Japan’s first “Mock AU” General Assembly, organized by the Mock AU Executive Committee (a voluntary student organization) and co-organized by AUC, JICA, UNDP, and Sophia University, was held at the Hotel New Otani on August 20 as a thematic event of the TICAD Ministerial Meeting. A total of about 100 students participated on the day, discussing green economy and climate change, and the meeting closed with the adoption of a “Mock AU Resolution”.
Front row, from left: Takashi Irohara, Vice President of Sophia University; Mohamed Salem Ould Merzoug, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Cooperation and Overseas Affairs of Mauritania; Masahiro Takamura, Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs; Afuna Ezakonwa, UNDP Assistant to the President and Director General for Africa; Naoki Ando, JICA Executive Director
At the plenary session, Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs Takamura participated as a special guest, as well as Mohamed Salem Ould Merzoug, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Cooperation and Overseas Affairs of the AUC Presidency and Mauritania; Afuna Ezakonwa, UNDP Assistant Administrator and Director General for Africa; Takashi Irohara, Vice President of Sophia University; and Naoki Ando, JICA Executive Director. Mr. Takashi Irohara, Vice President of Sophia University, and Mr. Naoki Ando, Executive Director of JICA, also participated. Mr. Takamura, Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs, gave words of encouragement, saying, “I hope that students from Japan and Africa will cooperate and discuss innovative ideas for the sustainable growth of African countries from new perspectives unique to the younger generation.
About Mock AU
The Mock AU was organized by the Mock AU Executive Committee and co-sponsored by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), and Sophia University, with the aim of providing university students from Africa and Japan with an opportunity to think deeply about African countries and formulate policies in preparation for TICAD 9 in 2025. In a setting modeled after the AU General Assembly, the decision-making body of the African Union, Japanese university students and an African student from each country served as advisors to form teams, with a total of over 140 participants attending three breakout sessions: (1) Education, science and technology, (2) The migration, refugees and internally displaced persons, and (3) The social and economic development of the African Union. The three sessions (1) Education, science and technology, (2) The migration, refugees and internally displaced persons, and (3) Finance, monetary affairs, economic planning and integration) were divided into three groups, each representing an African country and discussing climate change and the green economy. The two groups discussed climate change and the green economy, each representing an African country.
Each team has been preparing for the General Assembly for several months by preparing position papers from their respective countries’ perspectives. On the morning of August 20, the same day as the General Assembly, a preparatory meeting was held at Sophia University to make final adjustments for each subcommittee.
Finally, the Mock AU General Assembly adopted the Mock AU Resolution (PDF/394KB), which summarized the recommendations of each subcommittee, and closed the meeting.
commendation or awards ceremony
After the closing session, an awards ceremony was held for the three teams that contributed the most to the discussions in each breakout session and for the best proposal (Position Paper) from all countries.
Best proposal team: Malawi
Teams awarded in each subcommittee: (from left to right) South Africa, Senegal, Nigeria
Simulated AU Logo
© Source JICA
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