africa: Call for new African Commission Chair not to let down the continent

Press Release: 17 July 2003

“Konare has right credentials says CREDO”: Calls on new African Commission Chair not to let down the continent

Alpha Konare former President of Mali and newly elected Chair of the Commission of the African Union has the right credentials for the job say’s CREDO for Freedom of Expression & Associated Rights. However the rights organisations has also called on the newly elected African Commission Chair to remain true to his experience as a campaigning journalist, pro-democracy activist, and Professor of History and Archaeology and not let the African continent down.

Reacting to the election of the new AU Chair, CREDO’s coordinator Rotimi Sankore stated, “As the first elected Chair of the Commission of the African Union, the success or failure of the entire African Union project depends largely on how Alpha Konare approaches the job.”

“A key problem facing the African continent is that of denial of citizenship rights: the rights to freedom of opinion, expression, association, assembly, political participation, and press freedom. Having founded a publication to champion multi-party democracy and democratic rights against military rule in Mali, being the country’s first democratically elected President and, having stepped down after two terms in office Alpha Konare is in a unique position to understand the problems facing many African countries. His election is an opportunity to make history and we hope he will not let Africa down”

Regarding press freedom and freedom of expression, “CREDO in collaboration with FAHAMU, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) and the World Association of Newspapers (WAN) submitted a petition to the African Union at last weeks 2nd Annual AU summit in Maputo calling on concerned African Union member states to release all incarcerated journalists and repeal anti-media and anti-freedom of expression legislation as a crucial first step towards enabling Africans to participate in shaping the future of the continent. We call on the new AU Chair and Chair of the Commission to heed the call of the 100 African and international media, press freedom and rights organisations across the world, and 107 individual lawyers, journalists, intellectuals, academics and human rights campaigners that have so far signed the petition.”

The CREDO coordinator also called on the AU member states to cooperate fully with the African Commission and to provide the Chair and the newly elected Commissioners with necessary infrastructure and resources to function effectively and improve on the work of the outgoing interim African Commission Chair Amara Essy.

CREDO also welcomes the record-setting election of women as the majority of the slate of Commissioners chosen in Maputo and calls on the Commission to place the advancement of women’s rights in Africa at the top of their agenda alongside key citizenship rights.

ENDS

*Note for editors

Alpha Oumar Konare was two term President of Mali from 1992 to 2002. Prior to his first election he was President of the International Council of Museums, (the first African to be elected at this position) and, President of the West African Archaeologists Association. He was also member of the Board of Directors of the Centre for World Islamic Education and of the Foundation "Afrique en Création" and served as Consultant to UNESCO, UNDP, the Agency for Cultural and Technical Cooperation, and was a Member of the International Council on Historical Sites and Monuments. He was also founder of "Les Echos", a weekly newspaper that campaigned against military dictatorship in Mali and for multi party democracy. He holds a Doctorate degree in Archaeology.

RESULT OF ELECTIONS: COMMISSIONERS OF THE COMMISSION OF THE AFRICAN UNION
HE Mr. Alpha Oumar Konare (Mali) was elected Chairperson of the African Union Commission and Mr. Patrick Mazimhaka of Rwanda, Vice-Chaiperson.

Other Commissioners are:

Portfolios
Elected
Country

Peace and Security
Said Djinnit (Mr.)
Algeria

Political Affairs
Julia Dolly Joiner (Mrs.)
The Gambia

Infrastructure and Energy
Bernard Zoba (Mr.)
Congo Brazzaville

Social Affairs
Gawanas Bience Philomina (Ms.)
Namibia

Human Resources, Science and Technology
Saida Agrebi (Mrs.)
Tunisia

Trade and Industry
Elisabeth Tankeu (Ms)
Cameroon

Rural Economy and Agriculture
Rosebud Kurwijila (Ms)
Tanzania

Economic Affairs *

Southern Africa

* The post of "Economic Affairs" is to be allocated to the "Southern Africa" Region.

ELECTION OF MEMBERS OF THE AFRICAN COMMISSION ON HUMAN AND PEOPLES RIGHTS BY THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL, 9 JULY 2003

i. Ms. Sanji MONAGENG (Botswana)
ii. Mr. Mohamed Abdellahi Ouid BABANA (Mauritania)
iii. Mr. Bahame Tom Mukirya NYANDUGA (Tanzania).

ELECTION OF MEMBERS OF THE AFRICAN COMMITTEE OF EXPERTS ON THE RIGHTS AND WELFARE OF THE CHILD BY THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL
9 JULY 2003

i. Prof. Peter Onyekwere EBIGBO (Nigeria)
ii. Dr. Asseffa BEQUELE (Ethiopia)
iii. Mr. Jean Baptiste ZOUNGRANA (Burkina Faso)
iv. Ms. Nakpa POLO (Togo)

**All of the elected persons will take their positions between September and

For further information contact

CREDO International Office:

Centre for Research Education & Development Of
- [CREDO]- Freedom of Expression & Associated Rights.

73-75 Newington Causeway, London SE1 6BD, UK

Tel: + 44 20 77875501,

Fax:+ 44 20 77875502

E-mail: Media – [email protected] ,

General – [email protected]

CREDO for Freedom of Expression & Associated Rights is an Africa focussed International rights organisation. CREDO believes that freedom of expression and other strongly associated rights, are major platforms on which all civil, political, social, economic and cultural rights stand. CREDO further believes that “without distinction of any kind such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status” everyone is entitled to these rights as outlined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural rights, The African Charter on Peoples and Human Rights and other similar documents.

While freedom of expression remains an inalienable right, it is often overlooked that it is in reality, not a stand-alone right but is also a ‘gateway’ right to these other strongly associated rights, which are no less important and demand equal attention. These rights include the rights to opinion, assembly, association and so forth. An attack on any of these rights is more often than not an indicator that other associated rights are not fully assured.

Collectively these rights are infinitely more important than they are individually. Their intertwined nature means that they are best defended and promoted collectively and not in isolation from each other.

While maintaining an international perspective, CREDO’s work focuses on themes in Africa related to: freedom of expression, media freedom, rights/access to information and information resources; freedom of opinion, association, assembly, political participation and related rights; and anti-discrimination issues e.g. discrimination based on gender, race, ethnicity, political persuasion etc.