African Union marks Africa day with a call for peace / Africa Day focuses on building and maintaining peace through sport
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, May 27, 2010/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Today, the African Union (AU) marked Africa Day with a call for renewed efforts to make peace happen throughout Africa and achieve the objective of a conflict-free Continent. Africa Day is the annual commemoration of the founding of the Organisation of African Unity in 1963, which was transformed into the African Union in 2002.
A workshop was held to commemorate Africa Day, as well as to promote the AU 2010 Year of Peace and Security in Africa, which was proclaimed by the African Heads of State and Government during the Special Session on the Consideration and Resolution of Conflicts, held in Tripoli, Libya, on 31 August 2009.
Speaking on behalf of AU Commission Chairperson, Jean Ping, during the opening of the workshop, Julia Dolly Joiner, Commissioner for Political Affairs, said:
“The theme for this year’s Africa Day is “Building and Maintaining Peace and Security through Sports”, a theme that is in harmony with the Year of Peace and Security. We all know that sport plays a critical role in peace-building. Indeed, through sport, children, women and men share a common language and a spirit of fair play that transcends the divisions and despair that are the consequences of conflict.”
The workshop was hosted at the African Union headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and was attended by AU Member States and international Partners, as well as by Civil Society. Speaking at the event were representatives of the Chairperson of the African Conference of Ministers of Sport, the Confederation of African Football (CAF), the Great Ethiopian Run, the Ethiopian Athletics Federation and the African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes (ACCORD).
The workshop followed a keynote address delivered on behalf of Hon. Ibrahim I. Bio, Nigerian Minister of Sport, Chairman of the African Conference of Ministers of Sport, by Mr. Peter Nelson, Director of Sport Planning. He highlighted the role of sport in defusing tensions, preventing conflicts and supporting healing processes in the aftermath of war. Through sport, he added, “Communities that once shot bullets, now shoot balls.”
As part of the Year of Peace and Security, the AU is advocating and planning for “One Day One Goal” football matches to be played on 21 September (Peace Day), with the objective of bringing people together for peace. On Peace Day, the AU is pushing for a day of non-violence across Africa.
The workshop was held alongside a photo exhibition on AU’s peace efforts as well as the official flagging-off ceremony of a “Peace Caravan”, which is an expedition across Africa, aimed at creating awareness and spreading the message of peace amongst African citizens. The “Peace Caravan” is an initiative by an NGO known as Peace Journey in Africa 2000 Promotion. Given the relevance of this initiative to the 2010 Year of Peace and Security, the African Union Commission is supporting this effort.
Formally launching the Caravan, Commissioner Joiner said:
“It is truly commendable to see African youth demonstrating commitment to peace and security on the continent. Indeed, it is such leadership qualities in the youth that comfort us in knowing that the future of Africa will be in good hands.”
SOURCE
African Union Commission (AUC)
