The advent of the African Union (AU) can be described as an event of great magnitude in the institutional evolution of the continent. On 9.9.1999, the Heads of State and Government of the Organisation of African Unity issued a Declaration (the Sirte Declaration) calling for the establishment of an African Union, with a view, inter alia, to accelerating the process of integration in the continent to enable it play its rightful role in the global economy while addressing multifaceted social, economic and political problems compounded as they are by certain negative aspects of globalisation. For more visit: http://www.africa-union.org

The PAP was established in March 2004, by Article 17 of The Constitutive Act of the African Union, as one of the nine Organs provided for in the Treaty Establishing the African Economic Community signed in Abuja , Nigeria , in 1991. The objectives of the Pan-African Parliament are to:

• Facilitate the effective implementation of the policies and objectives of the OAU/AEC and, ultimately, of the African Union;
• Promote the principles of human rights and democracy in Africa;
• Encourage good governance, transparency and accountability in Member States;
• Familiarize the peoples of Africa with the objectives and policies aimed at integrating the African continent within the framework of the establishment of the African Union;
• Promote peace, security and stability;
• Contribute to a more prosperous future for the people of Africa by promoting collective self-reliance and economic recovery;
• Facilitate cooperation and development in Africa
• Strengthen Continental solidarity and build a sense of common destiny among the peoples of Africa;
• Facilitate cooperation among Regional Economic Communities and their Parliamentary fora.

The New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) is a vision and strategic framework for Africa’s renewal. It is designed to address the current challenges facing the African continent. NEPAD's main principles are:

• Good governance as a basic requirement for peace, security and sustainable political and socio-economic development
• African ownership and leadership, as well as broad and deep participation by all sectors of society;
• anchoring the development of Africa on its resources and resourcefulness of its people;
• Partnership between and amongst African peoples;
• Acceleration of regional and continental integration;
• Building the competitiveness of African countries and the continent;
• Forging a new international partnership that changes the unequal relationship between Africa and the developed world; and
• Ensuring that all Partnerships with NEPAD are linked to the Millennium Development Goals and other agreed development goals and targets.

The Southern Africa Development Community has as its principles the following:

• Sovereign equality of all Member States;
• Solidarity, peace and security;
• Human rights, democracy, and the rule of law;
• Equity, balance and mutual benefit;
• Peaceful settlement of disputes.

• Achieve development and economic growth, alleviate poverty, enhance the standard and quality of life of the people of Southern Africa and support the socially disadvantaged through regional integration;
• Evolve common political values, systems and institutions;
• Promote and defend peace and security;
• Promote self-sustaining development on the basis of collective self-reliance, and the interdependence of Member States;
• Achieve complementarity between national and regional strategies and programmes;
• Promote and maximise productive employment and utilisation of resources of the Region;
• Achieve sustainable utilisation of natural resources and effective protection of the environment;
• Strengthen and consolidate the long-standing historical, social and cultural affinities and links among the people of the Region

COMESA (as defined by its Treaty) was established 'as an organisation of free independent sovereign states which have agreed to co-operate in developing their natural and human resources for the good of all their people' and as such it has a wide-ranging series of objectives which necessarily include in its priorities the promotion of peace and security in the region. COMESA's current strategy can thus be summed up in the phrase 'economic prosperity through regional integration' For more visit: www.comesa.int

The AIDS and Rights Alliance for Southern Africa (ARASA) is an alliance of HIV/AIDS and human rights organisations working in the SADC region. ARASA's objectives are the following:

• To facilitate sharing of information, materials and expertise between members
• To act as a regional alert network to respond to human rights infringements in the region
• To organise and facilitate training opportunities on HIV/AIDS and human rights for members
• To disseminate information on regional developments on HIV/AIDS and human rights, and
• To organise annual meetings on HIV/AIDS and human rights in the region.

MISA (The Media Institute of Southern Africa) is a non-governmental organisation with members in 11 of the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) countries. The role of the MISA is primarily one of a coordinator, facilitator and communicator, and for this reason MISA aims to work together with all like-minded organisations and individuals to achieve a genuinely free and pluralistic media in southern Africa. For more visit: www.misa.org

The SADC Civil Network is a forum that will discuss, debate and share information on civil and political rights. The objective of the Network is primarily to put 'theory into practice', and includes:

• Discussion forum of relevant issues via the Internet website
• Whistle-blowing mobilisation and support
• Event specific advocacy (parallel events to those run by SADC)
• Research and documentation on topical issues.

The Southern African Human Rights NGO Network (SAHRiNGON) was established in 1998, bringing together NGOs working in the field of human rights in Southern Africa. The network is hosted and coordinated by the Inter-African Network for Human Rights and Development (AFRONET). SAHRiNGON has as objectives the following:

• To strengthen the institutional capacity of the network at regional and national level
• To promote transparent, democratic and accountable governments within the region.
• To enhance policy dialogue between civil society, government and international organisations
• To promote networking and sustained communication between activists and human rights organisations in the quest for the protection and promotion of human rights in the region.