By way of definition -the Global order refers to global issues among States within the international system, including climate change, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), financing a better future, effective United Nations, overcoming inequalities and defending Human Rights, Humanitarian Crises, Trade and Development. Historically, Africa, as some other parts of the world has been excluded from the design and construction of the global order. Given its historical exclusion, exploitation and oppression, it is vital in terms of global justice for Africa to assert its right to shape the future global order.
Currently, the reality of negotiation processes in the United Nations Security Council perpetuates and reproduces this paternalistic exclusion of the African continent. More than 60 per cent of the issues on the UNSC agenda are focused on Africa, paradoxically, the continent doesn't have any representation among the P 5. Given the fact that the P5 can veto all manner of decisions before the Council, it is a travesty of justice at its most basic level that African countries can only participate in key deliberations and decision- making processes as individual non-permanent members of the Council. There is, therefore, the need to accelerate the global democratic transformation to enable the societies in the so- called developing regions of the world, including Africa to benefit from the global order.
AFRICAN VISION
It is in response to this that the African Union (AU) envisions "an integrated, prosperous, equitable and well governed and peaceful United States of Africa effectively managed by its own citizens and representing a creative and dynamic force in the international arena". The last component of this vision establishes the need to cooperate strategically with other regional groupings, international organizations and states to market Africa's position, attain Africa's objectives, increase Africa's international standing and obtain the global leverage that would enable the continent to maximise the impact on the world scene.
Comprising of seven aspirations, Agenda 2063 roadmap was prepared for continental development, setting a number of achievable ambitions. It is a strategic framework for the socio-economic transformation of the continent, pledging a path to growth and sustainable development.
Aspiration 1: A prosperous Africa based on inclusive growth and sustainable development.
Aspiration 2: An integrated continent; politically united and based on the ideals of Pan· Africanism and the vision of Africa's Renaissance.
Aspiration 3: An Africa of good governance, democracy, respect for human rights, <br> justice and the rule of law.
Aspiration 4: A peaceful and secure Africa.
Aspiration 5: An Africa with a strong cultural identity, common heritage, shared values and ethics.
Aspiration 6: An Africa, whose development is people-driven, relying on the potential of African people, especially its women and youth, and caring for children.
Aspiration 7: Africa as a strong, united, resilient and influential global player and partner
For the past two decades, Africa's participation and engagement in global diplomacy has grown immensely. The continent has played a pivotal role in the fields of world trade, migration, security, climate change, and terrorism. We have been successful in creating new allies and ties with emerging powers, as well as prevailing and strengthening its old relations with our western partners. The AU has become the most significant regional body in Africa and its role in coordinating common African interests in multilateral organizations brings forth our choice of being more than just a passive receiver.
Consequently a series of ground breaking partnerships have been launched, including continent to continent partnership - Africa - Europe, Africa- South America and Africa - Asia; Continent to country partnerships-Africa-India, Africa - Turkey, Africa - China, African • Japan, Africa - US through AGOA and Africa-France; Partnership in gestation; Afro -Arab partnership and Afro-Caribbean partnership.
CHALLENGES and SOLUTIONS
Africa's unique physical, economic and political geography also poses many challenges to economic development and management of shared public assets. It is a matter of fact that political borders are often not aligned with the economic and natural resources and many of the countries of the continent are landlocked. National economies and populations are generally quite small but cover large geographic expanses with poor connective infrastructure.
The issues have prompted African countries to come to the realisation that collaborative actions and regional approaches are critical to achieving their goals in development, governance and society. It is in the light of this realisation that the 1980 Lagos Plan of Action for the Development of Africa, followed by the 1991 treaty to establish the African Economic Community (popularly referred to as the Abuja Treaty), proposed the creation of Regional Economic Communities (RECs) as the basis for African integration. Consequently, several RECs have been established under separate regional treaties and recognised by the African Union.
Formation of African Union is proof that Africa has moved ahead of paternal handholding and has become, strong and mature, to make its priorities known as a Continental Order. New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD), AU and many other pivotal regional organisation's initiatives represent the pinnacle of this victorious decade for African diplomacy and demand for equal partnership with the world powers
NEW INITIATIVES
Now a new player is emerging with the potential to defragment Africa and boost the productivity of its economies. The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), one of the Flagship programmes and projects of the African Union Agenda 2063, is intended to help in significantly accelerating growth of intra-Africa trade and to use trade, more effectively, as an engine of growth and sustainable development, through doubling of intra-Africa trade by 2022, strengthen Africa's common voice and policy space in global trade negotiations and establish the financial institutions within agreed upon time frames.
