The African Union Economic, Social and Cultural Council (AU-ECOSOCC) will in December 2022 hold the Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) elections to constitute its fourth Permanent General Assembly (PGA).
The decision was confirmed at a joint ECOSOCC Credentials Committee and African Union Commission (AUC) Interdepartmental meeting from 21 to 23 March 2022 in Zambia. The meeting was premised on the Decision of the 40th Ordinary Session of the African Union Executive Council of February 2022, which requested the ECOSOCC Secretariat in collaboration with the relevant departments of the AU Commission to launch the call for applications of the 4th Permanent General Assembly of ECOSOCC during the second quarter of 2022 and ensure strict compliance with eligibility criteria of ECOSOCC membership as provided for in the Statutes of the Organ.
During the meeting, the Credentials Committee of ECOSOCC and the AUC Interdepartmental Team developed a roadmap for the election of the 4th Permanent General Assembly.
The meeting was officially opened by Mr. Diaby Moustapha Mamy, Senior Advisor, ICT and Digital Transformation, in the Cabinet of the AUC Deputy Chairperson who called for the meeting to define an appropriate tech-savvy roadmap for the election of the members of the ECOSOCC GA.
The ECOSOCC General Assembly is the highest policy making body of the Organ. Elections into the 4th PGA will be held by virtual means at national, regional and continental levels and the first Ordinary Session of the 4th PGA will be held physically in December 2022. During the First Ordinary Session the General Assembly will elect from amongst the representatives of its members, the Bureau consisting of the Presiding Officer and four Deputy Presiding Officers.
Consequently, the call for elections for CSOs to take part in the PGA opens today, April 1, 2022 and will close on June 30th, 2022. The ECOSOCC Secretariat will make available to the AU Member States and through social and traditional media, the details of the elections and criteria for CSOs to take part; all relevant information about the ECOSOCC elections will also be available online at https://www.auecosocc.org/elections
ECOSOCC is mandated to actively engage civil society in the processes and work of the Union, particularly with regards to Africa’s integration and development.
