Why in news?

• During the 18^th G20 Summit, held in India, the African Union (AU) was admitted as a new member of the G20.
• This was barely three months after India floated the idea of including the organisation.

Background:

• The idea was floated in June this year, when PM Modi proposed to G20 leaders that the African Union be given full membership at the upcoming Delhi Summit of G20.
• The idea germinated after the ‘Voice of the Global South’ Summit in January 2023, in which most of the African Union’s 55 countries had participated.
  • So far, only one country from the grouping — South Africa – was part of the G20.
  • Many African leaders had argued that Europe is represented by five countries as well as the European Union (EU), and the African Union merits similar representation as well.

What’s in today’s article?

• African Union
• News Summary

What is African Union?

• About
  • The AU is an intergovernmental organization consisting of the 55 member states that make up the countries of the African Continent.
  • Basically, it is a continental union with a wide range of goals aimed at strengthening its member states both individually and collectively.
  • It was officially launched in 2002 as a successor to the Organisation of African Unity (OAU, 1963-1999).
  • The AU’s headquarters are in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
• 
• Vision of AU
  • The AU is guided by its vision of “An Integrated, Prosperous and Peaceful Africa, driven by its own citizens and representing a dynamic force in the global arena.”
  • A deadline of 2063 has been set to achieve this mission, representing the centenary of the OAU's formation.
  • Agenda 2063's aspirations include:
    • A prosperous Africa, based on inclusive growth and sustainable development
    • An integrated continent, politically united, based on the ideals of Pan-Africanism
    • An Africa of good governance, democracy, respect for human rights, justice and the rule of law.
    • To achieve the goals set by Agenda 2063, the AU is setting itself a series of five 10-year plans, with the first plan running from 2014 to 2023.
• Objectives of AU
• The AU concentrates its energy and resources on achieving greater unity and solidarity between African countries and their people.
• It seeks to accelerate the process of the political and socio-economic integration of the continent. The AU addresses the multifaceted social, economic and political problems that the African nations have been facing.
• Promoting peace, stability, and security across the region.
• Role of AU in promoting peace in the continent
  • AU believes that conflicts must be settled for achieving prosperity. To this end, it set up a Peace and Security Council in 2004.
    • The council may intervene in conflicts, replacing the principle of non-interference with one of non-indifference.
    • The council can deploy military forces in situations which include genocide and crimes against humanity. It can authorise peacekeeping missions.
  • The AU oversees the New Partnership for Africa's Development (Nepad).
    • This is an anti-poverty blueprint which offers a bargain with the West: the promotion of good political and economic practice in return for more aid and investment.
  • Many of the AU’s peacekeeping missions have helped governments tackle terrorism across Africa, from the Sahel to northern Mozambique.
  • AU’s diplomatic efforts have also resulted in resolving conflicts in Africa.
    • In 2022, it brokered a peace deal between the Ethiopian Government and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) in South Africa.
  • The establishment of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which came into force in 2021, is yet another achievement of the organisation.
    • With 54 member countries as signatories, AfCFTA is the world’s largest new free trade area since the establishment of the WTO in 1994.
    • It seeks to increase intra-African trade through deeper levels of trade liberalisation and enhanced regulatory harmonisation.
    • The AfCFTA will increase Africa’s income by $450 billion by 2035 and increase intra-African exports by more than 81%
• Shortcomings of the AU
  • One failure of the AU has been its inability to thwart coups in Africa.
  • Since the 1960s, the continent has witnessed more than 200 coups – the most recent ones took place in Gabon and Niger.
  • The organisation has also been unable to get its member countries to pay their annual dues, leaving it starved of funds. As a result, it has to depend on external funding, which impacts its autonomy.