Nicola Jenvey
6 March 2002
Johannesburg — The city's position among the leading international conference destinations has been reaffirmed following the announcement that Durban will host the inaugural summit of the African Union later this year.
An estimated 6000 delegates, including heads of state and governments from more than 50 African countries, are expected to attend the event. It will take place from July 1-11.
There will probably also be a significant number of high-profile guests from the US, the European Union (EU), China and Japan.
The conference centre team will be drawing on the experience gained from staging other large events like the Commonwealth heads of government meeting, the Non-Aligned Meeting and the world conference against racism.
Alec Gilbert, the conference centre's CEO, said that hosting this conference would ensure that the centre continued to stage at least one major international event each year since its opening in August 1997.
Journalists from around the world would also afford Durban "invaluable exposure", heightening the city's profile as a convention and tourism destination.
The summit would witness the 53-nation Organisation of African Unity becoming the African Union. The brainchild of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, it is based on the European Union. It will have an executive, a central bank, a monetary fund, a parliament and a court of justice.(ADF3)
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