African Diaspora Summit

7 to 10 October 2008

african diaspora

The AU African Diaspora Summit of Heads of State and Government has been postponed due to reasons of matters of state in South Africa.

Note verbale by the African Union [PDF]

Note to Member States from the South African Government [PDF]

African Diaspora Summit - “Towards a united Africa and its diaspora” - Extract from media briefng by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Aziz Pahad, 18 September 2008

Seen within the context of the Fifth Pan-African Congress held in Manchester in 1945, this forthcoming Summit will be the pace-maker of the regeneration of our Continent and its Diaspora across the globe. Its overall concern is to understand the past, reflect on the present, and to consider the unity of our Continent and its Diaspora. It marks a significant advance in the participation of the African Diaspora in the reconstruction and development of our Continent, and will call for greater political solidarity between Africa and its Diaspora, while carrying forward the broader struggle against political and economic discrimination.

The Declaration, Programme of Action and its Implementation Mechanisms to be adopted by the 79 Heads of State and Government from Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, together with representatives from civil society in Africa and in the Diaspora, will strengthen and deepen political and economic cooperation between our Continent and its Diaspora.

This first African Diaspora Summit, coming in October 2008, at a time when almost all African states are independent, with the exception of the people of the Western Sahara calls for a major civic celebration in our country to commemorate the significant role that the African Diaspora played in our triumph over colonialism and apartheid. The Summit, therefore, reinforces our conviction that Africa and its Diaspora share a common history and a common experience. It is this common root, history and experience that bind us as a community; and as a community we are committed to strengthening political and socio-economic cooperation amongst ourselves.

Through this gathering our Heads of State and Government and members of civil society will deliberate on how our Continent and its Diaspora will:

Utilise remittances to finance investment and development projects in our Continent;
Share knowledge and best practices in the area of regional integration from countries of residence. In this regard, there could be exchange of professionals, including retirees;
Cooperate by taking common positions during international negotiations such as the Economic Partnerships and World Trade Organisation negotiations;
Promote greater trade and investment between Africa and the Diaspora through joint organisation of trade fairs, investors fora, and enhanced exchange of information on business and investment opportunities between African Chambers of Commerce and Industry with those in the Diaspora;
Support the creation of the African Investment Bank by contributing to its share capital once established as well as to share experiences on best practices in the financing of infrastructure projects; and
Strengthen cooperation between regional organisations in the Continent and those in the Diaspora. For instance, there is a need to strengthen ties between the AU Commission and CARICOM.

For our Continent and country to ensure that we host a successful Summit and that the Diaspora initiative is sustained into the future, the African Diaspora Summit can, must and will:

Create favourable conditions to allow for the return of Africans in the Diaspora
Create conducive investment and business climate by according special fiscal incentives to investment undertaken by Africans in the Diaspora, just like it is done for Foreign Direct Investments
Establish effective ways and means of channelling remittances to Africa at minimum cost
Establish mechanisms for informing the Diaspora of the AU Programmes and Projects, such as those contained in the New Partnership for Africa's Development (Nepad)
Tap on the skills and experiences of the Diaspora by engaging them in consultancy work, which in most cases is done by the so called international experts
Devise deliberate policies and develop co-operation programmes aimed at the Diaspora.

Our country believes that for us, as Africans, the Summit means our continent and its Diaspora has an opportunity to come together in a combined affirmation of our confidence in ourselves, and our future.

Frequently asked questions and answers [PDF]

Accreditation
Media wishing to cover this meeting are requested to forward details for accreditation to malawanax@foreign.gov.za and masangod@foreign.gov.za by Friday, 19 September 2008 16h00. Details required:

Name
Media house
Identity number

Accreditation will be live and media will have to present themselves at the accreditation centre (venue to be announced later) with the following documentation:

South African Identity Document or Passport
Press card or letter from the editor.

Media without the required documentation will not be accredited.

The accreditation centre will be operational from Monday, 29 September 2008 08h00 – 17h00.

Unaccredited media will not have access to the conference venue.

Source: Department of Foreign Affairs

More information on the African Diaspora

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Last modified: 25 September 2008 10:42:19.