AU Monitor: Issue 119, 2007

[Selome Araya]

Issue 119, 2007: Weekly Roundup This week's AU Monitor brings you important
updates regarding the African Union's response to the post-election crisis
occurring in Kenya. Immediately following post-election uprisings, the
African Union Commission delivered a Communique' on the situation in
Kenya<http://www.pambazuka.org/aumonitor/comments/583/>and reiterates
its "attachment to democratic principles", especially when it
pertains to "free, fair, and transparent elections". Also, AU Chairman
Ghanaian President John Kufuor accepted an invitation of Kenyan President
Mwai Kibaki <http://www.pambazuka.org/aumonitor/comments/644/> to visit
Kenya and assess the situation in that country. Chairman Kufuor agreed to
make the trip soon, stating that "Kenya had always been a flagship of
Africa's rising image and nothing should be done to destroy the country".
Further, Chairman Kufuor joined in the mediation efforts following
post-election violence in
Kenya<http://www.pambazuka.org/aumonitor/AUMONITOR/comments/587/>,
urging President Kibaki and opposition leader Odinga to "restrain their
supporters to avert further violent clashes which could only lead to the
destabilization of the great country, Kenya". Lastly, a Kenyan envoy
recently met with Chairman
Kufuor<http://www.pambazuka.org/aumonitor/comments/606/>in Ghana to
discuss strategies for ending the conflicts occurring in Kenya.
    In other AU news, in his New Year message, AU Commissioner Konare'
encourages continued efforts towards a unified continent, and calls for the
continent to develop new alliances, envisioning a multi-dimensional
continent. <http://www.pambazuka.org/aumonitor/comments/654/> Further, the
AU Commission is set to approve the appointments of a new Chairperson and
eight new commissioners<http://www.pambazuka.org/aumonitor/AUMONITOR/comments/579/>at
its next Heads of State Summit this month in Addis Ababa. A
thirteen-member high-level panel, chosen by AU commissioners at the July
Accra summit, conducted an audit of the AU and has produced a report which
facilitates political integration on the
continent<http://www.pambazuka.org/aumonitor/comments/581/>
. Lastly, the AU Commission will hold a Private Sector
Forum<http://www.pambazuka.org/aumonitor/comments/578/>,
with the theme "Africa's Industrial Drive: The Private Sector and Corporate
Citizenship". The Forum will focus on ways of strengthening the private
sector on the continent as it can play a key role in alleviating poverty and
reducing the vulnerability of African countries. In peace and security news,
a UNAMID supplies convoy was recently
attacked<http://www.pambazuka.org/aumonitor/comments/645/>during a
re-supply mission. Further, United Nations Secretary-General Ban
Ki-moon has urged member states to speed up the process of sending units and
equipment to UNAMID <http://www.pambazuka.org/aumonitor/comments/622/>,
which is still thousands of troops short of its intended goal of deploying
20,000 to the Darfur region. General Ki-moon adds that, "a robust and
effective UNAMID will contribute towards Darfur's long-term stability". Leaders
of the Pan-African
Parliament<http://www.pambazuka.org/aumonitor/comments/656/>are
calling for the Parliament to shift from its current advisory role to
a
legislative body, in order to "harmonize national laws across the continent
to ensure free trade and common ties in various areas of cooperation to push
the development of the continent forward". The African Development Bank
(AfDB) announced the receipt of a record-breaking US $8.9 billion of support
for its African Development
Fund<http://www.pambazuka.org/aumonitor/comments/592/>.
With this assistance, the AfDB commits to improving infrastructure,
governance and regional integration on the continent. In regional news,
Damas Kanyabwoya provides commentary on the need for the East African
Community (EAC) to focus on developing
infrastructure<http://www.pambazuka.org/aumonitor/comments/591/>and
improving trade relations amongst member states, in order to improve
the
movement of resources and reduce transaction costs within the region. In
economic news, Emmanuel Wetang'ulagi provides analysis on how economic
partnership agreements (EPA's) with Europe harm the policy autonomy of
African countries <http://www.pambazuka.org/aumonitor/comments/582/>, and
that the negotiations taking place are "not bound to yield much for
developing countries". Lastly, Bamuturaki Musinguzi discusses a paper
entitled "The Impact of High Oil Prices on African
Countries"<http://www.pambazuka.org/aumonitor/comments/584/>
, which says that high oil prices can lead to a "decrease in output and
consumption and to a worsening of the net foreign asset position of such
said countries". Lastly, the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) Africa
Steering Group <http://www.pambazuka.org/aumonitor/AUMONITOR/comments/580/>has
been established by the United Nations to specifically address
concerns
in Africa.   African Parliament to Harmonize Continent (BuaNews)- There is a
need to move the Pan African Parliament from its current advisory role to a
legislative body to speed up the development of Africa through common
laws. Read
more: www.aumonitor.org/comments/656 A Multi-Dimensional Continent

