HANDBOOK 2021

1 AFRICAN UNION HANDBOOK 2021A GUIDE FOR THOSE WORKING WITH AND WITHIN THE AFRICAN UNIONAFRICAN UNION HANDBOOK 2021 First published in 2014 and reprinted annually as a revised editionEighth edition African Union Commission and New Zealand Crown Copyright Reserved 2021 ISSN: 2350-3319 (Print) ISSN: 2350-3335 (Online)ISBN: 978-92-95119-56-7 (Print) ISBN: 978-92-95119-55-0 (Online)Jointly published by the African Union Commission and New Zealand ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade/Manat AorereAfrican Union Commission PO Box 3243 Roosevelt Street (Old Airport Area), W21K19, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Website: Email: of Foreign Affairs and Trade/Manat Aorere Private Bag 18 901, Wellington, New Zealand Website: Email: African Union HANDBOOK mobile app is available free from the Play Store (Android) or Apple Store (iOS). A PDF version of this book is available on the African Union website and the New Zealand ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade website African Union Commission (AUC) and New Zealand ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) shall not be under any liability to any person or organisation in respect of any loss or damage (including consequential loss or damage), however caused, which may be incurred or which arises directly or indirectly from reliance on information in this book is copyright.

2 Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study, research or review, no part may be reproduced or distributed by any process without the written permission of the publishers. Any redistribution or reproduction of part or all in any form is prohibited. You may not, except with AUC s express written permission, copy, reproduce, distribute or exploit the content. Nor may you transmit it or store it in any other website or other form of electronic retrieval system. Cover design and page 9 photo: African Union Commission Information and Communication STATES ..5 FOREWORDS ..7By the Chairperson of the African Union ..7By the Chairperson of the African Union Commission ..9By the New Zealand Minister of Foreign Affairs..11 AFRICAN UNION STRUCTURE ..12 AFRICAN UNION COMMISSION STRUCTURE..13 WHAT THIS BOOK DOES..14 INTRODUCTION ..15 ASSEMBLY OF HEADS OF STATE AND GOVERNMENT ..32 EXECUTIVE COUNCIL..42 PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVES COMMITTEE.

3 50 SPECIALISED TECHNICAL COMMITTEES..66 PEACE AND SECURITY COUNCIL ..74 African Peace and Security Architecture ..79 AFRICAN UNION COMMISSION ..94 Chairperson..95 Deputy Chairperson ..95 Commissioners ..96 AUC Organisational Structure ..97 Permanent Representational and Specialised Offices ..111 Special Representative and Liaison Offices ..112 High Representatives, Special Envoys and Special Representatives of the Chairperson of the AU Commission ..115 Other PARLIAMENT ..120 ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL COUNCIL ..126 JUDICIAL, HUMAN RIGHTS AND LEGAL ORGANS AND BODIES ..130 African Commission on Human and Peoples Rights ..130 African Court on Human and Peoples Rights ..132 African Court of Justice/African Court of Justice and Human Rights ..134AU Commission on International Advisory Board on Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child ..1394 FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS ..144 African Central Investment Bank ..144 African Monetary Fund.

4 145 AFRICAN PEER REVIEW MECHANISM ..148 REGIONAL ECONOMIC ..152 SPECIALISED AND TECHNICAL AGENCIES, TREATY BODIES AND OTHER INSTITUTIONS ..168 Trade and Economic , Human Resources, Science and Technology ..171 Energy and Infrastructure Bodies ..177 Rural Economy and Agriculture Bodies ..185 Security Affairs Bodies ..193 Other WITH THE between the African Union and the United Nations ..202 African Development Bank (AfDB) Group ..206 Other Partnerships ..209 BUDGET AND SCALE OF ASSESSMENT ..214 ACRONYMS ..244 INDEX ..2545 MEMBER STATESNote1 Some Member State names have changed since joining the OAU or Union Member State names and abbreviationsThe full names on the left in the following list are the official names of Member The abbreviations are the names used in this HANDBOOK . The list also shows the date of joining the African Union (AU) or its predecessor, the Organization of African Unity (OAU).Member StateAbbreviationDate of joining the OAU or AUPeople s Democratic republic of AlgeriaAlgeria25 May 1963 republic of AngolaAngola11 February 1975 republic of BeninBenin25 May 1963 republic of BotswanaBotswana31 October 1966 Burkina FasoBurkina Faso25 May 1963 republic of BurundiBurundi25 May 1963 republic of Cabo VerdeCabo Verde18 July 1975 republic of CameroonCameroon25 May 1963 Central African RepublicCentral African republic 25 May 1963 republic of ChadChad25 May 1963 Union of the ComorosComoros18 July 1975 republic of the CongoCongo Republic25 May 1963 republic of C te d IvoireC te d Ivoire25 May 1963 Democratic republic of CongoDR Congo25 May 1963 republic of DjiboutiDjibouti27 June 1977 Arab republic of EgyptEgypt25 May 1963 republic of Equatorial GuineaEquatorial Guinea12 October 1968 State of EritreaEritrea24 May 1993 Kingdom of EswatiniEswatini24 September 1968 Federal Democratic republic of EthiopiaEthiopia25 May

