Events

African Union Invites Sao Tome and Principe Civil Society to Take Part in the Ecosocc General Assembly Elections

Sao Tome, 23 September 2014 –After Congo Brazzaville, Malabo and Libreville, it was the turn of Sao Tome and Principe from 20 – 24 September 2014, to welcome the sensitization and motivation campaign delegation for the election of the 2nd General Assembly of the Economic, Social and Cultural Council of the African Union (ECOSOCC). A meeting grouping the civil society organization of Sao Tome and Principe was organized to that effect on 23 September 2014 in the conference room of the Sao Tome cultural center to exchange view on the practical modalities and criteria for participation in the elections billed for the fourth quarters of the year 2014.

Addressing participants at the opening ceremony, the representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Sao Tome and Principe, and Secretary General Mr. Francisco Fernandez, lauded the initiative of the African Union for launching this sensitization campaign which will not only motivate the population but will also close the gap between the AU organization and the people of the country. He reiterated his government willingness to work hand in hand with the AU delegation to ensure the full participation of the civil society in the ECOSOCC election as well as motivate the population to develop greater interest in the development agenda of the Union.

Speaking earlier, the president of the Federation of NGOs of Sao Tome, Mr Manuel Jorge de Carvallio do Rio welcomed the good initiative, which will help to consolidate the relationship between the African Union and the civil society. He added that this would enlighten the population to know more about the activities of the Union.

Mr. Jalel Chelba, Head of the AU delegation expressed satisfaction to the interest showed by the civil society during the interactive session and he encouraged them to apply massively for the election of 2nd General Assembly of the ECOSOCC. Mr. Chelba called on the journalists who were present at the meeting to help in the sensitization process by popularizing the message calling on all the civil society organizations to mobilize ahead of the ECOSOCC elections.

Mrs. Fatima Karadja, Vice president of ECOSOCC presented the objective of the organ while Mr. Baba Sogodogo, from the office of the Chairperson of the AU Commission briefed the participants on the structures of the AU.

AU Delegation meets Sao Tome and Principe Authorities

Upon their arrival, the AU delegation held a working session on 22 September 2014 with the Director of Political Affairs in the Ministry of Foreign Affair of Sao Tome and Principe, Mr. Urbino Botelho to discuss on the need to involve the civil society as much as possible into the activities of the ECOSOCC through the sensitization campaign of the AU.

On the same day, the AU Delegation was received in audience by H.E Oscar Aguisa E Sousa, Minister of Interior and Defense of the Democratic Republic of Sao Tome and Principe who, on behalf of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, expressed
gratitude to the AU leadership for sending a team to interact and exchange views with to the Sao Tome and Principe population on important issues concerning the wellbeing of their citizens.

After the audience, the Head of the AU Delegation granted an interview to the national television to explain the objective of the mission and invite the civil society to develop more interest in the ECOSOCC saying that this platform will enable them contribute significantly in the decision making processes of the continent.

Worth recalling that, the AU sensitization campaign has been launched to ensure the implementation of the decision EX.CL/Dec.849 (XXV), adopted by the 23st Ordinary Session of the AU Assembly, held in Malabo in June 2014. It is aimed at encouraging greater participation the African CSOs; particularly the least represented countries to take part in the elections of the ECOSOCC General Assembly.

Established under the provisions of Articles 5 and 22 of the African Union’s Constitutive Act, ECOSOCC is the vehicle for building a strong partnership between governments and all segments of African civil society. The Statute of ECOSOCC, adopted by the Heads of State and Government at the Third Ordinary Session of the Assembly in July 2004 defines it as an advisory organ of the African Union composed of different social and professional groups of the Member States of the African Union [Assembly/AU/Dec.42 (III)].

These CSOs include but are not limited to the following: a) Social groups such as those representing women, children, the youth, the elderly and people with disability and special needs; b) Professional groups such as associations of artists, engineers, health practitioners, social workers, media, teachers, sport associations, legal professionals, social scientists, academia, business organizations, national chambers of commerce, workers, employers, industry and agriculture as well as other private sector interest groups; c)Non-governmental organizations (NGOs), community-based organizations (CBOs) and voluntary organizations; d) Cultural organizations and e) social and professional groups in the African Diaspora in accordance with the definition approved by the Executive Council.

