[AU-Monitor] Re: Closure of the 8th Ordinary Assembly of the African Union : Joint Statement

Wed Jan 31 16:11:51 GMT 2007

Thanks for the statement. From an insider point of view, please note  that the mid 2007  MDGs issue was well covered plus the  Football  issues.(closed session-may be you missed it , but both  were  extensively covered. 

  Charles 

DAssogbavi at oxfam.org.uk wrote:      
Joint Statement at the closure   
of the 8th Ordinary Assembly of the African Union 

(Addis Ababa, 31 January 2007)  -- Civil Society Organisations and MDG campaigners welcomed the  adoption of the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance,  but call for greater urgency in protecting citizens and ensuring their  effective participation in the affairs of the Union.  

While the adoption of the democracy  charter indicates AU member states' commitment to democratic  governance, there is urgent need to strengthen implementation of AU  standards.  This will require effective arrangements at the  national, sub-regional and continental levels that ensure adherence and  enforcement. "With more than 15  countries undergoing parliamentary or presidential elections in 2007,  three of them being among the continent's biggest economies including  Angola, Kenya and Nigeria, the immediate importance of a continental  Democracy Charter is clear" says Ozias Tungwarara Director of AfriMAP.  "These member-states should be in the forefront of moves to ratify the  Charter," he continues. The civil organisations committed to popularise  the Democracy Charter in their respective countries.   

However, civil society organisations also expressed their regret that the  charter itself was developed without much opportunity for African  citizens or civil society to contribute to and strengthen its content.   

With 350 people dead and tens of  thousands displaced in the month of this Summit, the urgency to act in  Darfur, Sudan to bring an immediate halt to attacks on citizens is  paramount. "Like Khartoum, this Summit closed without strong enough  pressure on all parties to cease attacks on civilians. A quick strong  AU- UN force will be a giant step in the right direction, but the men  and women and children of Darfur need to be safe from attacks now, not  three or six months away" says Désiré Assogbavi Pan Africa Senior Policy analyst at Oxfam.  

The launch of the International Year of  African football and the 50th anniversary of the International  Confederation of African football was also major focus of the Summit.  Less prominent was 2007 being the mid-point of the 2015 target set for  the achievement of the UN Millennium Development Goals. The need for a  year of increased political commitment backed up by public financing by  African Governments is perhaps clearer for the continent's poor.   

By the Summit's own admission, 27% of  Africa's men, women and children are undernourished and reliant on  agricultural imports and food relief. AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis  threaten life on a scale unparalleled, erases between 1-2% of Africa's  growth rate and reduces life expectancy by 25% for some countries. Yet,  less than five countries are close to meeting the Abuja Commitment to  allocate 15% of the national budget to health services and only three  countries have met or exceeded the Sirte Commitment to allocate 10% of  their budgets to agriculture.  

"If 2007 is the International year  of African football, then failure to publicly finance the Millennium  Declaration Goals, will result in several own goals across the  continent. Civil Society and Governments must review Africa's progress  towards meeting the MDGs in the July Summit. They must report to their  own citizens before rushing to the UN General Assembly in September. We do not need excuses; we want concrete actions " says Dr. Tajudeen Abdul-Rahim, Director for Africa for the United Nations Millennium Campaign.  

---Ends---  

Notes:  
The African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance includes;  
A broader definition of what  constitutes unconstitutional changes of Government to include attempts  to revise constitutions, which infringe on the principles of democratic  change alongside coups, mercenary interventions and armed insurrection.  
1.        Clear  sanctions that include suspension from the Union, prohibition on  leaders who have come to power by unconstitutionally from being able to  take part in elections, trial before an African Court, economic  sanctions and extradition.  
2.        A  commitment to develop strong partnerships with Civil Society  Organisations, participatory political systems and free basic education.  
3.        Twenty  countries including Angola, Algeria, Kenya, Nigeria, Gambia, Mali,  Algeria, Congo Brazzaville, Sierra Leone, Morocco, Seychelles and Togo  will undergo elections in 2007.  

Situation in Darfur and Chad has never been worse, with;  
1.        250,000 Darfurians newly displaced since the signing of the Darfur Peace Agreement in May 2006  
2.        The  number of displaced  in Chad has tripled in recent months to over  100,000 as the conflict has become regionalised.   
3.         Humanitarian agencies facing unprecedented difficulties accessing  the millions of people in need of assistance.   
4.        Oxfam  being forced to evacuate staff from Gereida, the largest camp in Darfur  where we assist 130,000 displaced people. Other Oxfam programmes are  regularly inaccessible due to the rising threat of vehicle hijackings.   
5.        According  to the UN, 118 humanitarian vehicles were hijacked during 2006 (29 in  December alone). Hijackings have also risen in Chad, with 50 incidents  in the past 12 months.  

For more information & interview requests please contact:   
·        Nairobi:  Beatrice Karanja on +254-733632810, bkaranja at oxfam.org.uk   
·        Dakar  : Ismaila Dieng  + 221  865 13 00    
·        Johannesburg: Caroline Hooper-Box, +27-824603184, chooperbox at oxfam.org.uk  

***********************
  Désiré  Assogbavi
  Pan-Africa Senior Policy Analyst 
  African Union Liaison Office
  OXFAM,  Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
  Tel: + 251 (0) 11 661 1791 - Direct line (Office)
          + 251 (0) 11 661 3344 - General line (Office)
          + 251 (0) 911 20 83 32 (Mobile)
  Fax: +251 (0) 11 661 3533
  E-mail: DAssogbavi at oxfam.org.uk
  Skype: Assodesir
  Website: www.oxfam.org.uk 
  ************************

  Oxfam works with others to overcome poverty and suffering.
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Registered office: Oxfam House, John Smith Drive, Cowley, Oxford, OX4 2JY
Registered charity No. 202918.

_____________________

Charles Mutasa
Executive Director
African Forum and Network and Debt & 
Development (AFRODAD) 
31 Atkinson Drive, Hillside
Harare, Zimbabwe
Phone: 263-4-778531/6 or
Direct  Line: 263-4 74 7767 
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Email: charles at afrodad.co.zw
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