Key Calls and Declarations Heads of State and Government Declaration on the agenda for social and economic development Declared their commitment to place the African people, in particular women, children and the youth, as well as persons with disabilities, at the centre of our endeavours and to eradicate poverty. In this regard, they undertook to: • Develop human capital through education and training, especially in science, technology and innovation • Eradicate disease, especially HIV/AIDS, Malaria and Tuberculosis, ensure that no African woman dies while giving life, address maternal, infant and child mortality as well as provide universal health care • Preserve arable land for current and future generations, develop rural economies, agricultural production and agro-processing to eradicate hunger and malnutrition, and achieve food security and self-sufficiency • Make their development agenda responsive to the needs of their peoples Heads of State and Government Declaration on peace and security Declared their determination to achieve the goal of a conflict-free Africa, to make peace a reality for all our people and to rid the continent of wars, civil conflicts, human rights violations, humanitarian disasters and violent conflicts, and to prevent genocide. In this regard, they undertook to: • Address the root causes of conflicts including economic and social disparities • Eradicate recurrent and address emerging sources of conflict including piracy, trafficking in narcotics and humans, all forms of extremism, armed rebellions, terrorism, transnational organized crime and new crimes such as cybercrime. • Push forward the agenda of conflict prevention, peacemaking, peace support, national reconciliation and post-conflict reconstruction and development through the African Peace and Security Architecture • Address the plight of internally displaced persons and refugees and eliminate the root causes of this phenomenon by fully implementing continental and universal frameworks Other Important Calls and Declarations from the Summit • Heads of State and Government called on the African Civil Society to continue to play its positive role in promoting peace security and stability as called by the Peace and Security Protocol and requested the AUC to take all necessary steeps to enhance interaction with Civil Society. • AU Commission decided to carry-on a comprehensive staff audit and need assessment for all organs and report back to the Executive council in Jan 2014 • AUC Strategic plan 2014 - 2017 adopted. AU Agenda 2063 to be adopted in June 2014 following consultation of all segments of African society • The 21 st Assembly decided in principle to immediately establish an African Capacity for Immediate Response to Crises to provide the AU to be deployed rapidly to respond to emergency situations From 19 – 27 May 2013, Heads of State and Government, Civil Society Organizations and Media converged on Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to attend the 21st AU Summit, themed "Pan- Africanism and African Renaissance.” The Summit also marked the 50 th anniversary of the founding of the OAU/AU. This report details Save the Children’s involvement in the event and key Summit calls and declarations. For more on this story, contact Franco Wandabwa at [email protected]Contents Pg 1 Key Calls and Declarations Pg 2 Decision on Africa Post 2015 Intergenerational Dialogue on Africa 2063 Agenda Pg 3 Child Rights in Africa in 50 years of the OAU/AU High Level Meeting Pg 4 Securing Africa’s Renaissance: The Role of Africa’s Private Sector Over the Next 50 Years Pg 5 Media Activities Pg 6 Election of New Committee Members Contact Franco Wandabwa Director African Union Liaison Office Save the Children Addis Ababa, Ethiopia +251 11 466 4232 [email protected]
Transcript
Key Calls and Declarations
Heads of State and Government Declaration on the agenda for social and economic development
Declared their commitment to place the African people, in particular women, children and the youth, as well as persons with disabilities, at the centre of our endeavours and to eradicate poverty. In this regard, they undertook to:
• Develop human capital through education and training, especially in science, technology and innovation
• Eradicate disease, especially HIV/AIDS, Malaria and Tuberculosis, ensure that no African woman dies while giving life, address maternal, infant and child mortality as well as provide universal health care
• Preserve arable land for current and future generations, develop rural economies, agricultural production and agro-processing to eradicate hunger and malnutrition, and achieve food security and self-sufficiency
• Make their development agenda responsive to the needs of their peoples
Heads of State and Government Declaration on peace and security
Declared their determination to achieve the goal of a conflict-free Africa, to make peace a reality for all our people and to rid the continent of wars, civil conflicts, human rights violations, humanitarian disasters and violent conflicts, and to prevent genocide. In this regard, they undertook to:
• Address the root causes of conflicts including economic and social disparities • Eradicate recurrent and address emerging sources of conflict including piracy,
trafficking in narcotics and humans, all forms of extremism, armed rebellions, terrorism, transnational organized crime and new crimes such as cybercrime.