Interview requests should be addressed to Mrs. Esther Tankou, Head if Information Division, Directorate of Information and Communication, African Union Commission (AUC), E-mail: Yamboue@africa-union.org / esthertankou@yahoo.com

For further information please contact:
Mr. Jalel Chelba, Head of Civil Society Division, African Union Commission
Email: jalelc@africa-union.org

For further information contact
Directorate of Information and Communication | African Union Commission I E-mail: dinfo@african-union.org I Web Site: www.au.int I Addis Ababa | Ethiopia
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Seychelles takes up the gauntlet on ECOSOCC.

Tanzania Civil Society Community commits to ECOSOCC.

Dar-es–Salaam, Tanzania, 15th September 2014 – Several civil society organizations in Tanzania attended the ECOSOCC Sensitization and Motivation Campaign held in Kebby’s Hotel and Conference Centre in Dar-es-Salaam today.

In his Welcome Address to the gathering, Mr. Ngunga Tepani, Executive Director, Tanzania Association of NGOs (TANGO), observed that Tanzania has about 8000-registered Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in addition to large number of unregistered organizations that were also in active operation and doing valuable work. CSOs in Tanzania had challenges but participation in ECOSOCC would be a fruitful way to address and overcome such challenges. It would enable more constant and productive interaction with Governments and policy makers at various levels and create avenues for developmental inputs and channels for increasing institutional and funding support.

The main obstacle that Tanzania CSOs would encounter is the eligibility requirement that 50 percent of the funding must be internally derived. He lamented the situation of the continent in which governments and the private sector were niggardly in providing support for CSOs leaving them at the mercy of external donors. Thus CSOs should seek to use the provision to challenge governments and their internal constituencies on the need to provide effective funding support for CSOs.

He urged the AU mission to provide clarity on the processes of ECOSOCC, the role, functions and performance of the organ and its varied uses as well as the processes and procedures for application and how ECOSOCC would function in the aftermath. It would be important to relate these to the activities of CSOs as they are at present so that they can adapt to ECOSOCC and add value to its processes as they grow.

In turn, Amb. Lazarus, the Advisor to the AU Chairperson, elaborated on the objectives of the mission that were clearly designed to respond to the needs and requirements underlined by the Executive Director of TANGO.

“The purpose of this mission here today is to ensure the faithful implementation of the decision of our executive organs on ECOSOCC in close collaboration with Member States of the Union in general and the civil society community in particular. This is a mission that involves cooperation with governments but is not primarily directed at Governments. It is an outreach program for the people at the grassroots that is designed and implemented in the spirit of the people –driven focus and people driven agenda of the African Union. The mission is truly reflective of the ECOSOCC agenda. ECOSOCC is an organ that seeks to connect he people at the grassroots in Africa directly with the continental governance structures”

In the keynote and official opening address, Ambassador Yahya Simba, the Director for the Middle East who was representing the Director for African Affairs in the Tanzania Ministry of Foreign Affairs, also recalled the genesis and origin of ECOSOCC as a vehicle for achieving the people-oriented and people driven character of the Constitutive Act of the African Union. Tanzania, he added, has been consistent in its engagement with the ECOSOCC process from the time of its establishment to its subsequent progress. He recalled the fact the 1st Permanent ECOSOCC General Assembly was launched in Tanzania under the leadership of the current President of the Republic, HE Jakaya Kikwete while he was the Chairperson of the African Union.

“The visit by the AU mission today is not because Tanzania was not represented in the first Permanent General Assembly but rather to give new impetus to as many civil society organizations to take part in the forthcoming ECOSOCC election process in a manner that will surpass all expectations. Your (CSO) presence here in large numbers here is assurance that we will be able to achieve these goals end ensure that Tanzania continues to play a significant role in the affairs of the AU. I therefore, call on you all to listen closely, understand the process and take subsequent steps to register and participate appropriately.”

The opening session was followed by the main presentations on the sensitization program. Mr. Chilengi, the member of the 1st ECOSOCC Permanent General Assembly provided a detailed insiders view of the functions, role and history of ECOSOCC, it performance, achievements and challenges in its first two phases of its existence as an interim Assembly under Prof. Wangari Maathai and later as a Permanent General Assembly. He saw the experience as a learning process that would orient ECOSOCC to greater heights in its subsequent incarnations.

