Preparations for Elections into the 2nd ECOSOCC General Assembly : 108 African Civil Society Organization already Qualified for Membership across the five (5) regions of the Continent

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 20 November 2014 - Preparations have begun in earnest for the conduct of elections into the 2nd General Assembly of the African Union (AU) Economic, Social and Cultural Council of the African Union (ECOSOCC) in accordance with the Executive Council Decision (EX.CL/Dec.849(XXV) in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea in July 2014.

The continent wide Motivation and Sensitization Campaign conducted in accordance with the Decision of the Executive Council from August to early October 2014 yielded positive results. Over hundred and fifty (150) applications were received as a result within a period of two and a half months. The new applications were received from thirty-eight (38) AU Member States. These included ten Member States where Civil Society Organisations (CSO) had not responded to previous calls for applications. The new Member States included, Cape Verde, Sierra Leone, Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, Mauritania, Seychelles, Botswana, Eritrea, Sao Tome and Principe, Chad and Gabon.

Subsequently, the AU Interdepartmental Committee on Verification and Appraisal of Candidates met in Djibouti from 7-10 November 2014 to assess the applications on the basis of the criteria outlined in the ECOSOCC Statutes.

The outcome was that forty-five (45) new applications were adjudged to be qualified bringing the total candidates to one hundred and eight (108) candidates and covering a total number of thirty (30) member states. Twenty-six (26) of the newly qualified applications, amounting to over sixty per cent of the total number, came from Member States in which the mobilization campaigns were conducted.

Apart from this, there were candidates who had incomplete applications requiring the provision of filled and signed application forms and other minor requirements. Such candidates have been notified and their applications are being upgraded as soon as the missing documents are received.

The Commission is planning to hold elections in the period around 15-21 December 2014. The details of the arrangement and location as well as the work program will be communicated shortly.

For further information contact
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

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