AU Monitor: Issue 136, 2008
Hakima Abbas
hakima at fahamu.org
Thu May 15 09:46:26 BST 2008
AU Monitor: Issue 136, 2008
Headlines – Weekly Roundup – Read more
Headlines
1. Policy Brief on 11th AU Summit
2. Challenges to EAC Monetary Union
3. Economic Growth Predicted
4. Benefiting from Rising World Prices
5. AU boosts ICTs in Africa
6. AU Condemns JEM Attack
7. After China, India, Japan Calls On Continent
8. EC Session on Audit Report
9. PAP Should Be Firm on African Leaders
10. AU-CSO Pre-Summit Meeting
11. AU on Zimbabwe
12. AU Summit
13. Letter Calling for AU Intervention in Zimbabwe
Weekly Roundup
The 11th African Union (AU) Summit will be held in Sharm el Sheikh,
Egypt, between June 24 and July 1, 2008, under the theme of “Meeting
the Millennium Development Goals on Water and Sanitation”. The
Permanent Representatives’ Committee will be held between June 24 -
25, the Executive Council between June 27 -28 and the Assembly of
heads of states and government between June 30 and July 1. The draft
agendas for each of these sessions are available to download at
www.aumonitor.org/comments/1229. In addition, the Citizens and
Diaspora Directorate of the AU Commission will hold an AU-civil
society meeting on June 17-19, in Sharm el Sheikh.
The Center for Citizens’ Participation in the African Union (CCP-AU)
has written an essential policy brief for civil society detailing the
key issues that will be discussed during the summit as well as
providing logistical information for civil society participants.
Among the issues highlighted are the adoption of a social policy
framework for Africa, peace and security in Africa, the union
government proposal and the audit of the African Union. Indeed, the
Executive Council of the AU has just concluded an extraordinary
session to discuss the audit report of the union. During this
meeting, the chairperson of the African Union Commission (AUC), H.E.
Mr. Jean Ping, noted that: “The Commission of the African Union
agrees with the bulk of the Panel’s recommendations and would wish to
see them implemented as soon as possible. In other areas, we have
reservations based on experience and our own contact with the facts
on the ground”. Also in preparation for the summit, the Committee of
heads of states and government will meet later this month in Arusha,
Tanzania, to discuss the union government proposal.
As civil society continues to advocate for African Union (AU)
intervention in Zimbabwe, urging the AU leadership to call for the
immediate cessation of violence and the protection of the Zimbabwean
people as well as to deploy an exploratory mission of experts into
Zimbabwe to assess the electoral environment, the African Union
issued a statement on the situation in Zimbabwe following an official
visit to the country by the chairperson of the AUC. Within the
statement, the AU “urges the ZEC to ensure that the said run off
[election] is undertaken as provided for in the Electoral Act”; “re-
emphasizes the need for Zimbabwe to implement the conditions set out
in the Declaration on the Principles Governing Democratic Elections
in Africa; urges that agreements reached and the conditions
prevailing prior to the 29 March polls be upheld; appeals to all the
Zimbabwe political actors to conduct their activities in a free,
transparent, tolerant, and non-violent manner to enable eligible
Zimbabweans exercise their democratic rights”. Further, “the AU will
continue to play an active role in assessing all further developments
in preparing for the effective observation of this election with a
view to providing an independent judgment on its outcome.
Following the presentation on peace and security in Africa by the
chairperson of the Committee on Cooperation, International Relations
and Conflict Resolution at the session of the Pan-African Parliament
(PAP) this week, Hon. Euggene Kparkar of Liberia charged PAP to be
firm and decisive on issues related to Heads of State, adding that
“even though PAP must be commended for sending election observer
missions to both Kenya and Zimbabwe, African leaders must be told in
the face that too much of staying in power brews conflict. Therefore,
they must always prepare their minds to vacate the presidential seats
whenever their time is due”. However, recognizing the weaknesses of
PAP’s mandate, the chairperson of the committee noted that PAP cannot
hold African presidents entirely to account because it is currently
an advisory, and not yet legislative, organ.
In further peace and security news, the AU has condemned the attacks
on the Sudanese capital of Khartoum by the Justice and Equality
Movement (JEM) from the Darfur region, saying that their actions
could jeopardize efforts to find a political solution to the crisis
and escalate regional peace and security tensions. The chairperson
of the AU Commission and the Peace and Security Commissioner Ramtane
Lamamra are expected to visit the country.
As continued economic growth is predicted in 2008 and 2009 by the
African Development Bank, the Monetary Affairs Committee of the East
African Community has said high interest rate spreads, budget
deficits, high domestic debt and relatively high levels of non-
performing loans continue to be major challenges that need to be
addressed before a monetary union can be realised. Seeing information
and communication technology as central to African development, the
AUC is engaging development partners to fund nine flagship projects
under the Africa Regional Action Plan on the Knowledge Economy
programme. While, Jose Graziano da Silva argues that “agro-energy
emerges from the current financial crisis as a safe haven of real
consistency and strategic continuity”, further stating that “agro-
energy can help sustain the expansion of poor countries and usher in
a new dynamic of trade independence by industrialising biofuel crop
farming and creating bridges between family agriculture and a peak
sector of the global economy that is here to stay.” Lastly, as
African leaders will attend the Tokyo International Conference on
African Development this month, Felix Osike explores the courting of
Africa by so-called emerging powers such as Japan, China and India.
