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The Assembly is the African Union’s (AU’s) supreme organ and comprises Heads of State and Government from all Member States. It determines the AU’s policies, establishes its priorities, adopts its annual programme and monitors the implementation of its policies and decisions. The Assembly is mandated to accelerate the political and socio-economic integration of the African continent. It may give directives to the AU Executive Council and Peace and Security Council on the management of conflicts, war, acts of terrorism, emergency situations and the restoration of peace. The AU Constitutive Act provides for the Assembly to decide on intervention in or sanctions against Member States in specific circumstances. The Assembly delegated this mandate to the Peace and Security Council when it became operational in 2004. In addition, the Assembly: • Appoints the Chairperson and Deputy Chairperson of the AU Commission • Appoints the Commission Commissioners and determines their functions and terms of office • Considers requests for AU membership • Adopts the AU budget • Receives, considers and takes decisions on reports and recommendations from the other AU organs • Establishes new committees, specialised agencies, commissions and working groups as it deems necessary. Under the Rules of Procedure, it may also: • Amend the Constitutive Act in conformity with the laid down procedures • Interpret the Constitutive Act (pending the establishment of the Court of Justice) • Approve the structure, functions and regulations of the Commission • Determine the structure, functions, powers, composition and organisation of the Executive Council. The Assembly may delegate its powers and functions to other African Union organs as appropriate. Provisions governing the Assembly’s composition, functions and powers, voting and procedures are contained in articles 6 to 9 of the Act. Section 1, rule 4, of the Rules of Procedure elaborates further on the Assembly’s functions and powers. evolution The AU Assembly is the successor to the earlier Assembly of the Organization of African Unity (OAU), which was established in 1963. The OAU Assembly initially consisted of 32 Member States, all of which had achieved independence by 1963. A further 21 states joined gradually over the years, reaching a total of 53 by the time of the AU’s creation in 2002. Morocco withdrew from the OAU in 1984. South Sudan joined the AU as its 54th member on 27 July 2011.

members

Membership

There are 54 Member States. The following list shows all members, in alphabetical order, and their date of joining the AU or its predecessor the OAU.

Members	Date of Joining
Algeria	25 May 1963
Angola	11 February 1975
Benin	25 May 1963
Botswana	31 October 1966
Burkina Faso	25 May 1963
Burundi	25 May 1963
Cabo Verde	18 July 1975
Cameroon	25 May 1963
Central African Republic2	25 May 1963
Chad	25 May 1963
Comoros	18 July 1975
Congo	25 May 1963
Côte d’Ivoire	25 May 1963
DR Congo	25 May 1963
Djibouti	27 June 1977
Egypt	25 May 1963
Equatorial Guinea	12 October 1968
Eritrea	24 May 1993
Ethiopia	25 May 1963
Gabon	25 May 1963
Gambia	9 March 1965
Ghana	25 May 1963
Guinea	25 May 1963
Guinea Bissau	19 November 1973
Kenya	13 December 1963
Lesotho	31 October 1966
Liberia	25 May 1963
Libya	25 May 1963
Madagascar	25 May 1963
Malawi	13 July 1964
Mali	25 May 1963
Mauritania	25 May 1963
Mauritius	August 1968
Mozambique	18 July 1975
Namibia	June 1990
Niger	25 May 1963
Nigeria	25 May 1963
Rwanda	25 May 1963
Sahrawi Republic	22 February 1982
São Tomé and Príncipe	18 July 1975
Senegal	25 May 1963
Seychelles	29 June 1976
Sierra Leone	25 May 1963
Somalia	25 May 1963
South Africa	6 June 1994
South Sudan	27 July 2011
Sudan	25 May 1963
Swaziland	24 September 1968
Togo	25 May 1963
Tunisia	25 May 1963
Uganda	25 May 1963
UR of Tanzania	25 May 1963
Zambia	16 December 1964
Zimbabwe	18 June 1980

Morocco left the AU’s predecessor, the OAU, in 1984. Morocco is the only African country that is not a member of the AU. The Central African Republic (CAR) has been suspended since 25 March 2013 (PSC/PR/COMM.(CCCLXIII)) and is suspended from all AU activities until constitutional order in CAR is re-established permanently.

