The Organization of African Unity Known as African Union Research Paper - 1

The Organization of African Unity Known as African Union - Research Paper Example So, the role of African Union within the African context is important because it promotes positive change in the society by empowering the people and solving problems. Thesis statement: The organizational setup, responsibilities and social services provided by the African Union proves to be successful within the scenario of social work in Africa (special references to the social services provided by African Union in Africa and its involvement in current issues).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   First of all, almost all the African nations have membership in African Union (AU). For instance, excluding Morocco, present strength of the African Union is 53. African Union, a social work organization for creating unity among the African nations was established in the year 2002. Besides, the Organisation of Africa Unity (AOU) was the mother organization of AU. Okoth (2006) opines that â€Å"Some of the guiding principles of the AU are similar to those of its predecessor, the OAU† (p. 325). The organizational set-up of AU is based on centralization and concentration of power which is fully vested in the center but with equal power to the member states. For instance, the decision-making force of AU is the Assembly of the African Union. Badejo (2008) states that â€Å"The AU carries out its business through many organs, agencies, and non-governmental organizations† (p. 39). The Secretariat (say, African Union Commission) of AU is in Addis Ababa, whi ch is situated in Ethiopia.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The AU is divided into two bodies: political and administrative.  Ã‚   As pointed out, the decision-making process is principally vested upon the Assembly, which consists of members/representatives from member states. The present chairman is Bingu Mutharika, who represents Malawi. Besides, the representative body of AU, namely Pan African Parliament includes 265 members. Idriss Ndele Moussa is the present president of Pan African Parliament.