We, the Heads
of African States and Governments assembled in the City of Addis Ababa,
Ethiopia,
Convinced that it is the inalienable
right of all people to control their own destiny,
Conscious of the fact that freedom,
equality, justice and dignity are essential objectives for the achievement of
the legitimate aspirations of the African peoples,
Conscious of our responsibility to
harness the natural and human resources of our continent for the total
advancement of our peoples in all spheres of human endeavor,
Inspired by a common determination to
promote understanding among our peoples and cooperation among our states in
response to the aspirations of our peoples for brother-hood and solidarity, in a
larger unity transcending ethnic and national differences,
Convinced that, in order to translate
this determination into a dynamic force in the cause of human progress,
conditions for peace and security must be established and maintained,
Determined to safeguard and
consolidate the hard-won independence as well as the sovereignty and territorial
integrity of our states, and to fight against neo-colonialism in all its
forms,
Dedicated to the general progress of
Africa,
Persuaded that the Charter of the
United Nations and the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights, to the
Principles of which we reaffirm our adherence, provide a solid foundation for
peaceful and positive cooperation among States,
Desirous that all African States
should henceforth unite so that the welfare and well-being of their peoples can
be assured,
Resolved to reinforce the links
between our states by establishing and strengthening common
institutions,
Have agreed to
the present Charter.
Article I
1. The High
Contracting Parties do by the present Charter establish an Organization to be
known as the ORGANIZATION OF AFRICAN UNITY.2. The Organization shall include the Continental African States, Madagascar and other Islands surrounding Africa.
Purposes
Article II
1. The
Organization shall have the following purposes:- To promote the unity and solidarity of the African States;
- To coordinate and intensify their cooperation and efforts to achieve a better life for the peoples of Africa;
- To defend their sovereignty, their territorial integrity and independence;
- To eradicate all forms of colonialism from Africa; and
- To promote international cooperation, having due regard to the Charter of the United Nations and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
- Political and diplomatic cooperation;
- Economic cooperation, including transport and communications;
- Educational and cultural cooperation;
- Health, sanitation and nutritional cooperation;
- Scientific and technical cooperation; and
- Cooperation for defense and security.
Principles
Article III
The Member
States, in pursuit of the purposes stated in Article II solemnly affirm and
declare their adherence to the following principles:- The sovereign equality of all Member States.
- Non-interference in the internal affairs of States.
- Respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of each State and for its inalienable right to independent existence.
- Peaceful settlement of disputes by negotiation, mediation, conciliation or arbitration.
- Unreserved condemnation, in all its forms, of political assassination as well as of subversive activities on the part of neighboring States or any other States.
- Absolute dedication to the total emancipation of the African territories which are still dependent.
- Affirmation of a policy of non-alignment with regard to all blocs.
Membership
Article IV
Each
independent sovereign African State shall be entitled to become a Member of the
Organization.Rights and Duties of Member States
Article V
All Member
States shall enjoy equal rights and have equal duties.
Article VI
The Member
States pledge themselves to observe scrupulously the principles enumerated in
Article III of the present Charter.Institutions
Article VII
The
Organization shall accomplish its purposes through the following principal
institutions:- The
Assembly of Heads of State and Government.
- The Council of Ministers.
- The General Secretariat.
- The Commission of Mediation, Conciliation and Arbitration.
The Assembly of Heads of State and Government
Article VIII
The Assembly
of Heads of State and Government shall be the supreme organ of the Organization.
It shall, subject to the provisions of this Charter, discuss matters of common
concern to Africa with a view to coordinating and harmonizing the general policy
of the Organization. It may in addition review the structure, functions and acts
of all the organs and any specialized agencies which may be created in
accordance with the present Charter.
Article IX
The Assembly
shall be composed of the Heads of State and Government or their duly accredited
representatives and it shall meet at least once a year. At the request of any
Member State and on approval by a two-thirds majority of the Member States, the
Assembly shall meet in extraordinary session.
Article X
1. Each Member
State shall have one vote.2. All resolutions shall be determined by a two-thirds majority of the Members of the Organization.
3. Questions of procedure shall require a simple majority. Whether or not a question is one of procedure shall be determined by a simple majority of all Member States of the Organization.
4. Two-thirds of the total membership of the Organization shall form a quorum at any meeting of the Assembly.
Article XI
The Assembly
shall have the power to determine its own rules of procedure.The Council of Ministers
Article XII
1. The Council
of Ministers shall consist of Foreign Ministers or other Ministers as are
designated by the Governments of Member States.2. The Council of Ministers shall meet at least twice a year. When requested by any Member State and approved by two-thirds of all Member States, it shall meet in extraordinary session.
Article XIII
1. The Council
of Ministers shall be responsible to the Assembly of Heads of State and
Government. It shall be entrusted with the responsibility of preparing
conferences of the Assembly.2. It shall take cognizance of any matter referred to it by the Assembly. It shall be entrusted with the implementation of the decision of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government. It shall coordinate inter-African cooperation in accordance with the instructions of the Assembly conformity with Article II (2) of the present Charter.
Article XIV
1. Each Member
State shall have one vote.2. All resolutions shall be determined by a simple majority of the members of the Council of Ministers.