Dr. Jinmi Adisa, the Director, Citizens and Diaspora Directorate that also serves as the Secretariat of ECOSOCC then took the participants through the history of the electoral process and the process of decision making that led to the current sensitization exercise and its imperative demands. In an interactive session, he guided the participants through the application processes and procedures and noted that the application forms may be completed in about one hour. He provided a checklist for CSOs to use in reviewing their own applications to be sure that they have met all the requirements. He ended with a word of counsel to the gathering. “ It has been said that ECOSOCC has an advisory role but an advisory role is defined by its quality, efficacy and purpose. If an advisory role is handled with care, commitment and dedication, it would become much more. An office has latency, it is as big as the person who occupies it.”

Another lively, intensive interaction session followed in which participants offered comments and observations and requested further clarification of certain issues. The discussion touched on a series of issues including the issue of observer status for CSOs that were not eligible for election in the wider AU structures and within ECOSOCC, the role and circumstances of cultural organizations in the ECOSCC set up, the operation of sectorial cluster committees, accountability and responsibility of elected ECOSOCC representatives to their national, regional or continental constituencies, the distinction between national, regional and continental CSOs and levels of applicability, the 50 percent funding criteria, the sharing of reports of the sensitization exercise, campaign opportunities in the ECOSOCC election process, the nature of the ECOSOCC electoral college and the recent AU resolution regarding the immunity of Heads of States or political leaders while in office.

The meeting ended with a number of conclusions. First, was a clear commitment by CSOs at the meeting to register and participate in the ECOSOCC process. TANGO will serve as the rallying point for this process and those present will carry the message to others that are absent. The CSOs also agreed on the need for a national ECOSOCC cluster as a mechanism for consultation, accountability. and to provide direction to national representatives. There was also a preference for the inclusion of provisions for recall in the ECOSOCC Statutes when it is revised and amended to support the processes of accountability.

The CSOs also advised on the need for extensive applications by Tanzania CSOs to enlarge the AU database of CSOs and give it comprehensive coverage in Tanzania. Tanzania CSOs also committed to work extensively within the ECOSOCC cluster committees. In conclusion, the gathering expressed appreciation for the work of the AU mission as it has offered closer intimacy with the operations of the AU and its people-centered agenda. It was imperative for the AU to continue with its sensitization exercise including and beyond ECOSOCC to build up an affective constituency for the activities of the continental organization.

For any further information please contact:

Mr. Michael Fikre, Directorate of Information and Communication, Email: MichaelF@africa-union.org, m_fikre@hotmail.com, cell: +255 755 695 211

Or visit: http://pages.au.int/ecosocc

For further information contact
Directorate of Information and Communication | African Union Commission I E-mail: dinfo@african-union.org I Web Site: www.au.int I Addis Ababa | Ethiopia
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Rwanda Civil Society captures the magic of the ECOSOCC sensitization program.

AU calls on the Congolese civil society to take active part in the elections of the ECOSOCC 2nd Assembly

Brazzaville, 11 September 2014 - A delegation of the African Union Commission (AUC) led by Mr. Jalel Chelba has embarked on the ongoing sensitization campaign of the ECOSOCC for the Central African Region to hold from 7 to 24 September 2014.

The campaign started with the Republic of Congo from 7 to 10 September 2014. The other members of the AU sensitization and motivation team: Mrs. Fatima Karadja, Vice President of the first General Assembly of ECOSOCC, Mr Baba Sogodogo from the Office of the Chairperson of the AU Commission and Mrs. Esther Azaa Tankou, Head of Information Division in the Directorate of Information and Communication of the AUC, were received in audience on 8 September 2014 by HE Mr. Jacques Obindza, Director General of Africa and acting Secretary General at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of the Republic of Congo. The meeting focused on the preparations to ensure a greater mobilization of the Congolese civil society.

The Representative of the AU Commission was given an opportunity to announce the objectives of the AU mission on the national TV and radio news channels. He highlighted the great attention paid to the issue by the Chairperson of the AU Commission, HE Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma in line with the Decision of the Summit of Heads of State and Government held in Malabo in June 2014.

AU calls on the Congolese civil society for greater interest of the ECOSOCC

The representatives of the African Union (AU) called on all the stakeholders of the Congolese civil society to participate massively in the next election of ECOSOCC as the deadline for applications is scheduled for 30 September 2014. The urge was made during the meeting with the Congolese civil society on 10 September 2014 in the conference room of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of the Congo Republic, in the presence of Mrs. Chantal Maryse Itoua Apoyolo, Ambassador and Deputy Secretary General of the Ministery, Mr. Yves Bernard Mahoungou Massila, Coordinator of the Civil Society Associations and Networks of Congo (CARISCO), members of the diplomatic corps and invited guests.

