The Fourth Citizens’ Continental Conference

(AU Monitor)--The Centre for Citizens’ Participation in the African Union (CCP-AU), in collaboration with many of its partners, convened the fourth citizens’ continental conference on the twelfth African Union (AU) summit at Beshale Hotel, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Desire Assogbavi, Pan Africa senior policy analyst at the Oxfam liaison office with the AU, who opened the conference said that civil society organisations (CSOs) are important partners of the AU: ‘CSOs are legitimate stakeholders of the AU because the it is not only an organisation of African heads of State and Government, but also of citizens’.

The director of CCP-AU, Yemisrach Kebede, echoed those sentiments adding that there should be more CSO platforms to engage constructively with the AU. In addition, the executive director of the Organisation for Social Justice in Ethiopia, Manyawkal Mekonnen, mentioned that CSOs should stop pointing fingers at the AU, but come together, converge their efforts for the betterment of the continent.

The fourth citizens’ continental conference brought together participants from more than 20 African countries and the Diaspora as well members of the international community who have interest in CSO cooperation with the AU. Representatives of some foreign missions at the AU were also at the conference as observers.

Participants discussed on the theme of the 12th AU summit, which is ‘Infrastructure development in Africa’, but also on other points on the summit’s agenda such as the peace and security situation in Africa, which is most likely to dominate the debate of the heads of State and Government, the government of union, the social policy framework for Africa and how to implement it, election of a new president of the AU, review on the PanAfrican parliament status, and the financial crisis among others.

The fourth citizens’ continental conference will give recommendations and suggestions on all topics on the 12th summit agenda so that the AU could be coming up with plans that are people centred such as making the ECOSOCC (Economic, Social and Cultural Council) of the AU more accessible to most CSOs in Africa.

The CCP-AU was established in November 2007 by seven Ethiopian organisations to enhance CSO engagement with the AU.

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