Events

ECOSOCC SENSITIZATION AND MOTIVATION CAMPAIGN: GABONESE PRIME MINISTER DANIEL ONA ONDO RECEIVES THE AFRICAN UNION DELEGATION

Libreville, 18 September 2014 – The Prime Minister of the Republic of Gabon, H.E. Pr Daniel Ona Ondo has received in audience today, Thursday 18 September 2014, the African Union delegation who arrived in Libreville within the framework of the ongoing sensitization and motivation campaign for the election of the 2nd General Assembly of the Economic, Social and Cultural Council of the African Union (ECOSOCC).

The team led by Mr. Jalel Chelba, from the Civil Society Division of the African Union, briefed the Gabonese Prime Minister on the objectives of the sensitization campaign as mandated by the Malabo Summit of Heads of State and Government in June 2014. He said the aim is to encourage the Gabonese civil society to take active part in the upcoming election of the 2nd General Assembly of the ECOSOCC scheduled to take place at the end of the year 2014.

The other members of the AU delegation are: Mrs. Hortense Nguema Okome, Head of the African Union Liaison Office to the Economic Community of the Central African States (ECCAS), Mrs. Fatima Karadja, vice president of the 2nd ECOSOCC General Assembly, Mr. Baba Sogodogo from the Office of the Chairperson of the AUC and member of the Interdepartemental Committee of the AUC and Mrs. Esther Azaa Tankou, Head of Information Division in the Directorate of Information and Communication of the African Union.
Mr. Chelba who is also Head of Civil Society Division at the Directorate of Civil Society and Diaspora (CIDO) of the AU Commission, informed the Gabonese Prime Minister that the AU has embarked on this continental sensitization campaign so as to give equal opportunity to all African civil society organizations to submit their candidatures as members of the ECOSOCC so that they can contribute significantly to the development agenda of the continent.

To that effect, Prime Minister Pr Ona Ondo lauded the initiative of the Chairperson of African Union Commission, Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, for deploying a team to sensitize the Gabonese civil society organizations. He said his Government will facilitate the process and ensure a greater involvement of the CSOs to the election of the ECOSOCC.

The Prime Minister reiterated the commitment of H.E.M Ali Bongo Ondimba, President of the Republic of Gabon to promote a more active Gabonese civil society in the development agenda of the Union.

Meanwhile the AU delegation is expected to meet the Gabonese civil society tomorrow Friday 19 September 2014 at the headquarters of the Social and Economic Council of the Republic of Gabon.

For further information please contact:

Mr. Jalel CHELBA, Head of Civil Society Division, African Union Commission
Email: jalelc@africa-union.org

Mrs. Esther Tankou, Head of Information Division, Directorate of Information and Communication, African Union Commission (AUC), E-mail : Yamboue@africa-union.org / esthertankou@yahoo.com

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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ECOSOCC 2ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY SENSISATION CAMPAIGN: AFRICAN UNION DELEGATION ARRIVES IN MALABO

Malabo September 13, 2014 -The Delegation of the African Union Commission (AUC) arrived in Malabo on 12 September 2014 within the framework of ongoing sensitization and motivation campaign for the election of the 2nd General Assembly of the Economic, Social and Cultural Council (ECOSOCC) of the African Union.

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The team led by Mr Jalel Chelba, from the Department of Civil Society and Diaspora (CIDO) of the AU, held a working session with the Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Equatorial Guinea, HE Mr. Carmelo Micha Misi and the Director of Civil Society at the Ministry of the Interior and Local Collectivities, Mr Elias Ondo Mbana Makina, General Director of Civil society, Ministry of Interior and Local Collectivities, to discuss preparations ahead of the meeting with the Equatorial Guinea civil society scheduled for Tuesday 16 September 2014.

The head of the AU delegation stressed on the importance of ensuring a great mobilization of civil society in this meeting in order to allow a good turnout and a broad awareness among different segments of the society to participate in upcoming ECOSOCC elections.

During the meeting, the representatives of the Government of Equatorial Guinea promised to disseminate the information through the national media and to invite representatives of the civil society to participate massively to this exercise.

It should be noted that the sensitization and motivation campaign of motivation the African Union aims to encourage the civil society organizations of Equatorial Guinea to participate massively in the election of the General Assembly of ECOSOCC and explain the process as well as the eligibility criteria for the submission of their application.