• Push forward the agenda of conflict prevention, peacemaking, peace support, national reconciliation and post-conflict reconstruction and development through the African Peace and Security Architecture
• Address the plight of internally displaced persons and refugees and eliminate the root causes of this phenomenon by fully implementing continental and universal frameworks
Other Important Calls and Declarations from the Summit
• Heads of State and Government called on the African Civil Society to continue to play its positive role in promoting peace security and stability as called by the Peace and Security Protocol and requested the AUC to take all necessary steeps to enhance interaction with Civil Society.
• AU Commission decided to carry-on a comprehensive staff audit and need assessment for all organs and report back to the Executive council in Jan 2014
• AUC Strategic plan 2014 - 2017 adopted. AU Agenda 2063 to be adopted in June 2014 following consultation of all segments of African society
• The 21st Assembly decided in principle to immediately establish an African Capacity for Immediate Response to Crises to provide the AU to be deployed rapidly to respond to emergency situations
From 19 – 27 May 2013, Heads of State and
Government, Civil Society Organizations and
Media converged on Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to
attend the 21st AU Summit, themed "Pan-
Africanism and African Renaissance.” The Summit
also marked the 50th anniversary of the founding of
the OAU/AU. This report details Save the
Children’s involvement in the event and key
Summit calls and declarations.
For more on this story, contact Franco Wandabwa at [email protected]
Contents
Pg 1 Key Calls and Declarations
Pg 2 Decision on Africa Post 2015
Intergenerational Dialogue on Africa 2063 Agenda
Pg 3 Child Rights in Africa in 50
years of the OAU/AU High Level Meeting
Pg 4 Securing Africa’s Renaissance:
The Role of Africa’s Private Sector Over the Next 50 Years
At the just concluded 50th Anniversary celebration of the OAU/AU, African Heads of State and Governments appointed H.E Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, the President of the Republic of Liberia as the chair of the High Level Committee which comprises two Heads of State and Government per region. Other heads of states will be appointed at a later date in consultation with Regional Deans (Heads of AU regional diplomatic corps). The Committee of Heads of State and Government has been mandated with sensitising and coordinating activities of African leaders and members of the High Level Panel, and build regional and inter-continental alliances on the African Common Position on the post 2015 development agenda. It was also requested to crystalize and synthesize the African Common Position and ensure that the priorities identified in the said African Common Position are integrated in the New Global Agenda.
What does this mean for SC and our African Post 2015 endeavours?
• Support the drafters of the African Common Position to ensure the goals have specific indicators that are in line with SC key asks around inequality
• Work with other key regional Post 2015 actors including United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), AfDB and AU in strategising for NY UNGA meeting and ensuring voices of African States are integrated in the new global agenda.
For more on this story, contact Franco Wandabwa at [email protected]
Intergenerational Dialogue on Africa 2063 Agenda
Over 300 youths, drawn from the five regions of Africa gathered at the historic Africa Hall in Addis Ababa where the Organization of African Unity (OAU) was established in 1963, to interact with some current and former African Presidents in a face-to-face intergenerational dialogue. Youths that were taking part in the debate clearly outlined their views on the kind of Africa they would want to see in 2063 and their expectation for the wellbeing of the African youths within the present and future context. Representatives of Save the Children attended and participated in the dialogue.
Future Policy Engagement
• Participation and contribution to the ongoing reflections on the Africa 2063 Vision, where we put the issues of Children’s and youths’ rights at the forefront.
• Promoting the linkage between Health, Nutrition and Education as it relates to the formation of a healthy, educated and capable young African labor force for the development of the Continent
• Supporting the work around popularization and implementation of the African Youth Charter at both regional and national level, which SC Country offices can play a role in doing (working directly with youth organization/coalitions in their respective countries)
• Support the Youth Division of the HRST Department in the process of facilitating communication with African leaders and national level engagement on their contributions to the development efforts of their nations.
