The African Union is playing a leading role in improving Africa’s partnerships and refocusing them more strategically to respond to African priorities for growth and transformation as accentuated in the continent’s development blueprint, Agenda 2063. In recent months the various development partners working with the African Union, met with the AUC Chairperson and other leaders in the AU Commission (AUC), to discuss how to strengthen cooperation between them, and streamline agreed projects and activities to ensure they are delivering on “the Africa We Want”.
The following major activities took place under the different partnerships.
The AU- EU Partnership
To further support the African Peace and Security Architecture and African-led efforts to Silence the Guns through initiatives like the AU Peace Fund, the EU committed an additional €800 million to continue supporting African solutions to African problems. The announcement was made on July 22, 2019 following the signing of an agreement by the Chairperson of the AUC, Mr. Moussa Faki Mahamat and EU Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development, Mr. Neven Mimica.
The additional funding under the African Peace Facility will support:
- The strengthening of conflict prevention, management and resolution structures and mechanisms of the African Peace and Security Architecture;
- AU efforts to establish a continental Human Rights and international humanitarian law compliance framework;
- An Early Response Mechanism which will provide the African Union with quick funding for preventive diplomacy initiatives, mediation, fact-finding missions, and the first stages of peace support operations;
- The financing of African-led peace support operations, such as the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) against Boko Haram, the African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM) or the G5 Sahel Joint Force, with specific regards to capacity building, troop allowances, and non-lethal equipment. It will also support efforts of the AU to promote gender and human rights principles and practices in peace support operations.
The Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD 7) Summit
The 2019 TICAD Summit (TICAD 7) marked 26 years since the first TICAD, which was organised in Tokyo, in 1993. TICAD 7 was themed “Advancing Africa’s Development through People, Technology and Innovation”, with the objective to to expand technological cooperation, boost business support and promote participation of women and enhance citizen exchange that activates and fosters the future.
The three-day Summit hosted by the Government of Japan in Yokohama, brought together African Union Heads of State and Government, heads and representatives of international organizations, African and Japanese private sector, civil society, academia and media among others, to discuss key thematic issues around science, technology and innovation, human resource development/education, health as well as agriculture, disaster risk reduction, climate change and the blue economy.
In their addresses, H.E. Mr. Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, President of the Arab Republic of Egypt and African Union (AU) Chairperson, the Prime Minister of Japan Mr. Shinzō Abe and the Chairperson of the AUC H.E. Mr. Moussa Faki Mahamat underscored the benefits TICAD partnership has made over the years to implement the Agenda 2063 to build the Africa We Want.
The Summit concluded with the adoption of the Yokohama Declaration, 2019 and the Action Plan 2019.
The Yokohama Declaration 2019 reinforces the three pillars of TICAD 7 which are:-
- Accelerating economic transformation and improving business environment through innovation and private sector engagement;
- Deepening sustainable and resilient society; and
- Strengthening peace and stability.
For each of these pillars, the Declaration commends achievements, highlights outstanding issues, and promotes continued collaboration and actions to advance progress.
The Yokohama Plan of Actions 2019 which accompanies the Declaration, lists actions expected to be implemented by the TICAD partners in order to promote focus areas of the three main pillars of the Yokohama Declaration 2019 adopted at TICAD 7. The Yokohama Plan of Action 2019 is an evolving document which will be updated at any time after TICAD 7 by each TICAD partner.
African Union – Korea
In support of the African Union’s 1 Million by 2021initiative launched in April 2019, the Republic of Korea signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the African Union Commission (AUC), on youth engagement, with a focus on youth exchange programmes to enable youth to share best practices, awareness and adoption of alternative, multi-faceted approaches to learning and other key issues affecting youth.
The MOU which was signed by Mr. Moussa Faki Mahamat the Chairperson of the AUC and H.E. Dr. Kang Kyung-wha the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea, demonstrated continuing commitment to support the 1 Million by 2021 initiative which was launched in April 2019 by the African Union and aims to reach African youth from across the continent with opportunities and interventions in the key areas of Employment, Entrepreneurship, Education and Engagement (4E’s), which will accelerate socio-economic development on the continent.
H.E. Dr. Kang Kyung-wha also met the AU Commissioner for Peace and Security, Mr. Smail Chergui who on behalf of the AUC Chairperson, signed a MOU to enhance consultations and exchange of information on peace and security activities and projects through the contribution of Korea to the AU.The two principals also discussed AUC-led initiatives such as Network of African Women in Conflict Prevention and Mediation (FemWise-Africa), which continues to deploy high-profile African women to address conflict situations on the continent; the post conflict stabilisation strategy in the Lake Chad Basin, as well as peacemaking endeavors in Somalia, South Sudan, the Central African Republic (CAR) and the Sahel. The issue of climate change and its impact on peace and stability efforts in Africa was also discussed as wellas the work of the AU Youth for Peace Network which has conducted sub-regional consultations with youth organisations and is currently carrying out a study on youth contributions to peace-building in Africa.
As a follow up to the MOU, the 1st seminar on policy consultations on peace and security will take place in Seoul Korea in 2020.
The Africa – Arab partnership
In preparation for the 5th Africa- Arab summit scheduled to take place on the 24th of November 2019 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, The Chairperson of the AUC, Mr. Moussa Faki Mahamat and H.E. Mr. Ahmed Aboul Gheit, Secretary General of the League of Arab States (LAS) met in July, 2019 at the 8th General Cooperation Meeting between the two organizations, where the two leaders discussed a broad array of political developments and security challenges in the African and Arab regions, and exchanged views on how the AUC and the LAS can further strengthen their cooperation and complementary activities in support of regional peace, security, stability and development.
Following up on the outcome of the general cooperation meeting, the AUC hosted the 14th Senior Officials Meeting of the Coordination Committee of the Africa-Arab Partnership held on 11 September 2019 at the AU Headquarters, to further discuss: the financing modalities of the agreed projects like the migration and disaster response fund, an overview of the security situation on continent i.e. Somalia, Sudan and the lake Chad Basin, and the establishment of the Afro-Arab Cultural Institute as well as the organization of the Arab Africa Trade Fair.
The Joint Africa–Arab Heads of State and Government Summit is held every three years, with ministerial-level meetings every 18 months.
African Union – Eurasia Economic Commission (EEC).
On 16th September 2019, a delegation from the Eurasian Economic Commission and representatives from the Embassy of the Russian Federation in Addis Ababa, visited the Commission and met with AU senior officials to discuss a possible partnership between the two entities.
This is the second visit of the EEC after Mr Sergey Lavrov, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation visited the AU headquarters in March 2018, where he met with AUC Chairperson Mr. Moussa Faki Mahamat to exchange views on the establishment of formal cooperation between the Eurasian Economic Union and the African Union to establish Russia’s support to the African Union.
The MOU between the two parties will be signed at the 1st Russia – Africa Economic Forum and the Russia- Africa summit that will take place in Moscow on the 23rd October, 2019.
