Combined Federal Campaign #9956

Democracy, Governance & the Rule of Law

Issues Discussed by Participants of the Working Group

Nature of the representation of the members of the Diaspora

The question of citizenship was discussed extensively, and the following non-exclusive models were proposed:

• Each Member-State legislate the right of citizenship to members of Diaspora,
• The African Union accords certain legal, civil and economic rights to members of the Diaspora,
• The African Union and Member-States declare all Africans in the Diaspora citizens of the New African Nation created, for the purpose of providing citizenship to people of descent. Through this process, members of the Diaspora will be accorded citizenship to the African Union, following the European Union model.

Balance of Power

• We acknowledge the fact that the Continent has already moved towards the elaboration and the ratification of laws and policies promoting the decentralization of government and gender parity within and among member-states. We acknowledge that the bulk of the involvement from the Diaspora must lie in helping implement these laws and policies.
• We support the necessity of a Balance of Power between the central government and the member-states.
• We support the position that women's interests have been neglected where those with the most stake in that outcome, women, have been underrepresented within the bodies designed to generate and enforce the instruments that have been agreed by the various states.
• We support the position that the African Union bodies and Diaspora regional units move towards a numerical representation strictly proportional to the number of women constituents in the continent and the Diaspora (or 50%), at all decision-making levels and staffing, with a mandate for implementation policies promoting women's issues.
• We also support close cooperation between civil society of the Diaspora and the African Union, in the implementation of policies towards gender parity.
• We acknowledge that most of the Diaspora's efforts must relate to helping implement these laws and policies.

Enforcement and Accountability
Which common values must African Union members adhere to?

• In light of the African Union format, under which members cannot be expelled, conditions should be given to establishing means through which member-states can be disqualified.
• As far as possible, the African Union should seek to establish common values and norms to which member-states abide.
• The participants believe that a careful balance must be kept between sovereignty of states and the Principle of non-intervention.

Information Dissemination
Educating the Diaspora, so that it becomes more vested in the African Union.

• We in the Diaspora believe that the promotion of effective information dissemination and public education at all levels, using radio, television, the Internet, and other means is one of the most important challenges in creating a successful union. It is important that members of the Diaspora buy into this concept to claim ownership of the African Union. This can only be done through the massive information dissemination and public education at all levels on all initiatives.
• We support the position that the immigration policies of the different Member States of the African Union be conducted in such a manner they do not disadvantage African nationals, while promoting easier movement of goods and people across the continent.