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  • 2026-06-25 COMUNICADO DEL PRESIDENTE DE LA COMISIÓN DE LA UNIÓN AFRICANA
  • 2026-06-19 AUC Deputy Chairperson at Celebration of International Day of Women in Diplomacy
  • 2026-06-17 OPENING REMARKS FOR H.E. MOSES VILAKATI COMMISSIONER FOR ARBE
  • 2026-05-27 Commissioner ARBE at Side Event on Financing the Africa Water Policy and Vision
  • 2026-05-26 Remarks AUC Deputy Chairperson at African Development Bank Group Annual Meetings
  • 2026-05-25 Statement by AUC Chairperson on the Occasion of Africa Day 2026
  • 2026-04-29 Statement by AUC Deputy Chairperson at 12th Session of ARFSD-12
  • 2026-04-27 Statement by IED Director at Experts Session of 5th STC on Transport and Energy
  • 2026-04-23 Address CEO AUDA-NEPAD at Annual Retreat of Group of African Ambassadors, China
  • 2026-04-23 Statement by AU Perm. Rep. to China at GAAC Annual Retreat
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    • Theme of the Year 2026: Assuring Sustainable Water Availability and Safe Sanitation Systems to Achieve the Goals of Agenda 2063
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      مؤتمر الإتحاد

      مؤتمر الإتحاد
      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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