Africa's emerging markets offer great opportunities for economic growth and prosperity. With roughly 1.2 billion people, it is the world's second largest and second most populous continent and boasts of natural and human resources which have the potential to power economic development across the continent. Notwithstanding challenges such as high unemployment, according to the World Bank and Focus Economies, Africa is home to seven of the world's fifteen fastest growing economies. This growth rate is expected to boost consumer spending from USD 860 million in 2008 to more than USD 1.3 trillion by 2020, with 128 million households possessing discretionary income.
The AFCFTA will create a single market for goods, services, and movement of persons in order to deepen the economic integration of the African continent. create a single continental market for goods and services, with free movement of businesspeople and investments, paving the way for the establishment of Continental Customs Union etc.
Currently intra-Africa trade stands at about 16 percent, compared to 19 percent intra- regional trade in Latin America, 51 per cent in Asia, 54 per cent in North America and 70 per cent in Europe. It is estimated that AFCFTA can increase intra - Africa trade by 53 per cent through elimination of import duties and non-tariff barriers. It could also create an African market of over 1.2 billion people with a GDP of 2.5 billion USD, thus making Africa a global competitor in trade negotiations.
On 29 April 2019, two more African Union Member states deposited their instruments of ratification of the Agreement establishing the AFCFTA. This brings the number of ratifications for the AFCFTA Agreement to 22. Thirty days after the 22nd instrument of ratification is deposited the AFCFTA Agreement enters into force. It has been announced that this will happen on 30 May 2019.
AN EQUITABLE GLOBAL ORDER
The Global order has seen power shifts in these recent years. The rise of nations from the Global South have become ever more evident and prominent. That combined with multi- polarisation of the international system and rise of institutions like the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) and IBSA (India, Brazil, South Africa), have pivoted the reconceptualisation and reinterpretation of changing global order. Incidentally, this has made South Africa very relevant in the New global order and African countries can benefit if we leverage this in the AU context as well as in the Global South (South-South Co-operation).
Africa is fully aware that the asymmetrical distribution of global political, economic and military power has remained relatively unchanged since the end of the cold war, and there was the need to forge a united front and speak with one voice if the continent is to assume its rightful place in the global order. Africa has embraced integration as a developmental process through the RECs and the African Union, poised to work with other continents and countries such as India to raise the standard of living of its people and for the global good.
Africa in the Global Order: African Perspective
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By way of definition -the Global order refers to global issues among States within the international system, including climate change, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), financing a better future, effective United Nations, overcoming inequalities and defending Human Rights, Humanitarian Crises, Trade and Development. Historically, Africa, as some other parts of the world has been excluded from the design and construction of the global order. Given its historical exclusion, exploitation and oppression, it is vital in terms of global justice for Africa to assert its right to shape the future global order.
Currently, the reality of negotiation processes in the United Nations Security Council perpetuates and reproduces this paternalistic exclusion of the African continent. More than 60 per cent of the issues on the UNSC agenda are focused on Africa, paradoxically, the continent doesn't have any representation among the P 5. Given the fact that the P5 can veto all manner of decisions before the Council, it is a travesty of justice at its most basic level that African countries can only participate in key deliberations and decision- making processes as individual non-permanent members of the Council. There is, therefore, the need to accelerate the global democratic transformation to enable the societies in the so- called developing regions of the world, including Africa to benefit from the global order.
AFRICAN VISION
It is in response to this that the African Union (AU) envisions "an integrated, prosperous, equitable and well governed and peaceful United States of Africa effectively managed by its own citizens and representing a creative and dynamic force in the international arena". The last component of this vision establishes the need to cooperate strategically with other regional groupings, international organizations and states to market Africa's position, attain Africa's objectives, increase Africa's international standing and obtain the global leverage that would enable the continent to maximise the impact on the world scene.
Comprising of seven aspirations, Agenda 2063 roadmap was prepared for continental development, setting a number of achievable ambitions. It is a strategic framework for the socio-economic transformation of the continent, pledging a path to growth and sustainable development.
For the past two decades, Africa's participation and engagement in global diplomacy has grown immensely. The continent has played a pivotal role in the fields of world trade, migration, security, climate change, and terrorism. We have been successful in creating new allies and ties with emerging powers, as well as prevailing and strengthening its old relations with our western partners. The AU has become the most significant regional body in Africa and its role in coordinating common African interests in multilateral organizations brings forth our choice of being more than just a passive receiver.
