The Foreign Service Journal, December 2010

D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 0 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 23 toral Assistance Unit. TheDEAUprovides training in elec- tion processes for election monitors and observers, in addi- tion to tracking the election calendar for the African Union. This direct support strengthens the Union’s capacity and en- sures the promotion of good governance. The AfricanUnion has developed an African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance which, when rati- fied by 15member-states, will begin promoting democracy, elections and good governance on the entire continent. USAU and other members of the African Union Partners Group meet regularly with A.U. member-states to encour- age adoption of the charter and coordinate efforts with the A.U. commissioner for political affairs. Through engagement with the African Union, the U.S. Agency for International Development is strengthening its own bilateral relationships with individual African nations while also developing the A.U.’s influence. An excellent ex- ample is USAID’s support for the AfricanUnion’s campaign to end the high rate of deaths related tomaternity and child- bearing. USAU, USAID and the A.U. signed a landmark agree- ment on this subject at the AfricanGrowth andOpportunity Act Forum in Washington, D.C. This agreement strength- ens the capacity of the A.U. commissioner for social affairs, who carries the health portfolio, to garner the support of in- dividual African parliaments to encourage changes in health policy and practice, eliminating the senseless deaths of mothers and children. When the U.S. government hosted the first high-level talks in Washington in April between senior U.S. officials and the leadership of the African Union Commission, it not only solidified its evolving relationship with the AUC but underscored its commitment to helping the African conti- nent. The talks offered the U.S. and Africa a platform to explore areas of mutual interest. Fostering Economic Development The April talks also established a valuable connection be- tween the A.U. and the Corporate Council on Africa, an or- ganization comprised of private companies with an interest in doing business on the continent. At the A.U. summit in Kampala this past July, the CCA signed a memorandum of understanding to promote American private-sector invest- ment on the continent, something the A.U. has long sought. The MOU also identifies several projects that will encour- age even greater U.S. investment in Africa. As such successes demonstrate, U.S. diplomatic engage- ment with the A.U. has expanded African engagement with the private sector in America and elsewhere. Such efforts are more efficient than brokering linkages on a country-by- country basis. There is a pressing need for continental and regional in- tegration of trade regulations, processes and procedures. One of the difficulties U.S. private business has in doing business on the African continent is trying to find ways to engage in one nation with the opportunity to move supplies and products across borders without the heavy and variable duty fees and the inconsistent laws in neighboring nations. Recognizing this, the African Union has launched an ambi- tious plan to achieve continental integration by harmonizing trade laws over the next 20 years. The fact that regional integration has not been fully re- alized in the continent’s various geographically based eco- nomic communities suggests that it will, in all probability, take more time than that to achieve full continental inte- gration. By engaging in constructivemultilateral diplomacy with the African Union, the U.S. helps the continent create a climatemore conducive to private-sector investment, pro- ducing the best context for the development of democracy and good governance. Africa’s long-term future and the interest of the global community both require the continent’s transformation from a net recipient of international aid into a region where investment benefits all. Africa has rich resources, but they require multilateral investment strategies to develop. Utilizing Comparative Advantages Multilateral diplomacy enables countries to leverage their comparative advantages, contributing the skills and re- sources they are best positioned to offer. The African Union’s initiative to create a Pan-AfricanUniversity is based on precisely this principle. The idea is not to design a brand- new institution with a new facility, but rather to identify an existing, strong academic institution in each of the five re- gions of Africa (north, east, west, south and central) to serve as centers of excellence. The A.U. plans to bring the five centers — focused on fields like science and technology, the humanities, business and industry, and agriculture — under a single administra- tion. This will help ensure high standards, resources and uniformdevelopment for the overall university system. Sev- eral partner nations have agreed to assist in this endeavor, lending their support to areas in which they have significant expertise. F O C U S