AFRICAN UNION		UNION AFRICAINE
		UNIÃO AFRICANA
Addis Ababa, ETHIOPIA P. O. Box 3243 Telephone: 5517 700 Fax: 5511299 Web Site:   www. africa-union.org

Directorate of Information and Communication

Press Release No.030   /2012

Addis Ababa hosts third “Africa: 54 Countries, One Union” Conference

Addis Ababa, May 3, 2012-“Think about the main priorities for Africa’s regional integration” is the aim of the Conference titled Africa: 54 Countries, One Union, that took place on May 3^rdin the New Conference Center of the African Union, with the attendance of high level officials from Africa, Europe and many international organizations. The “Africa: 54 countries, One Union” conference aims to establish how best to help and support the process towards the unity of the African continent; a process that would be a long and gradual one, but which is an imperative condition for a long-lasting peace. It held for the first time in Bologna, Italy, in May 2010. 

The conference was organized by the Foundation for World Wide Cooperation, in collaboration with the African Union Commission (AUC), Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and the United Nations Office to the African Union (UNOAU). The conference will focus on the roles of the African Union and its sub-regional organizations, the European Union and the United Nations, as well as those of China and the United States in the integration process of the continent.

Mr. Erastus Mwencha, Deputy Chairperson of the African Union Commission in his opening remarks, said "peace, security and development are the base of sustainable integration in Africa". He advocated for post-conflict reconstruction, food security and increased intra-African trade and other measures to make 54 the African countries a union.

Emphasizing on Africa to speak in one voice, Ethiopian Prime Minster Mr. Meles Zenawi said that Africa still has challenges to face. "Constructive engagement is important for Africa to be successful and the African Union should play a bigger role in tackling these issues in Africa because there is no way 54 countries can achieve their goals individually" he said.

Mr. Romano Prodi, President of the Foundation for World Wide Cooperation, in his address, said that peace is still fragile on the continent, as there are still ongoing conflicts and they are not going to be solved quickly nor easily. He emphasized that the road to integration is not easy, mainly because peace and security issues are yet to be resolved. He called for the creation of“a continental market which is key to developing the continent because it will increase growth and livelihoods”, adding that there is need for dynamic and inclusive growth, increased mobility of goods, services and people. “In order to do so, we need regional and continental infrastructures", Mr Prodi said.

Describing Africa as "the promising continent ", Ambassador Liu Guijin, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China underlinedchallenges facing the continent. "With economic recovery, peacekeeping, and mutually beneficial cooperation, Africa is able to meet its challenges and become one" he said.

Mr. Sakellaris Plutarchos, Vice President of the European Investment Fund (EIF) highlighted in his remarks the difficulties encountered by a group of countries working towards a common goal and said that Africa will learn a great deal from this. "This is proof of the current momentum of concerted action to fill the infrastructural gap between Africa and the rest of the world. It is a shared responsibility to achieve this momentum", he said.Mr. Plutarchos said the EIF has been allocating approximately 65% of its loans to infrastructure development initiatives in Africa. The fund is also participating in projects such as the EU-Africa Trust fund for infrastructures which is closely linked to the Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA), he added.

Mr. Gary Quince, Ambassador of the European Union to the African Union Commission stressed that the AU has improved considerably and its actions are more noticeable, as seen recently when the organization took a stand and action in the coups in Mali and Guinea-Bissau. Or when the UN Security Council recognized and valued its position concerning Somali and in the conflict between Sudan and South Sudan.

Calling for Africa to focus on human rights and cultural unit of peace, Italian Foreign Affairs, Mr. Giulio Terzi di sant’ Agata, said that Africa has transformed from an object to a subject,stating that his country believes in Africa and its potential for the future.  "Italy is committed to working side by side with the African Union to help achieve Africa’s goals on intra-African trade, infrastructure, and transparency in business and addressing the issues of pirates as well as hate and violence, and if we all work together it is all achievable" he underscored.

This 3^rd conference will offer senior policy makers and experts the opportunity to discuss the relevance of regional integration and mechanisms in addressing peace, security and development challenges in Africa, especially in West Africa and the Sahel region.

Deliberations of this conference will continue on May 4^th, 2012 at the Economic Commission for Africa and will lead to discussions on the themes of peace, security and development, infrastructure and investment, trade, markets and liberalization.

