GCAP Africa Joins the CSOs Coalition to Engage AU on the Continental Union Government

The Global Call to Action against Poverty (GCAP) is a worldwide alliance of trade unions, community groups, faith groups, youth and campaigners working together across more than 100 national platforms. GCAP is calling for action from the world’s leaders to meet their promises to end poverty and inequality. In particular, GCAP demands solutions that address the issues of public accountability, just governance and the fulfilment of human rights as well as trade justice, aid quality and quantity, debt cancellation and gender equality. In Africa, 34 national coalitions are active and participate in GCAP mobilisations and events. For details of actions planned in 2007 go to www.whiteband.org.

In the process of GCAP Africa mobilisation around African Union summit taking place from July 2-3, 2007 in Accra, GCAP Africa Coordinator, Christophe Zoungrana travelled to Accra to meet the CSO steering committee emerged from a one-day teach-in workshop held in Accra, Ghana, April 2nd, 2007 to organize CSO involvement and participation in the AU summit discussions. In Accra, the GCAP Africa Coordinator had a very productive meeting with Dr Emmanuel Akwetey, Executive Director of Institute for Democratic Governance (IDEG) which is the anchor providing secretariat and related operational support. The Ghana coalition also offered GCAP Africa Coordinator the opportunity to be part of a two hours radio programme on May 25th (Africa Day) at Joy FM in Accra with other three panellists from IDEG, Pan-African Parliament and Pan-African Women’s Solidarity Network to share opinions on the proposed union government. Some of the issue raising by Christophe Zoungrana are the need to involve African citizens in the discussions through wide consultations, the ratification or implementation of existing conventions or protocol by all the States, the clearing out of all constraints to allow regional economic communities to be effective pillars for continental integration and cancellation of visa for any African travelling to any African country. African citizens should feel themselves in that union if not the road to Africa unity will remain a utopia.

Later in the day, Dr Akwetey informed Christophe Zoungrana on CSO planned activities so far and welcomed GCAP Africa interest to join the Pan-African team. Based on their discussions and other CSOs plans, GCAP Africa committed to join the Pan-African team and agreed to:

1) Urge GCAP Africa national coalitions to organize popular awareness raising activities to inform citizens on the proposed union government and receive their input and concerns.
2) Invite 5 to 10 GCAP Africa national coalitions to take part in the continental conference taking place on June 22-23 in Accra which is designed to serve as the Summit of the Civil Society pre-African Union Summit activities to which pan-African and national civil society activists, advocates and representatives will participate. As the conference will serve as a forum for expressing both expert and popular voices on the subject of the Grand Debate on the proposed union government and make submissions to the AU Summit, it will give a space for GCAP representatives to share national concerns emerged from the awareness raising activities.
3) Organize a Public Forum under the theme “Proposed Continental union government: impact on trade relations between African countries” on June 24. As an anti-poverty campaign, it makes sense for GCAP to analyse the union government proposal from a perspective on trade relations as trade is an important component for poverty eradication. GCAP national coalitions’ representatives present in Accra would be the main contributors of this Public Forum. The Forum will issue a statement which will stand as GCAP Africa position.

For details on GCAP Africa engagement at AU July Summit, please contact:

Christophe Zoungrana
GCAP Africa Coordinator

tel: +221 824 04 81

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