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The African Union's humanitarian policies: A closer look at Africa's regional institutions and practice

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 September 2022

Namira Negm
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Abstract

This article sheds light on the legal instruments and policies adopted by the Organization of African Unity/African Union (AU) in relation to international humanitarian law. It also offers analysis on the role of the AU institutions that provide humanitarian and disaster relief. The article highlights the importance of the institutions established to improve the capacity of regional and national institutions for humanitarian prevention and response. It reflects on the reasons why the AU focuses on early warning systems to address the root causes of conflicts and humanitarian disasters, rather than only adopting reactive policies after the fact, in order to save lives and prevent human suffering.

Keywords

African Unionregional institutionsAU Constitutive ActOAU CharterPeace and Security CouncilmigrationrefugeesAfrican Standby Forceinternally displaced personsAU Humanitarian Policy FrameworkAfrican Humanity Agencyhumanitarian disasters
Type
Research Article
Information
International Review of the Red Cross , Volume 104 , Issue 920-921: How International Humanitarian Law Develops , August 2022 , pp. 1918 - 1929
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the ICRC

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References

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6 Grand Bay (Mauritius) Declaration and Plan of Action, 1st OAU Ministers’ Conference on Human Rights in Africa, Grand Bay, April 1999, paras 20, 21.

7 Ibid., para. 14.

8 See, for example, the Algiers Summit of July 1999, calling for a review of the OAU Charter; the Fourth Extraordinary Summit in Sirte in September 1999, which called for the creation of the AU; the Lomé Summit of July 2000, which adopted the Constitutive Act of the AU and the Solemn Declaration on the Conference on Security, Stability, Development and Cooperation in Africa; and the Maputo Summit of July 2003.

9 Charter of the Organization for African Unity, 479 UNTS 39, 13 September 1963 (OAU Charter), Art. III(2).

10 Constitutive Act of the African Union, Lomé, 11 July 2000 (AU Constitutive Act), Art. 4(h).

11 UNGA Res. 60/1, “2005 World Summit Outcome”, 24 October 2005, available at: www.un.org/en/development/desa/population/migration/generalassembly/docs/globalcompact/A_RES_60_1.pdf.

12 Ibid., Art. 138.

13 Ibid., Art. 139.

14 One of the objectives for the establishment of the AU, as stipulated in Article 4 on the principles of the Union, is to “promote democratic principles and institutions, popular participation and good governance”: AU Constitutive Act, above note 10, Art. 3(g). The Constitutive Act expressed the unwillingness of States to tolerate grave human rights violations such as war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide, and the responsibility of States to intervene and protect citizens from such violations.

15 Ibid., Art. 3(h).

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17 AU and African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, “General Comment on Article 22 of the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child: Children in Armed Conflict”, Lesotho, 2020, available at: www.acerwc.africa/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Draft-General-Comment-on-Article-22_English.pdf.

18 Protocol Relating to the Establishment of the Peace and Security Council of the African Union, 9 July 2002 (PSC Protocol), available at: https://au.int/en/treaties/protocol-relating-establishment-peace-and-security-council-african-union.

19 Draft Framework for a Common African Defence and Security Policy, AU Doc. EX/EX/CL/2 (III), Sun City, 21–25 May 2003, p. 8.

20 See Policy Framework for the Establishment of the African Standby Force and Military Committee, AU Doc. EXP/ASF-MSC/2(1), Addis Ababa, 12-14 May 2003 (ASF Framework), p. 42.

21 AU Assembly, Decision Assembly/AU/Dec.227(XII) on the Specialised Technical Committees, AU Doc. EX.CL/496(XIV), Addis Ababa, 3 February 2009, available at: https://au.int/sites/default/files/decisions/9559-assembly_en_1_3_february_2009_auc_twelfth_ordinary_session_decisions_declarations_message_congratulations_motion.pdf.

