The adoption of the African Union Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance signified an important milestone for democracy in the Continent. The Charter reinforces the commitment of AU Member States to democracy, good governance, development and peace. Over the past two years, International IDEA actively contributed to the development of the Charter as well as the establishment of the AU’s electoral assistance programme, and the electoral assistance fund. International IDEA and the AU have also collaborated in areas such as the land and governance, gender, and in political party strengthening.
International IDEA and the African Union Commission formalized their relationship in a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed in Accra, Ghana, on 30 June 2007 during the African Union Summit, by HE President Alpha Oumar Konare, Chair of the AU Commission and Mr Vidar Helgesen, International IDEA Secretary-General.
The MoU contains a detailed five-year Joint Action Plan which outlines the key programmes of collaboration including:
- Support for awareness creation on the African Charter on Democracy, Elections, and Governance;
- Support for the newly founded AU electoral assistance programme, including election observation and monitoring;
- Electoral capacity enhancement among Electoral Management Bodies (EMBs)
- Application of International IDEA’s State of Democracy assessment methodology;
- Political parties technical aid work;
- Support for constitution-building processes;
- Mainstreaming of gender in democracy, development and governance;
- A joint annual event in the form of a conference, colloquium, or symposium, around a theme relevant to both the AU and International IDEA.
International Conference on Sustaining Africa’s Democratic Momentum
In partnership with the African Union and the Electoral Commission of South Africa, IDEA convened a major international conference on Sustaining Africa’s Democratic Momentum, in Johannesburg, South Africa on 5-7 March 2007. Attended by around 320 delegates, including former African Heads of State and Government, continental, regional and national policy makers, electoral management bodies, political parties, members of academia, and civil society from Africa, Latin America and Asia, and also development partners, the Conference provided a forum for a rich exchange of views and brought together diverse experiences in addressing the challenges facing democracy, governance and development on the African continent.
