Explained: What Is African Union And What Is Its Importance

The African Union's (AU) Peace and Security Council (PSC) will be chaired by the Republic of Cameroon in May 2022. During this time, Cameroon will be able to hold 10 significant meetings where important issues will be discovered.

According to the statement released by PSC, the meetings would focus on "governance and security challenges in the continent, namely, unconstitutional changes of government, humanitarian crises, and terrorism."

The Cameroon Chairship will take place in the context of the African Union's Extraordinary Summit, which will actually happen on May 28, 2022. The focus of the summit will be on the continent's governance and security concerns.

The African Union: Vision and Functions

AP

The African Union (AU) is a continental organisation made up of the 55 countries that make up the African continent. It was established in 2002 as a replacement for the Organisation of African Unity Unit.

The AU is guided by its vision of "an Integrated, Prosperous, and Peaceful Africa, driven by its own citizens and representing a dynamic force in the global arena."

The AU aims to achieve greater unity and solidarity between African countries and their people; defend the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and independence of its member states; promote democratic principles and institutions; popular participation and good governance; ensure the effective participation of women in decision-making, particularly in the political, economic, and socio-cultural areas; and encourage international cooperation.

AU peacekeepers have served in Burundi, and AU ceasefire monitors have served in the western Sudanese region of Darfur. An AU force has also been deployed in Somalia since March 2007.

AU's Peace and Security Council

The African Union

The African Union's Peace and Security Council (PSC) is the organisation's permanent decision-making body for conflict prevention, management, and resolution. It is a collective security and early warning system designed to help African countries respond quickly and effectively to conflict and disaster circumstances.

It's also a crucial component of the African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA), the continent's framework for achieving peace, security, and stability. The Protocol Relating to the Establishment of the Peace and Security Council was adopted on July 9th, 2002 in Durban, South Africa, and entered into force in December 2003.

The PSC became fully operational in early 2004. The PSC has powers to undertake peace-making and peacebuilding functions to resolve conflicts where they have occurred and institute sanctions whenever an unconstitutional change of government takes place in a member state.

The recent achievements of African Union

Reuters

The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCTFA), which had been in the works for nearly two years, was ultimately launched in 2020. According to the World Bank, the AfCTFA will create the world's largest free trade area, with 1.3 billion people connected. AfCTFA's success has the ability to lift 30 million people out of poverty.

The AU has been actively involved in peace negotiations in perpetually war-torn regions such as Libya. The African Union also pushed for a 10-year continental proclamation on gender equality and women's empowerment, which was implemented in February 2020.

This proclamation commits African leaders to work on gender equality in the pursuit of sustainable development at the national, regional, and continental levels.

References

About the African Union. (n.d.). African Union. Retrieved May 16, 2022.

Cameroon takes over as chair of AU's Peace and Security Council. (2022, May 5). Africanews. Retrieved May 16, 2022.

5 Great Things the African Union Has Achieved This Year. (2021, February 4). Global Citizen. Retrieved May 16, 2022.

The Peace & Security Council. (n.d.). African Union. Retrieved May 16, 2022.

Profile: African Union. (2017, August 24). BBC. Retrieved May 16, 2022.