AU Monitor: Issue 126, 2008
Hakima Abbas
hakima at fahamu.org
Wed Feb 27 12:33:18 GMT 2008
Issue 126, 2008 – Weekly Roundup
This week’s AU Monitor brings you analysis of the AU audit report
from Dolphine Ndeda who urges that the report be popularised and
implemented immediately. She notes that “one general finding of the
Panel was that the AU commission is characterised by internal
institutional incoherence and disarray” and calls on the incoming
Chairperson and Commissioners to prioritize management and outreach
reform without delay.
In economic development news, Abdoulie Janneh, Executive Secretary of
the Economic Commission for Africa, explains that Africa’s improved
economic growth has been “underpinned by better governance, improved
macroeconomic management and increased global demand for Africa’s
commodities” but notes that the improvement is insufficient to
achieve the AU vision of development or commitments under the
Millennium Development Goals. As a means to improve food security
and household income on the Continent, Nepad’s Dr. Maria Wanzala,
advocates for increased use of fertilisers suggesting that this could
lead to agricultural growth of six per cent by 2015. Further, ahead
of the Accra high-level forum on Aid Effectiveness in September,
Governance Director of the African Development Bank, Gabriel Negatu,
explains the Strategic Partnership for Africa (SPA). “The SPA is
important as it serves as a forum for donors and recipient countries
to reflect on the changing nature of the international aid
environment, based on the principles of ‘ownership’ and
‘partnership’. It has therefore been instrumental in fostering the
implementation of the Paris Declaration on aid harmonization.” Also
addressing regional development imperatives, the Southern African
Development Community will hold its International Consultative
Conference on Poverty and Development under the theme “Regional
Economic Integration: A Strategy for Poverty Eradication towards
Sustainable Development” between 18 - 20 April 2008 in Mauritius.
The Peace and Security Council of the African Union issued reports
from the Chairperson on the situations in Chad and Somalia.
Providing an update on the situation in Somalia and the
implementation of the African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM)
mandate, the report outlines the need for contingency planning for a
possible United Nations operation. The report notes with concern the
continued lack of troops with only two Ugandan battalions and the
very recent deployment of the main body of the first of the two
battalions pledged by Burundi. The report on Somalia concludes “more
than ever before, swift and collective action is needed (…). Failure
to effectively address the crisis in Somalia will leave a legacy of
unfulfilled promises towards the Somali people, damage the
credibility of the international community, as well as further
undermine the prospects of peace in the country and compound efforts
to promote regional stability.”
The Chairperson’s report on Chad provides an update on the situation
and welcomes the initiative of the Congo and Libya to send a
delegation of senior officials to Chad for consultations with the
parties to the conflict. In addition, Henri Boshoff of the Institute
for Security Studies emphasizes that “it is clear that if the
international community, through the United Nations and the European
Union, do not response more urgently, the situation in Chad, Darfur
and CAR could well worsen.”
Lastly, newly elected AU Commission Chairperson Jean Ping visited
Kenya on Friday. Following talks with the parties and mediation
team, he expressed optimism that a power-sharing deal “is just within
reach”. However, since his visit, the AU led mediation talks have
been suspended.
Popularise and Implement the AU Audit
Dolphine Ndeda -- During the African Union Summit in Accra in June
2007, African Heads of States agreed to subject the African Union to
a comprehensive audit review. This decision was received by many as a
gesture of their commitment to explore the potential of our revered
organization. Three months after the report was produced in December
2007, nothing much has been said or done about it, other than
referring it to a Ministerial committee, which will sit in April.
There is still with no assurance on its implementation or a time
frame on what is to happen thereafter.
Read more: www.aumonitor.org/comments/1090/
Poverty Eradication towards Sustainable Development
The Southern African Development Community will hold its
International Consultative Conference on Poverty and Development
under the theme “Regional Economic Integration: A Strategy for
Poverty Eradication towards Sustainable Development” between 18 - 20
April 2008 in Mauritius.
Read more: www.aumonitor.org/comments/1069/
Strategic Partnership for Africa
African Development Bank (AfDB) interview with Governance Director,
Gabriel Negatu, on the “Strategic Partnership with Africa (SPA)”
Third Accra High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness to be held in
September 2008.
Read more: www.aumonitor.org/comments/1068/
PSC Report on Chad
Council will recall that as part of the implementation of the
Decision of the 8th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of
State and Government in Banjul, the PSC met on 12-13 February 2007,
to consider the relations between Chad and The Sudan. In the
Communiqué issued at the end the meeting, the PSC noted that, despite
the efforts deployed by the AU, CEN-SAD and the international
community, the tension between Chad and The Sudan remained high with
continued insecurity along their common border.
Read more: www.aumonitor.org/comments/1067/
PSC Report on Somalia
In the communiqué on the situation in Somalia adopted at its 80th
meeting held on 18 July 2007 [PSC/PR/Comm(LXXX)], Council decided,
inter-alia, to extend the mandate of the African Union Mission in
Somalia (AMISOM) for an additional period of six months.
Read more: www.aumonitor.org/comments/1066/
ECA Chief Addresses Development Challenges
(PANA) - Despite recent increases in economic growth, African nations
need to urgently address the critical challenge of generating faster
growth rates and more employment opportunities for poverty reduction,
according to Abdoulie Janneh, UN Under-Secretary General and
Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA).
Read more: www.aumonitor.org/comments/1060/
AU Chairperson Optimistic about Kenya
(PANA) - Visiting African Union (AU) Commission Chairperson Jean Ping
Friday expressed optimism that a power-sharing deal to end Kenya’s
post-election chaos is just within reach.
Read more: www.aumonitor.org/comments/1059/
The Impact of Delayed Peace Missions
Henri Boshoff (ISS Today) - Recent events have again raised questions
about the delay by the United Nations and the European Union in
implementing critical decisions on peacekeeping missions. The
attempted coup in Chad earlier this month has resulted in an EU
decision to delay its contribution to the United Nations Mission in
the Central African Republic and Chad (MINURCAT).
Read more: www.aumonitor.org/comments/1049/
Agricultural Development Programme
Eddie Mukaaya (New Times) - Like Rwanda, most African countries have
been urged to use fertilisers in order to increase agricultural
output. Nepad’s Dr. Maria Wanzala says the use of fertilisers could
see agriculture grow to 6 per cent by 2015.
Read more: www.aumonitor.org/comments/1048/
---------------------------------------
To post articles, provide feedback or commentary to the AU-Monitor,
please contact hakima at fahamu.org
To subscribe/unsubscribe from this list please visit: http://
lists.fahamu.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/au-monitor
---------------------------------------------------
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
------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------
Fahamu Ltd/Fahamu Trust, 2nd floor 51 Cornmarket Street Oxford OX1
3HA, UK. Fahamu Trust is registered as a charity 1100304. Fahamu Ltd
is a company limited by guarantee 4241054. Fahamu SA is registered as
a trust in South Africa IT 372/01. Fahamu Ltd is registered in Kenya
as F15/2006.
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://lists.fahamu.org/pipermail/au-monitor/attachments/20080227/3565db96/attachment.htm
More information about the Au-monitor
mailing list