AU Weekly March 17 24

AU WEEKLY

17-24 March , 2014 AU WEEKLY

…keeping you updated @Oxfam_AU Oxfam

Oxfam International Liaison Office with the African Union: OI-AU

In this issue

PEACE AND SECURITY South Sudan talks fail to resume South Sudan warring parties failed to resume planned peace talks on Thursday 20th March.

Rebel spokesman Yohannis Musa Pouk told the Media in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, where the talks were scheduled to have restarted that the blame was on South Sudan government side.

On the other hand, the government has repeatedly said it is committed to the peace process and has in turn accused the rebels of violating a January ceasefire.

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South Sudan talks fail to resume

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PSC Revises Formula,

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The CAR International Contact Group holds 4th Meeting

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EU President discusses Somalia, South Sudan, CAR

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African political parties offer to mediate in conflicts

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African Diaspora remittances better than foreign aid

Livingstone

However, the IGAD mediation team are said to have confirmed that the talks will resume soon but did not provide a date. The talks are aimed at ending over three months of fighting that has already killed thousands and forced nearly one million people from their homes. Both sides signed a ceasefire agreement which they have both repeatedly violated.

PSC Revises Livingstone Formula, This week, the AUC published the Final Conclusions of the PSC retreat on Enhancing the Implementation of the Livingstone Formula for Interaction. Adopted during the PSC 421st Meeting held on 5th March 2014, the Maseru Conclusions were drawn at PSC Retreat held in Maseru, Kingdom of Lesotho from 22nd to 23rd February, 2014 to review progress, challenges and opportunities in the implementation of the Livingston Formula.

Further Reading: http://www.naharnet. com/stories/en/123268-s-sudan-peacetalks-stalled-despite-sanction-threats

The PSC Retreat, received recommendations from representatives of CSOs who held an independent consultative forum in Maseru prior to the Retreat.

The Maseru Retreat was held in line with Article 20 of the Protocol Relating to the Establishment of the African Union (AU) Peace and Security Council (2004) and the AU PSC adopted a mechanism for interaction with CSOs in Livingstone,

Zambia in 2008, which encourages non-governmental organizations, community based organizations and other civil society organizations to participate actively in the efforts aimed at promoting peace, security and stability in Africa and provides a mechanism for interaction between the PSC and CSOs. The need for review of progress on the implementation of the Livingstone formula was a collective realisation by both

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CSOs and the PSC that interaction between them had not fully exhausted all the opportunities outlined in the Formula, while highlighting a number of deficiencies.

The Maseru Conclusions have recognised the role of the AUC PSC Secretariat in facilitating interaction between the PSC and

CSOs. The Conclusions also provide that a data base of CSOs working on peace and security be developed by AUC Citizens and Diaspora Directorate (CIDO) together with the PSC Secretariat.

CSOs can now be invited to the PSC and Permanent Representatives Council meetings as observers while

the AUC Chairperson will work with the PSC Secretariat to organise the Annual meeting between the PSC and CSOs.

Further reading: http://issuu.com/85991/ docs/maseru_ conclusion_eng

The CAR International Contact Group holds 4th Meeting The International Contact Group on the Central African Republic (ICG-CAR) held its fourth meeting in Brazzaville, on Friday, 21 March 2014, under the co-chairmanship of Mr. Basile Ikouebe, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of the

Republic of the Congo, and Ambassador Sma誰l Chergui, Commissioner for Peace and Security of the African Union (AU). The Meeting stressed on the necessity and urgency of more sustained efforts regarding the reform of the defense and security sector

and the programme for disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR).

Further reading: http://www.peaceau. org/uploads/auc. conclusions.4th-mtg.icg. car.pdf

AMISOM and Somali National Army capture town from Al-Shabaab On 22nd March 2014, Somali National Army backed by African Union forces captured the key town of Qoryooley in Lower Shabelle. Located 120 kilometers Southwest of Mogadishu, Qoryooley has been under the brutal

rule of the terrorists for five and have helped the Somali years. Since the UN Security government by providing Council boosted AMISOM a secure environment and troop numbers to over recovering more territory, as 22,000, the forces who are well as ensuring law, order working closely with Somali and justice.

National Army have been `Further Reading: http:// expanding to new areas www.peaceau.org/en/

PSC requests Quarterly Reports on National Elections The AU PSC has requested

continent. This request was

the Department of Political

made following a briefing

Affairs of the African Union

from Political Affairs and

Commission (AUC) to make

country representatives on

quarterly briefings on national

upcoming national elections

elections in Africa to the PSC

in Guinea Bissau, Algeria,

as part of AU efforts towards

Malawi and South Africa.

conflict prevention on the

The Council encouraged the

article/amisom-and-somalinational-army-captureqoryooley#sthash.nUOK1TBU. dpuf Commission to deploy both long-term and short term

Election observer missions in countries holding elections and to mobilize necessary resources to this end.

` Further reading: http://www.peaceau.org/uploads/424th-

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ECONOMIC AFFAIRS AND LIVELIHOODS

AU WEEKLY

African leaders asked to recommit to CAADP The 10th Comprehensive AfricaAgriculture Development Programme (CAADP) Partnership Platform opened in Durban, South Africa, on March 19 with a call to African Heads of State and government to enhance their ownership and commitment to CAADP. CAADP is the African Union and NEPAD

structure for African countries to accelerate economic growth, eliminate hunger, reduce poverty and enhance food and nutrition security, through agriculture-led development. To date, 50 out of 54 countries in Africa are using the CAADP structure in agricultural planning.

Further reading: http://pages.au.int/ caadpyoa/events/10thcaadppartnershipplatform-meeting

CAADP Awards Africa’s top agricultural journalists Zambia’s Sitembile Siwawa,

conference in Durban, South

farmers, NGOs and civil

Idrissa Konditamdé of Burkina

Africa, on 20th March 2014.

society organizations

Faso, Sengal’s Ibrahima

The media awards were announced at the CAADP

to discuss and develop

Platform Meeting, which

for scaling agricultural

Diallo and Richard Katami Bwayo of Uganda emerged winners of CAADP Media Awards during the 10th Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development (CAADP) Partnership Platform

brought together African

concrete investment plans

and global leaders, African

development Africa.

success

in

governments including

“The media have a significant

ministers, private agribusiness

role to play in telling the

firms, financial institutions,

CAADP story and ensuring

Further reading: http://pages.au.int/sites/default/ files/CAADP_PP_Press_

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UPCOMING EVENTS DATE

EVENT

VENUE

DEPARTMENT

AU Conference of Ministers of Economy and Finance March 24-31

Theme: “Industrialization for Inclusive and Transformative Development in Africa”

CONTACT

Director of Economic Affairs Dr René N’guettia Kouassi Abuja, Nigeria

Economic Affairs

Tel.: (251) 11-551 77 00 Ext 192 Fax : (251) 11-551 78 44 E-mail: deconomic@ africaunion.org

Directorate of Social Affairs

March 28

High-Level Panel Discussion: “Towards Eliminating Child Stunting for Inclusive and Sustainable Development in Africa”

Dr. Olawale I. Maiyegun P.O.Box 3243 The Transcorp Hilton, Abuja, Nigeria

Social Affairs

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Tel Off: (+251) 115 51 77 00 Ext 300 Director(+251) 115 51 35 22 Email: MaiyegunO@ africaunion.org

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