The original project and the 1st Edition of this Compendium was thought by Oxfam Liaison Office with the African Union and Fahamu with the objective of supporting the African Union’s mission to build an integrated, prosperous and peaceful Africa, an Africa driven and managed by its own citizens and representing a dynamic force in the international arena.
Our aim was to have a comprehensive manual to support our “understanding the African Union” training program now jointly executed by Oxfam and the African Union Commission.
The Compendium, covers the AU structures, its various organs, departments and divisions of the AU Commission, the representational specialized and technical offices of the AU, the decision making processes of the Union, the meeting and summits organizing processes, civil society space in the AU and the role these various civil society actors have been playing, and more.
It is to be noted that, in preparing the African Union Compendium, we have made use of publicly available official AU documents, policy instruments, key presentations by AU departmental experts, internet research and research work that has taken into account available information. Oxfam and its partners are committed to the vision and objectives of the African Union, and continue their engagement with the continental body through different efforts of popularizing the African Union, and supporting it to promote the implementation of the various policy instruments that will in essence render better conditions of life for the citizens of the continent.
The African Union Compendium is intended for multiple stakeholders including, but not limited to Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), policymakers at various levels, AU and embassy staff, academics, staff of Regional Economic Communities (RECs), and journalists among others.