Events

Communiqué of the Constitutive Meeting of the Core Group for the Operationalization of the Gender Cluster, 17-18 October 2015,
Nairobi, Kenya

Introduction

The ECOSOCC Women and Gender Cluster held its Constitutive Meeting in Nairobi, Kenya, from 17-18 October 2015. The main purpose of the meeting was to establish the framework for operationalizing the cluster in pursuance of the provisions of Article 11 of the ECOSOCC Statutes that assigned priority to Sectoral Clusters as the main operational mechanisms of the organ and the consequent decisions of the executive Organs of the 2nd Permanent General Assembly of ECOSOCC to ensure the practical realization of this cardinal objective.

Official Opening

The opening session began with four main statements and addresses. The Chairperson of the ECOSOCC Women and Gender Cluster, Ms. Fatma Mehdi began by welcoming all members and participants. She thanked everyone for honoring her invitation and highlighted the main purpose and objectives of the meeting. She observed that the program was crowded but expressed confidence in the ability of members of the Cluster to fully address its needs and requirements. Subsequently, the ECOSOCC Presiding Officer, Mr. Joseph Chilengi and the Director of CIDO and Head of ECOSOCC Secretariat, Dr Jinmi Adisa underlined the historic significance of the meeting. They noted that this was the first time in eleven years since ECOSOCC was established that clusters were being operationalized even though the Statutes had assigned this function as an overriding priority. Both speakers then offered advise and suggestions on how the Cluster could best achieve its aims and objectives. They stressed the relative autonomy of cluster operations as long as it served the objective purpose of the organ and remained intimately linked with constituencies in both the African civil society community and the greater family of the African Union. Finally, the Special Guest of the occasion, HE Mr. Bah El-Mehdi, the Ambassador of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) underscored the importance that AU Member States attached to the ECOSOCC agenda. He urged the cluster to work constructively and produce meaningful results that will foster development and emancipation of the African people.

Discussions

The meeting then continued in working sessions over a two day period. The discussions produced a roadmap involving the elaboration of the mandate of the cluster, its priorities, structure and framework of membership, financing, partnership and communication support requirements etc.

Outcomes, Decisions and Recommendations

The core cluster committee, deliberated on the various issues in the agenda and work plan in a two days meeting. It concluded with the following decisions and recommendations:

A. On the Mandate of the cluster:
As per Article 11 of the of the Statutes of the ECOSOCC of the African Union on the Sectoral Custer Committees and specifically Article 11 (I) on Women and Gender the cluster decides to expand the scope of work as per the mandate of Women and Gender to read as follows: Women and Gender: (Women; Climate Change; Arts; Trade, Research and Development; Integration, Food Security; Education; Health; Peace and Security; Cultural, Economic and Financial inclusion; and all other issues where Gender and development is a cross-cutting issue)

B. On the Structure of the Cluster:
i. The Working Group will be composed of all female members of the ECOSOCC General Assembly and committed male members.
ii. The cluster will establish a Coordinating Team. The Coordination team will be composed of the following: (a) One (1) Cluster Chairperson; (b) One (1) Secretary of the Cluster; (c) One (1) Communication Focal Point; (d) One (1) Research Focal Point; (e) One (1) Liaison for the Gender Department; (f) One (1) Regional Coordinator representative from each of the five regions; (g) One (1) nominated representative from Pan African Parliament (PAP), African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) and African Commission on Human and People Rights (ACHPR)
iii. The cluster will also form Regional Groups in each of the 5 AU regions under the Regional Coordinators whose responsibility is to liaise with appropriate CSOs networks in the areas.
iv. The cluster has the right to Invite Experts whenever need arises and on the burning theme of the Year or period

C. On the Frequency of Meetings:

i. The cluster shall hold a general meeting no less than once a year to plan and review and discuss matters arising
ii. Extraordinary meetings shall be held to revise or make decisions in matters which are deemed urgent

D. On the Functions of the cluster:

i. Mobilize and undertake missions when necessary to advance the agenda of women as per the mandate above.
ii. Ensure that Women and Men are targeted in both urban and rural areas
iii. Dedicate one flagship project to address the Women and gender motif of the year
iv. Embark on ways to ensure transformative power structures through innovative means
v. Resort to innovative ways to address gender stereo types
vi. Lend particular attention to entrepreneurship as mean for strengthening and empowering of women financially, politically and economically
vii. Liaise closely with different ECOSOCC Clusters Committees to advance Women and Gender agenda

