30 Facts About African Union

African Union is a continental union consisting of 55 member states located on the continent of Africa.

The intention of the AU was to replace the Organisation of African Union Unity, established on 25 May 1963 in Addis Ababa by 32 signatory governments; the OAU was disbanded on 9 July 2002.

African Union is made up of both political and administrative bodies.

The highest decision-making organ is the Assembly of the African Union, made up of all the heads of state or government of member states of the AU.

The Declaration was followed by summits at Lome in 2000, when the Constitutive Act of the African Union was adopted, and at Lusaka in 2001, when the plan for the implementation of the African Union was adopted.

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African Union was launched in Durban on 9 July 2002, by its first chairperson, South African Thabo Mbeki, at the first session of the Assembly of the African Union.

African Union suggested an intensified democratisation and free trade, to significantly increase living quality for Africans.

Consequently, the geography of the African Union is wildly diverse, including the world's largest hot desert, huge jungles and savannas, and the world's longest river (the Nile).

All UN member states based in Africa and on African Union islands are members of the AU, as is the partially recognized state of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic.

Declaration lastly noted the "importance of involving the African peoples, including Africans in the Diaspora, in the processes leading to the formation of the Union Government.

Main administrative capital of the African Union is in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where the African Union Commission is headquartered.

Moussa Faki Mahamat, head of the African Union Commission, said the allegations in the Le Mondes report were false.

Individual member states of the African Union coordinate foreign policy through this agency, in addition to conducting their own international relations on a state-by-state basis.

The AU represents the interests of African Union peoples at large in intergovernmental organisations; for instance, it is a permanent observer at the United Nations General Assembly.

The African Union maintains special diplomatic representation with the United States and the European Union.

The African Union-bloc has referred to the Caribbean as the potential "Sixth Region" of the African Union.

Since joining FOCAC in 2012, the African Union has increasingly played a coordinating role, although each African country in FOCAC continues to represent itself individually.

European Commission, the European African Union's relationship with Africa is a key priority.

Emblem of the African Union consists of a gold ribbon bearing small interlocking red rings, from which palm leaves shoot up around an outer gold circle and an inner green circle, within which is a gold representation of Africa.

African Union adopted its new flag at its 14th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government taking place in Addis Ababa 2010.

Pursuant to this decision, the African Union Commission organised a competition for the selection of a new flag for the African Union.

African Union has adopted the anthem "Let Us All Unite and Celebrate Together".

In January 2012, the African Union Assembly requested that the African Union Commission would work out "a roadmap of shared responsibility to draw on African efforts for a viable health funding with support of traditional and emerging partners to address AIDS dependency response.

Daniel Batidam, an anti-corruption advisory board member of the African Union, resigned after stating that the organisation had "multiple irregularities" and that "issues have come up over and over again" regarding corruption.

The African Union quickly accepted his resignation, with Batidam saying that it was a sign that mismanagement towards corruption will "continue with business as usual".

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In 2011, when the conflict in Libya began, the African Union was initially criticised for doing little to prevent the conflict's escalation.

On 20 September 2011, the African Union officially recognised the National Transitional Council as the legitimate representative of Libya.

In post-Gaddafi Libya, the African Union believes it still has an important responsibility to the country despite its failure to contribute to the conflict when it originated.

In 2013, a summit for the African Union was held and it was decided that the African Union was going to enlarge their military presence in Mali.

In July 2009 the African Union ceased cooperation with the International Criminal Court, refusing to recognise the international arrest warrant it had issued against Sudan's leader, Omar al-Bashir, who was indicted in 2008 for war crimes.