Egypt: Egyptian CSOs ready to engage the AU

Egyptian CSOs ready to engage the AU
40 Activists get trained by the CCP-AU

Cairo, Addis Ababa – 30 May 2008 -- On May 24th and 25th 2008, the Centre for Citizens Participation in the African Union (CCP-AU) in collaboration the Egyptian Business Women Association (EBWA), Cairo Institute of Human Rights Studies (CIHRS), Fahamu, Federation Internationale des Droits de l”Homme (FIDH) and Oxfam Liaison Office with the African Union, organized a training workshop for Egyptian and other North African CSOs on the African Union under the title “Understanding the African Union and Seizing Opportunities for Change” in Cairo, Egypt.

Forty participants drawn from Egypt, Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco, Sudan, Nigeria, Kenya and Ethiopia attended the training in Cairo, which is a continuation from the last two training workshops held in Accra, Ghana and Addis Ababa, Ethiopia ahead of the June 2007 and January 2008 African Union Summits.

Opening the training workshop, Dr. Mohammed Naimi representing the African Union Commission, commended CCP-AU’s initiative to build the North African CSO capacity on the African Union. In his remarks, he said, “this training is in line with the vision and the mission of the African Union, which has clearly stated in its strategic plan, to actively involve African citizens at large and members of the Diaspora in the process of building continental integration”.

The objective of the training was for the participants to have a clear understanding of the African Union with its key organs and the decision making process that will help them identify key opportunities to engage with this continental body.

Resourced by experts from the African Union Commission, the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and CSOs, the training was conducted on the following areas:

Background of the African Union and the transition from the OAU to the AU
The vision, mission and mandates
Key organs of the AU including the Commission, the Pan-African parliament, the peace and security council, the human rights court, the citizens directorate and ECOSOCC
Decision making processes at the AU
Importance of collaboration between African CSOs and the AU
Importance of African citizens participation in African union affairs including Egyptian and other North African CSOs

This training workshop successfully built the capacity of Egyptian and other North African CSOs and hence created a way for the CSOs to engage in the upcoming African Union Summit to be held in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt from 24 June to 1 July 2008.

The training ended with the participants agreeing to engage with the AU and to take part in the upcoming CSO Continental Conference to be held in Sharm El Sheikh from June 22-23rd, 2008. This conference will gather African citizens from all parts of the continent and the Diaspora, CSOs and other concerned bodies to discuss the pertinent issues on the Summit agenda as well as key issues within the continent.

Contact: Centre for Citizens’ Participation in the African Union (CCP-AU)
[email][email protected]
+251- 911-450822