Similar sensitization missions were held in the following countries: Zambia, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Senegal, Benin, Cape Verde, Mozambique, Congo Brazzaville and others. These campaigns have registered successful encounters and interaction with the civil society and representatives of other non-governmental organisations.

Media representatives are invited to attend and cover the meeting scheduled to take place on Tuesday 16 September 2014 in the conference room of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in Malabo.

For further information, please contact:

Mr. Jalel Chelba, Division of Civil Society | Department of Citizenship and Diaspora / AUC | E-mail: Jalelc@africa-union.org

Esther Azaa Tankou, Head of Information | Directorate of Information and Communication AUC | E-mail: yamboue@africa-union.org

contacts:
Directorate of Information and Communication | Commission of the African Union | E-mail: dinfo@africa-union.org
Web Site Site: www.au.int | Addis Ababa | Ethiopia
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Tanzania Civil Society Community commits to ECOSOCC.

Dar-es–Salaam, Tanzania, 15th September 2014 – Several civil society organizations in Tanzania attended the ECOSOCC Sensitization and Motivation Campaign held in Kebby’s Hotel and Conference Centre in Dar-es-Salaam today.

In his Welcome Address to the gathering, Mr. Ngunga Tepani, Executive Director, Tanzania Association of NGOs (TANGO), observed that Tanzania has about 8000-registered Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in addition to large number of unregistered organizations that were also in active operation and doing valuable work. CSOs in Tanzania had challenges but participation in ECOSOCC would be a fruitful way to address and overcome such challenges. It would enable more constant and productive interaction with Governments and policy makers at various levels and create avenues for developmental inputs and channels for increasing institutional and funding support.

The main obstacle that Tanzania CSOs would encounter is the eligibility requirement that 50 percent of the funding must be internally derived. He lamented the situation of the continent in which governments and the private sector were niggardly in providing support for CSOs leaving them at the mercy of external donors. Thus CSOs should seek to use the provision to challenge governments and their internal constituencies on the need to provide effective funding support for CSOs.

He urged the AU mission to provide clarity on the processes of ECOSOCC, the role, functions and performance of the organ and its varied uses as well as the processes and procedures for application and how ECOSOCC would function in the aftermath. It would be important to relate these to the activities of CSOs as they are at present so that they can adapt to ECOSOCC and add value to its processes as they grow.

In turn, Amb. Lazarus, the Advisor to the AU Chairperson, elaborated on the objectives of the mission that were clearly designed to respond to the needs and requirements underlined by the Executive Director of TANGO.

“The purpose of this mission here today is to ensure the faithful implementation of the decision of our executive organs on ECOSOCC in close collaboration with Member States of the Union in general and the civil society community in particular. This is a mission that involves cooperation with governments but is not primarily directed at Governments. It is an outreach program for the people at the grassroots that is designed and implemented in the spirit of the people –driven focus and people driven agenda of the African Union. The mission is truly reflective of the ECOSOCC agenda. ECOSOCC is an organ that seeks to connect he people at the grassroots in Africa directly with the continental governance structures”

In the keynote and official opening address, Ambassador Yahya Simba, the Director for the Middle East who was representing the Director for African Affairs in the Tanzania Ministry of Foreign Affairs, also recalled the genesis and origin of ECOSOCC as a vehicle for achieving the people-oriented and people driven character of the Constitutive Act of the African Union. Tanzania, he added, has been consistent in its engagement with the ECOSOCC process from the time of its establishment to its subsequent progress. He recalled the fact the 1st Permanent ECOSOCC General Assembly was launched in Tanzania under the leadership of the current President of the Republic, HE Jakaya Kikwete while he was the Chairperson of the African Union.

“The visit by the AU mission today is not because Tanzania was not represented in the first Permanent General Assembly but rather to give new impetus to as many civil society organizations to take part in the forthcoming ECOSOCC election process in a manner that will surpass all expectations. Your (CSO) presence here in large numbers here is assurance that we will be able to achieve these goals end ensure that Tanzania continues to play a significant role in the affairs of the AU. I therefore, call on you all to listen closely, understand the process and take subsequent steps to register and participate appropriately.”

