 "G20 Summit New Delhi: What is the African Union, newest member of the G20?")
During the ongoing G20 Summit in New Delhi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared that the African Union (AU) had been granted permanent membership in the Group of 20 largest economies (G20) worldwide.
This marked the AU's accession as a new member of this prominent global organisation.
The African Union (AU) is a continental union of 55 member states from the African continent. On May 26, 2001, the AU was announced in the Sirte Declaration in Sirte, Libya, calling for establishing the African Union. The bloc was founded on May 26, 2001, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and launched on July 9, 2002, in Durban, South Africa.
Headquartered at Addis Ababa, the aim of the AU was to replace the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), which was disbanded on July 9, 2002. The important decisions of the AU are taken by the Assembly of the African Union, a semi-annual meeting of the heads of state and government of member states.
Objectives of the AU
-To achieve greater unity, cohesion and solidarity between African countries
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-To defend the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and independence of its member states
-To promote peace, security, and stability on the continent
-To protect human rights in accordance with the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights and other relevant human rights instruments
-To promote cooperation in all fields of human activity to raise living standards; and to work with relevant international partners in the eradication of preventable diseases
Composition of the AU
The highest decision-making body, the Assembly of the African Union, is chaired by Felix Tshisekedi, the President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The AU has a representative body, the Pan-African Parliament, with 265 members elected by the national legislatures of the AU member states. The president of the Pan-African Parliament is Roger Nkodo Dang.
Political institutions of the AU:
-Executive Council
-Permanent Representatives Committee
-Economic, Social, and Cultural Council (ECOSOCC), a civil society consultative body
-AU Commission, the secretariat to the political structures
Other AU structures are hosted by different member states:
-African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights (Based in Banjul, Gambia)
-New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD), the APRM Secretariats and the Pan-African Parliament (based in Midrand, South Africa)
Chairperson of the AU
The Chairperson of the AU is Azali Assoumani. He is the ceremonial head elected by the Assembly of Heads of State and Government for a one-year term. He assumed the post on February 18, 2023
A candidate for the position of chairperson must be selected by consensus or at least a two-thirds majority vote by the member states.
In 2002, South African President Thabo Mbeki was the inaugural chairman of the union. The post rotates annually amongst the five geographic regions of Africa, and it follows an order: East, North, Southern, Central and West Africa.
Member countries
Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso (suspended), Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gabon (suspended), Gambia, Ghana, Guinea (suspended), Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali (suspended), Mauritania, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger (suspended), Nigeria, Rwanda, Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, Sao Tome and Príncipe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan (suspended), Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
Observers
Haiti, Israel (suspended), Kazakhstan, Latvia, Mexico, Palestine, Serbia, Turkey, Ukraine, and the United Arab Emirates.