"The African Union seeks to build an integrated Africa, a prosperous and peaceful Africa, driven by its own citizens and representing a dynamic force in the international arena"
African Union Strategic Plan (2004-2007)

One year ago in Libya, 53 Heads of States agreed to ratify and accede to all OAU and AU treaties by July 2010. They further called on African Union organs to assist with advocacy and sensitisation of African Governments. The decision is in line with Article 4.1(b) of the Rules of Procedures of the Assembly of Heads of States. Under this Article, the Assembly is required “to monitor the implementation of policies and decisions of the Union as well as ensure compliance by all Member States”.

The State of the Union project was established three months later by civil society organisations to respond to this decision. The State of the Union project tracks and engages Governments and the African Union on their commitments by managing in-country research, community hearings and national consultations. In this regard, it could be called an African Peoples Review Mechanism.

This 2010 State of the Union Africa report assesses the continental performance of Member States against key governance, economic, social, civil and political policy standards and rights instruments over the period 2004-2009. The report incorporates national findings from ten countries reviewed in 2010. The ten countries are drawn from the five regions in Africa. They are Algeria, Egypt (North Africa), Nigeria, Senegal, Ghana (West Africa), South Africa, Mozambique (Southern Africa), Kenya, Rwanda (East Africa) and Cameroun (Central Africa). Combined, the population of these ten countries is 450 million people. Delivery on AU legal instrument and policy standards in just these ten countries would have an impact on two fifths of Africa’s citizens and peoples.

Ten AU legal instruments and four policy frameworks have been selected in recognition of the tremendous opportunities they offer for eradicating poverty, promoting justice and realising political, economic and social rights in Africa. The ten legal instruments are the;

• African Charter on Human and People’s Rights in Africa
• African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance
• African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child
• African Convention on the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources
• African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption
• African Youth Charter
• Protocol to the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa
• Protocol to the Treaty Establishing the African Economic Community relating to the Pan-African Parliament
• Revised African Convention on the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources and the Treaty Establishing the African Economic Community

The four policy frameworks are the Abuja Call for Accelerated Action towards Universal Access to V/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria Services by 2010, the African Health Strategy 2007-2015, the Maputo Plan of Action for the Operationalisation of the Continental Policy Framework for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights 2007-2010 and the NEPAD Comprehensive Africa Agricultural Development Plan (CAADP). Combined, the ten AU legal instruments and four policy standards significantly raise the bar for most African Governments in the areas of political, social and economic rights.

The reports take place at a critical moment for Africa. 2010 is an important year for several national, continental and international processes. Some of the most critical are the;

• Celebration of 50 years of independence for seventeen African countries
• Tenth anniversary of the African on the Rights and Welfare of the Child
• Fifth anniversary of the AU Protocol on the Rights of Women in Africa entering into force
• Launch of the African Women’s decade (2010-2020)
• The last milestone for African Governments to raise their health expenditure to 15% of national budgets and realize the Abuja Call for Accelerated Action Towards Universal Access to HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria Services
• The end of the period to implement the Maputo Plan of Action for the Operationalisation of the Continental Policy Framework for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights 2007-2010
• Tenth anniversary of the UN Millennium Declaration and review of the progress reached in meeting the Millennium Development Goals by 2015
• Fifteen year review point on the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action

While an exercise in enquiry, we hope this report will “stir” and commit policy-makers and citizens alike to unleash the systemic changes required at national and continental levels to promote, protect and realize the freedoms and rights contained in these legal instruments and policy standards. In this way, this report and the ten national reports could contribute to creating a tipping point for change so desired by Africa.

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