Message of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Professor Alpha
Oumar Konaré, for the New Year 2008.
Read more: www.aumonitor.org/comments/654 UNAMID Convoy Ambushed (PANA) - A
UNAMID supplies convoy was attacked Monday night, on its way from Um Baru to
Tine in Western Darfur, according to a statement issued here Tuesday by the
UN/AU Mission in Darfur (UNAMID). Read more: www.aumonitor.org/comments/645
  AU Chairman Accepts Kenyan Invitation

(BuaNews)- President John Agyekum Kufuor of Ghana has accepted the
invitation of President Mwai Kibaki of Kenya to visit that country in his
capacity as African Union (AU) Chairman, to assess the situation there.
Read more: www.aumonitor.org/comments/644   AU, UN Forced Must Be
Strengthened (BuaNews)- United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has
appealed to member states to speed up the delivery of vital units and
equipment for the newly launched but under-strengthened joint UN-African
Union force (UNAMID). Read more: www.aumonitor.org/comments/622   Record
Level of Support for AfDB Press Release—Representatives from donor countries
agreed today to a record level of support for the African Development Fund
(ADF), the soft window of the African Development Bank. Over the next three
years (2008-2010), the total resources available to the ADF will reach US$
8.9 billion, an increase of 52% over the 2005-2007 period. Read more:
www.aumonitor.org/comments/592   Developing Infrastructure in East Africa Damas
Kanyabwoya (The Citizen) - The East African Community (EAC) should
concentrate on developing its infrastructure to facilitate trade among the
member states. Read more: www.aumonitor.org/comments/591   Kufuor Mediates
in Kenya PANA -– African Union (AU) Chairman, Ghana's President John Agyekum
Kufuor would travel to Kenya on Thursday to join international mediation
efforts to halt the carnage triggered by controversial presidential election
results released last Sunday. Read more: www.aumonitor.org/comments/587   AU
Delegation to Visit Kenya (Press Release) - An African Union delegation led
by the Chairperson of the Union, President John Agyekum Kufuor, and
comprising the AU Commissioner for Peace and Security, Said Djinnit, will be
traveling January 2 to Nairobi. Read more: www.aumonitor.org/comments/585   The
Impact of High Oil Prices Bamuturaki Musinguzi (The East African) - High oil
prices can have harmful effects on oil-importing African countries,
especially those with a high debt burden or limited access to international
capital markets. Read more: www.aumonitor.org/comments/584 Communique' on
the Situation in Kenya The African Union Commission is seriously preoccupied
with the recent happening in Kenya due to the presidential elections as well
as the violence that followed the announcement of the results. Read more:
www.aumonitor.org/comments/583 Global Trade Hurts Africa Emmanuel Wetang'ula
(Business Daily) - Recent heightened activity by the European community
entering into Economic Partnership Agreements (EPA) with African countries,
to counter the influence of the equally powerful eastern bloc reminds me of
the historical scramble and partition of the continent. This event paved way
for a cataclysm that is Africa today. The continent still labours under the
catastrophe. Read more: www.aumonitor.org/comments/582 Report on Continental
Union (PANA)-As African leaders prepare for their next summit in Addis Ababa
next month, the 13-member high-level panel they tasked at the July Accra
Summit to carry out an audit of the African Union (AU) for purposes of
facilitating political integration of the continent on Thursday presented
its Report to President John Agyekum Kufuor at the Castle, Osu. Read more:
www.aumonitor.org/comments/581 MDG Africa Steering Group Nnamdi Mbawike
(Leadership)- The United Nations has set up Millennium Development Goals
(MDGs) Africa Steering Group to address the special problems of Africa, Ban
Ki-moon, UN secretary-general has said. Read more:
www.aumonitor.org/comments/580   AU Elections (Daily Monitor)- The African
Union (AU) Commission is expected to approve the appointment of the new
Chairperson and Commissioners at the next summit of Heads of State and
government scheduled to be held in Addis Ababa in January next year, sources
disclosed to The Daily Monitor. Read more:
www.aumonitor.org/comments/579   Private
Sector Forum

The African Union Commission will hold a Private Sector Forum on the theme
Africa's Industrial Drive: The Private Sector and Corporate Citizenship in
Addis Ababa between January 22-23, 2008.
Read more: www.aumonitor.org/comments/578





-- 
Selome Araya
Consultant Project Coordinator
AU- Monitor
aumonitor.editor at gmail.com

AU-MONITOR www.pambazuka.org/aumonitor/index.php
is an initiative of
Fahamu - Networks for Social Justice
Cape Town, Dakar, Nairobi and Oxford
www.fahamu.org
www.pambazuka.org
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://lists.fahamu.org/pipermail/au-monitor/attachments/20080109/543b4a0e/attachment.htm