AU WATCH

Mission and Vision

“A statement of vision is the overarching purpose, the big dream, the visionary concept-something presently out of reach-so stated that it excites the imagination and challenges people to work for something they do not yet know how to do.”

Robert K. Greenleaf,  Motivational and Leadership Speaker

Our Vision

GUIDED by our common vision of a united and strong Africa and by the need to build a partnership between governments and all segments of civil society, in particular women, youth and the private sector, in order to strengthen solidarity and cohesion among our peoples’;

AU Watch aspires to be Africa’s leading and most trusted think-and-do-tank on policy ideas and analysis on the AU and regional issues with recognized impact on significant regional problems.

We aspire for an Africa:

1. Where human rights, democracy, good governance and universal education mean exactly what they are – where every child, woman and man understand his or her rights and is able to demand that such rights are upheld.

2. Enriched by the effective and informed public discourse about what its state managers are doing to transform lives.

3. Where every child, woman and man can read and write, within the next twenty years; where every man, woman and child are empowered enough to question what their leaders are doing; knows what the AU is doing and is able to participate it its activities and programs.

4. Where the AU and its Members uphold the dignity of its people; where the people are sovereign, and believe that the AU and its Members are actively and seriously tackling poverty and corruption, addressing development, peace, security, human rights violations and democracy.

5. At the crossroads of 2063, where poverty and corruption are rejected and development, peace, security, human rights and democracy are placed at the heart of AU’s internal and external policy agenda, which should be a people’s centred AU. This vision should manifest itself in an AU and AUMS, where our leaders honestly and truly uphold the letter and spirit of the Constitutive Act. We believe that this is an ethical, legal, and political imperative and the cornerstone of lasting peace and security.

 

Together with our partners, volunteers and staff, AU Watch is solving problems, implementing solutions and working toward eradicating human rights violations, social injustices, poverty and inequality—one community at a time. In 2018-19, our programs touched thousands of beneficiaries in 20 countries in Africa.

“A mission statement is not something you write overnight… But fundamentally, your mission statement becomes your constitution, the solid expression of your vision and values. It becomes the criterion by which you measure everything else in your life.

Stephen Covey, Author and Keynote Speaker 

 

Mission Statement

RECOGNIZING that in a time of rising unemployment, poverty, corruption and other social injustices and with “unparalleled threats to peace and security, increase in regional demands for true democracy and human rights and great economic possibilities, the potential of and need for Africa as a convincing force for good has never been greater”.

Our Mission is to:

1. Monitor the deliberations, decisions, activities and performance of the AU and AU Member States by the standard of the Constitutive Act and the standards of the legal instruments of its various institutions. We challenge and holds to account the AU and States Parties to the Constitutive Act to live up to the standards and ideals they have set for themselves. We believe AU leadership is essential in the regional struggle for security, development, and human rights, so we press the AU and its States Managers to respect the laws they create and the treaties they sign. When they fail, we step in to demand reform, accountability, and justice.

2. Inform and empower people and communities to have the power to claim their basic human rights, to escape poverty, injustice and misrule. We use the power of media and communication to advance a wider understanding of the AU and its critical security, political, economic and human rights issues of the twenty-first century and their potential resolution. Working in partnership with the AU and various partners we provide access to useful, timely, understandable and reliable information on the AU – helping people make sense of events, engage in dialogue and take action to improve their lives.

3. Provide insight, generate ideas, and promote collaboration to address present challenges on the continent and create a shared future. We support the AU and its Members through our comprehensive media and interventionists programs to help build a sustainable, secure, prosperous and just Africa. By building bridges from knowledge to power, by conducting world-leading research and analysis, and influencing the AU and regional policy makers to change policies and actions, our priority is to make a lasting and sustainable impact in the lives of millions of people in Africa.

4. Support and assist the AU and its Members be the symbol and inspiration of peace, justice and hope for all Africans. We believe that if the AU is to achieve its objectives as enumerated in the Constituent Act and becoming the continent principal multilateral forum for advancing development, strengthening democracy, promoting human rights, and confronting shared problems such as poverty, insecurity, illegal drugs and corruption, Africans around the world should look to this flagship continental organization for inspiration and count on organizations like AU Watch to ensure that their interests are well looked after.

5. Assist vulnerable and excluded people and communities in Africa to achieve sustainable economic and social progress, strengthen their communities and civil society, promote democratic participation and inclusion, and assist in the creation of lasting solutions to poverty, hunger, and social injustice. 

6. Get every African to understand and participate in Agenda 2063.We are a one-stop resource centre for the latest information, news and analysis on AU matters, providing research, advisory, legal and consultancy services to:

    • Government
    • Businesses
    • Organizations 
    • Individual