5 1963 Gabonese RepublicGabon25 May 1963 republic of the GambiaGambia9 March 1965 republic of GhanaGhana25 May 1963 republic of GuineaGuinea25 May 1963 republic of Guinea-BissauGuinea-Bissau19 November 1973 republic of KenyaKenya13 December 1963 Kingdom of LesothoLesotho31 October 1966 republic of LiberiaLiberia25 May 1963 LibyaLibya25 May 1963 republic of MadagascarMadagascar25 May 1963 republic of MalawiMalawi13 July 19646 republic of MaliMali25 May 1963 Islamic republic of MauritaniaMauritania25 May 1963 republic of MauritiusMauritiusAugust 1968 Kingdom of Morocco2 Morocco1963/31 January 2017 republic of MozambiqueMozambique18 July 1975 republic of NamibiaNamibiaJune 1990 republic of NigerNiger25 May 1963 Federal republic of NigeriaNigeria25 May 1963 republic of RwandaRwanda25 May 1963 Sahrawi Arab Democratic RepublicSahrawi Republic22 February 1982 Democratic republic of S o Tom and Pr ncipeS o Tom and Pr ncipe18 July 1975 republic of SenegalSenegal25 May 1963 republic of SeychellesSeychelles29 June 1976 republic of Sierra LeoneSierra Leone25 May 1963 Federal republic of SomaliaSomalia25 May 1963 republic of South AfricaSouth Africa6 June 1994 republic of South SudanSouth Sudan27 July 2011 republic of the SudanSudan25 May 1963 Togolese RepublicTo g o25 May 1963 republic of TunisiaTunisia25 May 1963 republic of UgandaUganda25 May 1963 United republic of TanzaniaTanzania25 May 1963 republic of ZambiaZambia16 December 1964 republic of ZimbabweZimbabwe18 June 1980 Other commonly used abbreviationsAU African UnionAUC African Union CommissionAssembly AU Assembly of Heads of State and Government (unless otherwise specified)Commission AU Commission (unless otherwise specified)

6 Continent Continent and islands of AfricaOAU Organization of African UnityPRC AU Permanent Representatives CommitteePSC AU Peace and Security CouncilRECs Regional Economic CommunitiesRMs Regional MechanismsUN United NationsA full list of acronyms is available at the end of this Morocco left the AU s predecessor, the OAU, in 1984. In September 2016, Morocco officially submitted a request to accede to the AU Constitutive Act and become a member of the Union. The AU Assembly decided at its 28th Ordinary Session in January 2017 to admit Morocco as a new Member State (Assembly/ (XXVIII)). Morocco deposited its instrument of accession to the Constitutive Act on 31 January THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE AFRICAN UNIONI am delighted to write this foreword as we begin a new year and as we look forward to the promise of a better am heartened by the solidarity among African countries in the face of the substantial challenges that we must confront.

7 We continue to stand together in advancing our Agenda 2063 priority action plans. As part of these plans, we are working towards improved health , social welfare and economic growth, human development, boosting agricultural productivity, creating opportunities for our youth, gender equality, good governance, promoting peace and security, and investing in innovative technologies and we look back at the year 2020, we can take pride in the collaborative efforts of governments and citizens to confront and overcome the COVID-19 by day, across our continent, we worked together in unity to save lives and support the vulnerable. Collectively we came up with solutions; we adapted, reorganised and adopted new ways of doing business and living our implemented a Joint Continental Strategy for COVID-19 through the establishment of the Africa Taskforce on Coronavirus. We undertook important initiatives such as the establishment of the African Union COVID-19 Response Fund and the launch of the Africa Medical Supplies Platform.

8 We engaged with international financial institutions and donor partners to support African efforts on easing debt so as to mitigate against the economic effects caused by the is through the unity and resilience of the people of Africa that we were able to endure the pandemic and its effects in 2020, and that will ensure we make further progress in 2021. Together, we will implement the largest vaccination campaign in our continent s history, as we continue to take all the necessary health precautions, such as wearing masks, social distancing, quarantining and seeking early medical treatment, as advised by our health 2020 we continued in our efforts to Silence the Guns in Africa. Peace and stability are necessary for achieving the socio-economic goals of our Member States and creating the conducive environment for our citizens to thrive. In the spirit of Africa taking charge of its destiny and proposing African solutions to African issues, we ensured that, as a Union, we were at the forefront of addressing the various challenges to peace and security on the continent.

9 We employed the structures of the African Union, including the Regional Economic Communities, to mediate in conflict resolution and seek diplomatic solutions to focused on improving the situation of African women and girls. With the declaration of the years 2020 to 2030 as the new Decade of Women s Financial and Economic Inclusion, African leaders made a commitment to actions for progressive gender inclusion towards sustainable we look towards 2021, I am heartened by the great promise of a better future for year sees the start of trading under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), one of the flagship projects of Agenda 2063. This economic trading zone is a pillar for building the future we want. Beyond enhancing trade between African countries, the AfCFTA will encourage countries to dedicate national resources towards improving their areas of specialisation. This will enhance their competitiveness, and the expected boost in manufacturing and related services will promote industrialisation, create employment and reduce dependence on manufactured goods imported into the continent.

10 The AfCFTA should free Africa from being a raw material supplier to the rest of the world and enable it to become a region that actively participates in world trade as a producer of goods and is the year in which we spotlight Africa s vast and dynamic culture under the 2021 annual theme of Year of Arts, Culture and Heritage: Levers for Building the Africa We Want. We will work with citizens and other stakeholders to ensure the necessary policies and investments are put in place to position the creative and cultural industries as catalysts for socio-economic development and African wish to thank our development partners who support our various programmes. In particular, I wish to commend the Government of New Zealand for its continued support to the African Union Directorate of Information and Communication in the publication of this annual HANDBOOK , which is a key resource on the mandate and work of the African Union, its organs and a Union, we look forward to 2021 and working together to realise our goals for sustainable and inclusive growth and development as envisioned in Africa s strategic development framework, Agenda wish you the very best of the New Mr Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa PRESIDENT OF THE republic OF SOUTH AFRICA CHAIRPERSON OF THE AFRICAN UNION FEBRUARY 2020 TO FEBRUARY 20219 FOREWORDBY THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE AFRICAN UNION COMMISSIONWarm greetings from the African Union work of the African Union under Agenda 2063 is to drive continental prosperity, peace and unity.