ECES AT THE AFRICAN UNION VALIDATION MEETING on Constitutional Amendments
Within the context of the Italian funded Pro-Electoral Integrity Project, financed by the Italian ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, through the Italian – African Peace Facility (IAPF) instrument, ECES is proud to have supported the African Union Commission (AUC) in organizing the Validation meeting for the AU Guidelines on Constitutional Amendments held in Niamey on October 17-18, 2022.
The opening of this meeting was chaired by the delegate minister in charge of African Integration, Mr. Youssouf Mohamed El Mouctar.
After successfully supporting the AUC by bringing technical and logistical assistance in the organization of high-level meetings in Niamey, Abidjan, and Lomé, ECES is pleased once more to have brought support to the AUC in regard to the organization of this particular meeting in Niamey.
After an initial consultative workshop on AU guidelines on constitutional amendments held in Niamey from 24 to 26 August 2022 in order to receive technical and constructive inputs to finalise the draft, this meeting was held in order to finalize and validate the guidelines by the AU organs and by the Regional Economic Communities. One approved by the AU Peace and Security Council to which it will now be conveyed, this document that will serve as reference for all constitutional amendments to the constitutions of African Union member states and consolidate the standard of the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance.
The validation meeting is the latest step in a process that was initiated in fulfilment of the mandate of the Peace and Security Council, which in August 2018 requested the AUC to expedite the development of guidelines for constitutional amendments within member states. This effort is also in line with the Accra Declaration of March 2022 which called for the early finalisation of guidelines to be used as a basis for all constitutional amendments to the constitutions of African Union member states.
As reported by Agence Nigerienne de Presse, our representant Mr. Hamza Fassi Fihri, Project Coordinator and Senior Governance Advisor, was interviewed and he raised the role of ECES as a proud partner of the African Union Commission for the past two years since the signing of a memorandum of understanding in April 2021, through the materialisation of two projects, the second being currently carrying out within the framework of the Pro-Electoral Integrity Project.
Through the Pro-Electoral Integrity project, ECES has supported several activities aimed at strengthening the continental environment towards peace, security and stability, and will also support two important upcoming events in November 2022: the General Assembly of the African Association of Electoral Authorities (AAEA) and the 7th Annual Continental Forum of Election Managements Bodies (EMBs).
You can find the full African Union’s press release on the support received from ECES by following this link:
www.peaceau.org/fr/article/reunion-de-validation-des-lignes-directrices-de-l-ua-sur-les-amendements-constitutionnels.