An organization of African nations, founded in 1963 as the Organization of African Unity. By seeking to perpetuate the territorial integrity of African states, it accepted the often artificial boundaries created by the Partition of Africa. It played some part in pressing forward the process of decolonization, particularly through the United Nations Special Committee, but then became less active. Originally with 32 members, it had 53 members in 2006 (all African countries except Morocco, which withdrew in 1985 following the admission of Western Sahara). The organization changed its name to the African Union (AU) in 2001, following the model of the European Union, with the aim of giving Africa a stronger voice in world affairs, and increasing its ability to deal with such issues as the effects of globalization, the status of women, internal conflict, and human rights. At the second summit meeting of the AU (Mozambique, July 2003), the decision to form a Pan-African Parliament was adopted; it held its inaugural session in Addis Ababa in March 2004. The body will eventually have 265 members, five from each of the AU's 53 member states. In May 2004 the AU officially launched a 15-member Peace and Security Council designed to intervene in African conflicts. The council is empowered to mandate peacekeeping missions in areas where ceasefire accords have been signed.
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| Anthem: Let Us All Unite and Celebrate Together | |||||
| Capital | Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | ||||
| Membership | 53 member states | ||||
| Official languages | The languages of Africa, as well as Arabic, English, French, and Portuguese | ||||
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Formation - As Organisation of African Unity - As AU |
- May 25, 1963 - July 9, 2002 |
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| Chairman of the African Union | Denis Sassou-Nguesso | ||||
| Chairman of the Commission | Alpha Oumar Konaré | ||||
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Area - Total |
1st if ranked 29,797,500 km2 |
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Population
- Total (2005) |
3rd if ranked
850 million |
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GDP (2003)
- Total |
16th if ranked $643 (Nominal) |
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| Currencies | Each member state has its own currency. | ||||
| Time zone | UTC -1 to UTC +4 | ||||
| Internet TLD | Not standardized. | ||||
| Calling Codes |
Not standardized. |
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Overview
The AU is governed by the AU Assembly of Heads of State and the Pan-African Parliament, which are both assisted by the AU Commission which constitutes one of the secretariats of the Pan African Parliament. The current President of the Pan African Parliament, Gertrude Mongella, is the Head of State of African Union. Alpha Oumar Konare is the current Chairman of the African Union Commission, which serves as the Secretariat of the Pan African Parliament and a civil service of the African Union.
History of the African Union
The historical foundations of the African Union originated in the Union of African States, an early confederation that was established by Kwame Nkrumah in the 1960s, as well as subsequent attempts to unite Africa, including the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), which was established on May 25, 1963, and the African Economic Community in 1981. The Declaration was followed by summits at Lomé in 2000, when the Constitutive Act of the African Union was adopted, and at Lusaka in 2001, when the plan for the implementation of the African Union was adopted.
The African Union was launched in Durban on July 9, 2002, by its first president, South African Thabo Mbeki, at the first session of the Assembly of the African Union.
Its Constitutive Act declares that it shall "invite and encourage the full participation of the African diaspora as an important part of our Continent, in the building of the African Union". The African Union Government has defined the African diaspora as "[consisting] of people of African origin living outside the continent, irrespective of their citizenship and nationality and who are willing to contribute to the development of the continent and the building of the African Union".
Current members|
Algeria 
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Ethiopia |
Nigeria |
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Morocco's withdrawal
The only African state which is not a member of the African Union is Morocco which chose to leave the AU's predecessor, the OAU, in 1984 when the other African countries supported the Sahrawi nationalist Polisario Front's Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic.
See also: List of African Union member states by political system See also: List of African Union member states by populationSummits
| No. | Host city/country | Date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Durban | South Africa | 9-11 July 2002 |
| 2nd | Maputo | Mozambique | 10-11 July 2003 |
| Sirte | Libya | February 2004 * | |
| 3rd | Addis Ababa | Ethiopia | 6-8 July 2004 |
| 4th | Abuja | Nigeria | 24-31 January 2005 |
| 5th | Sirte | Libya | 28 June - 5 July 2005 |
| 6th | Khartoum | Sudan | 16-24 January 2006 |
| 7th | Banjul | The Gambia | 25 June - 2 July 2006 |
* Extraordinary meeting.
Organization
The current Head of State of the African Union is Gertrude Mongella, who is also the President of the Pan African Parliament. The Chairman of the African Union's Assembly of Heads of State is Denis Sassou-Nguesso, and the Chairman of the African Commission is Alpha Oumar Konaré. African Central Bank, African Investment Bank, African Monetary Fund.
Economy
Languages
The African Union promotes the use of African languages wherever possible in its official work. Spanish is co-official with French in Equatorial Guinea.) Supplemental protocols to the African Union have made Swahili an official language of the African Union. Founded in 2001, the African Academy of Languages promotes the usage of and perpetuation of African languages amongst African people.
Geography
Foreign relations
Symbols
The emblem of the African Union consists of a gold ribbon bearing small interlocking red rings, from which palm leaves shoot up around an outer gold circle and an inner green circle, within which is a gold representation of Africa.
The flag of the African Union bears a broad green horizontal stripe, a narrow band of gold, the emblem of the African Union at the centre of a broad white stripe, another narrow gold band and a final broad green stripe.
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