The opening session was followed by the main presentations on the sensitization program. Mr. Chilengi, the member of the 1st ECOSOCC Permanent General Assembly provided a detailed insiders view of the functions, role and history of ECOSOCC, it performance, achievements and challenges in its first two phases of its existence as an interim Assembly under Prof. Wangari Maathai and later as a Permanent General Assembly. He saw the experience as a learning process that would orient ECOSOCC to greater heights in its subsequent incarnations.

Dr. Jinmi Adisa, the Director, Citizens and Diaspora Directorate that also serves as the Secretariat of ECOSOCC then took the participants through the history of the electoral process and the process of decision making that led to the current sensitization exercise and its imperative demands. In an interactive session, he guided the participants through the application processes and procedures and noted that the application forms may be completed in about one hour. He provided a checklist for CSOs to use in reviewing their own applications to be sure that they have met all the requirements. He ended with a word of counsel to the gathering. “ It has been said that ECOSOCC has an advisory role but an advisory role is defined by its quality, efficacy and purpose. If an advisory role is handled with care, commitment and dedication, it would become much more. An office has latency, it is as big as the person who occupies it.”

Another lively, intensive interaction session followed in which participants offered comments and observations and requested further clarification of certain issues. The discussion touched on a series of issues including the issue of observer status for CSOs that were not eligible for election in the wider AU structures and within ECOSOCC, the role and circumstances of cultural organizations in the ECOSCC set up, the operation of sectorial cluster committees, accountability and responsibility of elected ECOSOCC representatives to their national, regional or continental constituencies, the distinction between national, regional and continental CSOs and levels of applicability, the 50 percent funding criteria, the sharing of reports of the sensitization exercise, campaign opportunities in the ECOSOCC election process, the nature of the ECOSOCC electoral college and the recent AU resolution regarding the immunity of Heads of States or political leaders while in office.

The meeting ended with a number of conclusions. First, was a clear commitment by CSOs at the meeting to register and participate in the ECOSOCC process. TANGO will serve as the rallying point for this process and those present will carry the message to others that are absent. The CSOs also agreed on the need for a national ECOSOCC cluster as a mechanism for consultation, accountability. and to provide direction to national representatives. There was also a preference for the inclusion of provisions for recall in the ECOSOCC Statutes when it is revised and amended to support the processes of accountability.

The CSOs also advised on the need for extensive applications by Tanzania CSOs to enlarge the AU database of CSOs and give it comprehensive coverage in Tanzania. Tanzania CSOs also committed to work extensively within the ECOSOCC cluster committees. In conclusion, the gathering expressed appreciation for the work of the AU mission as it has offered closer intimacy with the operations of the AU and its people-centered agenda. It was imperative for the AU to continue with its sensitization exercise including and beyond ECOSOCC to build up an affective constituency for the activities of the continental organization.

For any further information please contact:

Mr. Michael Fikre, Directorate of Information and Communication, Email: MichaelF@africa-union.org, m_fikre@hotmail.com, cell: +255 755 695 211

Or visit: http://pages.au.int/ecosocc

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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AU calls on the Congolese civil society to take active part in the elections of the ECOSOCC 2nd Assembly

Brazzaville, 11 September 2014 - A delegation of the African Union Commission (AUC) led by Mr. Jalel Chelba has embarked on the ongoing sensitization campaign of the ECOSOCC for the Central African Region to hold from 7 to 24 September 2014.

The campaign started with the Republic of Congo from 7 to 10 September 2014. The other members of the AU sensitization and motivation team: Mrs. Fatima Karadja, Vice President of the first General Assembly of ECOSOCC, Mr Baba Sogodogo from the Office of the Chairperson of the AU Commission and Mrs. Esther Azaa Tankou, Head of Information Division in the Directorate of Information and Communication of the AUC, were received in audience on 8 September 2014 by HE Mr. Jacques Obindza, Director General of Africa and acting Secretary General at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of the Republic of Congo. The meeting focused on the preparations to ensure a greater mobilization of the Congolese civil society.

The Representative of the AU Commission was given an opportunity to announce the objectives of the AU mission on the national TV and radio news channels. He highlighted the great attention paid to the issue by the Chairperson of the AU Commission, HE Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma in line with the Decision of the Summit of Heads of State and Government held in Malabo in June 2014.

