Events

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia – 21 April 2015: The Chairperson of the African Union Commission Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma has expressed her deepest condolences to the families, relatives and friends of hundreds migrants who are reported to have drowned in the Mediterranean over the last two weeks. She is also dismayed at the continuous loss of lives in the Mediterranean where these migrants mostly from Africa are dying while trying to reach Europe.

Dr. Dlamini Zuma reiterates her call to Member States and partners to enhance their efforts in seeking a solution to these preventable tragedies as well as prosecute those involved in the unacceptable acts of human trafficking and smuggling of migrants, while underscoring that the problems of human trafficking and irregular migration cannot be solved by one country alone. It requires urgent regional and global action and the solutions must be comprehensive, durable, and holistic and must be situated in the context of poverty eradication, and sustainable development.

Dr. Dlamini Zuma appreciates all those involved in saving migrants’ lives, particularly the Italian government, and adds her voice to the clarion call for more dialogue and cooperation between Europe and Africa in addressing the legal and illegal migration in the short, medium and long-term.

Warsaw, Poland - 19 April 2015: Strengthening political and economic cooperation and diplomatic relationship between Africa and Poland is the focus of the African Union Commission Chairperson's visit to Poland. Since arriving on Thursday 16 April 2015, the AU Commission Chairperson, Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, has held meetings with Poland's political leadership, including the President of the Republic Bronislaw Komorowski, Prime Minister Ewa Kopacz, Foreign Affairs Minister Grzegorz Schetyna and the Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Elzbieta Radziszewska.

"Meeting you, Madam Chairperson, was so important that I had to cut short my political campaign to do so." President Bronislaw Komorowski said, stating the importance of the visit of the AU Commission Chairperson, Dr. Dlamini Zuma. President Komorowski said through his personal conviction and as government policy, Polish activities in Africa will continue to increase.

With the adoption of Africa's transformation Agenda 2063, the AU Commission Chairperson took the opportunity to present investment opportunities available in the continent's agenda across every meeting. She highlighted priority as being skills development, building infrastructure for transport, energy, ICT, industries as well as investing in agriculture and agro-processing.

With Poland's "Go-Africa" foreign policy and its experience in most of these areas, particularly in the last 25 years of transformation, there is great scope for economic cooperation and investments.

"It is a win-win opportunity to invest in Africa where the return on investment is currently very attractive and high. We will transform our raw materials in Africa, add value to products, create jobs for our people, while the investors get good returns." Dr Dlamini Zuma pointed out.

Poland and other Central Eastern European countries will find in Africa's Agenda 2063 plenty of long term investment opportunities. This is the message the AU Commission Chairperson will convey when she addresses the over seven thousand of delegates attending the European Economic Congress on Monday 20 April 2015 in Katowice, in Poland.

JEE/

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Addis Ababa, 13 April 2015: The Chairperson of the African Union (AU) Commission, Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, expresses deep concern over the terrorist attacks that happened in the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt, on 12 April 2014. She strongly condemns these criminal attacks that have claimed the lives of innocent citizens, wounded many others and led to destruction of property. She notes that such acts can only be carried out by enemies of peace.

The Chairperson of the Commission expresses the AU’s solidarity with the Government and people of the Egypt, and offers her condolences to the bereaved families and wishes to those wounded a speedy recovery.

She reiterates the AU’s strong rejection of terrorism and violent extremism and the collective action of Member States to prevent and combat terrorism, within the framework of the AU and relevant international instruments.

