The African Union
Commission, Political Affairs, Peace and Security Department (PAPS) through the
African Governance Architecture (AGA) and the African Peace and Security
Architecture (APSA) Secretariat as the Secretariat of the Permanent
Representatives Committee (PRC) Sub Committee on Human Rights, Democracy and
Governance organized a Stakeholders’ Seminar on the African Charter on
Democracy, Elections and Governance (ACDEG) on 26th-27th July
2022 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
The two-day Seminar
was organized as part of the implementation of the 2022 Action Plan of the Sub
Committee on HRDG to expand the discussion on the African Shared Values
particularly on issues of democracy, governance, and human rights as enshrined
in the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance.
This important Seminar
comes following the successful Summit in Malabo in May 2022, which resulted in
a Declaration on Terrorism and Unconstitutional Changes of Government (UCG) in
Africa. The Malabo Declaration called for a recommitment to the
relevant principles, norms and shared values contained in the Constitutive Act,
the Protocol Relating to the Establishment of the PSC and the ACDEG as well as
all other relevant AU instruments.
The
Seminar was recognized as a timely discussion among Members of the PRC
Sub-Committee, which addressed contemporary challenges to Democratic Governance
issues including unconstitutional changes of governments (UCG) which has
affected a number of AU Member States in the recent past.
The
discussions focused on mainly ACDEG in the context of AU Shared values, viewed
the state of democratic governance in Africa with a specific focus on the UCG,
discussed state’s obligations and mechanisms of application under ACDEG,
sharing of lessons learned from ratifying Members of the Sub-Committee on the
role of state institutions and structures in the ratification, domestication,
implementation and reporting on ACDEG.
The
key outcomes and recommendations of the meeting which focused on awareness
raising, popularization and sensitization of the ACDEG recommended by Members
of the Sub Committee; the need for Civic education on ACDEG for formal and
non-formal sectors of education; the need to have an institutional anchor
present in Member States that can lead and facilitate accession/ratification of
instruments.
Finally,
the Seminar welcomed the provision of Technical Assistance from the AUC and
development partners on ratification and reporting, underscored reminders and
nudges on ratification work; called for finding different means to inform
Member States, increase engagement of Non-state actors in the process. The
meeting also discussed the possibility of joint advocacy and popularisation
missions to Member States of the PRC Sub Committee on HRDG to boost accession,
domestication and reporting on ACDEG.
Source: Directorate of Information and
Communication, African Union Commission
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