Events

PRESS RELEASE N. 16/ 21ST AU SUMMIT

The African Union Executive Council opens with a call for a People Centred Union to achieve the Africa 2063 vision

Addis Abba 22 May 2013 –“We meet on the eve of the celebrations of the 50th Anniversary of the OAU/AU. Like in May 1963, the eyes of the continent and the world are focused on our activities and deliberations” Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, Chairperson of the African Union Commission, was speaking today, Wednesday 22 May 2013, while addressing the 23rdOrdinary Session of the Executive Council at theheadquarters of the African Union (AU), in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. She noted that, “like in 1963 when the founding states took their first steps into political independence, in 2013 we see Africa taking off towards peace and prosperity”.

The opening ceremony took place in the presence of Mr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Chairperson of the Executive Council and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia; Mr. Erastus Mwencha, Deputy Chairperson of the AUC, Mr. Carlos Lopes, UN Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of the UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) ; AUC Commissioners, representatives of the Diplomatic Corps, AUC staff, and the invited guests.

Dr. Dlamini Zuma expressed satisfaction at the state of preparedness of the 50th anniversary celebration of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) now the African Union (AU), which she qualifies as memorable, people-centered, global, involving the young people , the women, and the Diaspora with a view to leaving a lasting legacy. “Through these celebrations we will reclaim the African narrative, as we reflect on the past, assess our present state and plan our future” she emphasized.

Year-long Anniversary activities to galvanise, mobilise and energize

The AUC Chairperson expressed appreciation of the fact that African Member States and the different sectors in the society have taken up the clarion call to organize commemorative activities in their respective countries through the year-long anniversary celebration of the OAU - AU. Global reflection and debates are ongoing on the theme of the 21st AU Summit: Pan Africanism and African Renaissance and on the Africa 2063 vision, across the continent and the Diaspora. According to Chairperson Dlamini – Zuma, “these debates by Africans from all walks reaffirm Pan Africanism as a guide to action and the foundations for Africa’s Renaissance”. She added that, “ as we reflect on the 50th Anniversary Proclamation, we must be mindful of the inputs from our people….We must be mindful of our people’s expectations that we should emerge from this Summit – as our Founders did in 1963 – with a mission that will unite Africa and set her on the path to peace and prosperity”.

Dr. Dlamini – Zuma expressed optimism on the fact that Africa’s natural resources, its unused arable land and water, its potential for energy generation, its long coastlines rich in marine resources, to name but a few are potentials to use in achieving the 2063 agenda.

Quoting the eminent Pan Africanist, President Kwame Nkrumah in his speech to the Founding meeting in May 1963, the AUC Chairperson said “Nothing will be of avail, except the united act of a united Africa”. She explained that “as we chart the mission of our generations for the next fifty years, we must learn from the past and guard against the difficulties that President Nkrumah warned against. ( see complete speech of the AUC Chairperson on the AU website: www.au.int ).

The Chairperson of the Executive Council on his part congratulated the AU Member States for the celebration of the 50th anniversary which he said is a significan milestone and a historic occasion to honor African heroines and heros while placing Africa at the forefront of world affairs. Dr. Tedros underlined that the commemoration of the OAU-AU jubilee is important as it will chart the way for a prosperous and peaceful Africa. He hoped that this new generation of panAfricans will achieve the dreams of the founding fathers through African renaissance.

Minister Tedros called on his peers to meet at a more appropriate time and reflect on how to contribute to the agenda 2063. In this respect, he invited the Ministers for a retreat in one town called Bahidar outside of Addis Ababa where they can exchange views and produce constructive input to the vision.

Chairperson Tedros reminded the ministers on the items on their agenda including the draft Proclamation of the 50th OAU-AU anniversary to be adopted during the 21st AU Summit scheduled for 26 and 27 May 2013. (See complete speech of the AU Chairperson on the AU website: www.au.int ).

Mr. Lopes on his part stressed on the importance of the celebrations as it acknowledges the key role that the pan-African ideal played in promoting continental unity. “It meant overcoming domination and oppression by ending colonialism and apartheid in the continent. It asserted at the same time the possibility of rapid socio-economic transformation of the continent”. He said, adding that, “it was only quite logical that our forefathers and foremothers came together despite divergences in their ideological dispositions to form the Organization of African Unity”.

In concluding his statement, the ECA Executive Secretary said “just as our forefathers and foremothers laid the foundation for our dignity and freedom from oppression, we have the collective responsibility to lay a sound basis for the prosperity of present and future generations. The trends are in our favourbut we must do our part”.(See complete speech of the ECA Executive Secretary on the AU website: www.au.int ).

