July 2004. Members of the working group also visited specific member states to lobby
leaders on gender issues. By organizing brainstorming sessions and establishing
working groups, the AU provided opportunities for representatives of civil society to
participate in designing new policies and institutions.
The AU’s Economic, Social, and Cultural Council (ECOSOCC) establishes an
institutionalized mechanism linking the AU and civil societal organizations. Though
officially launched in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in March 2005, many of the details of how
ECOSOCC will function are still being worked out. As in other AU organs, gender equity
provisions are integrated into the ECOSOCC framework. Article 2.6 of the Statutes of
the Economic, Social and Cultural Council of the African Union states that the body
must “promote, advocate and defend a culture of gender equality.”
Article 4.2 states
that the composition of its members shall ensure gender equality. One of the ten
sectoral cluster committees focuses on women’s and gender issues. At the March 2005
meeting, Wangari Maathai, the winner of the 2004 Noble Peace Prize and a long-time
environmental and women’s rights activist, was chosen to serve as president of the
council. Though her selection could provide a critical opening to women’s activists on
the continent, it was also controversial since she is no longer exclusively a member of
civil society. In 2002, Maathai was elected to Kenya’s parliament. Critics contend that
her dual roles as both an elected official and representative of civil society could present
a conflict of interest.
Representatives of non-governmental organizations confirm that the AU has
departed from OAU in the ways it interacts with civil society. A staff member at the Inter-
African Committee on Traditional Practices Affecting the Health of Women (IAC), which
22
African Union, Statutes of the Economic, Social and Cultural Council of the African Union,
, Accessed August 21, 2005.
19
Convention