The AU: Past, Present, Future

(BuaNews) - As time draws closer for the 10th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the African Union, the past, present and future of the organisation comes under the spotlight, writes Sholain Govender.

When formation of the AU was put forward in 1999 with the issuing of a Declaration by the heads of state of the then Organisation of African Unity (OAU) calling for its establishment, there were mixed reactions to the proposal.

Many people from around Africa and the world were skeptical whilst others agreed that the AU marked the start of a new development phase for Africa as a continent.

The AU’s initial goals included accelerating the process of integration in the continent to enable it to play its rightful role in the global economy while addressing multifaceted social, economic and political problems which may be compounded by negative aspects of globalisation.

The main objectives of the OAU were, amongst others, to rid the continent of the remaining vestiges of colonization and apartheid, to promote unity, development and solidarity among African States and to promote international cooperation within the framework of the United Nations.

Institute for Security Studies Senior Researcher, Direct Conflict Prevention Programme, Chrysantus Ayangafac said in a recent review of the AU that the inception of the union in South Africa, 2002 marked a significant paradigm shift with regards to conflict prevention and management, thus providing the continent with a plausible chance of solving its problems.

"Almost seven years down the road," Mr Ayangafac said, "the organisation has had mixed results. While the desirability of the organisation is not in dispute, its structure and operation have come under intense scrutiny over the years."

The researcher, who is based in Addis Ababa, the location of the upcoming summit, says that while there is consensus that the AU has made plausible steps in enhancing human security on the continent, persisting problems in Chad, Somalia and Cote d’Ivoire, along with the current Kenyan crisis suggests that the AU is still grappling with ways in which to solve these problems.

Therefore, the summit, which starts 31 January and ends 2 February, forms the ideal platform for head of states to meet and discuss, as well as formulate, new and concrete ways of dealing with these issues.

Already, the AU has initiated plans to try to help resolve the conflict in Kenya. Current AU Chairperson John Kufuor made a two-day visit to the country early January in a bid to help resolve the situation.

While his mediation between Kenyan rivals President Mwai Kibaki and Raila Odinga failed to bring calm to the once stable democracy, his invitation to the country by Mr Kibaki serves as a good sign that the AU is respected and welcomed by African leaders.

The 27 December 2007 Presidential elections in Kenya were contested by the opposition party Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) leader Mr Odinga after Mr Kibaki was re-elected for Kenya’s top position by a narrow margin.

To date, a number of missions have been undertaken to attempt to return peace to the east African nation including one led by Archbishop Desmond Tutu and the arrival of top US Africa envoy Jendayi Frazer.

Most recently, former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan began talks with the two embattled leaders as a result of an agreement they made with the AU chairperson to meet together with Mr Annan.

This bodes well for the AU in terms of its influence on the continent as the indirect intervention has led to this mediation which has already started bearing fruits with both leaders calling for a stop to the ongoing violence.

Furthermore, with the election of the new Commission chair, deputy and eight commissioners this coming weekend, the AU should see a revitalization of its work on the continent and influence on international panels like the UNSC and regard with global climate issues, trade and economic issues and health issues.

The different AU commissions can expect detailed input from heads of state as the ‘Industrial Development in Africa’ themed summit gets underway and leaders are also expected to hear reports including one on what can be done to shape the AU into and organisation that shapes the agenda of the continent.

The possibility of an All-African Union Government has appeared on the AU summit agenda over the last two years and should prove to be an interesting issue to follow with Dr Frene Ginwala, former Speaker of Parliament, representing South Africa on the current eminent person’s board.

Following the summit held in Ghana, July last year, President Thabo Mbeki said the summit meeting concluded with the adoption of the Accra Declaration, which did specify the Continental Programme of Action to address the issue of a Union Government.

"There is absolutely no doubt that our continent’s political leadership is firmly committed to the vision of a united Africa," Mr Mbeki said.

"This leadership understands very well what this would mean in terms of the full recovery of the dignity of the African people, including those in the Diaspora."

If all goes according to plan, the conclusion of this summit should see the formation of an Addis Ababa Declaration that brings Africa a step closer to achieving cohesiveness that results in a stronger, united continent with greater capacity to achieve developmental goals.

<< Back to main