Ministers to Brainstorm on AU Proclamation /Agenda 2063

The Executive Council at their current ordinary session will discuss and provide a framework for the Proclamation on the 50th anniversary of the OAU-AU and the implementation of the Africa 2063 vision.
The draft Proclamation comprises inputs from civil society including the youth assembly, business forum, women, African Editors, and academicians. It frames the African Union’ s key objectives for the next five decades around the themes of African Identity and Renaissance; the Integration agenda; the agenda for Social and Economic Development and Prosperity; Peace and Security; Democratic Governance; Self-reliance and Africa’s place in the World.

According to the AUC Chairperson, in each of these areas, the Proclamation must spell out the continental mission and strategic objectives for the next fifty years in a bid to help Africa to comprehensively deal with the challenges ahead.

EAT/WM

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JOINT INVITATION

HIGH LEVEL PANEL ON CIVIL REGISTRATION AND VITAL STATISTICS DURING THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ORGANISATION OF AFRICAN UNITY/AFRICAN UNION (OAU/AU)

THEME: THE SCANDAL OF INVISIBILITY IN AFRICA

As part of celebrations to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the Organisation of African Unity/African Union, a High Level Panel on Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) will be held on Tuesday, 21 May 2013, from 15:00hrs to 17:00hrs, at the Small Conference Room 1, in new AU Conference Centre, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

The High Level Panel will comprise the following Panelists:
• H.E. Dr. Erastus Mwencha, Deputy Chairperson, African Union Commission
• H.E. Mr. Thomas Pale, Ministre Délégué auprès du Ministre des Affaires Étrangères et de la Coopération régionale, République du Burkina Faso
• H.E. Ambassador Ibrahima Dia, Coordinator, AUC-UNECA-AfDB Joint Secretariat Office
• Mr. Martin Mogwanja, Deputy Executive Director, UNICEF New York Headquarters
• Mr. Benyam Dawit, Chairperson, African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child

The discussion will explore:
• With Africa’s population growing quickly, and the child population set to rise by 130 million between 2010 and 2025, why effective civil registration are critical investments to plan the continent’s development, ensure everyone is counted; and put in place effective systems to protect all the continent’s citizens, especially the most vulnerable.
• How the gap between policy and practice can be met through new innovation and map out what can be done to achieve universal birth registration and effective ways to count vital statistics;
• How civil registration systems can contribute to good governance and economic integration as well as central to empower all Africa citizens.

The Panel will be moderated by Uduak Amimo, a prominent African news journalist, who has extensive experience reporting on the continent. A broadcast quality audio recording will be made available to media partners by Channel Africa Radio, part of South African Broadcasting Corporation that is dedicated to the African Renaissance and broadcasts across the continent on shortwave and internet. The debate will be live streamed and web cast by the AUC and an audio- visual coverage of the panel discussion will be done by the Directorate of Information and Communication of the African Union.

Journalists are invited to attend this High Level Panel on CRVS.

Mr. Dossina Yeo
Economic Affairs Department
African Union Commission
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Tel: (251) 11 551 77 00 |
Fax: (251) 11 551 78 44 |
E-mail: DossinaY@africa-union.org

Mr. Anthony Mwangi
Public Affairs Manager,
UNICEF Liaison Office to the AU and UNECA
P.O. Box 1169,
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Phone: +251-11-518-4223
Mobile: +251-911-513-058
Email: amwangi@unicef.org

Mrs. Esther Azaa Tankou
Directorate of Information and Communication
African Union Commission
P.O. Box 3243, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Tel. Off. (+251) 11 5514555
Mobile: +251911361185
E-mail: yamboue@africa-union.org

ANNOUNCEMENT TO THE JOURNALISTS

- Journalists should kindly proceed to Ghion Hotel, Press Desk, for the Security Badge starting today, Monday, 20 May 2013 at 10:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m. ,

- After collecting the Security Badge, the journalists should then proceed to the Head quarters of the African Union to collect their Conference Badge . the conference badges will be issued at the New AU Conference Center in Briefing Room 5, starting Tuesday, 21st of May 2013 at 11 a.m. – 7:00 a.m.

