Constitutive Act of the African Union

Table of Contents

Constitutive Act of the African Union
Overview
Context
About the Author
Explanation and Analysis of the Document
Audience
Impact
Document Text

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Abstract

The Constitutive Act of the African Union, signed at Lomé, Togo, on July 11, 2000, lays out the framework for the African Union (AU). As such, it is in essence a constitution. The AU, which replaced the Organization of African Unity (OAU), is a transnational entity designed to forge and implement common goals on the African continent. Specifically, the AU’s purpose is to speed political and economic integration and promote security and peace, human rights, democratic institutions, and common African positions on issues that affect African people. The Constitutive Act established such organs as the Assembly, the Executive Council, the Pan-African Parliament, the Court of Justice, and various other agencies that have more specialized functions. Although it lacks the enforcement authority of the European Union, the African Union bears many similarities to the European Union. Both organizations unite the nations of a continent in the pursuit of shared goals. The AU’s membership comprises fifty-five nations, virtually the entire continent. In 2023, the African Union was admitted as a member of the G20, an intergovernmental union comprising nineteen nations and the European Union.

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