AU calls on the Congolese civil society for greater interest of the ECOSOCC

The representatives of the African Union (AU) called on all the stakeholders of the Congolese civil society to participate massively in the next election of ECOSOCC as the deadline for applications is scheduled for 30 September 2014. The urge was made during the meeting with the Congolese civil society on 10 September 2014 in the conference room of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of the Congo Republic, in the presence of Mrs. Chantal Maryse Itoua Apoyolo, Ambassador and Deputy Secretary General of the Ministery, Mr. Yves Bernard Mahoungou Massila, Coordinator of the Civil Society Associations and Networks of Congo (CARISCO), members of the diplomatic corps and invited guests.

During the official opening ceremony, Mr. Jalel Chelba noted that the presence in Brazzaville of the AU sensitization team explains the great interest of the AUC on the need to establish direct relationships with the African citizens. "We came in Brazzaville to implement the Decision EX.CL/849 (XXV), adopted by the Summit in Malabo in June 2014 by the Executive Council, which mandated the Commission to undertake a continental awareness campaign of the African civil society to encourage them to participate in large numbers in the elections of the ECOSOCC " he said. (See complete speech on the AU website: www.au.int)

Representing the Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of the Congo, Ambassador Chantal Maryse Itoua Apoyolo, and head of the Department of Multilateral Affairs at the Ministry noted that, the Republic of Congo was among the AU member countries that have not submitted candidates for the ECOSOCC elections. She noted that this is not due to lack of organization of the Congolese civil society given that, over the years, "the political will to help the Congolese civil society to better organize itself has become an essential component of the national policy. "This development, we must recognize, was made possible thanks to the climate of the ongoing dialogue and confidence-building, promoted by the President of the Republic, HE Mr. Denis Sassou Nguesso," she underscored.

Ms. Apoyolo invited all the actors of the Congolese civil society to join in the momentum of the ECOSOCC so as to take ownership of the shared vision which is that of a united Africa as stipulated in 2063 development agenda of the AU. (See complete speech on the AU website : www.au.int)

Mr. Yves Bernard Mahoungou Massila, representing on organizations of Congolese civil society on his part, welcomed the initiative of the AU to deploy a sanitization and motivation team to interact with the focal points of the Congolese civil society. He promised to help relaying the information to other organizations in the country.

AU interacts with Congolese civil society

During the interactive session with Congolese civil society, the head of the AU delegation pointed out that the election process of the second General Assembly of the ECOSOCC was initiated since 2012 but could not get a quorum for its implementation. "This is why the AU Commission was mandated by the Malabo Summit last June, to carry out this continental campaign for the civil society organizations (CSOs). We have mostly focused on member states that do not have a sufficient number of eligible candidates for the elections of ECOSOCC". He underlined, adding that,
"The candidates you will choose will have to take part in the decision-making processes and orientation of the continent. They will work with other stakeholders to achieve our joint project. They will also have the responsibility to report to you on their actions and ensure the liaison with grassroots organizations for the welfare of our society, "he noted.

To carry out this campaign, the head of the AU delegation invited the media to play their role as mediators and amplifiers of messages in view to disseminate the information as much as possible to the public. He recalled that their contribution and commitment is essential as the African Union relies on the media to inform its citizens.

This forum was an opportunity for the Congolese civil society to exchange their views with the AU delegation and get clarification to enable active participation in the processes of the ECOSOCC.

During the interactive session, the Vice President of the Assembly of ECOSOCC Mrs. Karadja and Mr. Sogodogo presented the history, objectives and process of elections ECOSOCC respectively, while the Head of the Division of Civil Society of the AUC outlined the conditions and eligibility of candidates.

Ms. Karadja emphasized on the interest of the African civil society as the main actors and player in setting the direction of the destiny of the continent.

The AU team distributed an information kit containing the necessary guidelines to enable the civil society to be better organised and modalities to present their candidatures for the elections.

Present in the meeting were: representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affair and Cooperation of the Republic of Congo, the Congolese Civil Society organizations (women's groups, children and youth), associations of professionals and volunteers as well as the media.

It should be noted that, after the Republic of Congo, the AU delegation will travel to Equatorial Guinea, Gabon and finally Sao Tome and Principe, where she will complete their mission for the Central African region.