During the official opening ceremony, Mr. Jalel Chelba noted that the presence in Brazzaville of the AU sensitization team explains the great interest of the AUC on the need to establish direct relationships with the African citizens. "We came in Brazzaville to implement the Decision EX.CL/849 (XXV), adopted by the Summit in Malabo in June 2014 by the Executive Council, which mandated the Commission to undertake a continental awareness campaign of the African civil society to encourage them to participate in large numbers in the elections of the ECOSOCC " he said. (See complete speech on the AU website: www.au.int)

Representing the Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of the Congo, Ambassador Chantal Maryse Itoua Apoyolo, and head of the Department of Multilateral Affairs at the Ministry noted that, the Republic of Congo was among the AU member countries that have not submitted candidates for the ECOSOCC elections. She noted that this is not due to lack of organization of the Congolese civil society given that, over the years, "the political will to help the Congolese civil society to better organize itself has become an essential component of the national policy. "This development, we must recognize, was made possible thanks to the climate of the ongoing dialogue and confidence-building, promoted by the President of the Republic, HE Mr. Denis Sassou Nguesso," she underscored.

Ms. Apoyolo invited all the actors of the Congolese civil society to join in the momentum of the ECOSOCC so as to take ownership of the shared vision which is that of a united Africa as stipulated in 2063 development agenda of the AU. (See complete speech on the AU website : www.au.int)

Mr. Yves Bernard Mahoungou Massila, representing on organizations of Congolese civil society on his part, welcomed the initiative of the AU to deploy a sanitization and motivation team to interact with the focal points of the Congolese civil society. He promised to help relaying the information to other organizations in the country.

AU interacts with Congolese civil society

During the interactive session with Congolese civil society, the head of the AU delegation pointed out that the election process of the second General Assembly of the ECOSOCC was initiated since 2012 but could not get a quorum for its implementation. "This is why the AU Commission was mandated by the Malabo Summit last June, to carry out this continental campaign for the civil society organizations (CSOs). We have mostly focused on member states that do not have a sufficient number of eligible candidates for the elections of ECOSOCC". He underlined, adding that,
"The candidates you will choose will have to take part in the decision-making processes and orientation of the continent. They will work with other stakeholders to achieve our joint project. They will also have the responsibility to report to you on their actions and ensure the liaison with grassroots organizations for the welfare of our society, "he noted.

To carry out this campaign, the head of the AU delegation invited the media to play their role as mediators and amplifiers of messages in view to disseminate the information as much as possible to the public. He recalled that their contribution and commitment is essential as the African Union relies on the media to inform its citizens.

This forum was an opportunity for the Congolese civil society to exchange their views with the AU delegation and get clarification to enable active participation in the processes of the ECOSOCC.

During the interactive session, the Vice President of the Assembly of ECOSOCC Mrs. Karadja and Mr. Sogodogo presented the history, objectives and process of elections ECOSOCC respectively, while the Head of the Division of Civil Society of the AUC outlined the conditions and eligibility of candidates.

Ms. Karadja emphasized on the interest of the African civil society as the main actors and player in setting the direction of the destiny of the continent.

The AU team distributed an information kit containing the necessary guidelines to enable the civil society to be better organised and modalities to present their candidatures for the elections.

Present in the meeting were: representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affair and Cooperation of the Republic of Congo, the Congolese Civil Society organizations (women's groups, children and youth), associations of professionals and volunteers as well as the media.

It should be noted that, after the Republic of Congo, the AU delegation will travel to Equatorial Guinea, Gabon and finally Sao Tome and Principe, where she will complete their mission for the Central African region.

For further information, please contact:

Mr. Jalel Chelba, Division of Civil Society | Department of Citizenship and Diaspora / CUA | E-mail: Jalelc@africa-union.org

Esther Azaa Tankou, Head of Information | Department of Information and Communication AUC | E-mail: yamboue@africa-union.org / esthertankou@yahoo.com

contacts:
Directorate of Information and Communication | Commission of the African Union | E-mail: dinfo@africa-union.org
Web Site Site: www.au.int | Addis Ababa | Ethiopia
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