African Union
The African Union (AU) is a continental union of 55 member states located on the continent of Africa. The bloc was founded on 26 May 2001 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and launched on 9 July 2002 in Durban, South Africa. The intention of the AU was to replace the Organization of African Unity (OAU), established on 25 May 1963 in Addis Ababa by 32 signatory governments; the OAU was disbanded on 9 July 2002. The most important decisions of the AU are made by the Assembly of the African Union, a semi-annual meeting of the heads of state and government of its member states.
Some of the key events about African Union
- 1963Established the Organization of African Unity, predecessor to the African Union, to promote unity and cooperation among African states
- 2002Launched the African Union as a successor to the Organization of African Unity, with a broader mandate for continental integration
- 2002Failed to prevent the outbreak of civil war in Côte d'Ivoire
- 2003Struggled to effectively address the Darfur conflict in Sudan
- 2004Created the Peace and Security Council to prevent, manage, and resolve conflicts in Africa
- 2006Established the African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights to protect human rights across the continent
- 2007Unable to resolve the political crisis in Zimbabwe
- 2008Adopted the Protocol on the Statute of the African Court of Justice and Human Rights, merging two courts into a single judicial organ
- 2009Implemented the African Peace and Security Architecture to enhance the AU's capacity to prevent and resolve conflicts
- 2011Ineffective in mediating the Libyan civil war
- 2012Failed to prevent the coup d'état in Mali
- 2013Criticized for slow response to the Central African Republic conflict
- 2014Launched the African Union Support to Ebola Outbreak in West Africa mission to combat the Ebola epidemic
- 2014Inadequate response to the Ebola outbreak in West Africa
- 2015Adopted Agenda 2063, a strategic framework for Africa's long-term socio-economic transformation
- 2015Inability to effectively address the Burundi political crisis
- 2017Criticized for inaction during Zimbabwe's political transition
- 2018Established the African Continental Free Trade Area to create a single continental market for goods and services
- 2020Coordinated a continent-wide response to the COVID-19 pandemic through the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention
- 2020Struggled to coordinate a unified continental response to the COVID-19 pandemic
Disclaimer: This material is written based on information taken from open sources, including Wikipedia, news media, podcasts, and other public sources.
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