observers

Non-governmental organisations, non-African states, regional integration and international organisations can apply for observer status or accreditation to the AU. The criteria for granting observer status and accreditation is set out in Executive Council decision 195(VII) of July 2005. The Assembly recognises representatives of the African Diaspora to attend Assembly sessions as observers (Assembly/AU/Res.1(XVIII)). In January 2008, the Executive Council suggested that the African Diaspora be treated as Africa’s sixth region and its participation in the AU’s organs and activities be strengthened (EX.CL/406(XII)). The Assembly has recognised the Diaspora as a substantive entity contributing to the economic and social development of the continent, and has invited its representatives as observers to Assembly sessions (Assembly/AU/Res.1(XVIII)).

member states arranged in regional groups

AU Member States are divided into five geographic regions – central, eastern, northern, southern and western Africa. At the Permanent Representatives Committee (PRC) level, regional groups are informal discussion structures, chaired by the longest-serving representative who acts as a dean. The coordinator of the deans is currently the Permanent Representative of DR Congo. Central Africa Dean: Cameroon Burundi Central African Republic Chad Congo DR Congo Equatorial Guinea Gabon São Tomé and Príncipe Eastern Africa Dean: Uganda Comoros Djibouti Eritrea Ethiopia Kenya Madagascar Mauritius Rwanda Seychelles Somalia South Sudan Sudan UR of Tanzania Northern Africa Dean: Mauritania Algeria Egypt Libya Sahrawi Republic Tunisia Southern Africa Dean: Botswana Angola Lesotho Malawi Mozambique Namibia South Africa Swaziland Zambia Zimbabwe Western Africa Dean: Gambia Benin Burkina Faso Cabo Verde Côte d’Ivoire Ghana Guinea Guinea Bissau Liberia Mali Niger Nigeria Senegal Sierra Leone Togo

meetings

Article 6 of the AU Constitutive Act provides that the Assembly must meet in ordinary session at least once a year. At its 2004 Summit, the Assembly decided to meet in ordinary session twice a year (Assembly/AU/Dec.53(III)). Sessions usually take place in January and June or July. January sessions are usually held at AU Headquarters in Addis Ababa, while June/July sessions may be hosted by a Member State that has applied to do so. Article 6 also provides for the Assembly to meet in extraordinary session on request by a Member State and with approval from a two-thirds majority of Member States. The Assembly adopts its own agenda, which is usually suggested by the Executive Council or includes items decided on at the previous session. The agenda is in two parts: part A items that have already been agreed unanimously by the Executive Council and do not require further discussion; and part B includes issues for which no consensus was reached by the Executive Council. Rules about the agenda are set out in rule 8 of the Assembly’s Rules of Procedure. The Assembly makes decisions by consensus or, where consensus is not possible, by a two-thirds majority of Member States. Procedural matters, including the question of whether a matter is one of procedure or not, are decided by a simple majority. Two-thirds of AU members are required to form a quorum at any Assembly meeting. assembly chairpersons and bureau The Assembly Chairperson is a Head of State or Government elected by his/her peers at the January session (Constitutive Act, article 6). While the Act provides for 14 vice-chairpersons, in practice, the Chairperson is usually assisted by a smaller bureau of four vice-chairpersons and a rapporteur. The same Member States that constitute the Assembly Bureau also constitute the Bureaus of the Permanent Representatives Committee and the Executive Council (PRC doc. BC/OL/27.7 2006 on composition of ministerial committees). The Chairperson and other bureau members are elected according to regional rotation principles and other agreed criteria. Bureau members are elected for one-year terms that start at the January session and end after a new bureau has been elected at the following January session. Between sessions, the Chairperson represents the Assembly at global forums.

assembly chairpersons 2002–15

Thabo Mbeki, South Africa	July 2002 to July 2003
Joaquim Alberto Chissano, Mozambique	July 2003 to July 2004
Olusegun Obasanjo, Nigeria1	July 2004 to December 2005
Dénis Sassou N’Guesso, Congo	January 2006 to January 2007
John Kufuor, Ghana Faso	January 2007 to January 2008
Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete, UR of Tanzania	January 2008 to January 2009
Muammar Gaddafi, Libya	February 2009 to January 2010
Bingu wa Mutharika, Malawi	January 2010 to January 2011
Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, Equatorial Guinea	January 2011 to January 2012
Thomas Yayi Boni, Benin	January 2012 to January 2013
Hailemariam Dessalegn, Ethiopia	January 2013 to January 2014
Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, Mauritania	January 2007 to January 2008
Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete, UR of Tanzania	January 2014 to January 2015

