At an OAU Extraordinary Summit in Sirte, Libya, African heads of state adopted the Sirte Declaration, initiating the process to establish the African Union and accelerate continental integration instruments (including plans for organs such as a parliament and court).
The OAU Summit in Lomé, Togo adopted the Constitutive Act of the African Union, providing the legal foundation for the AU’s objectives, principles, and institutional structure.
In Sirte, Libya, AU/OAU member states concluded the Protocol to the Treaty Establishing the African Economic Community Relating to the Pan-African Parliament, setting out the Parliament’s role (initially advisory/consultative) within the continental integration architecture.
After sufficient ratifications, the Constitutive Act entered into force—formally enabling the transition from the OAU framework to the African Union as a treaty-based organization.
African leaders adopted the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) as a continent-wide development framework, linking governance and development priorities and later embedding it within AU processes.
At Durban, South Africa, the African Union was officially launched, marking the institutional succession from the OAU to the AU and inaugurating the AU Assembly’s first session.
The AU adopted the Protocol Relating to the Establishment of the Peace and Security Council (PSC), defining a standing decision-making organ for conflict prevention, management, and resolution—central to the emerging African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA).
The African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) was established as a voluntary, peer-level self-monitoring process for governance performance—intended to reinforce political stability and support integration and sustainable development goals.
Member states adopted the African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption in Maputo, establishing a continent-wide legal framework addressing prevention, criminalization, cooperation, and asset recovery.
The protocol establishing the Pan-African Parliament entered into force, enabling the Parliament’s formal operation as part of the AU/AEC institutional landscape (with initially consultative powers).
The PSC protocol entered into force, legally activating the Peace and Security Council framework that underpins AU conflict-response decision-making and early warning arrangements.
The AU adopted the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance, a binding instrument promoting democratic governance norms and addressing unconstitutional changes of government across member states.
At the AU Assembly in Addis Ababa, member states decided to integrate NEPAD into AU structures and processes, including establishing the NEPAD Planning and Coordinating Agency (NPCA) to replace the NEPAD Secretariat.
During the OAU/AU 50th anniversary (Golden Jubilee), African heads of state signed a solemn declaration recommitting to Pan-African visioning; the AU frames Agenda 2063 as the concrete long-term development and integration agenda emerging from this moment.
At the 24th Ordinary Session in Addis Ababa, the AU Assembly adopted Agenda 2063 (“The Africa We Want”), setting a 50-year strategic framework (2013–2063) for inclusive growth, integration, peace, and governance aspirations.
The AU adopted Agenda 2063’s First Ten-Year Implementation Plan (FTYIP), translating the long-term vision into measurable priorities, targets, and programs for an initial decade of execution.
African Union Formation and Agenda 2063 (2001–2015)
