Steady progress to unity
The Maputo summit last year was an important milestone in the history of the African Union because it was the moment where the AU Commission was established, with the election of the president and deputy president of the Commission, as well as the Commiss
The launch of the Pan-African Parliament on March 18 this year and the formal launch of the Peace and Security Council on May 25 are examples of how we are realising our goals.
The establishment of the African Union organs is now taking place at a pace never witnessed in the history of our organisation. This is founded on the fact that we, as African leaders, want to make the African Union a modern and dynamic organisation that will keep up with the challenges of the 21st century - the African century.
Our efforts to modernise our continental organisation are guided by the commitment we have undertaken to give African women the space they deserve to contribute to the leadership and development of Africa and its institutions. The gender balance that is evident in the set up of the various organs of the Union indicates that we are honouring this commitment.
Great progress has been achieved in our quest for peace, security and stability in Africa. The prevailing isolated spots of tension and conflict are presenting a challenge to our endeavours to promote sustainable peace. These residual conflicts are testing our ability and determination to achieve peace and stability.
Peace and stability constitute the fundamental prerequisites for the full attainment of the objectives set out in NEPAD [the New Programme for Africa's Development], leading to higher levels of economic and social development for Africans. It is for this reason that we harbour great expectations on the Peace and Security Council, as an efficient tool for dealing with the African agenda for conflict prevention, management and resolution.
The achievements of the African Union, in such a short period of its existence, are truly remarkable. We live in world today that is ever more integrated and in which borders are open to the flow of information, knowledge, capital and human resources. Africa must take advantage of this reality by designing and implementing strategies that will enable it to mitigate the pernicious effects of the globalisation process.
We must also come up with strategic plans to fight poverty, to meet the Millennium Development Goals and to implement the various programmes under NEPAD. Every one of us must contribute to the success of NEPAD, for it symbolises our collective undertaking to promote the sustainable development of the continent. The adoption of NEPAD by the African Union was a milestone in the history of our continent. NEPAD provides a platform for the construction of a united, prosperous and harmonious continent, thus giving substance to the ideas and aspirations of Africans.
We must not spare our energies in the search for solutions to the external debt problem nor be complacent in the fight against HIV/AIDS. We have defined this century as the African Century. Today, we have the advantage of being better equipped and more united to achieve our aspirations. If we were victorious yesterday, despite great obstacles, nothing will prevent us from succeeding in the future.
The natural and human resources that we have and the faith and determination that drive us forward are added value. Therefore, all Africans, regardless of where they are, must be confident of the certainty of success and give their best efforts to the development of Africa.
It is precisely to guarantee this participation that the Constitutive Act of the African Union led to the establishment of the Economic, Social and Cultural Council, a forum through which civil society in Africa will actively take part in the formulation of decisions that will impact on the present and future of Africans. The full participation of Africans in the efforts for sustainable development and economic integration of the continent will be through their representatives in the Pan-African Parliament. Each of us faces the challenge and responsibility of ensuring that future generations will live in a continent free from the spectres of hunger, wars and diseases. We must therefore mobilise support for Africa and learn from the experience of others that may guarantee the success of the programmes we design for the continent.
The African Diaspora has a role to play in this process. It must represent Africa wherever it is. It must think of itself as an important network of advocates and ambassadors for Africa. It must turn the opportunities provided by its life experience into advantages for the motherland. While acknowledging that the responsibility for developing the continent rests mainly upon us, we would welcome a more positive attitude to Africa from the international community. We expect it to support us, and pool with us to build a more stable and harmonious world. After all, the global village in which we live in will not be safe for some of us if it is not safe and stable for all of us. In the long run, no island of progress and stability will be sustained if it is surrounded by an ocean of misery, of those without a present and without a future.
The journey might be long, but I have no doubt that many victories are ahead of us. We may not live long enough to witness them, as we have witnessed the triumph of the cause embraced by the founding fathers. As a matter of fact, it is not always that those who dare to initiate a great undertaking have the chance to conclude it. We must however work hard and do our best to be found deserving by the future generations - just as we are appreciative today of those who were the inspiration for African unity.
May 25 was African Unity Day. As Chairman of the African Union, Mozambican President Joaquim Chissano sent a message to Africans everywhere to mark the occasion. The above an abridged version of this message.
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