3. Two-thirds of the total membership of the Council of Ministers shall form a quorum for any meeting of the Council.
Article XV
The Council
shall have the power to determine its own rules of procedure.General Secretariat
Article XVI
There shall be
a Secretary-General of the Organization, who shall be appointed by the Assembly
of Heads of State and Government. The Secretary-General shall direct the affairs
of the Secretariat.
Article XVII
There shall be
one or more Assistant Secretaries-General of the Organization, who shall be
appointed by the Assembly of Heads of State and Government.
Article XVIII
The functions
and conditions of service of the Secretary-General, of the Assistant
Secretaries-General and other employees of the Secretariat shall be governed by
the provisions of this Charter and the regulations approved by the Assembly of
Heads of State and Government.- In the performance of their duties the Secretary-General and the staff shall not seek or receive instructions from any government or from any other authority external to the Organization. They shall refrain from any action which might reflect on their position as international officials responsible only to the Organization.
- Each member of the Organization undertakes to respect the exclusive character of the responsibilities of the Secretary-General and the staff and not to seek to influence them in the discharge of their responsibilities.
Commission of Mediation, Conciliation and Arbitration
Article XIX
Member States
pledge to settle all disputes among themselves by peaceful means and, to this
end decide to establish a Commission of Mediation, Conciliation and Arbitration,
the composition of which and conditions of service shall be defined by a
separate Protocol to be approved by the Assembly of Heads of State and
Government. Said Protocol shall be regarded as forming an integral part of the
present Charter.Specialized Commission
Article XX
The Assembly
shall establish such Specialized Commissions as it may deem necessary, including
the following:- Economic and Social Commission.
- Educational, Scientific, Cultural and Health Commission.
- Defense Commission.
Article XXI
Each
Specialized Commission referred to in Article XX shall be composed of the
Ministers concerned or other Ministers or Plenipotentiaries designated by the
Governments of the Member States.
Article XXII
The functions
of the Specialized Commissions shall be carried out in accordance with the
provisions of the present Charter and of the regulations approved by the Council
of Ministers.The Budget
Article XXIII
The budget of
the Organization prepared by the Secretary-General shall be approved by the
Council of Ministers. The budget shall be provided by contribution from Member
States in accordance with the scale of assessment of the United Nations;
provided, however, that no Member State shall be assessed an amount exceeding
twenty percent of the yearly regular budget of the Organization. The Member
States agree to pay their respective contributions regularly.Signature and Ratification of Charter
Article XXIV
1. This
Charter shall be open for signature to all independent sovereign African States
and shall be ratified by the signatory States in accordance with their
respective constitutional processes.2. The original instrument, done, if possible in African languages, in English and French, all texts being equally authentic, shall be deposited with the Government of Ethiopia which shall transmit certified copies thereof to all independent sovereign African States.
3. Instruments of ratification shall be deposited with the Government of Ethiopia, which shall notify all signatories of each such deposit.
Entry into Force
Article XXV
This Charter
shall enter into force immediately upon receipt by the Government of Ethiopia of
the instruments of ratification from two-thirds of the signatory
States.Registration of Charter
Article XXVI
This Charter
shall, after due ratification, be registered with the Secretariat of the United
Nations through the Government of Ethiopia in conformity with Article 102 of the
Charter of the United Nations.Interpretation of the Charter
Article XXVII
Any question
which may arise concerning the interpretation of this Charter shall be decided
by a vote of two-thirds of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the
Organization.Adhesion and Accession
Article XXVIII
1. Any
independent sovereign African State may at any time notify the Secretary-General
of its intention to adhere or accede to this Charter.2. The Secretary-General shall, on receipt of such notification, communicate a copy of it to all the Member States. Admission shall be decided by a simple majority of the Member States. The decision of each Member State shall be transmitted to the Secretary-General, who shall, upon receipt of the required number of votes, communicate the decision to the State concerned.
Miscellaneous
Article XXIX
The working
languages of the Organization and all its institutions shall be, if possible
African languages, English and French, Arabic and Portuguese.
Article XXX
The
Secretary-General may accept, on behalf of the Organization, gifts, bequests and
other donations made to the Organization, provided that this is approved by the
Council of Ministers.
Article XXXI
The Council of
Ministers shall decide on the privileges and immunities to be accorded to the
personnel of the Secretariat in the respective territories of the Member
States.Cessation of Membership
Article XXXI
Any State
which desires to renounce its membership shall forward a written notification to
the Secretary-General. At the end of one year from the date of such
notification, if not withdrawn, the Charter shall cease to apply with respect to
the renouncing State, which shall thereby cease to belong to the
Organization.Amendment of the Charter
Article XXXII
This Charter
may be amended or revised if any Member State makes a written request to the
Secretary-General to that effect; provided, however, that the proposed amendment
is not submitted to the Assembly for consideration until all the Member States
have been duly notified of it and a period of one year has elapsed. Such an
amendment shall not be effective unless approved by at least two-thirds of all
the Member States.IN FAITH WHEREOF, We, the Heads of African States and Governments have signed this Charter.
Done in the City of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia,
25th day of May, 1963
Source: http://www.oau-creation.com
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