From an African Union Commission to an Authority: What`s in a Name?
The Executive Council of the African Union (AU) is meeting in Libya this week to consider proposals by the AU Commission on the implementation of the 12th AU Summit Decision on a proposed new AU Authority.
The Executive Council of the African Union (AU) is meeting in Libya
this week to consider proposals by the AU Commission on the
implementation of the 12th AU Summit Decision on a proposed new AU
Authority. The meeting will in particular look at the functions of the
AU Authority; the size of the Authority; the functions of the
Secretaries; and the financial implications for establishing the AU
Authority.
The General Assembly of the AU in January 2009 decided to set up the
AU Authority to replace the current AU Commission and change its top
structure. According to the Assembly decision the proposed Authority is
expected to have a President, a Vice President and Secretaries with
portfolios based on areas of shared competencies, as agreed upon in the
previous Summit at Sharm El-Sheik. The proposed AU Authority is expected
to have slightly more power than the Commission in areas of dealing
with poverty, infectious diseases, education, and other legal issues.
What can one make of the proposed change from the AU Commission to
the AU Authority? Is it a welcome step in the tenuous journey towards
African unity and continental integration? Or it is just a copout to
torpedo the whole integration project? First, the probability of a
change from Commission to Authority should be seized as an opportunity
to institute some of the recommendations called for by the Audit Report;
specifically those pertaining to the Commission’s independence and
capacity.
The Authority with its expanded mandate will almost certainly have
the “exclusive right” to initiate proposals, coordinate, implement and
monitor decisions. In so doing, the proposed Authority will certainly be
much more than a Secretariat of the Union. In principle, it will be
called upon to provide leadership. Currently, the top AU policymaking
organs: the General Assembly and Executive Council and to an extent the
AU Commission are still very much embedded in the domestic politics of
member states. This might be the reason why the Commission in some
instances has been on a collision course with the Permanent
Representative Committee. Thus, it is imperative that the proposed
Authority becomes independent from the various policymaking organs of
the AU. In an attempt to enhance the independence of the Authority and
in the process increase the impact of its work, there is an urgent need
to first and foremost create some sort for co-decision-making
arrangements between the AU and other continental organs. For instance,
the Pan-African Parliament should be empowered and metamorphosized into a
decision-making body that represents the interest of African citizens.
This will enhance the work of the Authority as it will not be subjected
to political exigencies of member states alone but, rather
accountability to the African people. Beside co-decision- making, there
is need to create an AU Ombudsman and an independent accounting and
auditing mechanism to ensure and sustain the operational and financial
health of the Commission.
In a nutshell, the proposed AU Authority is a positive step towards
continental integration. However, if the problems that are constraining
the Commission as aptly pointed out by the AU Audit report are not
addressed; and if the proposed Authority is anchored on the current
institutional framework, the process will be just a name-change and will
be like putting old wine in new bottles. Moreover, Africans are
uninterested in mere name changes but rather in a stronger, efficient
and responsible Authority that rises above narrow member states’
interests and comprehensively addresses and advances continental
interests—poverty eradication, continental integration and peace and
security. That is the sort of an AU Authority that Africa yearns for.
Chrysantus Ayangafac, Senior Researcher, Conflict Prevention Programme, ISS Addis Ababa
