The spokesperson for the African Union (AU) heads-of-state summit said on Wednesday that inadequate financing remains the organisation’s foremost challenge, with member states showing persistent resistance to honouring agreed financial commitments.
The remarks were made by Angola’s Ambassador to Ethiopia, Miguel Bembe, at a press conference in his capacity as spokesperson for the 21st Extraordinary Conference of Heads of State and Government of the AU, scheduled to take place in Luanda, Angola, on 29 and 30 August.
Miguel Bembe stated that ‘the great challenge in this type of organisation is the resistance that often exists at the level of member states in terms of financing, in terms of concessions and of some sovereign powers.’
The Angolan diplomat noted that the African Union remains fundamentally a political organisation, but is progressively moving towards broader ambitions, particularly in the areas of economic integration and the strengthening of its institutional competencies.
According to Miguel Bembe, AU heads of state and government have already taken steps in this direction by establishing a contribution of 0.2% of member states’ exports, earmarked for the organisation and primarily for the AU Peace Fund.
Currently, approximately 17 of the bloc’s member states are implementing this decision, Bembe noted, adding that Angola is working towards its own implementation.
‘Very probably, during this summit, the Commission itself may appeal to member states to comply with the decision they themselves took and adopted on this matter,’ he underlined.
The spokesperson highlighted that the AU Peace Fund (AUPF) has accumulated approximately $400 million to date. However, he cautioned that ‘this balance does not represent much in terms of peace and security.’
Miguel Bembe further noted that all five African regions — Southern, Western, Central, Northern, and Eastern — ‘are under fire,’ primarily due to transnational terrorism and unconstitutional changes of government.
Of the AU’s 55 member states, six are currently under sanctions owing to unconstitutional changes of government, according to figures cited by the Angolan diplomat. He added that compelling suspended countries — those penalised for violating AU norms — to continue paying their contributions represents an additional institutional challenge.
The 21st Extraordinary Conference of Heads of State and Government of the AU, focused on strengthening conflict prevention and resolution mechanisms in Africa, aims to shift the bloc ‘from a reactive posture to a proactive, structural strategy for crisis prevention on the continent,’ Bembe said.
Source: Diário Económico
Original article: https://www.diarioeconomico.co.mz/?p=534320
