From: CCP - African Union <aucitizens@yahoo.com>
Date: 2010/4/12
Subject: [African Citizens] Note on Training on "Understanding the African Union'' 7 – 9 April 2010, Kampala, Uganda
To: africancitizens@yahoogroups.com
Training on "Understanding the African Union''
7 – 9 April 2010, Kampala, Uganda
On 7-9 April 2010, fifty participants from all the five geographical region of Africa attended the training on "Understanding the AU", organised by the African Union Commission in collaboration with the Pan African Movement and Oxfam International in Kampala, Uganda.
Within the different sessions, panelists drawn from the African Union Commission (Cabinet of the Chairperson, Legal Department, CIDO), ECOSOC, Oxfam International, Save The Children and the Darfur Consortium made presentations on the following issues:
• Origin, growth and development of the AU system-its issues, problems and challenges
• AU policy and decision making processes
• Overview of the AUC- its internal reforms, vision, mission, mandate and strategic plan
• About the Economic, Social and Cultural Council (ECOSOCC) of the AU
• Strengthening popular participation-Guide to AU Structures and Processes and CSOs Entry Points
• Accreditation for the Biannual Ordinary Summits and Pre-Summit
• Advancing CSOs agenda within the AU, challenges and opportunities
National media widely covered the training and Certificate of participation co-signed by the AU Commission, Oxfam and the Pan Africa Movement was given to each participant.
It was agreed that this training would be systematically held biannually every year whereby one would be an all encompassing training on the AU structures and processes while the other would focus on a specific organ of the AU. In addition, it was also decided that a special session on the ongoing integration process will be organised.
Furthermore, Fahamu/AU Monitor has been commissioned to lead on the designing and the drafting of a training Manual to be used for further trainings. Also, participants from Burundi, Ethiopia, Ghana, Malawi and Nigeria, have expressed their interest in organising national activities to sensitise their respective countries and spread their knowledge of the AU and to that effect have invited organisers to support them in their endeavours.
