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General Events

Journalist Database Management System

(JDMS) Launched

China Ambassador to the AU presents cre-

dentials

Citizenship & Governance: Oxfam Delegation

briefed by the African Union Commission

Social Justice

2nd International Youth Conference on African Diplomacy

African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights (AfCHPR) 36th Session to Adopt Reports

African Union Celebrated the 7th Africa Healthy Lifestyle

Peace and Security

Enhancing AU Peace and Security Council (AUPSC) and the UN Security Council (UNSC) cooperation

Others

Mbeki Meets Nigerian Stakeholders Ahead of Elections

Gender Justice

AUC Chairperson Acknowledges Women’s Fight for Rights in Africa

Africa’s Young Women & Girls in Leadership 59th Session of UN – Commission on Status

of Women (CSW)

Understanding the AU

Directorate of Communication and Infor-mation

Upcoming Events

18th COMESA Summit 11th CAADP Partnership Platform Women in Parliaments summit Regional Consultation towards the 3rd

International Conference on FFD The 8th Joint Annual Meetings of the Af-

rican Union Specialized Technical Com-mittee

Africa Climate Resilient Infrastructure Summit (ACRIS)

AU-Weekly Published by Oxfam Liaison Office to the AU

March 17th

, 2015

HIGHLIGHTS

...keeping you updated

Disclaimer: Any views or articles presented in this email are solely those of the media source and do not represent those of the African Union

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Journalist Database Management

System (JDMS) Launched

On Monday 9th March 2015, the African Union Commission (AUC) through the Directorate of Information and Communication (DIC) launched its Journalist Database Manage-ment System (JDMS) http://media.au.int, in-tended to help in keeping profiles of Journal-ists who communicates with the African Union Commission. This centralized data collection system will in-troduce specific and a more efficient way of notifying events and distributing periodic as well as extraordinary publications to member journalists and other partners. Prospective members; Journalist/media are required to fill and submit the form online through the link: http://media.au.int/index.php/registration. Further reading: http://www.au.int/en/

content/african-union-commission-launches-

journalist-database-management-system-jdms

General Events

AU-Weekly Published by Oxfam Liaison Office to the AU

AU WEEKLY

China Ambassador to the AU presents credentials Newly appointed China Ambassador to the AU, H.E. Mr. Kuang Weilin, presented his letter of cre-dence to the AUC Chairperson, Dr. Dlamini Zuma on March 13th 2015. China is the second country after the US to establish a dedicated mission and appoint an Ambassador to the African Union. In January 2015, China signed an MoU with the AU on the margins of the 24th AU Summit of Heads of State and Government. The MoU will allow the construction of railways, airways, highways and industralisation to accelerate Africa’s integration within the framework of Agenda 2063. Further reading: http://cpauc.au.int/en/content/

credentials-presentation-newly-appointed-

china-ambassador-au-and-media-briefing

Citizenship & Governance: Oxfam Dele-gation briefed by the African Union Commission The African Union Commission (AUC) organised a guided tour of the AU for an Oxfam delegation, comprising of staff from across the confederation working on Citizenship & Governance. The AU briefed the delegates on its policies and work on citizens' participation at the continental level and on conflict prevention, through the Continental Early Warning System tools of the Peace and Se-curity Situation Room. The visit to the AU was part of the launch of Oxfam's Knowledge Hub on Governance & Active Citizenship and the Confed-eration’s global learning event on the issue, held in Addis Ababa. 54 Oxfam staff across affiliates from 30 countries operating in 4 continents par-ticipated in this programme.

For Further Reading: http://www.au.int/en/

content/oxfam-international-officials-visit-african-

union-headquarters

Credit: AUC

Disclaimer: Any views or articles presented in this email are solely those of the media source and do not represent those of the African Union

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African Court on Human and Peo-ples’ Rights (AfCHPR) 36th Session to Adopt Reports The 36th Ordinary Session of AfCHPR opened

on March 9th 2015 and will run till March 27th

2015 in Arusha, the United Republic of Tanza-

nia. During this session, Judges, will adopt re-

ports of the previous two Ordinary Sessions

and deliberate on applications before the

Court. There will be visits to the International

Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) and

briefings on the Residual Mechanism for Inter-

national Criminal Tribunals (MICT).

Further reading: www.african-court.org.

http://www.au.int/en/content/african-court-

human-and-peoples-rights-begins-36th-

ordinary-session-arusha-9-march-2015

Social Justice

AU-Weekly Published by Oxfam Liaison Office to the AU

AU WEEKLY

2nd International Youth Conference on African Diplomacy Organized by the AUC Department of Human Re-

sources Science and Technology (HRST) and the

African Model United Nations (Afro-MUN), the Af-

rican Model United Nations International Youth

Conference was convened on March 5th 2015 at

the African Union (AU) under the theme: “African

Diplomacy on multiple fronts”. Participants in-

volved university students from different African

countries.

