[AU-Monitor] Confidential update note prior the 8th Ordinary summit of the AU, Addis 22–30 January 2007

[Firoze Manji]

Confidential update note prior the 8th Ordinary summit of the AU,  
Addis 22–30 January 2007

Please note that these comments are informal and un-attributable but  
offer an overview of some of the key issues to be discussed during  
the Summit. Most of it’s content does not reflect official decisions  
by the African Union Commission
This update: 2 January2007

Schedule:
22-23 January 2007: Ordinary Session of the PRC (Ambassadors)
25-26 January 2007: Ordinary Session of the Executive Council  
(Ministers F. Affairs)
29-30 January 2007: Ordinary Session of the AU Assembly (Heads of  
States)

CSOs and women Pre-Summit off
Please note that the AU Commission has decided not to organized CSOs  
and women pre-summit this time.  Although in 2005 and 2006, there  
were plans to have CSO and Women’s pre-Summit meetings at each of the  
Summits (complications arising from host Governments prevented this  
in Libya and Sudan), it is now being argued that there will be pre- 
meetings every other summit. It is notable that up to December, both  
CIDO and the Women’s Directorate were planning these meetings for  
January 2007. If true, this means that there will be no CSO pre  
summit in the Addis summits. Linked to the instructions to state  
owned hotels to only accept reservations from embassies for the  
period 20 – 30 January, the space for CSO engagement seems to be  
bleak! This has not prevented NGOs from organizing their own  
activities and in the next update, we will share a calendar of  
activities in Addis.

Themes of the summit
1- Science, Technology and Scientific Research
2- Climate Change

The Summit aims at focusing on the role that Science and Technology  
and innovation could play towards Africa’s socio-economic  
development. Key issues for consideration are Africa’s capacity to  
use S&T for socio-economic development; Africa human capacity in S&T  
and funding for S&T. The AU Department of Human Resources Science and  
Technology and the UNECA will be organizing an exhibition on  
innovative African projects that can highlight the return on  
investment in Science and Technology and innovation in Africa The  
exhibition will run in parallel with the Summit. The aim of the  
second theme recently added is not really clear yet. The Summit will  
acknowledge Africa as one of the most affected regions by the climate  
change

There will be presentations to Heads of States followed by debate on  
the 2 themes of the summit. Heads of States are expected to recommend  
actions to promote and facilitate emergence and development of  
Science and Technology in African countries. Three experts will be  
invited by the AU to make these presentations on the themes of the  
summit: They are:
- Professor Calestous Juma, (Kenya), Director of Science and  
Technology, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs,  
Harvard University, USA
- Dr. Mohamed El Baradei (Egypt) Director General of the  
International Agency for Atomic Energy
- M. Koichiro Matsuura, Director General of UNESCO

The new UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has officially announced he  
will attend the Addis summit.

Key issues to be discussed during the summit

Modalities for the election of Members of the AU Commission  
(Executive Council and the Assembly)
Previously, the Assembly directly elected by Commissioners. This gave  
member-states power over proposing and supporting individual  
candidates and more importantly, it has been argued by some, led to  
weak lines of accountability to the Chairperson and poor cohesion  
within the AU Commission during the past 4 years. The Addis Assembly  
will adopt new rules to nominate/elect Commissioners. Two options are  
being considered: 1) Elect all Commissioners without any title/ 
attribution and let the AUC Chairperson to give them a specific title/ 
Commission or 2) let the Chairperson nominate/suggest the  
commissioners and request the Assembly approve them. New  
Commissioners will be elected during the Accra Summit in July 2007.

The African Charter on Democracy, Governance and Elections (PRC and  
Executive Council)
This item was been on the Banjul Agenda in July 2006. Some countries  
(including Uganda and Gabon) had expresses serious concerns about the  
draft document. The official reason for the postponement of its  
consideration last year was that the draft text had no legal form and  
need to be revised. It was clear that opposition continues to come  
from current powerful Heads of States have been badly elected or came  
on power through coup d’ etats. In December 2006, a committee of  
experts has revised the text and recommended its consideration by  
Executive Committee and adoption during the upcoming summit.

