The Fifth Citizens’ Continental Conference

(AU Monitor)--The Centre for Citizens’ Participation in the African Union (CCP-AU), in collaboration with many of its partners, organised, at Beshale Hotel, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia 5 and 6 June 2009, the Fifth Citizens’ Continental Conference on the 13th African Union summit themed ‘Investing in Agriculture for Economic Growth and Food Security’.

Participants from African civil society organisations and the diaspora observed one minute of silence in honour of the late Tajudeen Abdul-Raheem who passed away on 25 May, Africa Liberation Day. Prior to that, Brian Kagoro of Action Aid International, one of Tajudeen’s close friends, had paid a special tribute to him in which he called on participants to continue his vision of liberating Africa as a way of honouring him.

The director of the CCP-AU, Yemisrach Kebede, welcomed all the participants to the conference, which was marked by the presence Abebe Haile Gabriel, the director of rural economy and agriculture at the African Union (AU), Ato Meteku Kassa, deputy minister of agriculture of Ethiopia and other representatives of foreign missions in Ethiopia and in the AU.

The main issues on the agenda were agriculture, food security and financing for development in Africa and peace, security and human rights in Africa. Participants debated in details about those points in two working groups and came up with recommendations to be presented to the heads of State and government of the AU prior to their 13th ordinary summit that will take place in Sirte, Libya between 1 and 3 July 2009. The team that was dealing with the issue of agriculture, singled down the topic to specifically analyse climate change, agrofuels and agriculture; food security, right to food and land grabs; women and agriculture and agriculture financing. The team that dealt with peace and security analysed the general situation of peace and security on the continent, the cooperation between the International Criminal Court and African states and gave recommendations especially on the situations in the Republic of Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Kenya, Sudan, Somalia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mauritania and Zimbabwe.

In addition, participants discussed about strategies to popularise the AU among African citizens and to identify and involve other stakeholders in engaging with the AU and its organs such the Pan African Parliament, the Economic, Social and Cultural Council and the African Citizens Directorate among others. They also agreed to in place strategies to harmonise efforts of CCP-AU and other civil society organisations working on the AU.

CCP-AU is an independent platform committed to the actualisation of a people-centred African Union and aspires to broaden and strengthen opportunities for substantive AU-civil society engagement.

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