Visit of staff from the International Alert to the AU Headquarters

Addis Ababa, 6thMarch 2013 - Some 25 staff, from a 27-year-old independent peace building organisation known as International Alert, visited the AU Headquarters in Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) and received briefings from different departments of the AU in briefing room 1, new AU Conference Center.
The visit to the African Union headquarters was part of a Strategic Planning meeting in for its staff drawn from the London International Alert headquarters and country offices (Liberia, Nigeria, Burundi, DRC, Rwanda, and Uganda).

Mrs. Habiba Mejri-Cheikh, Director of the Directorate of Information and Communication (DIC) welcomed the visitors. She expressed appreciation on the intrest expressed by this group of high level officials to the activities of the African Union. She encouraged them to go back and spread the knowledge about the Union in their respective countries. She highlighted the importance of Pan Africanism and African renaissance as the AU is preparing to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU).

Mrs Wynne Musabayana, Deputy head of Division, Communication and Information briefed the visitors on the new branding campaign of the African Union under the slogan: “I am African, I am the African Union”.

Dr. AdmoreKambudzi, Secretary of the Peace and Security Council, briefed the visitors on the AU peace building efforts in Africa. he said , Africa is taking leadership and ownership of its peace while the AU is working hard to reduce the number of conflicts within the continent. He underlined some of the major achivements and challenges encountered by the African Union.

The visit was concluded by a tour and briefing in the situation room of the peace and security department.
The visitors received various leaflets, brochures and policy documents in order to enhance more visibility of the Commission and to promote the image of the African Union to the world.

EAT/HaM/HM/