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Declaration on Democracy, Political, Economic and
Corporate Governance
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- We, the participating Heads of State and Government of the member states of
the African Union (AU), met in Durban, South Africa, at the inaugural Assembly of
the African Union and considered the report of the New Partnership for Africa’s
Development (NEPAD) Heads of State and Government Implementation
Committee established at the Organization of African Unity (OAU) Summit in
Lusaka, Zambia, in July 2001.
- In the general context of our meeting, we recalled our shared commitment
underlying the establishment of NEPAD to eradicate poverty and to place our
countries, individually and collectively, on a path of sustainable growth and
development and, at the same time, to participate actively in the world economy
and body politic on equal footing. We reaffirm this pledge as our most pressing
duty.
- In reviewing the report of the NEPAD Heads of State and Government
Implementation Committee and considering the way forward, we were also
mindful of the fact that, over the years, successive OAU Summits have taken
decisions aimed at ensuring stability, peace and security, promoting closer
economic integration, ending unconstitutional changes of government, supporting
human rights and upholding the rule of law and good governance. Among these
decisions are:
- the Lagos Plan of Action, and the Final Act of Lagos (1980);
- the African (Banjul) Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (1981);
the African Charter for Popular Participation in Development (1990);
- the Declaration on the Political and Socio-Economic Situation in Africa and
the Fundamental Changes Taking Place in the World (1990); and
- the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (1990).
- the Abuja Treaty establishing the African Economic Community (1991);
- the 1993 Cairo Declaration Establishing the Mechanism for Conflict
Prevention, Management and Resolution;
- the Protocol on the Establishment of an African Court on Human and Peoples’
Rights (1998);
- the 1999 Grand Bay (Mauritius) Declaration and Plan of Action for the
Promotion and Protection of Human Rights;
- the Framework for an OAU Response to Unconstitutional Changes of
Government (adopted at the 2000 OAU Summit in Lome, Togo, and based on
the earlier decision of the 1999 Algiers OAU Summit); and
- the Conference on Security, Stability, Development and Cooperation
(CSSDCA) Solemn Declaration (2000); and
- the Constitutive Act of the African Union (2000);
- We, member states parties to the aforementioned instruments, reaffirm our full
and continuing commitment to these and other decisions of our continental
organization, as well as the other international obligations and undertakings into
which we have entered in the context of the United Nations. Of particular
significance in this context are the Charter of the United Nations and the United
Nations Universal Declaration on Human Rights and all conventions relating thereto, especially the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of
Discrimination against Women and the Beijing Declaration.
- Africa faces grave challenges and the most urgent of these are the eradication of
poverty and the fostering of socio-economic development, in particular, through
democracy and good governance. It is to the achievement of these twin
objectives that the NEPAD process is principally directed.
- Accordingly, we the participating Heads of State and Government of the member
states of the African Union have agreed to work together in policy and action in
pursuit of the following objectives:-
- Democracy and Good Political Governance
- Economic and Corporate Governance
- Socio-Economic Development
- African Peer Review Mechanism
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