

We mark this Africa Day with much optimism. Africa has answered the clarion call to shape its own agenda… for the people by the people.

Fellow Africans,

We also mark this Africa Day with several blemishes.

These have included the conflicts that continue to bedevil our beloved continent as is the case, at the moment, in Burundi, Central African Republic, Somalia, South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo as well as other Member States.

The recent Xenophobic attacks in the coastal city of Durban and in the economic hub of Johannesburg, is also one such blemish.We take this opportunity to reiterate our condemnation of the unacceptable acts of violence that affected our brothers and sisters.

No matter what the circumstances, such actions cannot be justified. No matter the frustrations, the loss of even a single life cannot be condoned. We also wish to applaud the swift action taken by the South African Government and its citizenry in response to these acts of violence, which also resulted in the loss of life and livelihood.

It has been said that one of the major causes for such incidents as witnessed in South Africa and elsewhere are the challenges presented by poverty and inequality. These are often characterised by the poor fighting the poor over limited and sometimes scarce resources. These incidents also underscore the urgent need for all of us to give urgent attention to issues related to migration and human trafficking. We must address the very circumstances that lead our nationals to leave our shores for better opportunities in other parts of the continent and the world. To this effect, I take this opportunity to also extend our heartfelt condolences to the families of the 800 African brothers and sisters who recently lost their lives on the North Coast of our continent. That incident is also a painful reminder that we must urgently deal with the growth and integration of our continent.

Never and never again must such acts and incidents be witnessed on our continent.

In realising Africa’s development, human development is also not negotiable. The pockets of instability and conflict, which have sometimes resulted in loss of life and livelihood, bear testament to that fact. We cannot afford to continue on a trajectory that excludes and is inequitable.

In order to facilitate for inclusive and sustainable growth we must translate Agenda 2063 into our national plans so that we can facilitate for priority areas such as integration, youth and women’s empowerment, job creation, energy, and infrastructure development. In translating Agenda 2063 we will need accelerated action towards an equitable growth path, which prioritises the people and connectivity. We must realise key urgent projects that connect us including road, rail, aviation, marine transport, telecommunications, as well as industrialisation and manufacturing.

Our pursuit for accelerating our equitable economic growth path will also place greater pressure on our traditional and mainstream energy sectors, consequently we will begin to seriously implement key projects in the renewable energy sector, which include hydro and wind energy. In accelerating connectivity we will pay greater attention to the promotion of the Continental Free Trade Area.

It is in seeking to accelerate implementation of these (and other) priorities and programmes that we will convene the Africa Economic Platform, in the latter part of this year. The Platform will pursue continental synergy and will bring together Africa’s captains of industry, academics, governments and activists. Only through working together can we facilitate for Africa’s unity, shared prosperity and lasting peace.

Africa…. One people. One Destiny

Long live Africa and her Diaspora!

Long live African solidarity and unity!

I thank you and happy Africa Day!!

Technical Working Group on the Facilitation of the Africa-Arab Joint Action Plan (JAP) on Agricultural Development and Food Security Meet in Cairo

League of Arab States Headquarters, 17th and 18th May, 2015, Cairo, Egypt - The Meeting of the Technical Working Group on the Facilitation Unit of the Africa-Arab Joint Action Plan (JAP) on Agricultural Development and Food Security was held on 17th and 18th May, 2015 at the premises of the League of Arab States, in accordance to the decision taken by the Steering Committee meeting held in Kampala, Uganda dated 17/4/2015 on Agricultural Development and Food Security.

The meeting was co-chaired by Mr. Zied Alsban the new Director of the Africa-Arab Co-operation Department at the League of Arab States and Mr. Nadir Fath Elalim, on behalf of H.E Ambassador Abdelhamid BouZaher, the Head of the Permanent Delegation of the African Union Commission to the League of Arab States. In his opening remarks, Mr. Zied Alsban welcomed all participants to the meeting and reaffirmed the League of Arab States’ commitment and readiness to further enhance its relationship with its partners especially with its African partners. He emphasized the significance of the seven mechanism adopted by the Second Africa-Arab Summit held in Sirte, Libya in 2010.

Mr. Nadir in his remarks welcomed all participants and congratulated the new director for his appointment and wished him success in his job. He also emphasized on the importance of the implementation of Decision ( 3) concerning Agricultural Development and Food Security of the third Africa –Arab Summit Held in Kuwait November 2013.

Dr. Alhaj Attia Habib, in his remarks on behalf of Dr.Tariq El-Zadjali, the Director General of the Arab Organization for Agriculture Development (AOAD) stressed on the proposal made by AOAD for a new mechanism for the facilitation unit and called for support for this new mechanism.

Dr. Hassan Elhassan on behalf of Dr. Khelef the Director-General of the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA) welcomed participants from both sides and highlighted the role of the two organizations(AU and LAS) in formulating polices and strategies in the agricultural sector.

The meeting discussed the existing mechanism of the Facilitation Unit and noted that it is fraught with problems and challenges. Consequently, the meeting adopted a new mechanism for the operationalization of the Facilitation Unit. Under this new mechanism, a three-tier system would be used, namely the coordination team, technical advisory committee and the steering committee. The meeting also examined information on the Implementation of the Agriculture Investment Mapping Process (work plan to December 2015).

Finally the meeting arrived at a number of decisions that would permit the actual implementation of (JAP) which will be adopted by the Third Africa-Arab Ministerial meeting of agricultural development and food security plan to be held in Kampala, Uganda 19-23 October, 2015. EAH/

For further information contact
African Union Permanent Delegation to the League of Arab States
AU-Cairo@africa-uion.org
EglalA@africa-union.org- 00201143333288
Directorate of Information and Communication | African Union Commission I E-mail: dinfo@african-union.org I Web Site: www.au.int I Addis Ababa | Ethiopia

Follow us
Face book: https://www.facebook.com/AfricanUnionCommission
Twitter: https://twitter.com/_AfricanUnion
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/AUCommission

Learn more at:
http://www.au.int

The AU High-Level delegation continues its consultations in Burundi

Addis Ababa, 13 May 2015: The Chairperson of the Commission of the African Union (AU), Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, will attend the Summit of the East African Community (EAC) being convened in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania, today, to discuss the situation in Burundi. Yesterday, 12 May 2015, the Commissioner for Peace and Security, Sma?l Chergui, participated in the preparatory ministerial meeting. The AU’s participation in the EAC meetings is a further illustration of its continued support to the regional efforts to address the crisis in Burundi.

In the meantime, the AU High-Level delegation, comprising former Togolese Prime Minister Edem Kodjo and Professor Ibrahima Fall of Senegal, continues its consultations with the Burundian stakeholders. The delegation met with President Pierre Nkurunziza, Foreign Minister Laurent Kavakure and other Government officials, as well as with representatives of political parties and civil society organizations. Throughout these consultations, the delegation underlined the imperative of dialogue and mutual accommodation as the only sustainable way to resolve the current crisis. It urged all concerned to bring all acts of violence and intimidation to an end, in order to facilitate the ongoing regional efforts to create the conditions required for the holding of free, fair, transparent, peaceful and inclusive elections. The High-Level delegation also met members of the international community in Bujumbura. Other consultations are scheduled today.