About the African Union

Reproduction of a file photo dated 25 May 1963 shows the Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie (C) and Ghana's founder and first President Kwame Nkrumah (L) during the formation of the Organization of African Unity in Addis Ababa., a photo by Pan-African News Wire File Photos on Flickr.

About the AU

Sunday, 26 May 2013 00:00
Zimbabwe Sunday Mail

The African Union consists of 54 countries. The AU was established on May 26 2001 in Addis Ababa and launched on July 9 2002 in South Africa to replace the Organisation of African Unity (OAU). The most important decisions of the AU are made by the Assembly of the African Union, a semi-annual meeting of the heads of state and government of its member states. The AU’s secretariat, the African Union Commission, is based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Objectives of the AU

1. To achieve greater unity and solidarity between the African countries and the people of Africa;

2. To defend the sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence of its member states;

3. To accelerate the political and socio-economic integration of the continent;

4. To promote and defend African common positions on issues of interest to the continent and its peoples;

5. To encourage international co-operation, taking due account of the Charter of the United Nations and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights;

6. To promote peace, security, and stability on the continent;

7. To promote democratic principles and institutions, popular participation and good governance;

8. To promote and protect human and people’s rights in accordance with the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights and other relevant human rights instruments;

9. To establish the necessary conditions which enable the continent to play its rightful role in the global economy and in international negotiations;

10. To promote sustainable development at the economic, social and cultural levels as well as the integration of African economies;

11. To promote co-operation in all fields of human activity to raise the living standards of African peoples;

12. To co-ordinate and harmonize the policies between the existing and future Regional Economic Communities for the gradual attainment of the objectives of the Union;

13. To advance the development of the continent by promoting research in all fields, in particular in science and technology;

14. To work with relevant international partners in the eradication of preventable diseases and the promotion of good health on the continent.