The Constitutive Act of the African Union sets out the codified framework under which the African Union is to conduct itself. It was signed on 11 July 2000 at

Lomé Lomé is the capital and largest city of Togo. It has an urban population of 837,437

Togo Togo (), officially the Togolese Republic (french: République togolaise), is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Ghana to the west, Benin to the east and Burkina Faso to the north. It extends south to the Gulf of Guinea, where its c ...

. It entered into force after two thirds of the 53 signatory states ratified the convention on 26 May 2001. When a state ratifies the Constitutive Act, it formally becomes a member of the AU. All 55 signatory states have ratified the document, with

South Sudan South Sudan (; din, Paguot Thudän), officially the Republic of South Sudan ( din, Paankɔc Cuëny Thudän), is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered by Ethiopia, Sudan, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the ...

and

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria t ...

ratifying as the last African states.

Aims

The objectives of the AU laid down in the Act are the following:https://au.int/sites/default/files/pages/34873-file-constitutiveact_en.pdf # To achieve greater unity, cohesion and solidarity between the African countries and African nations. # To defend the sovereignty,

territorial integrity Territorial integrity is the principle under international law that gives the right to sovereign states to defend their borders and all territory in them of another state. It is enshrined in Article 2(4) of the UN Charter and has been recognized ...

and independence of its Member States. # To accelerate the political and social-economic integration of the continent. # To promote and defend African common positions on issues of interest to the continent and its peoples. # To encourage international cooperation, taking due account of the

Charter of the United Nations The Charter of the United Nations (UN) is the foundational treaty of the UN, an intergovernmental organization. It establishes the purposes, governing structure, and overall framework of the UN system, including its six principal organs: the ...

and the

Universal Declaration of Human Rights The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) is an international document adopted by the United Nations General Assembly that enshrines the rights and freedoms of all human beings. Drafted by a UN committee chaired by Eleanor Roosevelt, ...

. # To promote peace, security, and stability on the continent. # To promote democratic principles and institutions, popular participation and good governance. # To promote and protect human and peoples' rights in accordance with the

African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights The African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights (also known as the Banjul Charter) is an international human rights instrument that is intended to promote and protect human rights and basic freedoms in the African continent. It emerged under ...

and other relevant

human rights instruments International human rights instruments are the treaties and other international texts that serve as legal sources for international human rights law and the protection of human rights in general. There are many varying types, but most can be clas ...

. # To establish the necessary conditions which enable the continent to play its rightful role in the global economy and in international negotiations. # To promote sustainable development at the economic, social and cultural levels as well as the integration of African economies. # To promote co-operation in all fields of human activity to raise the

living standard Standard of living is the level of income, comforts and services available, generally applied to a society or location, rather than to an individual. Standard of living is relevant because it is considered to contribute to an individual's quality ...

s of African peoples. # To coordinate and harmonise the policies between the existing and future

Regional Economic Communities The Regional Economic Communities (RECs) in Africa group together individual countries in subregions for the purposes of achieving greater economic integration. They are described as the "building blocks" of the African UnionAU and are also central ...

for the gradual attainment of the objectives of the Union. # To advance the development of the continent by promoting research in all fields, in particular in science and technology. # To work with relevant international partners in the eradication of preventable diseases and the promotion of good health on the continent.

References

External links

Constitutive Act of the African Union
* Treaties concluded in 2000 Treaties entered into force in 2001 Treaties of Algeria Treaties of Angola Treaties of Benin Treaties of Botswana Treaties of Burkina Faso Treaties of Burundi Treaties of Cameroon Treaties of the Central African Republic Treaties of Chad Treaties of the Comoros Treaties of the Republic of the Congo Treaties of Ivory Coast Treaties of the Democratic Republic of the Congo Treaties of Djibouti Treaties of Egypt Treaties of Equatorial Guinea Treaties of Eritrea Treaties of Ethiopia Treaties of Gabon Treaties of the Gambia Treaties of Ghana Treaties of Guinea Treaties of Guinea-Bissau Treaties of Kenya Treaties of Lesotho Treaties of Liberia Treaties of the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya Treaties of Madagascar Treaties of Malawi Treaties of Mali Treaties of Mauritania Treaties of Mauritius Treaties of Mozambique Treaties of Namibia Treaties of Niger Treaties of Nigeria Treaties of Rwanda Treaties of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic Treaties of São Tomé and Príncipe Treaties of Senegal Treaties of Seychelles Treaties of Sierra Leone Treaties of the Transitional National Government of Somalia Treaties of South Africa Treaties of Tanzania Treaties of the Republic of the Sudan (1985–2011) Treaties of Eswatini Treaties of Togo Treaties of Tunisia Treaties of Uganda Treaties of Zambia Treaties of Zimbabwe Treaties of Cape Verde Treaties establishing intergovernmental organizations 2000 in Togo {{Africa-hist-stub

Aims

See also

References

External links