Read More
Policy Brief on 11th AU Summit
CCP-AU (policy brief) -- The 11th Summit of the African Union will be
held in Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt under the theme of "Meeting the
Millennium Development Goals on Water and Sanitation’’. This summit
will be the first to be organized by the new leadership of the AU
Commission with the new Chairperson H.E. Jean Ping who took over the
Commission on the 28 April. The first important dossier of this new
team is to manage the discussion on the outcome of the Audit of the
African Union that strongly recommended the strengthening of the
commission.
Read more: www.aumonitor.org/comments/1245/
Challenges to EAC Monetary Union
Edris Kisambira (East African Business Week) -- The Monetary Affairs
Committee (MAC) of the East African Community (EAC) has said high
interest rate spreads and budget deficits continue to be major
challenges facing all the five central banks.
Read more: www.aumonitor.org/comments/1243/
Economic Growth Predicted
(Agencia de Informacao de Mocambique) -- Strong growth in Africa's
gross domestic product is expected to continue in 2008 and 2009,
according to Louis Kasekende, the chief economist at the African
Development Bank (ADB).
Read more: www.aumonitor.org/comments/1242/
Benefiting from Rising World Prices
Jose Graziano Da Silva (The EastAfrican) -- The deterioration of
terms of trade is one of the historic factors behind
underdevelopment, which should be understood not as a stage of
development but rather a specific and distorted form in which
peripheral economies are inserted into the world capitalist system.
Read more: www.aumonitor.org/comments/1239/
AU boosts ICTs in Africa
New Era (Catherine Sasman) -- The African Union Commission (AUC) has
initiated a process to engage development partners to fund nine of 11
flagship projects under the Africa Regional Action Plan on the
Knowledge Economy (ARAPKE) programme.
Read more: www.aumonitor.org/comments/1238/
AU Condemns JEM Attack
(PANA) - The African Union Commission (AUC) warned Sunday that attack
on the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, by armed elements of Justice and
Equality Movement (JEM) from the restive Darfur region in the west of
the country would complicate the efforts of finding a political
solution to the five-year crisis in the region.
Read more: www.aumonitor.org/comments/1237/
After China, India, Japan Calls On Continent
Felix Osike (New Vision) -- World economic powers are jostling to
establish a strong presence in Africa.
Read more: www.aumonitor.org/comments/1234/
EC Session on Audit Report
(The Daily Monitor)—The Executive Council of Foreign Ministers of the
African Union (AU) met on Tuesday in Rusher, Tanzania, to make
appropriate recommendations regarding the political and economic
integration of the continent.
Read more: www.aumonitor.org/comments/1233/
PAP Should Be Firm on African Leaders
Nana Agyeman Birikorang - A Member of the Pan African Parliament from
Liberia, Hon. Euggene Kparkar, has charged the Pan-African Parliament
(PAP) to be very firm and decisive on issues confronting Africa
whenever they have encounters with the Heads of State. He said “even
though PAP must be commended for sending election observer missions
to both Kenya and Zimbabwe, African leaders must be told in the face
that too much of staying in power brews conflict. Therefore, they
must always prepare their minds to vacate the presidential seats
whenever their time is due”.
Read more: www.aumonitor.org/comments/1232/
AU-CSO Pre-Summit Meeting
In accordance with normal practice, the African Union Commission is
pleased to inform the Civil Society community, Member States and the
African Society that the AU Commission is convening the AU-CSO Pre-
Summit meeting in Sharm El-Sheik, Egypt, from 17-19 June 2008.
Read more: www.aumonitor.org/comments/1231/
AU on Zimbabwe
The Chairperson of the African Union Commission (AUC), H.E. Mr. Jean
Ping, following consultations with the Chairperson of the African
Union (AU), H.E. Mr. Jakaya M. Kikwete, undertook a three day mission
to South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe from the 3rd to the 5th of May
2008, the purpose of which was to consult and gather information on
the situation in Zimbabwe in the aftermath of the 29 March elections.
Read more: www.aumonitor.org/comments/1230/
AU Summit
The 11th summit of the African Union will be held in Sharm El Sheikh,
Egypt between June 24 and July 1, 2008 under the theme of water and
sanitation. The Permanent Representatives’ Committee will be held
between June 24 – 25, the Executive Council between June 27 -28 and
the Assembly of heads of states and government between June 30 and
July 1.
Read more: www.aumonitor.org/comments/1229/
Letter Calling for AU Intervention in Zimbabwe
The Zimbabwean crisis requires urgent leadership from the African
Union. The post election environment has been characterised by
organised violence, harassment and intimidation against people that
are assumed to be MDC supporters.
Read more: www.aumonitor.org/comments/1228/
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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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