Home > The AU in a nutshell > Affiliated organizations
The African Union has various official bodies and organizations with different tasks and specializations, including political, judicial, economic and other specializations.
1. Political bodies
A) African Parliament (Pan-African Parliament)
It is the highest legislative authority in the African Union and is based in Midrand, South Africa.
The African Parliament is composed of 265 elected representatives from all member States of the Union, and this parliament aims to ensure the participation of the people and civil society in democratic governance processes.
B) General Assembly of the African Union;
The General Assembly of the African Union is composed of Heads of State and Government, and is currently the supreme governing body of the African Union.
The Body is gradually delegating some decision-making powers to the African Parliament. It holds a session once a year and decisions are taken unanimously or by a two-thirds majority.
C) African Union Commission
It is an official committee that serves as the general secretariat of the African Union. The AUC is composed of 10 commissioners and support staff while it is headquartered in Addis Ababa.
D) Executive Board
It is responsible for various matters such as foreign trade, social security, food, agriculture and communications. It is composed of ministers appointed by the governments of member states. This council is accountable to the General Assembly, where it prepares articles and resolutions for the General Assembly to discuss and approve.
2. Judicial bodies
A) African Court of Justice;
A protocol for the establishment of the African Court of Justice was adopted in 2003, and its Constitutive Act provides for the resolution of disputes concerning the interpretation of agreements by members of the African Union.
B) African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights
Established in 1986 under the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, instead of the Constitutive Act of the African Union, the Commission monitors compliance by members with the African Charter, which is the main African arm of human rights.
3. Economic and financial bodies
The African Union is working on the establishment of several economic bodies, but has not yet been established, including:
Central African Bank (Abuja, Nigeria).
African Investment Bank (Tripoli, Libya).
African Monetary Fund (Yaoundé, Cameroon).
4. Other bodies
A) African Peace and Security Council;
It was proposed at the Lusaka Summit in 2001 and was established in 2004 under the Constitutive Act Protocol adopted by the General Assembly of the African Union in July 2002.
B) Permanent Representatives of the African Union Committee;
They are the representatives of the permanent candidates of the Member States and prepare the tasks for the Executive Board before transferring them to the General Assembly.
C) Economic, Social and Cultural Council
An advisory body composed of professional and civil representatives.
D) Specialized Technical Commissions
Both the Abuja Treaty and the Founding Act of the Specialized Technical Commissions require African Ministers to provide advice to the General Assembly of the African Union.