E. On Advisory Opinions and Research:

i. Advisory opinions shall be issued on matters pertaining to the mandate of women and gender
ii. The opinions shall be issued in accordance with the Statutes of ECOSOCC and its rules of procedure
iii. At least one advisory opinion and report shall be issued annually to review the achievements and challenges of women as per the AU theme of the year
iv. A focal point(s) of the core cluster will be selected and tasked with the responsibility of reviewing the impact of the AU theme of the AU on Women and Gender
v. All reports and advisory opinions should provide a balanced opinion of both practitioners and researchers

F. On global Observance days:

i. Commemoration of global days such as 08 March as Women’s day, Africa Union day, 24 November …….etc. shall be observed by the Cluster.
ii. Commemorations shall be celebrated by issuing a statement and conduct region-wise activities
iii. Activities may vary to address the pertinent issues in each region

G. On the Annual Women and Gender Pre-summit:

i. Organize annual pre-summit for women in collaboration with relevant clusters, departments, organs of the union and any other relevant actors.
ii. Ensure that youth and particularly young women are a part of the pre-summit
iii. Ensure that men too are included. This shall include young men and committed men.
iv. Selection should ensure that grass-roots are targeted and that the female male ratio for participation should be set at 60:40 ratio

H. On the Work plan:
The cluster has adopted a work plan with activities for the time period of November 2015 –December 2016. (Enclosed)

I. On Communications:
i. Utilize the website of ECOSOCC and particularly the Women and Gender as the main tool for communication
ii. Embark on the use of social media as a platform for outreach
iii. Popularize Agenda 2063 and the SDGs through the use of the different communications channels.
J. On Partnerships:
i. The cluster should strengthen linkages within ECOSCC through the clusters for purposes of complementarity and effectiveness
ii. Establish and/or enhance cooperation with the relevant AUC departments and AU Organs, such as the Women and Gender Directorate
iii. Establish and/r enhance cooperation with the African and International Institutions and Actors
iv. Utilize the existing platforms at the national and regional levels including the ECOSOCC national chapter, Regional Economic Communities.
v. Expand partnerships with the wider African Civil Society Networks

K. On Financing:

i. The cluster shall explore opportunities for cooperation and mobilizing resources with relevant actors
ii. Ensure that such cooperation is in accordance with the Statutes of the ECOSOCC of the AU.

CIDO met with a delegation of the Malawian Government on setting up a Diaspora engagement policy

Addis Ababa 22 October 2015: Dr. Jinmi Adisa, Director of CIDO, Mr. Ahmed El Basheer, Head of Diaspora Division and the Diaspora officers met with a delegation of the Malawi government. The delegation was headed by Ms. Gloria Bamusi, Assistant Director of Political Affairs and focal point for Diaspora in addition to Mr. Aubrey Kabisala, Principal Foreign Service Officer and Mr. Joseph Mpango, Foreign Service officer to the AU as well as representatives from the Malawi embassy and the International Centre for Migration policy development.

The meeting discussed ways to enhance the Malawian Diaspora Engagement policy that is currently being drafted. CIDO director emphasized the key roles the diaspora can play in the development of their countries. The aim of the meeting was to assist the delegation of the Malawi government to identify the priority areas and develop policies aimed at leveraging the Malawian diaspora and the African community at large for the development of the country.

CIDO also briefed the delegation on the activities of the directorate and the support that CIDO can provide to advance the diaspora policy in Malawi. The two parties agreed to continue working together towards the common goals including assigning of national diaspora focal points in all member states as per Agenda 2063 and the 10 year implementation plan.

Press release Nº243/2015

4th Annual African CSO Continental Forum on the Joint –Africa EU Partnership Strategy (JAES): Towards Preparation for the Joint Annual Forum (JAF)

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia 25 September 2015 - The 4th Annual African CSO Continental Forum on the Joint -Africa EU Partnership Strategy (JAES) has just been concluded in Djibouti. The consultation lasted for three days from 18-20 September 2015. The Forum began with a meeting of the African Steering Committee on 18th September 2015 followed by the Continental Forum of African Civil Society Organizations on 19-20 September 2015.