For further information, please contact:

Mr. Jalel Chelba, Division of Civil Society | Department of Citizenship and Diaspora / CUA | E-mail: Jalelc@africa-union.org

Esther Azaa Tankou, Head of Information | Department of Information and Communication AUC | E-mail: yamboue@africa-union.org / esthertankou@yahoo.com

contacts:
Directorate of Information and Communication | Commission of the African Union | E-mail: dinfo@africa-union.org
Web Site Site: www.au.int | Addis Ababa | Ethiopia
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AU Campaigning in Botswana for the ECOSOCC General Assembly Election

Gaborone, Botswana, 9th September 2014: The African Union Commission (AUC) convened a sensitization and motivation meeting on the Economic, Social, and Cultural Council of the African Union (ECOSOCC) for civil society organizations based in Botswana. The meeting took place on Tuesday, 9th September 2014, at Cresta President Hotel, Gaborone, Botswana.

Mr. John Thomas Dipowe, Permanent Secretary in the Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation in his welcome remarks, he appreciated the role the African Union is playing in contributing towards the implementation of the critical steps identified in the roadmap for the overall ECOSOCC election process.

Mr. Thomas stressed the need to work together to achieve the objectives through fostering and consolidating partnerships between the African Union Commission, member states and the CSOs, followed by the effective sensitization of its members and the general public at large in order to benefit from extensive feedback.

Dr. Alhaji Sarjoh Bah, AU Liaison Officer to SADC and Representative of the African Union Commission said on his part that the 23rd AU Assembly directed the AUC to undertake a sensitization and motivation campaign after the election process was constrained by lack of eligible candidates in several Member States. The African leaders mandated the AU to ensure that it worked constructively with the African civil society groups to facilitate the establishment of the next ECOSOCC General Assembly by the end of 2014.

Beyond fostering interest in the purposes of electioneering, Dr. Sarjoh said that the meeting aimed for the African civil society to buy into ECOSOCC and make it their own so that the framework of partnership that would support the integration and development project of the continent would be truly people-centered and people-driven.

He also noted that the African Union ECOSOCC is a unique institution that has no existing parallel. It not only provided the civil society with direct presence at the portal of decision-making, but it is also elected and managed by civil society, and in which they share visibility, privilege, power and responsibility in active interaction with other stakeholders in the African policies and programmes processes.

The Representative of the CSOs community Dr. Bookie Kethusesile thanked the AU for providing this superb opportunity to Batswana CSOs to get acquainted to the election process of ECOSOCC. She said this event was a sign that the transformed Union really wanted to see the African CSOs engaged and involved vigorously in the activities of the continental organization, and encouraged all the participants to apply for a seat in the General Assembly as the country should be represented in this important organ.

The Head of the Delegation, Mr. Filipe Furuma, made a thorough presentation on the history, role, functions and importance of ECOSOCC. He stressed on the need of all eligible CSOs to submit their candidature towards the next 2nd General Assembly as a commitment to voice out the concerns of the national CSOs. By taking part in this organ, it would be an opportunity to improve the Statutes and the engagement of other organizations into the Sectoral Clusters, he added.

Focusing on the ECOSOCC election process, Mr. Bright Mando, the Representative from the Office of the Legal Council explained to the gathering the details of the application procedure and process. In his presentation, he highlighted on the earlier steps taken till the present phase.

Emphasizing on Africa’s need of all its children in government and in civil society for renaissance and development, he called the civil society community of Botswana to participate in ECOSOCC and the affairs of the African Union.

Organized by the AU Citizens and Diaspora Organizations Directorate, the meeting is part of the AU sensitization and motivation campaign in preparation for elections of the ECOSOCC 2nd General Assembly.

The consequent discussion reflected on broad range of issues related to ECOSOCC election. These included the requirement for registration and the need for continental ECOSOCC to be complemented and interlinked to correspondent regional structures at RECs level. Some CSOs also stressed the need to balance obligations arising from participation in policy-making processes with normal watchdog responsibilities of CSOs.

The campaign was held in compliance with Decision EX.CL/Dec.849(XXV), adopted at the 23rd Ordinary Session of the Executive Council in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea fro, 24-27 June 2014. The Decision called on the AU Commission to conduct a sensitization campaign among Member States that did not have a sufficient number of eligible candidates for elections into the 2nd ECOSOCC General Assembly.

The meeting was attended by representatives of Botswana civil society community and representatives from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, and Labour and Home Affairs of the Republic of Botswana.

For any further information please contact :

Ms. Afrah Thabit, Directorate of Information and Communication, E mail : Thabitma@africa-union.org,
afraht@hotmail.com

For further information contact
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