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African Union News

The African Union and The Foundation for Democracy in Africa Launch the Western Hemisphere African Diaspora Network (WHADN)

WASHINGTON D.C., Friday April 18, 2003, the African Union in conjunction with The Foundation for Democracy in Africa (FDA), the focal point for the Western Hemisphere African Diaspora Network (WHADN), and members of the WHADN announced plans for implementing recommendations from the 1st AU-Western Hemisphere African Diaspora Forum held in Washington, D.C., in December 2002.

The briefing was conducted by a delegation from the African Union consisting of Dr. Jinmi Adisa, Senior Coordinator of the Conference on Security, Stability, Development, Cooperation in Africa (CSSDCA) and Mrs. Alice Mungwa, Senior Political Officer, Civil Society in the CSSDCA Unit, and Mr. Fred Oladeinde, President of The Foundation for Democracy in Africa.

The AU delegation discussed the efforts of the organization regarding establishing "technical definitions" of the Diaspora and the process of effectively integrating the Diaspora into the organs and programs of AU, notably the Economic, Social and Cultural Council (ECOSOCC) and the Pan African Parliament. Members of the Network and the AU delegation agreed that participants should become actively involved in this process by forwarding proposals thru the WHADN Secretariat to the AU Commission for consideration and taking ownership of the outcomes of adopted projects. In this regard, a working group was established to discuss the issues and devise recommendations.

"The AU has demonstrated its commitment to developing mutually beneficial and functional linkages with its Diaspora by amending its Constitutive Act to include the involvement of the African Diaspora. This significant structural change to the organization provides the legislative framework that the Washington Forum recommended," stated Fred Oladeinde, President, FDA.

The Network was informed that CSSDCA and FDA has developed several of the recommendations from the Washington Forum into programs and projects, and are seeking institutional support and partnerships for their implementation. The proposed institutional framework of WHADN was presented, and members commended the AU and FDA for their efforts and progress to date. FDA, which serves as the WHADN Secretariat also announced some of its recent undertakings that are designed to build the operational capacity of the Network, including the WHADN electronic mailing list, newsletter and website: www.africa-diaspora.org. Members were encouraged to use these services to keep abreast of issues and to disseminate information on their activities.

Several new members joined the Network, and expressed their commitment to facilitating outreach to and registration of other organizations. It was stressed that WHADN is a Network in which Diaspora organizations could freely mobilize and coordinate their interaction with the African Union on an equal basis. A number of Network members also shared information on activities they had initiated that can contribute to the development of WHADN as the functional interface mechanism with the AU.

Considering the importance of the upcoming Summit of the AU in Maputo, in July 2003, the possibility of WHADN representatives serving as observers during the Summit was discussed. It was agreed that consultations should be undertaken within the Network, and with the AU Commission regarding WHADN's participation.

The briefing ended with an interactive session, during which the Network was re-assured that the AU was committed to amalgamating the Diaspora, including youth into its programs. In response to concerns regarding the readiness of African leaders to the processes of inclusiveness, democratic governance, rule of law and responsible leadership, the AU delegation express their regret concerning the persistence of misconceptions and the lack of information about Africa, which is largely responsible for such concerns. The delegation informed the Network of the monumental and irreversible changes taking place within the Continent in the areas of democratic governance and rule of law. They also reiterated that the CSSDCA process is a framework within which African leaders have committed themselves to a broad range of democratic and developmental rules and virtues, and will serve as a performance evaluation mechanism for AU.

In closing, both the Network members and the AU delegation expressed satisfaction with the developments discussed and agreements reached, and they reaffirmed their commitment to efforts for the renewal, sustainable development and integration of Africa into the global economy.

AU Labour and Social Affairs Commission Meeting, 10-15 April 2003, Port Louis, Mauritius

The IOM will present a paper entitled "Role of the African Diaspora in the Development of their Countries of Origin" during the above mentioned meeting. The paper try's to show the link between Africa's loss in human resources and the vital role Africans in the Diaspora could play in the development of Africa. It also outlines initiatives by African countries, UN Agencies, regional organizations (AU and ECA) and IOM. The paper also touches on regional initiatives, remittance flow and women in the diaspora and concludes with a way forward.

7th Conference of African Ministers of Health, 26 - 30 April 2003, Tripoli, Libya

The IOM has prepared a paper on "Human Resource Development in the Health Sector" to present to the above mentioned Conference which will take place under the theme "Investing in Health for Africa's Socioeconomic Development". The main purpose of the conference is to review the role of the Health Sector as a basic vehicle towards accelerated socioeconomic development of the continent. The outcome of this meeting will be presented to the 54th World Health Assembly which will take place in May 2003 in Geneva.

Other Africa-Related Events

The Fulbright Program Sponsored trip to Ghana July 7 - August 9, 2003

Eligibility: Educators in Humanities and Social Sciences.
Cost: $700.00, airfare and housing included.

Interested? Complete the attached application form, and contact Lita Hooper at nhooper@gpc.edu

SPRING GALA 2003
The Association of Scientists and Physicians of African Descent (ASPAD)
April 26, 2003

Third Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD III) Senior Official Level Preparatory Meeting, 3 - 4 March 2003, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

This meeting organized by the Government of Japan in collaboration with the Government of Ethiopia, Global Coalition for Africa, UNDP, UN Office of the Special Coordinator for Africa and the Least Developed Countries and the World Bank brought together high level participants from various stakeholders, including Africans, Asians and other donor countries, as well as international organizations, NGO's and private sector representatives. TICAD III will take place in Tokyo, Japan 29 September to 1 October 2003 with the firm determination that Africa's development should continue to be one of the top agenda for the international community. Detailed information available online at: www.ticad.net

Commonwealth Business Council (CBC) Seminar and Career Fair, 12-13 March 2003, London, UK

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/2844277.stm link takes you to news coverage by BBC.

ANESEA/SCO & AfDB Conference: Los Angeles, May 20-21, 2003

This conference, hosted by the U.S. Department of Commerce and the Africa-USA Chamber of Commerce, features presentations by and access to the Senior Commercial Officers (SCO) of the U.S. Department of Commerce stationed in Africa, the Near East and South East Asia. Representatives of the African Development Bank (AfDB) will also provide in depth information on development projects in the bank's pipeline. Registered attendees may also schedule a one-on-one meeting with an SCO for the nation in which you plan to do business. For more information or to register contact Al Washington at (213) 627-3049 or Bobby Hines at (213) 894-4231. To download a registration form visit www.africa-usa.org. Registration is $100.00.