assembly high-level committees and panels

high-level committee of heads of state and government on the post-2015 development agenda The High-Level Committee was established by the AU Assembly at its May 2013 Summit. Its mandate is to sensitise and coordinate the activities of African leaders and members of the UN High-Level Panel of Eminent Persons on the Post-2015 Development Agenda, and build regional and inter-continental alliances on the African common position on the post-2015 development agenda. In 2014, the Committee finalised the Common African Position (CAP) on the post-2015 development agenda. It is continuing to ensure that Africa’s priorities are integrated in the new global agenda. The Committee is required to report annually to the Assembly. The Committee’s activities are supported by the AU Commission, New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), African Development Bank (AfDB) and UN Development Programme (UNDP). The Committee comprises two Heads of State and Government from each African region who are nominated after internal consultations. high-level committee members Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, President of Liberia (Chair) Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, President of Mauritania and Chairperson of the African Union Assembly Abdelaziz Bouteflika, President of Algeria Idriss Déby Itno, President of Chad Dénis Sassou N’Guesso, President of Congo Hailemariam Dessalegn, Prime Minister of Ethiopia Alpha Conde, President of Guinea Hifikepunye Pohamba, President of Namibia Navinchandra Ramgoolam, Prime Minister of Mauritius Jacob Zuma, President of South Africa

high-level committee on african trade (HATC) The High-Level Committee on African Trade (HATC) was established in response to AU Assembly decision 394(XVIII) of January 2012 on boosting inter-African trade. Its mandate is to champion acceleration of the Continental Free Trade Area (CFTA) and enhancement of intra-African trade. The HATC also serves as a platform for exchange of experiences and best practices. The Committee receives reports from the Conference of Ministers of Trade (CAMOT) on the effective implementation of the Action Plan for Boosting Intra-African Trade (BIAT), which was endorsed by the AU Assembly in decision 394(XVIII). It makes recommendations to the AU Summit. The HATC is composed of the Regional Economic Communities (RECs) Chairpersons (Heads of State and Government) as well as the Chairperson of the AU Commission. In practice, the current members (as of September 2014) are the eight Presidents or Secretary-Generals of the RECs and the Chairperson of the AU Commission. The HATC is usually chaired annually by the CAMOT Bureau President’s Head of State, currently Idriss Déby Itno, President of Chad. The Committee meets twice a year, on the eve of the AU Summit. The AU Commission Department of Trade and Industry serves as the HATC Secretariat. high-level panel on alternative sources of financing The High-Level Panel was established by the AU Assembly at its July 2011 Summit, held in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea. The Panel’s mandate is to investigate and report to the Assembly on possible alternative sources of financing for the AU. The Panel presented its first report in May 2013 during the Assembly’s 21st ordinary meeting. Ministers of Economy and Finance met in extraordinary session in March 2014 to consider the report and established a ministerial working group to advance proposals. The Working Group reported most recently to the Assembly at its June 2014 Summit, held in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea. high-level panel members Edem Kodjo, former Prime Minister of Togo and former Secretary-General of the OAU (Chair) Maxwell M Mkwezalamba, Malawi Minister of Finance and former AU Commissioner for Economic Affairs Luisa Diogo, former Prime Minister and Minister of Finance of Mozambique working group members Algeria Cote d’Ivoire DR Congo Egypt Ethiopia Guinea Kenya Libya Mauritius Nigeria Rwanda Sierra Leone South Africa Tunisia committee of african heads of state and government on climate change (CAHOSCC) The Committee was established by the AU Assembly in July 2009 at its 13th ordinary session. Its mandate is to spearhead the African common position on climate change and ensure that Africa speaks with one voice in global climate change negotiations. Its most recent meeting took place on 26 June 2014 in the margins of the 23rd ordinary session of the AU Assembly, held in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea. CAHOSCC presented its most recent report to the Assembly at this session (Doc.Assembly/AU/11(XXIII)). The CAHOSCC Coordinator is Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete, President of UR Tanzania. members Chairperson of the AU Chairperson of the AU Commission Chairperson of the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN) Algeria Congo DR Congo Equatorial Guinea Ethiopia Kenya Mali Mauritius Mozambique Nigeria South Africa Uganda UR of Tanzania

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Membership

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