African Union (AU) [UPSC Notes GS-II]

African Union is a continental body that consists of 55 states belonging to the African continent. The African Union was launched as a successor to the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) in 2002.

African Union is an important topic for the IAS Exam and is included under the GS-II section. This article will discuss the origin of the African Union (AU) and its controlling bodies.

Latest Context on African Union –

34th African Union Summit was held virtually from February 6th to 7th 2021 organized by the African Union Commission (AUC). The theme of the 2021 AU Summit was “Arts, Culture and Heritage: Levers for Building Africa We Want”.

Key Highlights of the AU Summit 2021 –

• Objectives –
  • Report on the Institutional Reform of the AU
  • Report on the progress on the African Union response on COVID-19 pandemic in Africa;
  • Elections and appointments of the Leadership of the AU Commission.
• Six new Board Members of the African Union Advisory Board on Corruption have been appointed by the African Union Executive Council ministerial meeting on the 4th of February 2021.

The AU Summit 2020 was marked by the historical African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA).

IAS exam aspirants can refer to the detailed topic-wise UPSC Syllabus at the linked article, and also complement their preparation with the links given below:

Origin of African Union

OAU was established on 25th May 1963, when 32 heads of independent African States signed the OUA Charter in Addis Ababa Ethiopia on May 1963 for the establishment of Organisation of African Unity (OAU). This initiative was taken as a pan-Asian vision for a united and free Africa with a major focus on the freedom, justice, equality and dignity of the African people. The main objective of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) was to eradicate the African states from colonisation and to promote unity and solidarity.

On 9th September 1999, the Heads of State and Government of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) called for the establishment of an African Union through the Sirte Declaration to enable the role of Africa in the global economy. Therefore, the African Union (AU) was officially launched in July 2002 in Durban, South Africa.

Four summits that led to the formation African Union were:

• The Sirte Extraordinary Session (1999) decided to establish an African Union
• The Lome Summit (2000) adopted the Constitutive Act of the Union.
• The Lusaka Summit (2001) drew the road map for the implementation of the AU
• The Durban Summit (2002) launched the AU and convened the 1st Assembly of the Heads of States of the African Union.

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Visions of African Union (AU)

Re-launching of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) as the African Union was done to realise the potential of Africa to fight against colonisation with a major focus towards increased cooperation and integration of African states for economic development.

AU is guided by its vision of a peaceful, prosperous and an integrated Africa representing a dynamic force in the global economy and is driven by its own citizens.

Objectives of African Union (AU)

The objectives of AU were laid by the Constitutive Act of the African Union and the Protocol on Amendments to the Constitutive Act of the African Union.

1. Achieving greater unity and solidarity among the African countries and the people.
2. Defending the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of the 55 Member States.
3. Accelerating the political as well as the socio-economic integrity of the African continent.
4. Promote and defend African common positions on issues of interest to the continent and its peoples
5. Encouraging international cooperation and promoting peace, security, and stability of the continent
6. Promoting the popular participation and governance of the continent including democratic principles and institutions
7. Development and promotion of common policies related to trade, defence and foreign relations strengthening its negotiating positions.
8. Invite and encourage the full participation of the African Diaspora as an important part of our Continent, in the building of the African Union.
9. Protect human rights in accordance with the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
10. To provide sustainable development of the continent at the social, economic and cultural levels.
11. Development of the continent through the advancement in the field of science and technology

African Union- Controlling Bodies

Working of the African Union is implemented by several controlling bodies that are responsible for handling legal and judicial matters, principal decision making and human rights-related issues. To know more, refer to the table below:

The Regional Economic Communities (RECs) and the African Peer Review Mechanism are also key bodies that constitute the structure of the African Union.

African Union (AU)- UPSC Notes:- Download PDF Here

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