The Citizens and Diaspora Directorate (CIDO) of the African Union Commission, supported by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, is currently in the process of drafting a Legal and Political Framework on the Representatio

Dear African Citizens,

Greetings from Directorate of the Citizens and Diaspora organizations (CIDO).

The African Diaspora whether historic or modern, tend to generate a lot of interest in the fields of research, development and others.

By transitioning from the Organization of the African Unity (OAU) to the African union (AU), the continent declared that it realized the dream of independence, and is now progressing towards development, peace and security. The African Union also set a precedent when it declared the AU a people centered organization principally because the dream of the continent cannot be realized without the participation of all its citizens, including those who live outside the continent, otherwise known as the diaspora. The amendment of the Constitutive Act came as no surprise to include Article 3q which invites and encourages the participation of the Diaspora in the Union.

In the outset of its engagement with the diaspora, the AU set to define the African diaspora as “peoples of African origin living outside the continent, irrespective of their citizenship and nationality and who are willing to contribute to the development of the continent and the building of the African Union”.

The AU then embarked on facilitating the participation of the diaspora in the African Union. This has, throughout the years been clearly articulated in Executive Council decisions EX.CL/Dec.221(VII) and EX.CL/Dec.406(XII) and Assembly decision Assembly/AU/Dec.443(XIX). The decisions speak to the importance of examining the modalities of participation of the diaspora in the AU programmes, structures and organs in general and the Economic, Social and Cultural Council (ECOSOCC) in particular. The decisions also entrust this responsibility to the African Union Commission to ensure a holistic approach.

The particularity afforded to the African Union - Economic Social and Cultural Council (ECOSOCC) is due to the fact that ECOSOCC, through its statutes has allocated 20 of its 150 seats to CSOs from the Diaspora. The modalities outlining the membership and election of the Diaspora into ECOSOCC is yet to be determined, hence why to date, no diaspora have been represented through an election process.

The African Union Commission through the Directorate of the Citizens and Diaspora organizations (CIDO) set out to unpack and interpret the different decisions of the union and put forward a proposal regarding the participation of the diaspora in the African Union, including but not limited to the membership and election of diaspora into ECOSOCC. This task currently being carried out, is entirely led and managed by the African Union Commission-CIDO, with funding support provided by the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ).

Following an open and competitive bidding process in accordance with AU financial rules and procedures the AU Commission has engaged a team of consultants to carry out the study and propose a framework for the participation of the diaspora in the Africa Union. In keeping with the ownership of the AU over this process, the consultants originate from the continent, from the Republic of South Africa.

Diaspora Organizations, networks and citizens interested to contribute to the content of the draft framework are highly encouraged to do so by filling the attached questionnaire template and e-mailing it to africandiaspora@altafrica.org or by completing it online by 29 September 2017. Further information can be found here.

Once the draft framework for the participation of the diaspora in AU and ECOSOCC is completed, it will be validated by a pool of diaspora and experts. Following that, it will be put forward for adoption by Member States effective through an Executive Council Decision. This process will also be under the responsibility of AUC-CIDO.

Best regards

Ahmed El Basheer

Director, CIDO