22 AU Assembly, Decision Assembly/AU/Dec.365(XVII) on the Specialised Technical Committees, AU Doc. EX.CL/666(XIX), Malabo, 1 July 2011, available at: https://au.int/sites/default/files/decisions/9647-assembly_au_dec_363-390_xvii_e.pdf.

23 To date, the STC has not adopted its rules of procedure, so its full mandate has not yet been published.

24 Protocol to the Treaty Establishing the African Economic Community relating to the Free Movement of Persons, Rights of Residence and Right of Establishment, adopted by the 30th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government, Addis Ababa, 29 January 2018, available at: https://au.int/sites/default/files/treaties/36403-treaty-protocol_on_free_movement_of_persons_in_africa_e.pdf.

25 African Humanitarian Policy Framework, AU Commission, Department of Political Affairs, Refugees and Displaced Persons Division, 20 November 2015, available at: www.peaceau.org/uploads/humanitarian-policy-framewrok-rev-final-version.pdf.

26 Ibid., para. 14.

27 Ibid., para. 32.

28 Ibid., para. 78.

29 Ibid.

30 Ibid., para. 80.

31 AU Constitutive Act, above note 10, Arts 4(h), 4(j).

32 PSC Protocol, above note 18, Art. 13.

33 Report of the Conference of African Chiefs of Defence and Security, Maputo, May 2003, pp. 2–12.

34 PSC Protocol, above note 18, Art. 13.

35 Ibid., Art. 17(a).

36 ASF Framework, above note 20, para. 2.29.

37 PSC, Communiqué of the 1007th Meeting of the African Union Peace and Security Council on the Status Report/ Roadmap to the full Operationalization of the African Standby Force and the AU Continental Logistics Base, 8 July 2021.

38 The AU conducted a field training exercise to support and fast-track the operationalization of the ASF. The exercise was organized in coordination with Amani Africa and involved military, police and civilian components of the ASF.

39 Report of the 9th Ordinary Session of the Specialized Technical Committee on Defence, Safety and Security, June 2016.

40 PSC, Report of the 678th Meeting of the Peace and Security Council of the African Union on Its Activities and the State of Peace and Security in Africa, April 2017.

41 AU Assembly, Decision Assembly/AU/Dec.604(XXVI), 30 January 2016, para. 9(ii).

42 Ibid.

43 AfHA, “Concept Note: Validation Meeting of the Report on the Modalities for the Operationalization of an African Humanitarian Agency”, Addis Ababa, May 2020, para. 2.

44 Ibid.

45 Draft Statute of the African Humanitarian Agency, Addis Ababa, January 2020, Art. 6.

46 Ibid.

47 Ibid., Art. 23.

48 Statute of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, 2016 (CDC Statute), Art. 3.

49 Ibid., Art. 3(e).

50 AU Assembly, Decision Assembly/AU/Dec.499 (XXII), 22nd Ordinary Session, January 2014.

51 CDC Statute, above note 48, Art. 3.

52 See the AU COVID-19 Response Fund website, available at: https://au.int/en/aucovid19responsefund.

53 AU Assembly, Decision Assembly/AU/Dec.391-415(XVIII), 18th Ordinary Session, January 2012.

54 Agreement for the Establishment of the African Risk Capacity Agency, 23 November 2012.

55 Ibid.

56 AHG/Decl.1-3(XXI) and AHG/Res.136(XXI), 21st OAU Ordinary Session of Assembly of Heads of State and Government, July 1985.

57 Ibid.

58 Statute of the Special Emergency Assistance Fund for Drought and Famine in Africa, July 1985, Art. 3.

59 Ibid., Art. 6.

60 Ibid.

61 Yigzaw, Gedifew Sewnet and Abitew, Endalsasa Belay, “Causes and Impacts of Internal Displacement in Ethiopia”, African Journal of Social Work, Vol. 9, No. 2, 2019Google Scholar.

62 “Does Africa Need Its Own Humanitarian Agency?”, above note 5.

63 Ibid.