The event provided an opportunity for upcoming

youth leaders to deliberate on issues pertinent to

Africa and its future and enabled young people to

understand high level decision making processes

that would enable them to explore concrete solu-

tions to the overarching challenges on the conti-

nent.

Further reading: http://hrst.au.int/en/content/2nd

-africa-model-united-nations-international-youth-

conference-opens-african-union-headqua-0

Credit: AUC

Disclaimer: Any views or articles presented in this email are solely those of the media source and do not represent those of the African Union

African Union Celebrated the 7th Afri-ca Healthy Lifestyle In collaboration with the Department of Social Affairs and other stakeholders, the African Un-ion Medical Services Directorate commemo-rated the 7th Africa Healthy Lifestyle Day on March 12, 2015 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia un-der the theme “Tobacco-free environment start with you”. This event called for preven-tion and control of non-communicable diseas-es through awareness raising and communica-tion activities. The Deputy Chairperson of the African Union Commission, H.E Erastus Mwencha in his opening remark emphasized the necessity for Africa to protect human resources. Further reading: http://sa.au.int/en/content/african-union-celebrates-7th-africa-healthy-lifestyle-day-under-theme-%E2%80%9Ctobacco-free-environm

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AUC Chairperson Acknowledges Women’s Fight for Rights in Africa The International Women’s Day (IWD) was cel-ebrated globally on March 8th 2015 to highlight the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action in realizing women's rights. The African Union commemorated this day under the theme "Year of Women’s Empowerment and Devel-opment towards Africa’s Agenda 2063." H.E. Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma AUC Chair-person during the event praised women for their fight for rights throughout the past cen-turies. She also emphasize the need to high-light the economic, political and social achievements of women worldwide as well as challenges faced in recognizing and protecting women’s rights. She called for effective joint and determined efforts by all stakeholders in implementing the theme with focus on women's health, Quality education, Peace and security, Agriculture and Economic empowerment of women Further reading: http://cpauc.au.int/en/content/statement-dr-nkosazana-dlamini-zuma-chairperson-african-union-commission-occasion-celebratio

Gender Justice

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AU WEEKLY

Africa’s Young Women & Girls in Lead-ership In cooperation with the African Union and other partners, the UN Office of the Special Adviser on Africa (OSAA) on the occasion of the 59th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women on March 11th 2015, in New York, organized a High-Level Side Event on the theme: “Ensuring the Emerging Leadership of Africa’s Young Women & Girls Towards Agenda 2063’’. The purpose of this event was to reach concrete recommendations on how the African Union and United Nations (UN) can address the priorities of young African women and girls in the AU Agenda. Further reading: http://wgd.au.int/en/content/side-event-high-level-interactive-dialogue-towards-continental-results-framework-women-peace

59th Session of UN – Commission on Status on Women (CSW) The United Nations has convened the 59th Session of the Commission on Status of Women (CSW) in New York from March 9th -20th. This brought key actors in Gender Equality and Women’s Empow-erment (GEWE) to enhance the achievement of gender equality outcomes in Africa through the adoption and implementation of the priorities re-lated to the 2015 Themes. The African Union Commission (AUC) will use this platform to deliver on the work of the African Union and its achieve-ment on Gender Equality and Women’s Empow-erment. These meetings are spring boards for an Action Plan to implement the AU 2015’s Theme and the Addis Ababa Declaration on Accelerating the Implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action by the AU Member states. Further Reading: http://wgd.au.int/en/sites/default/files/CONCEPT%20NOTE%2004%20FEB%202015rev2final06%2003%202015.pdf

Credit: AUC

Disclaimer: Any views or articles presented in this email are solely those of the media source and do not represent those of the African Union

5

Enhancing AU Peace and Security Council (AUPSC) and the UN Security Council (UNSC) cooperation

The African Union Peace and Security Council (AUPSC) and the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Convened their 9th Annual Joint Consultative Meeting on March 12, 2015 at the AU Head Quarters. The meeting was co-chaired by H.E. Mrs. Anne Mutelo, Permanent Representative of Na-mibia to the AU, and H.E. Mr. Francois Delattre, Permanent Representative of France to the United Nations. Tabled for discussion were; the peace and security situations in the Great Lakes Region, the Central African Republic (CAR), Mali and the Sahel, Libya, South Sudan, Somalia, Darfur and ways of en-hancing AUPSC-UNSC cooperation for the prevention of conflicts and crises in Africa. Further reading: http://www.au.int/en/content/9th-annual-joint-consultative-meeting-between-au-peace-and-security-council-aupsc-and-un-sec