Joint Media Advisory

UNESCO to elaborate on a 9th Volume of the General History of Africa

INVITATION TO THE MEDIA

WHAT: Expert meeting to prepare the Volume IX of the General History of Africa (GHA)

WHEN: 20th -22nd May 2013

TIME: 9:30-10:45

WHERE: African Union Headquarter, New Conference Complex
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

WHO: The Expert Meeting is organized by UNESCO with assistance from the African Union Commission and funding from the Government of Brazil. Keynote speakers will be Professor Elikia M’Bokolo - Chair of the Scientific Committee for the Pedagogical use of the GHA Project; H.E. Mr Erastus Mwencha - Deputy Chairperson, AUC; Mr. Getachew Engida - Deputy Director General of UNESCO; H.E. Ms. Luiza Helena Bairros - Minister, Secretariat for Promotion of Racial Equality of the Federative Republic of Brazil, and H.E. Mr. Mulugeta Said, State Minister of Culture and Tourism for Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia

WHY: To define the methodology, objectives and contents of the ninth volume.

Participants: Participants will be experts and scholars of history from Africa and other continents, Embassy representatives, and governmental representatives.

About GHA
The General History of Africa (HGA) was launched in 1964 in response to the aspirations of the newly independent African states to decolonize their history, and re-appropriate the discourses on their past. Under the scientific and intellectual responsibility of a 39-member International Scientific Committee, two-thirds of whom were scholars from Africa, some 350 authors, translators and volume editors from different regions worked together for more than 35 years on the elaboration of the GHA, resulting in the publication of eight volumes of the main edition in English, Arabic and French. This work was further translated into 13 languages including three African ones (Kiswahili, Fulfulde, and Hausa). In addition, 12 “studies and documents” and 12 volumes on the “Sources of African history” were published to accompany and complement the collection. Volume IX, responds to a request from the African Union and African Member States to complete the collection, taking into account of the new political, social, economic and cultural challenges facing the continent today..

In 2009, and in response to recurrent African Member States’ requests to assist them in developing History curricula and textbooks on the basis of the GHA, UNESCO decided to undertake the 2nd Phase of the GHA : the Pedagogical Use of the General History of Africa Project. It is stated in the Charter for African Renaissance adopted by the African Union Summit in Khartoum in 2006 that ‘The General History published by UNESCO constitutes a valid base for teaching the history of Africa and (we) recommend its dissemination in many languages’.

Media Contacts:

Afrah M. Thabit
Communication Officer
African Union Commission
Tel: (+251) 115-182569
Email: afraht@hotmail.com,Thabitma@africa-union.org

Petra Vytecka Sedinova
Communication Officer
UNESCO Liaison Office
Tel.: (+251) 912 200 144
Email: p.sedinova@unesco.org

Attached the draft agenda of the opening session of the Experts Meeting.

Journalists are invited to cover the official opening ceremony from 9.30 to 10.45.

Gender is My Agenda Campaign (GIMAC) Network Meeting on Gender Mainstreaming in the African Union (AU)

22nd GIMAC – PRESS RELEASE
10 YEARS OF PROMOTING GENDER IN AFRICA

Prior to the 21st Ordinary Session of the Heads of State and Government in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on 26-27th May, the Gender is My Agenda Campaign (GIMAC) Network will hold a Meeting on Gender Mainstreaming in the African Union (AU) on 20-21st May. This meeting will be marked by the 10th GIMAC anniversary, which will be celebrated with special festivities.

The meeting will be held under the high patronage of H.E. Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, African Union Commission Chairperson, who will officially launch the activities.

In order to fully contribute to the vision “Africa 2063, several women’s meetings have been held since the beginning of May at the African Union Headquarters, under the leadership of Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, in order to update their agenda, review achievements and identify opportunities.

To mark its 10th anniversary, the network will make a special tribute to African Women Pioneers for their promotion of gender throughout the continent and their unwavering commitment to Pan-Africanism and African
Renaissance.

A dialogue with Rural women will take place as well as an Inter-generational dialogue, with the aim of passing on the elders’ legacy to the youth, to allow them to fully benefit from their rich experiences.

Other scheduled cultural activities include a photo exhibition on GIMAC’s history, achievements and prospects; a documentary on GIMAC’s evolution; as well as the presentation of a book on “Founding Mothers” who have contributed, together with men, to the struggle for freedom and independence in their
countries.

The GIMAC is a network of more than 55 organizations working in different sectors, coordinated by Femmes Africa Solidarité (FAS). Since 2005, the GIMAC meets on the margins of the African Union Heads of State Summit. Its areas of focus include the protection of women’s rights and the monitoring of the implementation of the Solemn
Declaration on Gender Equality in Africa (SDGEA).