The Forum was attended by about 40 leaders and representatives of civil society organizations across the five regions of the African continent. The Citizens and Diaspora Organizations Directorate of the AU Commission (CIDO) facilitated the Forum with support from the Economic, Social and Cultural Council of the African Union (ECOSOCC) and the Partnership Management and Coordination Division (PMCD) of the Bureau of the Chairperson.

The main focus of the Forum was to define Africa CSO priorities and framework of action within the current cycle of the Africa-EU partnership process with emphasis on preparation for the Joint Annual Forum (JAF) as the only comprehensive stakeholder platform for civil society participation. The Forum was concerned with reviewing the concept note that is being developed by state actors for this purpose and making appropriate recommendations and proposals to ensure that JAES remains people-centred and people-driven in the aftermath of the Brussels Summit of April 2014 and its outcomes.

The official opening ceremony was held on 18th September 2015 and received 5 main addresses from the Director of CIDO, Dr. Jinmi Adisa, Mr. Joseph Chilengi, the ECOSOCC Presiding Officer, Professor Dipo Kolawole, the Chairperson of the African Steering Committee and Mr. Ismail Sanalasse Said, the President of Djibouti Civil Society Associations. Subsequently, Mr. Hassan Omar Mohammed Bourhan, the Minister of Interior and Decentralization of the Republic of Djibouti formally declared the consultation open.

In his official opening remarks, the Minister praised the AU Commission, particularly CIDO and ECOSOCC for taking serious measures to ensure strong and effective CSO participation in the JAES process. He conveyed the greetings of the President of the Republic and pledged Djibouti’s support for the outcomes of the Forum. He observed that Djibouti has always respected and encouraged effective contribution of civil society in the development process of the state system and that the decision of Djibouti to support the same processes in relations across the Mediterranean is simply a logical extension of Djibouti’s desire to build a comprehensive stakeholder community in Djibouti, within Africa, in Africa’s relation with the world and in global affairs.

On the Outcomes of the Brussels Summit of April 2014, the Forum observed that the implementation mechanisms and structures contained in the two Outcome Documents of the Africa-EU Summit of April 2014 (the Roadmap and Declaration) were essentially state-centred, noting that the main exception was the framework of Joint Annual Forums (JAF) which replaces the Joint Task Force of the previous partnership cycle and will gather together all actors of the partnership. The Forum recognized the JAF will serve therefore, as the only comprehensive stakeholder Forum for driving the people-centred aspirations of the Africa-EU partnership Process. Consequently, the Forum embraced JAF as the appropriate mechanism for channelling, promoting and sustaining the activities of non-state and non-governmental actors.

The Forum however, regretted the undue delay in activating the JAF process in view of its peculiar importance. It observed that it is almost one and half years since the Brussels Summit of April 2014 and a process intended annually had not yet taken place and even now only has a remote chance of happening this year. The meeting called on all parties and structures responsible for the planning process, particularly the two Commissions, to accelerate the process of implementing JAF. It further underlined the need for actors in civil society to play a critical role in lending content to JAF, defining its agenda and work program, its modalities of operation, execution of its mandate and outputs.

Regarding the relations with State Actors in the JAF Process, the Forum noted the important profile of state actors in the current efforts to define JAF Agenda, content and modus operandi. The participants concurrently agreed with the general objectives being proposed for JAF and the concept paper being developed by the two Commissions as a baseline working document. Moreover they added that in order to perform its functions as designed by the Summit the orientation, constitution and working methods of JAF and use of its outputs must be people-centred and civil society actors must be fully integrated within its framework. In conclusion and as part of this process, the Forum decided to review the JAF concept paper of the two Commissions and make appropriate recommendations to the paper which remains work in process.

Furthermore, some recommendations were made in relation to the JAF Concept Paper. The Forum emphasized the need for the JAF to be held as soon as possible, preferably in the last quarter of 2015 or very early in the first quarter of 2016 to be followed by another in a time frame preceding the 2015 Summit and recommended that the location of JAF meetings should be rotated among the two continents with the first in Africa and a second in Europe in line with the two JAF model proposed by the Forum.

The Forum underscored that as the only comprehensive stakeholder platform of JAES, JAF must be open to all stakeholders particularly civil society actors and agreed that the context of such inclusive participation must be in a continuum that includes preparation, consultation, definition of purpose, goals and execution of outputs. Each of contributing parties should also select its own representatives that will work with other stakeholders to define collective results.

