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Organization, Mission & Objectives
The
African Union (AU) has invited the African Diaspora to become
“voting members” of the AU so that together African people can move
toward making the unification of the African continent into the
reality called the Union of African States (or United States of
Africa) in the near future. The AU (through its Executive Council
and the implications of its amended constitution) designated the
Diaspora as the Sixth Region of Africa (the other five regions are
North, South, East, West and Central Africa).
The
African Diaspora consists of the
diasporas
created by the movement and transfer of
Africans
and their descendants throughout the world, to places such as the
Americas
(including
the United
States,
Canada,
the
Caribbean,
Central America
and
South America),
Europe
and
Asia.
Much of the African Diasporas are descended from people that were
sold into slavery during the Transatlantic Slave Trade, with the
largest population living in Brazil.
Although the exact definition is still a work
in progress, in 2005, the AU defined the Diaspora as
"... peoples of African descent and
heritage living outside the continent, irrespective of their
citizenship, and who remain committed to contribute to the
development of the continent and the building of the African Union."
The
mobilization of African Diaspora bodies is an initiative that has
been formally mandated by the African Union to the South African
Government for the creation of a stronger and meaningful
contribution by Diasporas to the development of the African
Continent.
This is also aligned with efforts to get the international community
to respond and contribute to the overall development of the African
Continent.
Since
the RCC in the Europe Region several Europe Region Meetings were
initiated and/or organised by the AUADS Facilitators Working Group
Europe Region in cooperation with the South African Governments in
the respective countries: Paris/France; The Hague/Holland;
Berlin/Germany. In Brussels/Belgium in cooperation with the African
Union Permanent Mission. |