For more on this story, contact Franco Wandabwa at [email protected]
African Heads of State and Governments appointed H.E Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, the President of the Republic of Liberia as the chair of the High Level Committee (Photo: Reuters)
The Intergenerational Dialogue on the Africa 2063 Agenda took place in the historic Africa Hall
3
Child Rights in Africa in 50 years of the OAU/AU High Level Meeting
23 May 2013, Beshale Hotel, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Children constitute more than half of the population of Africa. To ensure that these children live, survive and develop to their full potential, the African Union has taken great strides in establishing mechanisms that protect and promote children’s rights in Africa, including the African Charter of the Rights and Welfare of Child and the establishment of African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child. Children’s rights are gradually getting onto the political agenda of African States, and as a result children are progressively accessing their rights as outlined in the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child. As the OAU/AU celebrated it’s 50th Anniversary, the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACERWC) together with partners (Save the Children, Plan International and Child Fund) will held a discussion aimed at coming up with suggestions on how to improve the protection and promotion of children’s rights in Africa. Objectives
• Develop policy priorities to inform next African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child strategic plan.
• Discuss how to position children’s issues on the agenda of Member States in Africa.
• Celebrate and discuss what 50 years of the OAU/AU has achieved for children
Save the Children’s Participation
• Ned Olney (Save the Children Ethiopia Country Director) highlighted Save the Children’s priorities for African children over the next 50 years in his opening remarks
• Petronella Mayeya (SCS Thematic Advisor on Child Rights Governance) will spoke on a panel, “Opportunities and challenges in making the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child a reality for children in Africa”
• Save the Children distributed materials with key messages from the Child Rights Governance, Child Protection, and Education, GIs at the meeting.
Outcome
Save the Children and partners published an open letter to African Union Commission Chairperson Dr. Dlamini Zuma. Published in Ethiopia’s Capital newspaper, the letter called on Dr. Dlamini Zuma to influence African Governments to: • Meet the commitments they have made to children under the
regional and international child rights instruments and relevant declarations such as the Dakar Declaration and the Abuja target to allocate 9% of the GDP to education and 15% of their national budgets to health, respectively
• Address with the same commitment and vigour the issues of violence and exploitation against children, with clear and measurable targets for protection
• Honour their reporting obligations as Member States to the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child
The meeting aimed at producing suggestions on how to improve the protection and promotion of child rights in Africa
Dr. Assefa Bequele, Founder of the African Child Policy Forum, served as one of the panelists at the event.
Petronella Mayeya (second from right) of Save the Children Sweden spoke on a panel, “Opportunities and challenges in making the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child a reality for children in Africa”
4
Securing Africa’s Renaissance: The Role of Africa’s Private Sector Over
the Next 50 Years
24 May 2013, UNECA, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Save the Children was invited to be part of a panel discussion on the role of Public Private Partnerships in advancing Innovation. Save the Children was ably represented by Mr. Hussein Halane the Regional Director for East and Southern African. During the Panel discussion Mr. Halane made the following key observations: • After two difficult decades, Africa has enjoyed a period of high,
sustained economic growth. Since the early 2000s, African countries have registered consistent growth rates well above 5 percent on average. African countries have weathered the global economic crisis rather favorably compared with other emerging economies.
• However despite widespread optimism about Africa’s prospects for steady growth amidst a global economic downturn, key challenges remain. Overall, high economic growth rates have not translated into better living standards for Africans
• Mr. Halane made specific reference to Save the Children’s ground breaking State of the World’s Mother’s Reports which clearly highlighted that mothers and babies in Sub Saharan Africa face the greatest risk where the bottom ten countries with the worst case of child death come from Sub Saharan Africa.
• Mr. Halane emphasized the role that the Private Sector can potentially play in addressing pressing social needs and the need for private sector to work with African governments through public private partnerships to meet MDGs 4 and 5. In addition, Mr. Halane emphasized the opportune position Africa is faced with as we look 50 years ahead where private sector can play a strategic and key role in shaping the post 2015 agenda and contributing to social and economic development on the African Continent.