AMT/ WM

AFRICAN UNION		UNION AFRICAINE
		UNIÃO AFRICANA
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia        P. O. Box 3243        Telephone: 5517 700          Fax: 5517844 Website:   www. Africa-union.org

DIRECTORATE OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION

                                                                   

Press release Nº029/2012

WORLD PRESS FREDDOM DAY:

AFRICAN UNION A KEY PART OF WORLDWIDE CELEBRATIONS

Tunis, Tunisia 4 May 2012- As the world celebrates press freedom and takes stock of progress and challenges, in the context of World Press Freedom Day (WPFD), the main celebrations, bringing together the world’s major media players are taking place in Tunis, Tunisia under the theme “New voices: Media freedom helping to transform societies”. The meeting is running from 3 to 5 May.

Central to these celebrations is the role that social media has played in democratizing nations and bringing about socio- economic change. Much reference is being made by all speakers to the Arab Spring which started in Tunisia and spread to other countries, notably Egypt and Libya.

Official celebrations for WPFD started yesterday 3 May, which is international Press Freedom Day, with an address by the Tunisian President Mr Moncef Marzouki, delivered to hundreds of guests at the presidential palace.

Today, the Tunisian Prime Minister Mr. Hamadi Jebali made an impassioned plea for media to be given the freedom to report on all issues so as to play their part n socio- economic development. As Tunisia is going through a democratic transition after its revolution last year, Mr. Jebali pledged his government’s support to enhancing press freedom, access to information and freedom from interference at all levels.

“The new Tunisia reinforces both the traditional and new media” the Prime Minister said and “will support them to remove all the shackles that inhibit their work”. He also announced that various consultations are taking place to improve internal communication within the Tunisian government and to free up the space for media in general.

The gathering in Tunisia is unprecedented and underlines the country’s celebration of its new found liberty, which was one of the pivotal reasons for the revolution. In statements which were a departure from the old regime, the Prime Minister congratulated stalwarts of media freedom such as Yemeni journalist Tawakkul Karman, one of the three Nobel Peace Prize Laureates for 2011 and Azerbaijani journalist Eynulla Fatuyallev, the laureate of this year’s UNESCO Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize. Mr. Bejali distanced his government from the old regime, which he accused of targeting the media and thereby depriving the people of Tunisia of objective news.

The African Union Commission joined the key speakers today in pledging support for freedom of the media and highlighting its initiatives in this respect. Mrs Habiba Mejri- Cheikh, the Director of Information and Communication represented the Commission’s Chairperson Dr Jean Ping at the celebrations. She delivered his address, in which he reminded the world that the WPFD is taking place in the African Year of Shared Values, of access to information is one. Dr Ping applauded the young people of Africa who, using social media “rose up to protest vigorously against all forms of injustice imposed on them”, adding that social media have introduced a new relationship between the governed and the governors.

The Chairperson’s speech also gave examples of practical ways in which the AU Commission is helping to promote freedom of the media. He referred e.g. to the Pan African Media Network which seeks to provide a platform for media to interact freely and share views on developments within the continent. This is part of the Commission’s media development strategy. He also mentioned the African Platform on Access to Information (APAI), a successor to the landmark Windhoek Declaration, the most commonly cited document on press freedom across the African continent. The AU Commission signed the APAI declaration in 2011, thereby establishing its commitment to freedom of the media.

The African Union is a leader in assuring freedom of expression on the continent through different instruments. For example; article 9 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights says:

“Every individual shall have the right to receive information. And every individual shall have the right to express and disseminate his opinions within the law.”

The Union’s Declaration of Principles on Freedom of Expression considers the role of media and other means of communication as key, in ensuring full respect for freedom of expression, in promoting the free flow of information and ideas, in assisting people to make informed decisions and in facilitating and strengthening democracy. It says:

“Respect for freedom of expression, as well as the right of access to information held by public bodies and companies, will lead to greater public transparency and accountability, as well as to good governance and the strengthening of democracy”

The WPFD celebrations will conclude tomorrow 5 May with the adoption of the Carthage Declaration, which proposes actions for different stakeholders, in order to consolidate the culture of protecting journalistic freedoms.

Celebrations to mark WPFD this year were organized by the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO). The organisations’s Director General Ms Irina Bukova addressed the meeting today, focusing on the role of social media in transforming socities.

WM/