Based on these findings, it was concluded that CCI has various opportunities to work with AU organs to influence its operations and decision-making processes to ensure the promotion of life, family, and freedom. The main entry point identified is the African Commission for Human and Peoples Rights (ACHPR). This has encouraged CCI to apply for an NGO observer status with the African Commission for Human and Peoples Rights (ACHPR), which will hopefully be granted before the end of this year.
Immediately after the completion of the scoping mission, our consultant started engaging with a variety of Christian and conservative AU stakeholders and like-minded NGOs to halt the ratification process of the ACP-EU Agreement. This ACP-EU Agreement in its current form contains at least 10 core issues that cause harm to what CCI stands for: Life, family, and freedom. Since what CCI stands for is shared by many African governments, this Agreement in its current form goes against the laws of many African national governments. Luckily this Agreement has not been ratified yet, but since many African governments and its public are not aware of this Agreement, it is essential for CCI to help raise awareness about it. That is why, together with CCI’s Headquarters in The Netherlands and Family Watch International, the consultant has developed an Africa Regional Working Group (under the Global ACP-EU Agreement Working Group) to join hands with key AU and NGO actors to raise awareness about this Agreement among parliamentarians, the media, and the public in Africa. This process is currently on-going and a detailed update with regard to the implementation of this strategic plan will be provided in the next newsletter.