Citizen’s Continental Conference Briefing

Over 50 African national and continental organisations, coalitions and CSO networks having met for two days offer the following reflection, commitments and recommendations towards strengthening the impact of the African Union on peace, democratic governance and industrialisation in Africa.

Audit of the African Union
Having studied and discussed the Audit of the African Union, we recognise its importance for building a primary accountability between the AU organs, member states and African citizens. We support the proposal in the document for regular, inclusive and periodic audits in future. Future audits will be stronger with more inclusive involvement of ECOSOCC and other CSOs working on the AU. We commit ourselves to;
1. To establish a CSO-managed coordinating body to support the linkages between the AU and African CSOs;
2. Conduct a people’s audit of the AU at the end of each five-year AU Commission term;
3. We call on the African Union to;
4. Adopt and act on the recommendations in this Audit;
5. Decide to conduct a similar comprehensive, holistic audit of the AU Commission at the end of each five-year AU Commission term and include CSOs and the African Parliament in this process;

Union Government
Having studied the working documents and the reports of the Ministerial Committee of Ten, we entirely agree that ‘the Union Government must be a union of the African people and not merely a Union of States and Governments’. We commit to:
6. To challenge our own governments and the African Parliament to represent but also include their people effectively.
7. Work collaboratively, transparently and inclusively to raise the voice of African citizens across national boundaries on issues of union government and shared importance as a way of enforcing transparency and accountability of the AU;
8. Extend an invitation to member states and the AU organs to attend our public forums and receive briefings, reports and deliberations. We will establish communicative forums through which the African civilian voice can be shared in relation to.
9. Encourage educational institutions at all levels, including universities, to develop training programmes on the AU and its activities targeting the youth;
10. We call on the African Union to;
11. Accelerate its capacity to raise common policy standards, popularise its mission and more effectively including ECOSOCC and other CSOs within Union Government;
12. Demonstrate its commitment to open lines of communication by creating clearer reporting mechanisms relating to CIDO and ECOSOCC;

Peace and Human Security
Recognising the importance of the AU in promoting peace and human security on the African continent we recommend;
14 In the case of Kenya, recognition that an unconstitutional change of government has taken place and the need for activating the necessary consequences under Article 30 of the Constitutive Act of the AU, an immediate mission to assess the gross human rights violations, an extraordinary meeting of the African Commission on Human and People’s Rights (ACHPR), the option of sanctions against those found to be responsible for violence and crisis, protection of human rights workers and the media personnel and granting of an immediate audience around the AU Summit with the Peace and Security Council to persons willing to make presentations including CSOs from Kenya; and promoting a resolution based on a peace, truth and justice.
15 In the case of Darfur, the AU must remain engaged despite the growing role of UNAMID, urge the Government of Sudan and Sudanese rebels to agree to an immediate cessation of hostilities and abide by International Humanitarian Law, ensure that UNAMID is immediately and fully deployed and equipped, sign a cooperative agreement with the ICC; and urge the Government of Sudan to stop hindering compliance with ICC arrest warrants. Until, the Darfur conflict is peacefully resolved member states should disallow the Government of Sudan the AU presidency;
16 In the case of Zimbabwe, the AU must implement the ACHPR resolution of 28 November 2007 encouraging Zimbabwe to hold free and fair elections, dispatch an elections observation team to Zimbabwe to monitor 2008 elections, closely monitor the human rights situation and exercise oversight on SADC’s mediation efforts.
17 In the case of Somalia, the AU should encourage member states to contribute troops for peacekeeping, strengthen the protection mandate of AMISOM, recognize that violence continues and that roles of humanitarian and military actors must be kept distinct and lastly, urge the international community to take action to contribute to the cessation of violence in Somalia.

CSO engagement with Economic Partnership Agreements

In September 2007, over 200 organizations in almost 40 countries staged protests against the EPAs and also passed important recommendations including that the AU promote alternatives to EPAs, such as everything but arms (EBA) agreements or GSP Plus as alternatives to EPAs.

Recognising the criticality of CSO involvement in actualising the requisite change, we commit to:
18 Supporting efforts to promote alternatives to EPAs, such as EBAs or GSP Plus.
19 Encouraging our Ministers of Trade to challenge EPAs.
20 Promoting rights-based trade and economic development.

We look forward to communicating with our colleagues in North Africa, and especially those in Egypt, where the next CSO continental conference will be held in advance of the 11th Ordinary Summit. We close by committing ourselves to re-doubling our efforts to enable the voices of our African brothers and sisters.

Signed:

ACDHRS, The Gambia, Action Aid, Ethiopia, Action for Self Reliance Organisation, Ethiopia, ADA, Addis Ababa City Hall, Addis Ababa Mulu Wongel, Ethiopia, Advocates International, South Africa, AEDE, African Centre for Humanitarian Action, Ethiopia, African Centre for Democracy and Human Rights Studies, African Initiatives for a Democratic World, Ethiopia, Africa Human Rights Court Coalition, South Africa, African Rally for Peace and Development, Ethiopia, Afroflag Youth Vision, Ethiopia, Almaz Ashine Children and Family Support Association, Ethiopia, ANPPCAN, Ethiopia, Association for environmental development in Ethiopia, Ethiopia, AU Monitor, Basic Education Association, Ethiopia, BHLV & FCO, Ethiopia, BOAWN, Ethiopia, Centre for Human Rights, Democracy&Transitional Justice Studies, DRC, Christian Lawyers’ Fellowship, Community and Environmental Development Action, Ethiopia, Christian Relief and Development Association, Ethiopia, EHRCEPA, Ethiopia, Ethiopia Human Rights Council, Ethiopia, Ethiopian Teachers Association, Ethiopia, Faculty of Journalists and Communication, FAHAMU / AU Monitor, Forum on Street Children, Ethiopia, Free-Zim Youth, UK, French Center of Ethiopian Studies, University of Geneva, Friederich Ebert Stiftung, Ethiopia, Girls’ Forum, Ethiopia, Institute for Democratic Governance, Ghana, Institute for Security Studies, Ethiopia, International Federation for Human Rights, International Refugee Rights Initiative, Uganda, Kenyans for Peace with Truth and Justice, Kenya, MOFA, MVS, Operation Young Vote, Zambia, Organisation of Social Justice in Ethiopia, Ethiopia, Pan-Africa Movement, PANE, Ethiopia, Peace Journey in Africa Two Thousand Promotion, Ethiopia, Pride Ethiopia, Ethiopia, Save Darfur Coalition, USA, Talent Youth Association, Ethiopia, The Menkir Volunteers’ Society, Ethiopia, Tridimensional View, Ethiopia, TrustAfrica, Senegal, Vision Ethiopian Congress for Democracy, Ethiopia, YNSD, Ethiopia, Youth Action for Development Association, Ethiopia, Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum, UK

Adopted in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on 24 January 2008

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