9th Pan-african Congress of Lomé

Upcoming :
2023/05/22 - Hôtel 2 Février, LOME

Decision of the African Union

DECISION ON THE PROPOSAL TO DECLARE THE DECADE 2021-2031 AS THE "DECADE OF AFRICAN ROOTS AND THE AFRICAN DIASPORA

The Conference,

1. NOTES the proposal by the Republic of Togo to declare the decade 2021-2031 as the “Decade of African Roots and the African Diaspora”, and the interest of the Diaspora issue for the African continent;

2. ALSO NOTES the 2012 World Diaspora Summit Declaration, which recognizes the need to build sustainable partnerships between the African continent and the African Diaspora through constructive dialogue and effective collaboration;

3. TAKES NOTE of the various reports and other publications of the African Union Commission on the contributions of the African Diaspora and communities of African origin to the development of the continent;

4. RECOMMENDS to the Commission, in coordination with all Member States, a framework for formal communication and information exchange between Africa, the Diaspora and Afro-descendants;

5. RECALLS the decisions:

– Ext/EX/CL/Dec.6(III) of the Third Extraordinary Session of the Executive Council held in 2003 in South Africa, on the implementation of the Diaspora Initiative within the framework of the African Union;

– EX.CL/Dec.221(VII) of the Seventh Ordinary Session of the Executive Council held in June-July 2005, in Syrte, on the definition of the Diaspora;

– Ex.CL/406(XII) Add.1 by which the Executive Council requested the Commission to conduct a detailed feasibility study on the idea of considering the Diaspora as the sixth region of Africa and to define the modalities for the participation of the Diaspora in the organs and activities of the Union

– Assembly/AU/Dec.393 (XVIII) adopted at the Eighteenth Ordinary Session of the Assembly, held in 2012, on the World Summit of the African Diaspora by which the Assembly decided to make the issue of the Diaspora a permanent agenda item of the Assembly sessions;

  • Assembly /AU/Dec.630 (XXVIII) adopted at the twenty-eighth Ordinary Session of the Assembly, held in January 2017 in Addis-Abeba, Ethiopia, on the implementation of Agenda 2063 of the African Union and the role of the Diasporas and Article 3(q) of the Protocol on the Amendments to the Constitutive Act of the African Union (2003) which already expressly invited the Diaspora to participate as an important stakeholder in the construction of the Union;

  • Decision EX.CL/1032 (XXXIV) adopting the recommendations of the Third Ordinary Session of the CTS on Youth, Culture and Sports concerning the establishment of the International Day for African and Afro-descendant Culture (IDAAC)

6. FURTHER RECALLS that the Diaspora constitutes an important economic, social, political and cultural power that cannot leave African countries indifferent in the implementation of the African Union’s Agenda 2063;
 
7. TAKES NOTE that the “Lome Framework” called “2021-2031: Decade of African Roots and the African Diaspora” is an initiative to bring together, federate and support projects, events and other initiatives aimed at strengthening the role and contributions of people of African descent and the Diasporas to the economic, social and cultural development of the African continent;
 
8. EMPHASIZES DECADE OF AFRICAN ROOTS AND THE AFRICAN DIASPORA provides the Commission, in collaboration with the States and organizations representing the African Diaspora, with an opportunity to implement a solid plan of comprehensive actions to bring about the return and greater involvement of the African Diaspora in the Caribbean, the Pacific and the Americas in the development process of the continent;
 
9. AGREES RECOGNIZES that the objectives of the Decade of African Roots and the African Diaspora in the areas of arts, culture and heritage as catalysts for the development of the continent are fully consistent with the African Union’s theme for the year 2021: “Arts, Culture and Heritage: Levers for building an integrated, prosperous and peaceful Africa in the context of multi-sectoral challenges”, “and in this regard, urges all Member States of the African Union to sign and ratify the Charter for the Cultural Renaissance of Africa with a view to its entry into force” ;
 
10. DECLARES the decade 2021-2031 as the “Decade of African Roots and the African Diaspora”;
 
11. REQUESTS Togo, in collaboration with the Commission, to :
 
– Establish a High Committee for the 2021-2031 Decade of African Roots and the African Diaspora and submit the draft composition and terms of reference of the Committee for approval by the decision-making bodies, through the PRC;
 
– Take the necessary steps and measures for the effective implementation and completion of this “Decade of African Roots and the African Diaspora” project and support the holding of all events, such as the organization of the African Descendants Forum in August 2021 or March 2022 in Equatorial Guinea, an annual African Diaspora Congress and other initiatives involving members of the Diasporas and communities of African origin wherever they are in the world;
 
– collaborate with all AU Member States and other stakeholders (regional economic communities, international institutions such as the UN system, the IMF, the World Bank and other international partners, organizations of communities of African descent, development NGOs and the African Diaspora, etc.) in order to achieve the expected results of the “2021-2031 Decade of African Roots and the African Diaspora.

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