Peace and Security Justice

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AU WEEKLY

Credit: AUC

Disclaimer: Any views or articles presented in this email are solely those of the media source and do not represent those of the African Union

Mbeki Meets Nigerian Stakeholders Ahead of Elections The former South African President Thabo Mbeki held a series of meetings with key stakeholders on March 9th Lagos, Nigeria to provide possible support during elections. The President and nation-al parliamentarians election is scheduled for March 28th and State Governors and legislators Elec-tions on April 11th 2015. Further reading: http://www.afrikanspot.com/2015/03/nigeria-mbeki-meets-nigerian-stakeholders-ahead-key-elections-mbeki-rencontre-les-acteurs-politiques-nigerians-la-veille-des-elections-2/

Others

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Understanding the African Union

AU-Weekly Published by Oxfam Liaison Office to the AU

AU WEEKLY

Disclaimer: Any views or articles presented in this email are solely those of the media source and do not represent those of the African Union

To be more informed and aware of the African Union Commission, kindly explore the Directorate of Communication and Information as proposed to you below.

Directorate of Communication and Information Background The Directorate develops, plans and conducts activities designed to provide information about the AU, including its aims and activities, to a wide range of audiences. It uses a variety of means includ-ing print media, internet, new information technology and publications; and partnerships with Member States, academia, libraries, youth and civil society. The Directorate disseminates infor-mation in the AU’s working languages. 67African Union Commission The Directorate also acts as the Commission’s spokesperson; develops outreach and advocacy programmes; advises senior management on editorial issues for speeches and statements; and supports each department in designing communication and information strategies. The Directorate also supports the develop-ment of a proposal to establish an AU radio station and television channel.

Mandate The Communication and Information Directorate has the mandate of developing, planning and conducting activities designed to provide information about the AU and to promote increased awareness about its aims and activities through various information tools and mechanisms.

Core Functions: To serve as the focal point for disseminating information and to act as the spokesperson for the

Commission; To draft news releases, correspondence or other informational publications and to assist with

distribution of information materials; To manage, formulate and coordinate development and implementation of outreach as well as

advocacy programmes for the Commission; To establish and maintain lines of communication with constituencies, non governmental or-

ganisations, policy institutions, academia, foundations and associations, as well as identify and coordinate action on opportunities to foster support for the objectives and activities of the AU;

To formulate and advise on promotional strategies for press conferences, meetings and other activities planned for the outreach and advocacy programmes;

To organise research and drafting of materials related to issue-oriented campaigns and events; To ensure development and maintenance of the website as well as relevant automated data-

bases; To provide editorial advice, statements, speeches and replies to frequently asked and anticipat-

ed questions for use by senior management; To serve as the focal point for relations with, and support for, departments and programmes on

communication and public information strategies and information dissemination; To coordinate implementation of the decisions of the meetings of the African Ministers of In-

formation; To explore the possibility of establishing and managing a television and radio station for the Af-

rican Union and a newspaper.

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UP Coming Events

AU-Weekly Published by Oxfam Liaison Office to the AU

AU WEEKLY

Disclaimer: Any views or articles presented in this email are solely those of the media source and do not represent those of the African Union

Event: 18TH COMESA SUMMIT

Venue: ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA

Contact: http://www.au.int/en/content/18thCOMESA_SUMMIT

Event: Women in Parliaments summit

Venue: Nelson Mandela, African Union , Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Contact: http://www.womeninparliaments.org/event/wip-annual-

summit-2015/

Event: Regional Consultation towards the 3rd International Conference

on FFD

Venue: UN Conference Centre, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Contact: Ms. Uzumma Erume: E-mail: uerume@uneca.org

Event: 11th CAADP Partnership Platform

Venue: Johannesburg, South Africa.

Contact: http://pages.au.int/caadp/events/11th-caadp-partnership-

platform-march-25-27-johannesburg-south-africa

Event: The 8th Joint Annual Meetings of the African Union Specialized

Technical Committee on Finance, Monetary Affairs, Economic Planning and Integration and the ECA Conference of African Ministers of Finance, Planning and Economic Development Venue: UN Conference Centre, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Contact: Tel: (+251-11)5543556: E-mail: uncc-aa@uneca.org

Event: Africa Climate Resilient Infrastructure Summit (ACRIS)

Venue: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Contact: http://www.enticoevents.com/acris/

09-31

March

25-27

March

23

March

23-24

March

25-31

March

27-29

April