Why oau changed to au

During the session, the Assembly established the Sirte Declaration on the Reform of the United Nations , which emphasized the need for institutional reforms to allocate greater representation for the continent on the Security Council and the General Assembly of the United Nations. The detailed declaration defines the concepts of defense and security, lays out common security threats, and states the objectives and goals of a common defense and security policy. On 25 May, the African Union established the Peace and Security Council in order to work toward conflict prevention, management and resolution.

Member states that had not signed or ratified the protocol were urged to do so. The session adopted several decisions related to peace and security:. With the deposit of the instrument of ratification by the Republic of Nigeria, the protocol relating to the establishment of the Peace and Security Council entered into force on 26 December. The Peace and Security Council is a collective decision-making organ and warning arrangement for the prevention, management and resolution of conflicts.

At the end of its deliberations, among other things, a consensus appeared to have emerged on a number of key aspects of the protocol, namely on the need to establish a Peace and Security Council with the ability to take quick action with regard to the conflicts in parts of the continent.

The afternoon session was devoted exclusively to discussing the Draft Rules of the Assembly, the Executive Council, the Permanent Representatives Committee, and the Statute of the Commission. The Constitutive Act of the AU entered into force on 26 May after Nigeria deposited the 36th instrument of ratification on 26 April The Constitutive Act provided for the establishment of the AU to achieve greater unity and solidarity between the African countries and the peoples of Africa; defend the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and independence of its Member States; accelerate the political and socio-economic integration of the continent; and promote peace, security, and stability on the continent.

According to the act, the establishment of the AU would be completed upon the deposit of the 36th instrument of ratification of the Constitutive Act of the African Union and would enter into force 30 days after the deposit of the instruments of ratification by two-thirds of the Member States of the OAU.

Explore the Center. The main objectives of the OAU were to rid the continent of the remaining vestiges of colonisation and apartheid; to promote unity and solidarity amongst African States; to coordinate and intensify cooperation for development; to safeguard the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Member States and to promote international cooperation.

Through the OAU Coordinating Committee for the Liberation of Africa, the Continent worked and spoke as one with undivided determination in forging an international consensus in support of the liberation struggle and the fight against apartheid. The OAU had provided an effective forum that enabled all Member States to adopt coordinated positions on matters of common concern to the continent in international fora and defend the interests of Africa effectively.

Agenda calls for greater collaboration and support for African led initiatives to ensure the achievement of the aspirations of African people. The AU needs adequate, reliable and predictable resources to implement its programmes so as to achieve its development and integration goals.

Successive Summits of the AU have since , taken financial reform decisions, to ensure there is sound and predictable finances to address the historical challenges the African Union has faced. These are;. Indeed, as a continental organization the OAU provided an effective forum that enabled all Member States to adopt coordinated positions on matters of common concern to the continent in international fora and defend the interests of Africa effectively. Through the OAU Coordinating Committee for the Liberation of Africa, the Continent worked and spoke as one with undivided determination in forging an international consensus in support of the liberation struggle and the fight against apartheid.

Quest for Unity African countries, in their quest for unity, economic and social development under the banner of the OAU, have taken various initiatives and made substantial progress in many areas which paved the way for the establishment of the AU. Noteworthy among these are:. In July , the Assembly decided to convene an extraordinary session to expedite the process of economic and political integration in the continent. Since then, four Summits have been held leading to the official launching of the African Union:.

The Executive Council is responsible to the Assembly. It had noble ideals, reflecting the wind of change which Harold Macmillan saw blowing across the continent — promoting the political and economic betterment of Africa and its people, combating colonialism and defending the sovereignty of African states. Africa seemed set on a solid pathway to progress, unlike its counterparts in southern and south-east Asia.

And for a while it seemed as if that sense of optimism was largely justified. But all too quickly the wealth of the continent was appropriated by the political elites and the Cold War — often an uncomfortably hot war in Africa — distorted political relationships and stymied progress.

Whether leaders were able to maintain peace and stability, or governed well, mattered less to the West and the East than which side of the political divide they lay.

The s and 80s were as a consequence, for Africa, largely lost decades.