Consequently a series of ground breaking partnerships have been launched, including continent to continent partnership - Africa - Europe, Africa- South America and Africa - Asia; Continent to country partnerships-Africa-India, Africa - Turkey, Africa - China, African • Japan, Africa - US through AGOA and Africa-France; Partnership in gestation; Afro -Arab partnership and Afro-Caribbean partnership.
CHALLENGES and SOLUTIONS
Africa's unique physical, economic and political geography also poses many challenges to economic development and management of shared public assets. It is a matter of fact that political borders are often not aligned with the economic and natural resources and many of the countries of the continent are landlocked. National economies and populations are generally quite small but cover large geographic expanses with poor connective infrastructure.
The issues have prompted African countries to come to the realisation that collaborative actions and regional approaches are critical to achieving their goals in development, governance and society. It is in the light of this realisation that the 1980 Lagos Plan of Action for the Development of Africa, followed by the 1991 treaty to establish the African Economic Community (popularly referred to as the Abuja Treaty), proposed the creation of Regional Economic Communities (RECs) as the basis for African integration. Consequently, several RECs have been established under separate regional treaties and recognised by the African Union.
Formation of African Union is proof that Africa has moved ahead of paternal handholding and has become, strong and mature, to make its priorities known as a Continental Order. New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD), AU and many other pivotal regional organisation's initiatives represent the pinnacle of this victorious decade for African diplomacy and demand for equal partnership with the world powers
NEW INITIATIVES
Now a new player is emerging with the potential to defragment Africa and boost the productivity of its economies. The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), one of the Flagship programmes and projects of the African Union Agenda 2063, is intended to help in significantly accelerating growth of intra-Africa trade and to use trade, more effectively, as an engine of growth and sustainable development, through doubling of intra-Africa trade by 2022, strengthen Africa's common voice and policy space in global trade negotiations and establish the financial institutions within agreed upon time frames.
Africa's emerging markets offer great opportunities for economic growth and prosperity. With roughly 1.2 billion people, it is the world's second largest and second most populous continent and boasts of natural and human resources which have the potential to power economic development across the continent. Notwithstanding challenges such as high unemployment, according to the World Bank and Focus Economies, Africa is home to seven of the world's fifteen fastest growing economies. This growth rate is expected to boost consumer spending from USD 860 million in 2008 to more than USD 1.3 trillion by 2020, with 128 million households possessing discretionary income.
The AFCFTA will create a single market for goods, services, and movement of persons in order to deepen the economic integration of the African continent. create a single continental market for goods and services, with free movement of businesspeople and investments, paving the way for the establishment of Continental Customs Union etc.
Currently intra-Africa trade stands at about 16 percent, compared to 19 percent intra- regional trade in Latin America, 51 per cent in Asia, 54 per cent in North America and 70 per cent in Europe. It is estimated that AFCFTA can increase intra - Africa trade by 53 per cent through elimination of import duties and non-tariff barriers. It could also create an African market of over 1.2 billion people with a GDP of 2.5 billion USD, thus making Africa a global competitor in trade negotiations.
On 29 April 2019, two more African Union Member states deposited their instruments of ratification of the Agreement establishing the AFCFTA. This brings the number of ratifications for the AFCFTA Agreement to 22. Thirty days after the 22nd instrument of ratification is deposited the AFCFTA Agreement enters into force. It has been announced that this will happen on 30 May 2019.
AN EQUITABLE GLOBAL ORDER
The Global order has seen power shifts in these recent years. The rise of nations from the Global South have become ever more evident and prominent. That combined with multi- polarisation of the international system and rise of institutions like the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) and IBSA (India, Brazil, South Africa), have pivoted the reconceptualisation and reinterpretation of changing global order. Incidentally, this has made South Africa very relevant in the New global order and African countries can benefit if we leverage this in the AU context as well as in the Global South (South-South Co-operation).
Africa is fully aware that the asymmetrical distribution of global political, economic and military power has remained relatively unchanged since the end of the cold war, and there was the need to forge a united front and speak with one voice if the continent is to assume its rightful place in the global order. Africa has embraced integration as a developmental process through the RECs and the African Union, poised to work with other continents and countries such as India to raise the standard of living of its people and for the global good.
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