African Union Government (Assembly)
Following the decision taken in January 2006, a committee of 7 Heads  
of States and Governments was requested to submit a consolidated  
document for the creation of the African Union Government (“Study on  
an African Union Government towards the United State of Africa”). A  
draft document was submitted to the Banjul Summit in July 2006. It  
was sent back to the Executive Council for closer re-examination  
taking in consideration concerns that some states have made on the  
implications for national sovereignty. The proposed road-map is  
divided into 3 phases of equal timeframe;

x Initial phase (2007 – 2009) will commence immediately after the  
adoption of the document by the Assembly and will be devoted to the  
establishment of the Union Government.
x Second phase (2009 – 2012) will be devoted to making the Union  
Government fully operational and to laying the constitutional ground  
of the United State of Africa.
x Third and final phase (2012 – 2015) will aim at the facilitation of  
all required structures of the United State of Africa at the level of  
the States, the regions and the continent.

Conflict – Peace and Security Council
The PSC will present a report on the conflict situation in Africa. A  
presidential level PSC meeting on Darfur and/or Somalia is  
unconfirmed but expected. The Abuja Decision on the AU – UN Hybrid  
force implentation and the whole humanitarian situation in the region  
will be an issue of discussion. The Summit (Executive Council) will  
elect 5 new PSC members. The following countries’ mandate have  
expired but they are eligible for re-election; Algeria, Ethiopia,  
Gabon, Nigeria, and South Africa. New elected members will take  
office from March 2007. Ethiopia is the Chair of the PSC for January  
2007. It will be followed by Gabon (February), Ghana (March) and  
Malawi (April).

Chairperson of the African Union
The current Chair Person of The AU Assembly is the Congolese  
President Denis Sassou N’guesso. It appears unlikely that Sudan will  
be made Chairperson. Most diplomats re-iterate that the promise made  
to Bashir in January 2006 was a recommendation not a decision, and  
was contingent on progress in Darfur. Despite the Summit being three  
weeks away, nobody is raising the issue openly. While events on the  
ground have seriously deteriorated, the recent positive development  
on the Hybrid Force issues in Darfur through Sudan acceptance may be  
a strategy for Bashir to please his peers may be used to seek  
legitimacy for the promise to be fulfilled. One of the existing  
options is to maintain Congo Brazzaville for another year. This is  
unlikely as the current President is unwell and may not be very  
enthusiastic to have another term. One of the reasons why the recent  
PSC meeting at the presidential level was held in Abuja, instead of  
Brazzaville was that Sassou was admitted in a French hospital. There  
are no other options being discussed yet.

Chairperson of the African Union Commission
Following his announcement not to renew his four year tenure,  
President Konare will be leaving the AU Commission after the Accra  
Summit in July 2007. His successor will not be officially discussed  
during the upcoming summit but there will be “negotiations” in the  
corridors about it. Former President Joachim Chissano seems to be one  
of the candidates being considered. In any case, it seems that the  
next Chairperson may come from the Southern Africa.

Integration of NEPAD into the AU Structures and Process – by the  
Assembly
The July 2006 Summit set up a committee to finalize a proposal on the  
integration of NEPAD into the AU structures and processes. The  
Committee will report to the Assembly. The report is expected to  
evaluate the NEPAD at it current stage.

Consideration of the proposed amendments to the rules of procedures  
of the Assembly, the Executive Council, the PRC and the Statutes of  
the Commission– by the PRC

Key Financial Matters
Consideration and adoption of the budget 2007
Consideration of the Audit Report on the First Conference of  
intellectuals of Africa and Diaspora – PRC

Other issues to be discussed during the summit
- Situation of Refugees, Returnees and IDPs (PRC)
- Harmonization of Custom Procedures in Africa (PRC)
- Strategic partnership between Africa and emerging countries of the  
South : China, India and South America (PRC)
- Implementation of the AU Solemn Declaration on Gender Equality in  
Africa (PRC)
- Launch of 2007 as International year of the African Football  
(Assembly)

All the 3 sessions (PRC, EC, and Assembly) will consider reports of  
various AU organs and agencies including the Commission, the Pan  
African parliament, ECOSSOC, the African Commission on Human and  
People Rights, the Human Rights Court as well as reports of various  
ministerial meetings and conferences throughout the year.