CIAO DATE: 04/2010
March 2010
The African Union (AU) has committed to a vision of Africa that is ‘integrated, prosperous and peaceful … driven by its own citizens, a dynamic force in the global arena’ (Vision and Mission of the African Union, May 2004). This guide is an effort to take up the challenge of achieving this vision. It is a tool to assist activists to engage with AU policies and programmes. It describes the AU decision-making process and outlines the roles and responsibilities of the AU institutions. It also contains a sampling of the experiences of those non-governmental organisations (NGOs) that have interacted with the AU. There are important proposals under discussion for the restructuring of the AU and its organs, to advance the integration of the African continent more rapidly. These discussions create new opportunities for interaction between civil society and AU organs. This guide aims to help those organisations that wish to engage the AU but do not currently know where to start by providing an outline of the key institutions and processes and suggesting ways to influence them.
Resource link: Strengthening Popular Participation in the African Union [PDF] - 397K