On the civil Society Interventions, the Forum agreed that civil society interventions should assume a coordinate and collaborative structure. This will include autonomous CSO action to popularize and extend the reach and impact JAES to the grassroots, interconnectivity across the Mediterranean and the holding of regional conferences and regional platforms to disseminate information and build grassroots support for JAES. The Forum also recommended upwards and downward mainstreaming of civil society contributions within JAF and the alignment and use of the Pan-African civil society envelope to support these processes across the two continents.

The Forum proposed a duration of 2-3 days for JAF as required to produce meaningful outcomes. It also requested that the definition of the JAF agenda be based on wider stakeholder agreement and that the working sessions should have chairs and rapporteurs (from civil society). It further recommended that conclusions should be adopted by plenary sessions. Inputs of seminars and regional conferences must also feed into the agenda and work programs of JAF, concluding that outputs of JAF should include assessment and progress reports on a) challenges, options and possible solutions as well as methods to address challenges; b) discussion of thematic and strategic issues; c) agreement on reporting frameworks to assess the implementation of the roadmap; d) timetable of operation, feedbacks and corrective mechanism; e) effective employment of outputs to strengthen the framework of operations.

The Forum observed that the importance of JAF notwithstanding, the people-centred aspirations of the architects of the Africa-EU Partnership requires that CSO involvement in JAES must go beyond JAF and should be mainstreamed in all aspects and forms of the partnership endeavor particularly its key and important elements.

As part of this process, the Forum stressed the need for civil society actors in Africa (as in Europe) to be involved in and contribute towards the outcomes of the Africa-EU Summit on Migration scheduled to be held in Valetta, Malta, from 11-12 November 2015. The Forum observed that migrants are mostly from civil society and it is essential that civil society actors from developing countries, including Africa, should be an integral part of the search for solutions on attendant problems. The Forum, in particular, underlined the need for an Africa Continental CSO Consultation on the Migration prior to the Summit as distinct from the side event that is being organized by Europeans organizations and the University of Malta on the eve of the Summit. It stressed the need for assimilation of such issues effectively within the framework of inclusive continental and Intercontinental CSO dimension of the JAES process to guarantee the integrity of inputs within the process (Full report on AU website: www.au.int ).

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Directorate of Information and Communication | African Union Commission I E-mail: DIC@african-union.org I Web Site: www.au.int I Addis Ababa | Ethiopia

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Paving the way towards a CIDO and League of Arab States (LAS) engagement strategy

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 28 August 2015 – The Citizens and Diaspora Directorate (CIDO) of the African Union Commission conducted a working session with the League of Arab States and the African Union Permanent Delegation (AUPD) in Cairo.
The working session was convened in the headquarters of Las in Cairo, Egypt. The session was led by Mr. Ahmed Al Basheer, Head of Diaspora Division, CIDO and comprised of the Deputy Head of Mission of the AUPD and a team from the Population policies, Expatriates and Migration Department in LAS. The working session is part of the ongoing operationalization of CIDO’s strategic vision aimed at engaging the Diaspora communities in the Middle East and Gulf regions to support the integration and development agenda of the African Union. This strategic vision is also in line with the Africa-Arab partnership strategy.
The working session discussed various elements necessary for creating a joint Diaspora for Development (D4D) engagement framework between LAS and CIDO; preparing for the Gulf Regional Consultative Conference (RCC) scheduled in 2016 and establishing an understanding of the various modalities of cooperation based on the regional specificities.
In addition the CIDO team held meetings with the Director of Civil Society Organizations Department in LAS. The purpose of the meeting was to provide general overview of the activities of CIDO and particularly the civil society division while understanding the different activities carried out by LAS in their Civil Society department. The goal of the meeting was to establish a relationship that leads towards developing a framework for cooperation between the civil society divisions of CIDO and LAS.
The initiatives of CIDO were welcomed by the LAS as they stressed their readiness to engage with CIDO on an ongoing basis in order to ensure mutual support in matters of the diaspora and civil society engagement.
Photos:

CIDO, AUPD and LAS Population policies, Expatriates and Migration Department

CIDO, AUPD and LAS Director of Civil society Organizations department.