AU Watch shall organize a Regional Forum on the AU at least once every two years. The Regional Forum on the AU shall be a multi-stakeholder event to present the mission, views and achievements of CSO’s, NGOs, think tanks and academic institutionsworking on the AU and AU Member States.

The Forumwill bring together policy people from national and local governments, regional and international organizations, financial institutions, private sector, and civil society, as well as visionaries, scholars, and prominent experts for a context-specific, action-oriented, and forward-looking discussion on the threats, challenges and opportunities for CSOs working on the AU.

Whilst all CSOs basically share a single objective – that is to improve the lives of people, there is no coherence in the way CSOs work and do things. AU Watch is of the view that CSOs need regional coherence. The Forum will, for example, research and examine what CSOs do in Africa. The types of CSOs, how much money is being spent, for what causes, and what they do, and how effective they have been over the years.

In that regard we are developing an ‘AU Policy Scorecard Project’. This innovative project provides a systematic annual assessment of the AU’s performance and interactions in dealing with the rest of Africa and the world. The Scorecard assesses the performance of the key AU Institutions over 100 percent,arranged around some key thematic areas like:

• Regional Integration
• Anti-corruption
• Progress on Agenda 2063
• Social Justice
• Justice and Human rights
• Governance and rule of law
• Conflict and Violence
• Human Security
• Sustainable development
• Information Technology
• Africa’s Youths
• Climate Change and Environmental Protection
• Terrorism and Religious Fundamentalism
• Gender and Sexuality
• Trade and Small Businesses
• Politics of the AU and Multilateral Issues
The Regional Forum on the AU seeks to contribute to a new set of regional policies that also support the democratic and human rights movement in the region; transform conflict and security debates to de-escalate crises and where possible drive peace-building solutions; reset AU–CSOs relations; guide CSOs in their pursuit of the new opportunities created by a changed AU, and see CSOs play a more active problem-solving role in the affairs of the AU.

Expected Outcome
Declaration on the Regional Forum of CSOs Working on the AU