African Union Commission to organize 2nd Continental EMB Meeting and Forum on the Year of Shared Values in Lusaka 11 – 13 June 2012, and 14 June 2012
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, June 6, 2012/African Press Organization (APO)/ -- INVITATION TO REPRESENTATIVES OF THE MEDIA
When:
Monday 11 – Wednesday 13 June 2012
Elections Management Bodies (EMB) Continental Meeting
Thursday 14 June 2012 – Forum on the Year of African Union Shared Values
Where: Lusaka, the Republic of Zambia
Who:
Organized by the Department of Political Affairs of the African Union Commission (AUC)
Objectives:
The EMB Meeting will be the second meeting of all Chairpersons of Electoral Commissions from the 54 member states of the African Union and will deliberate on issues of election management in the continent, and AUC's programme of capacity building for EMBs in Africa. The Forum on Shared Values will be a forum on elections and will focus on free, fair and credible elections as part of African Union shared values
Participants:
Participants will include all EMBs from member states of the African Union, African Union Organs, RECs, and International Partners of the African Union and stakeholders in election.
Background The Democracy and Electoral Assistance Unit DEAU of the Department of Political Affairs of the African Union Commission will be holding a 3 – day Intercontinental EMB Meeting on the theme: “Strengthening the Relationship Between the African Union Commission and EMBs for Capacity Development” This proposed Forum will serve the purpose bringing all EMBs in the continent together for deliberations, sharing of experiences as well as gaining an insight into DEAU programmes of electoral assistance and also providing the EMBs the opportunity to contribute their own inputs their own inputs in terms of actual needs..
The Meeting will also aim at establishing a formal structure for interactions and exchanges between the AUC and EMBs in the continent towards the process of ensuring compliance with the electoral norms in the Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance.
The Forum on the Year of Shared Values will focus on
Transparent, Free, Fair and credible elections: How do they constitute part of Shared Values?; the concept of shared values, principles and practices that have been developed and acquired by the AU in relation to the principles of free, fair and credible elections. The forum will attempt to link these election values and principles to the overall shared values imperatives and discuss how these free, fair and credible principles are perceived in our society and to what extent can they contribute to promoting the shared values of the AU.)
Journalists are invited to cover the EMB Continental Meeting and the Forum on the Year of Shared Values on 11 -13 June 2012, and 14 June 2012 respectively in Lusaka, the Republic of Zambia.
For Further Information consult the AU website: www.au.int