Diplomatist Magazine Africa Day Special 2018 | Page 17

ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL
T
he advent of the African Union (AU)
can be described as an event of great
magnitude in the institutional evolution
of the continent. On 9th September 1999,
the Heads of State and Government of the
Organisation of African Unity (OAU) issued a
Declaration (the Sirte Declaration) calling for
the establishment of an African Union, with
a view, inter alia, to accelerate the process of
integration in the continent to enable it to play
its rightful role in the global economy while
addressing the multifaceted social, economic
and political problems facing countries of the
region, compounded as they are by certain
negative aspects of globalisation.
The main objectives of the OAU were,
inter alia, to rid the continent of the remaining
vestiges of colonisation and apartheid;
to promote unity and solidarity among
African States; to coordinate and intensify
cooperation for development; to safeguard
the sovereignty and territorial integrity of
Member States; and to promote international
cooperation within the framework of the
United Nations.
Indeed, as a continental organisation,
the OAU provided an effective forum
that enabled all Member States to adopt
coordinated positions on matters of
common concern to the continent in the
international fora and defend the interests of
Africa effectively.
Through the OAU Coordinating
Committee for the Liberation of Africa,
the Continent worked and spoke as one,
with undivided determination in forging
an international consensus in support of
the liberation struggle and the fi ght against
apartheid.
Quest for Unity
African countries, in their quest for unity
as well as economic and social development,
have taken various initiatives under the
banner of the OAU and made substantial
progress in several areas, all of which served
to pave the way for the establishment of the
AU. Noteworthy among these are:
• Lagos Plan of Action (LPA) and the
Final Act of Lagos (1980): Incorporating
programmes and strategies for self-reliant
development and cooperation among
African countries.
• The African Charter on Human and
People’s Rights (Nairobi, 1981) and the
Grand Bay Declaration and Plan of Action
on Human Rights: Two instruments
adopted by the OAU to promote Human
and People’s Rights in the Continent.
The Human Rights Charter led to the
establishment of the African Human
Rights Commission located in Banjul,
The Gambia.
• Africa’s Priority Programme for Economic
The advent of the
African Union (AU)
can be described
as an event of
great magnitude
in the institutional
evolution of the
continent.
2018 • Africa Day Special • 13