A critical mass of women and gender parity needed to change the world
– Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma

Kingston, Jamaica – 11 April 2015: “Having one woman who made it in a man’s world is not enough. We need a critical mass of women and gender parity, to change it into a humane world.” These were some of the thought-provoking words together with inspirational stories that the Chairperson of the African Union Commission Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma shared with students, lecturers, the Diplomatic Corps, and the general public at the University of West Indies at Mona in Kingston, Jamaica.
Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma was guest speaker at the 8th Biennial Lucille Mathurin-Mair Public Lecture on the theme: “The African year of women and 20 years after Beijing." Paying tribute to Dr. Mathurin-Mair, who was a diplomat, scholar, women’s rights activist, historian and intellectual, she said her thesis on Jamaican women, and her other published works, helped to bring women back into Caribbean history, as well as into African and global history.
Inspired by Dr. Mathurin-Mair’s legacy, she pointed out, “we must encourage the new generations of young sociologists, historians and other scholars - on the African continent and in the Diaspora - to ensure that the contributions of African people and peoples of African descent - in all their rich diversities - and the histories of both men and women are researched, published and popularised.”
Dr. Leith Dunn, Senior Lecturer and Head of the Institute for Gender and Development Studies, that hosted the lectures, said the lecture by the AU Commission Chairperson strengthened the relationship and solidarity between the people of Jamaica and the African continent with “similar backgrounds, a painful past and a glorious future, as we struggle to overcome our history of social, racial and gender inequity.”
A “rebel” woman delivering a lecture in honour of another “rebel” woman was seen a great opportunity. Describing the Dr. Dlamini Zuma as a “quintessential trailblazer for human rights, women empowerment and gender equality” as was Dr. Mathurin Mair, Prof. Isehenkumba Kahwa Deputy of the University of West Indies Mona Campus, said the lecture was a signature moment for students of the UWI and the public to learn from giants in their fields. He said that the lecture inspired young women to yearn for greatness.
The visit of the AU Commission Chairperson was equally seen as exemplifying the endless possibilities that South-South cooperation could generate. Her knowledge and experience will help shape the Post-2015 Development Agenda through gender empowerment and development in Africa and the Caribbean.
The UWI is proudly using model curricula developed for gender mainstreaming in the academia by the Makerere University in Uganda. It currently hosts many students from Africa, and the African Diaspora is represented in the High Level Panel of the Pan-African University.
During the lecture the Chairperson took the opportunity to present Africa’s Agenda 2063, and the drive to its full implementation. Linking the agenda to women’s empowerment, she said, “The focus on women and girls, their contribution and empowerment, is critical to the implementation of Agenda 2063,” highlighting examples of concrete ongoing plans in 2015 which is the African Year of Women’s Empowerment.
Dr. Dlamini Zuma expressed her delight to be part of celebrations to mark the 80th anniversary of Former PM PJ Patterson, “whose life and enthusiasm,” she added, “continue to exemplify the ties that bind us together.”

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Addis Ababa, 8 April 2015: As part of the African Union (AU) continued efforts to maintain an effective presence on the ground and support efforts aimed at promoting peace, security and stability on the continent, the Chairperson of the Commission, Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, has made the following appointments:

- Brigadier General Sara Thomas Rwambali (Tanzania), Special Representative and Head of the AU Liaison Office in South Sudan, with residence in Juba;

- Madame Josephine-Charlotte Mayuma Kala (Democratic Republic of the Congo), Special Representative and Head of the AU Liaison Office in Côte d’Ivoire, with residence in Abidjan;

- Madame Zaina Nyiramatama (Rwanda), Head of AU Liaison Office in Chad, with residence in Ndjamena; and

- Dr. Arvin Boolel (Mauritius), Special Representative for the Great Lakes Region and Head of the AU Liaison Office in Burundi, with residence in Bujumbura.

The Chairperson extends her warm congratulations to the distinguished appointees who are all highly accomplished public servants with a wealth of experience in the area of peace and security. “It is no coincidence that three of the four newly appointed personalities are women, in this year, 2015, when the AU’s thematic focus is “Women’s Empowerment”. I am confident that the AU and Africa will benefit from their rich professional experience and leadership abilities,” the Chairperson stated.

The Chairperson calls on all stakeholders to extend full cooperation to the new appointees, to enable them to successfully discharge their demanding duties, in the best interest of the continent. She pays tribute to the outgoing Special Representatives and Head of Liaison Offices, for their outstanding work and contribution to the promotion and implementation of the AU peace and security agenda.