AU WATCH

Strategic Partnerships & Networking

Strategic partnerships and collaborations are the cornerstone of our progress at AU Watch. We have learned from experience— CSO work, the private sector, government, and non-profit global development work—that the biggest problems require big partnerships.

Over the years, we have worked with a diverse range of stakeholders including national and local governments, multilateral and bilateral agencies, research institutions, universities, civil society organizations and membership organizations. These players contribute their own perspectives, approaches, and expertise towards our shared vision of promoting the vision of Agenda 2063.

“The commentators of 1963 speak, in discussing Africa, of the Monrovia States, the Brazzaville Group, the Casablanca Powers, of these and many more. Let us put an end to these terms. What we require is a single African organization through which Africa’s single voice may be heard, within which Africa’s problems may be studied and resolved.”
Haile Selassie

Our Approach To Partnerships

Many social justice issues are multilateral in nature. We are aware that if you want to achieve anything of note, it means workings in partnership with other individuals and organizations. In today’s mutually dependent regional, no singular event or reason is responsible for originating the problems we all face. Climate change is a good example. Many of the problems caused by climate change are felt in Africa, though we are least responsible for the causes!

We are also aware that no government or organization can address the multitude of challenges we face as a region. A major strategic approach of the way we work is our flexibility and adaptability in integrating and coordinating our activities with other actors who can bring their own unique and specific skills, talents and expertise on issues we care about and are working on. We are particularly keen on sharing information and working on projects in a bilateral and multilateral manner.

Cooperation with partners allows us to strengthen and expand our extensive network and contribute to the strength of AU Watch

How We Make Use of Our Strategic Partnerships

We help our membersand partners take leading roles in Africa. Some of our activities include:
• Sharing and exchanging information.
• Providing help, advice and support to community groups through effective communications.
• Developing links with appropriate academic and professional bodies to enhance training opportunities and to provide learning to the academic world and across organizations we work with.
• Be a collective voice that promotes the interests of Africa among stakeholders.
• Organising workshops, networking and advocacy and educational events, to grow strategic opportunities around the continent.
• We work and advocate together with our partners towards a Zero poverty Africa.
• What unites us is a commitment to working with the world’s poor and vulnerable, and a belief that we can make the world a more peaceful, just and prosperous place – together.
• We fight poverty,corruption and poor governance more effectively by cooperating on various levels, working together at the local community and influencing and campaigning together at AU level. By joining forces, we can meet the challenges and changing demands of our work and shape public and political opinion in Africa.
• Serving as the main NGO interlocutor with the African Union on human rights, governance and Agenda 2063.

Our In-house Partners
AU Watch benefits from the support and guidance of an influential Governing Council composed of prominent individuals from all over the world, with a passionate commitment to see the AU and Africa succeed. Our sub-committee of top-tier development economists, political scientists, and policymakers, helps AU Watch maintain the high quality of our research and identifies over-the-horizon issues for early attention. AU Watch works with others through contractual and informal partnerships with a wide range of organizations who share complementary goals.

Role of AU Watch Chapters

Our Governing Council and Strategic Leadership Group support individual chapters in building their capacities to develop their own programs including domestic fundraising portfolios. Cooperation agreements and partnerships, both formal and informal, are central to AU Watch’s Chapters programs. At present, cooperation is ongoing with a large number of research institutes both in Africa, North America, Asia and Europe. The mission of our Chapters is to take the AU to every corner of the continent.

Promoting Active Citizenship

Promoting active citizenship activities, including building the capacities of individuals and communities to understand the AU and effectively engage with it, providing policy analysis, financial and logistic support to enable all Africans to participate in its activities and participate in influencing the decision-making process at the local level. Our chapters collaborate with local media organizations in various projects and programs including training aimed at increasing advocacy, media and communications capacity of our partners. This includes covering and celebrating key AU dates (like African Human Rights Day, AU Day, UN Human Rights Day, etc) by the media. Furthermore, we encourage our chapters to develop and expand their relationships while fostering new ones with a diverse range of research institutes and universities. With the support of our partners, our Chapters can respond to regional challenges and achieve greater impact.