• Mr. Halane encouraged private sector to familiarize and embrace Save the Children’s Child Rights and Business Principles which as part of their core business activities in order to take decisive measures to prevent violations of child rights and avoid actions that might cause or contribute to negative impacts on children’s rights. At the same time businesses are encouraged to actively promote and safeguard children’s rights, turning private sector into a positive beneficial force for children
Way Forward
Save the Children through the Child Rights and Business Principles Program and TA will publicize and build the capacity of CSOs and country staff on the application of the 10 Child Rights and Business Principles. A number of networks were forged with private sector companies during the conference which Save the Children will follow up on.
East Africa Regional Director Hussein Halane spoke on the role of the private sector in advancing child rights
Panel discussion on the role of Public Private Partnerships in advancing Innovation
5
Media Activities
Objectives
• Ensure Save the Children key policy asks ahead of the Summit are highlighted in both local and international mainstream and social media
• Pitch Save the Children as the leading global voice on issues of children in leading up to and during the Summit
Activities
• Ahead of the AU Summit the East Africa Regional Media and Advocacy Manager pitched a story to The East African on State of the World Mother’s Report to profile an evidence report from Save the Children within the region and set up our key messages for the summit
• A press briefing at the summit was organized on Wednesday 23rd May to set out Save the Children’s key ask that African leaders present increase their efforts to tackle child mortality in the continent.
• A press release together with a 4-page briefing and the State of the World’s Mothers report were distributed at the summit and to regional media.
• Carried out engagement and pitching to different media houses at the African Union Summit media center and on sidelines in order to raise the profile of the work we do as an organization
• A blog from the East African Regional Director was prepared in advance of the summit and pitched to media houses including the East African. The blog was published on the Save the Children website. In addition a suggested tweet sheet was developed and circulated to country offices.
• At the African Business conference we secured the agreement of MultiChoice - a leading Cable TV station in Africa –to record the session the Regional Director was participating in.
• Following the conference on Child Rights, Save the Children led the orgnisation of an open letter from a number of CSOs calling on the AU Chairperson person to put children at the centre of the next 50 years of the AU.
• Another press release was prepared to respond to the expected announcement of a new African Post-2015 commission. However, the announcement has been deferred so the press release has yet to be issued.
Outcomes
Save the Children’s key EVERY ONE asks highlighted through: • The East African - regional newspaper published the story
week (18th- 24th May 2013) • Half page article following the press briefing appeared in
Capital, one of Ethiopia’s leading newspapers • Blog and press release appeared on the All Africa website
(http://allafrica.com/stories/201305271251.html) • Media interview given to Al Jazeera, CCTV, BBC East Africa
and several other Ethiopian print and broadcast outlets (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dlPlA8OLIrI)
• A media house within the media center, hosted Franco Wandabwa for a longer interview on 25th May 2013; TVContinental (TVC) in Nigeria.
• Open letter from CSOs appeared in the Ethiopian Reporter
A press conference delivered by Save the Children International East Africa Regional Director Hussein Halane was covered in Capital, one of Ethiopia’s leading newspapers
Save the Children and partners called on the AUC Chairperson to put children at the centre of the next 50 years of the AU in an open letter published in leading Ethiopian newspaper the Reporter
For more on this story, contact Elizabeth Muiruri at [email protected]
6
Election of New Committee Members
The African Union has nominated the following candidates to replace the outgoing Members of the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACERWC) and the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights (ACHPR):
African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACERWC)
• Ms. Azza Ashmawy (Egypt)
• Ms. Suzanne Aho-Assouma (Togo)
• Ms. Sidikou Aissatou Alassane Moulaye (Niger)
• Mr. Joseph Ndayisenga (Burundi)
African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR)
• Ms. Lucy Asuagbor (Cameroon)
• Ms. Soyata Maiga (Mali)
• Mr. Lawrence Murugu Mute (Kenya)
• Mr. Yeung Kam John Yeung Sik Yuen (Mauritius)
•
Save the Children welcomes the new Committee members to office and look forward to working with them in advancing the rights of children in Africa.
For more on this story, contact Franco Wandabwa at [email protected]
