The African Union (AU) is a continental organization and intergovernmental institution of 55 member states, headquartered in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. It was established in 2002 in Durban, South Africa, as the successor to the Organization of African Unity (OAU), which was founded in 1963. The AU's formation, announced in the Sirte Declaration on September 9, 1999, was driven by the need to move beyond the OAU's focus on decolonization and state sovereignty toward accelerating political and socio-economic integration and fostering collective security.
The AU's legal framework is the Constitutive Act of the African Union, adopted on July 11, 2000. Its objectives, outlined in Article 3, include achieving greater unity, defending member states' sovereignty, and promoting peace, security, and stability. A key mechanism is the principle under Article 4 that grants the Union the right to intervene in a member state to restore peace and security, a significant departure from the OAU's strict non-interference policy. Major organs include the Assembly of the African Union (Heads of State and Government), the Executive Council, and the Pan African Parliament.
The AU is closely connected to the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), a major initiative for deep economic integration. It also works with eight recognized Regional Economic Communities (RECs), such as the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). Recently, the AU underwent a reform, initiated in 2017, which included reducing the number of Commissioners in the AU Commission from eight to six in February 2021. This reform also aimed to improve financial autonomy, with the AU raising 96% of a $400 million target from member contributions by 2024.