AU Monitor: Issue 107, 2007

[Hakima Abbas]

Issue 107, 2007 – Weekly Roundup

This week’s AU Monitor brings you analysis of South Africa’s role in  
Darfur from the Darfur Relief and Documentation Centre.  Abdelbagi  
Jibril argues that by South Africa “providing unconditional political  
and diplomatic support to the government of Sudan in its attempts to  
cover up the crimes it has wilfully committed in Darfur amounts to  
certain complicity in the commission of these crimes”.

In news and analysis from Pan-African civil society, Nanjakululu  
Wasai urges the East African Community to use TRIPS flexibilities as  
enshrined in the WTO 2001 Doha declaration to ease access to HIV  
treatment in the region.  Further, a network of Freedom of  
Information advocates has launched a regional centre in Nigeria to  
galvanize the campaign for the adoption of access to information laws  
on the continent.  The International Civil Society Steering Group for  
the Accra High Level Forum launches a policy paper aimed at providing  
the basis for further discussions about the aid effectiveness agenda  
towards regional and national consultations planned for September- 
November 2007.  It is hoped that these discussions will help to  
develop and prioritise the positions and recommendations of CSOs on  
aid effectiveness.  The South African Institute for International  
Affairs also launches downloadable resources on the African Peer  
Review Mechanism for civil society to effectively engage the  
process.  With two weeks until the International Day for the  
Eradication of Poverty, mobilization against poverty and inequality  
and in support of the Millennium Development Goals is geared to take  
place in almost 90 countries.  Lastly, the Coalition for an Effective  
African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights provides an update from  
the sixth session of the Court which was held in Arusha on the  
17-28th of September.

At the conclusion of the “Mobilizing Aid for Trade: Focus on Africa”  
conference convened by the African Development Bank in Dar es Salaam,  
delegates called on African countries to include trade in their  
national development plans.  Also in official AU news, the draft  
agenda for the eighth ordinary session of the Pan-African Parliament  
to be held in Midrand, South Africa between October 15 and 26th, 2007  
is now available for download.  While the ECOSOCC credentials  
committee has launched an urgent call for applications from African  
civil society groups in twenty-three African countries from the  
Central, Northern and Southern regions for elections to the ECOSOCC  
Assembly.



PAP Session Programme

The Draft Programme at www.aumonitor.org/comments/410 is now  
available for the eighth ordinary session of the Pan-African  
Parliament to be held in Midrand, South Africa between October 15 and  
26, 2007.

Read more: www.aumonitor.org/comments/410/


ECOSOCC election

The Credentials Committee of ECOSOCC met in Yaounde, Cameroon, from  
5-6 September 2007. One of the decisions taken during the meeting was  
to extend the deadline for the receipt of applications from  
prospective African civil society groupings for elections to the  
ECOSOCC Assembly in twenty-three (23) African countries and for the  
Central, Northern and Southern regional elections, from which  
insufficient applications or eligible applications were received.

Read more: www.aumonitor.org/comments/409/


Put Trade on the Front Burner

AfDB Press Release—Delegates at a two-day conference on Mobilizing  
Aid for Trade: Focus on Africa, concluded deliberations in Dar es  
Salaam, Tanzania, on Tuesday with a call on African countries to put  
trade and related issues on the front burner of their national  
development plans.

Read more: www.aumonitor.org/comments/408/


South Africa and Darfur

The government of South Africa is playing an increasingly important  
role in the political and economic affairs of the continent of  
Africa. South Africa’s increasing political role is directly linked  
to its economic might in Africa and abroad. South Africa’s economy  
accounts for about 45% of Africa’s GDP. In other words South Africa’s  
economy is the equivalent of three times the size of the second  
biggest economy in Africa, which is Egypt. It seems that the economic  
interest in, and importance of, South Africa are the driving forces  
behind its political stands on some crucial situations facing Africa  
today including Darfur and Zimbabwe.

Read more: www.aumonitor.org/comments/407/


Update African Court

The coalition for an effective African Court on Human and Peoples’  
Rights provides an update from the African Court on Human and  
Peoples’ Rights.

Read more: www.aumonitor.org/comments/406/


APRM Resources for Civil Society

The South African Institute for International Affairs (SAIIA) has  
worked to mobilise and inform civil society so they can actively  
participate and drive the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM)  
process in their countries.  The following are downloadable resources  
on the APRM for civil society from SAIIA.

Read more: www.aumonitor.org/comments/405/


Paris 2005 to Accra 2008

A draft policy paper has been prepared by the International Civil  
Society Steering Group for the Accra High Level Forum.  It aims to  
provide the basis for further discussions with civil society about  
the aid effectiveness agenda, in particular at the regional and  
national consultations planned for September-November 2007.  It is  
hoped that these discussions will help to develop and prioritise the  
positions and recommendations of CSOs on aid effectiveness.

Read more: www.aumonitor.org/comments/404/


Anti-Poverty Mobilisation

With just two weeks to go before International Day for the  
Eradication of Poverty, the biggest ever mobilization against poverty  
and inequality and in support of the Millennium Development Goals, is  
geared to take place in almost 90 countries.

Read more: www.aumonitor.org/comments/403/


EAC Must Use TRIPS

Mr. Nanjakululu J. Wasai, the ACORD Policy and Advocacy Officer, has  
urged the East African Community comprising of Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda,  
Tanzania and Burundi to use TRIPS flexibilities as enshrined in the  
WTO 2001 Doha declaration to ease access to HIV treatment in the region.

Read more: www.aumonitor.org/comments/402/


Freedom of Information Centre Launched

Tunbosun Ogundare (Daily Champion)—A network of Freedom of  
Information Advocates in Africa has launched a regional Centre in  
Lagos, Nigeria to galvanize the campaign for the adoption of access  
to information laws on the continent.

Read more: www.aumonitor.org/comments/401/



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Hakima Abbas
Policy Analyst, AU-Monitor
Fahamu - Networks for Social Justice
Email: hakima at fahamu.org
Skype: hakima_abbas
www.aumonitor.org
www.fahamu.org

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