Events

Addis Ababa, 17 June 2014: The Chairperson of the Commission of the African Union (AU), Dr. Nkosozana Dlamini-Zuma, welcomes the release of former Prime Minister of Sudan and President of the National UMMA Party, Imam Sadiq Al-Mahdi, on 15 June 2014. Mr. Al Mahdi was arrested on 17 May 2014, following public statements he made regarding the role of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in the Darfur region.

The Chairperson of the Commission stresses that this decision is a step in the right direction that will contribute to the creation of conditions conducive to the successful conduct of the National Dialogue Initiative announced by President Omar Hassan Al Bashir in January 2014. She reiterates AU’s support to this Initiative, and appeals to the Government to ensure that the fundamental rights and freedoms of the people of Sudan are protected. She calls on all concerned to desist from actions that would threaten the proposed National Dialogue and to recommit to a transparent, inclusive and holistic process that will ensure stability, democracy and development in the Republic of Sudan.

The Chairperson of the Commission reiterates the AU’s continued commitment, through the AU High Level Implementation Panel (AUHIP), to assist the Government and people of Sudan, in their efforts to address the challenges facing their country through dialogue.

London, United Kingdom -10 June, 2014: The Chairperson of the African Union Commission, H.E. Dr. NkosazanaDlaminiZumais leading an AU delegation toattend the London 2014 Global Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflicttaking place in London, United Kingdomfrom 10-13 June 2014.

While shedding light on the efforts of the AU, Dr. DlaminiZumawill call for more political commitment and concrete actions on the ground to ending sexual violence, which isaffectingmillions of girls in Africa and around the world. She will participate in the opening plenary session of a ministerial meeting, during which she will hear directly from the experts’ discussion, about the nature and impact of sexual violence in conflict.

Hosted by H.E. William Hague, British Foreign Secretary and Angelina Jolie, actress and Special Envoy of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, the summit is expected to translate into practical action, the political commitment expressed by the 148 countries endorsing the declaration of commitment to End Sexual Violence in conflict, launched at the UN General Assembly in September 2013.

Accompanying Dr. DlaminiZuma is the AU Special Envoy for Women, Peace and Security, MmeBinetaDiop. MmeDiop’s appointment in January 2014 was aimed at bringing to bear, a powerful political and diplomatic weight to raising the plight of women around issues of peace and security.

Dr. DlaminiZuma will hold a series of official engagements at the British parliament, bilateral meetings with the British Foreign Secretary, H.E. William Hague,UN Secretary General’s Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict, H.E. ZainabBangura; and Angelina Jolie, Special Envoy of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. She willalso hold informal meetings with youth delegatesattending the Global Summit.

Media Contact in London:
Jacob Enoh Eben
Ag. Spokesperson of the Chairperson
Email: EnohebenJ@africa-union.org
Cell.: +44 7405156312

Congratulatory Message
AUC Chairperson congratulates Malawi for successful elections and democratic maturity

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia – 31 May 2014. The Chairperson of the African Union Commission, H.E. Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma congratulates the people of Malawi for hosting peaceful and successful elections and reinforcing the country’s democratic maturity. The Chairperson praises Malawians’ high sense of civic responsibility and demonstrated patience given the anxiety around the vote-tallying process and the final announcement of results of the 20 May 2014 tripartite elections.

Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma congratulates the President-elect, Peter Mutharika for his victory, and calls on him to work toward reconciling Malawians, bringing together those voted for him, or not, for the good of Malawi and the entire Africa.

While congratulating other political party contenders for their democratic maturity and placing national interest first, she encourages them to channel any grievances through appropriate non-violent and legal means to seek justice.

The Chairperson also congratulates the Malawi Electoral Commission, civil society organization, the media and other national and international stakeholders for remaining steadfast in protecting and promoting the Malawian democratic process, upholding the constitutional order and rule of law. This is the spirit that is required for building sustainable peace.

Jacob Enoh Eben
Ag. Spokesperson of the Chairperson

Fellow Africans, Our Dear Friends

One year ago, African leaders from governments, civil society, the arts, students, human rights groups, the media, women’s movements, youth organisations, intellectuals, trade unions, academics, and business met at the Headquarters of the African Union, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to celebrate 50 years since the founding of the Organisation of African Unity.

We were joined in these celebrations by our sisters and brothers in the Diaspora, and our friends and partners from across the world.

We gathered in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and across the length and breadth of the continent to reflect on Africa over the last fifty years and where we are today. We celebrated our achievements, in particular the successes recorded in liberating the overwhelming majority of Africans from the yoke of colonialism and apartheid. We also acknowledged the long and arduous road of building independent nations and states, whilst defining Africa’s place in the world and the route towards African integration.

Throughout the year, we remembered the contributions of the early Pan Africanists, on the mother continent and in the Diaspora, who united into a powerful and enduring movement against dehumanizing slavery, racial oppression and colonialism, for self-determination and laid the foundation for our vision of a United Africa.

As we started the celebrations, we vowed to use the yearlong celebrations to remember our heroes and heroines, to learn lessons from our past and to chart the way forward for the ‘Africa we Want’.

One year on, Africa has a stronger sense of herself, her past and present, and the challenges and opportunities we face.

Most importantly, we used our Golden Jubilee celebrations to define the Africa we want. The ‘E-mail from the future’, which I wrote to Kwameh Nkrumah was but one contribution. It sparked off an amazing process of reflections and dreams about how Africa can be.

Africans from the north to the south, east to west, young and old, men and women, academics, business, and government officials, the religious sector and civil society, got talking and reflecting on our past, present and future.

These reflections found expression in Agenda 2063, a long-term vision and roadmap for the transformation of African into a continent that is integrated, peaceful, prosperous and people-centred.

Agenda 2063 thus contains a summation of the aspirations of Africans for the future we want, and let me voice some of them:
The young people said: We want a modernized Africa that uses technology to provide services to all people; with modern, fast and sustainable transport, energy and ICT infrastructure, a vibrant green economy and with free movement of people and goods.

We want to be able to study anywhere in the continent, have our qualifications recognized everywhere and be able to work or establish a business in any part of the continent.

The religious communities said: We want our people to live in peace, to express themselves and their beliefs freely, with tolerance for others’ religions. We want our societies to be based on shared values of loving thy neighbor, of solidarity and care for each other. We want accountable government and leadership that involve the people in determining their destiny.
The women said: We are more than half of the continent’s population and give birth to the other half. We want to be equal partners in building an Africa of peace and shared prosperity. We want our boys and girls to be healthy, to go to school, to acquire post school education, skills and jobs, and opportunities to participate in the future.

We don’t want the pain of not having food to feed our children, or losing our girls to child marriages, or kidnappings or our young people recruited into rebel groups or armed and criminal gangs, or losing our lives whilst giving lives.

Business people said: We want our economies to diversify and grow, and to make it easy to transport our goods from one country to another, to trade with fellow Africans and to establish strong African business champions in all sectors. We want to invest in new ventures and take risks on the innovation ideas of young entrepreneurs. We need reliable and adequate energy and other infrastructure to grow and expand our businesses.

The Farmers said: Since more than 70% of us working in agriculture are women, we need access to land, capital, irrigation, seeds, extension services, storage and transport. We know the land, the seasons, and we know we can feed the continent.

University students said: We want to be proud Africans, to compete with the best in the world, to live in a continent that is a success story. We want an Africa that is self-reliant and able to finance its development.

The African Tourism Ministers said: we want to capture a much larger share of the global tourism and over the next decades make Africa the preferred tourist destination of the world.

Workers said: we want the economy to grow and create jobs, with decent wages, social protection and safe working environments. We want investment and training in the informal economy to increase productivity and grow into the mainstream.

The small island states communities said: We want Africa to define and lead in the blue economy; and we want transport links amongst our islands and with the mainland. We want movement on the mitigation and adaptation strategies to help us deal with climate change.

One of our science publications wrote: without an African skills revolution, and scaled-up investment in science, mathematics, technology and research, Agenda 2063 won’t happen. African leaders must therefore champion the cause of science and technology.

The African Diaspora: We want the sixth region to be more than just a slogan, so that we can contribute and build effective links between the mother continent and her diaspora.

Our artists said: We want our heritage and culture to be a vibrant part of the Pan African identity and renaissance, we want Africa to reclaim its place amongst the world’s leading civilization, with its values of ubuntu, of solidarity, equality, unity in diversity and living in harmony with our natural environment.
These are but a few of the aspirations for the Future we Want voiced by Africans as we celebrated and reflected over the past year.
Fellow Africans, Dear Friends
Agenda 2063 is however not only about aspirations.
It builds on the historic tenants of the Pan African movement, the continental frameworks of the OAU such as the Monrovia declaration, the Lagos Plan of Action, the Abuja Treaty and NEPAD. It consolidates into a comprehensive framework our sectoral strategies: in agriculture, arts, culture, education, science, technology, social policy, infrastructure, health, industrialization and integration, etc. It takes account of the national and regional developmental plans.

Agenda 2063 will therefore prioritise strategies, identify the key enablers, the capacity required for implementation and how we will finance our programmes.

As a generation that lived to celebrate fifty years since the dream of a United Africa was articulated on 25 May 1963, we are once again taking up the baton.

We are confident that the generations that will celebrate centenary of our continental union in 2063 - our children, grandchildren and great grandchildren - will live in an Africa very different from what we have today.

The journey towards 2063 has started. It will be a long journey and we will climb many hills.
But we will succeed.

I wish you a happy Africa Day!

Press Statement:

AUC Chairperson condemns the terrorist attack in China, calls for joint international action

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia – 23 May 2014. The Chairperson of the African Union Commission, H.E. Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma condemns the barbaric acts of terrorism that left 31 people dead and many others wounded in Xinjiang, China. The Chairperson calls on the international community to take resolute action, and in unison, to combat the growing wave of terrorism around the world, and to suppress with unrivalled determination the evil forces behind the phenomenon.

The Chairperson stresses that this attack is a reminder of the continued threat that terrorism and violent extremism poses to the entire world, and highlights the need for continued and enhanced international action to address this scourge.

The AU also joins the international community in strongly condemning terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, committed by whomever, wherever and for whatever purposes. Accordingly, she expresses Africa's commitment to fully play its role in the global efforts to combat terrorism on the basis of AU and international counter-terrorism instruments.

Dr. Dlamini Zuma expresses her heartfelt sympathy to the bereaved families and wishes speedy recovery to the wounded. She extends her support and solidarity to the Government of People’s Republic of China.

JEE/wzm