1 November 2009
Arusha — The East African Community will celebrate its 10th Anniversary this month marking 10 years since the Signing of the Treaty for the Establishment of the East African Community in November 1999.
The anniversary will showcase achievements that the EAC has made in the past 10 years; and promote robust integration effort in the period ahead.
The Secretary General of the East African Community, Ambassador Juma Mwapachu, has said the Observance will provide stimulation of broad support for regional integration and development.
The Observance is a celebratory moment, considering that, while the first EAC, which was established in 1967, collapsed on its 10th Anniversary in 1977, the new EAC that was established in 1999 is resurgent, enlarged and full of promise and prospects as it marks its 10th Anniversary.
The climax of the Anniversary Observance will be the EAC Summit on 20th November 2009 when the Protocol on the Establishment of the EAC Common Market will be signed by the EAC Heads of State. The Signing of the EAC Common Market Protocol is significant at a time also that the process towards the attainment of Monetary Union has gathered momentum.
The climax of the activities will be 20th November 2009, including the 10th Anniversary Summit in Arusha. The laying of the foundation stone for the new EAC Headquarters construction will also be performed on the occasion, among other commemorative events. UN, AU, regional and international organizations, development partners and other foreign and local dignitaries are expected to attend the EAC celebrations.
The theme of the EAC 10th Anniversary Observance is EAC: Ten Years of Integration: One People, One Destiny. The EAC 10th Anniversary Observance will reflect the basic principle of a people-centered and private sector-led regional integration.
The observance will involve wide participation among the East African people across the entire East African region. East Africans in the Diaspora will also be involved in the Observance, particularly through the Activities that will be held in the EAC Diplomatic Missions abroad.
The planned activities are mainly focused on raising publicity of the EAC. A dedicated EAC Anniversary Website, eac10anniversary.eac.int has been established to provide dynamic, interactive communications with the public about the EAC during this period.
The EAC Secretariat has prepared an EAC Infopak which will include information and data sheets about the projects and programmes of the EAC Organs and Institutions. Special EAC 10th Anniversary Publications will be produced, specifically the Ten Years of EAC Integration, EAC Official Publication incorporating inputs from all EAC Organs and Institutions.
The EAC Anniversary Logo has been designed which will be used in relevant EAC publicity and preparation of various promotional items, such as the Anniversary Website, billboards and various memorabilia and posters.
The EAC 10th Anniversary Symposium will be held in Arusha on 13-14 November 2009. The Symposium will involve the participation of estimated 100 participants drawn from Government, Civil Society, Academia, Business Community and Media of the East African region.
High level presenters and discussants will lead discussions on the topics: Pan Africanism and the Challenges of EAC Integration; Science and Technology as Strategic Driver of EAC Development ; Climate Change and Its Implications to Development in the EAC Region; and Role of Non-State Actors in Deepening EAC Integration.
Already as part of the Anniversary celebrations, the EAC Media Summit was held in Kampala on 21-22 August 2009. EAC Media Awards was launched at the Media Summit. Winners (EA Media Houses and individual journalists), will be awarded under various categories during the Main Events of 20th November 2009.
An Essay Competition has been organized for the youth of the EAC region ( within 16-20 years age bracket) on the topic, "Relevance of EAC to the aspirations of the people of East Africa- Discuss". Also, East African universities (both private and public) , members of the Inter-University Council for East Africa (IUCEA) , will set aside occasions, within their regular academic and outreach programmes, during October-November 2009 for Seminars on EAC regional integration.
EAC Weeks will be staged in the Partner States and Diplomatic Missions to reach the East African people at the grassroots with the message of the EAC 10th Anniversary Observance. The Ministries of EAC Affairs of the Partner States will stage the EAC Weeks, promoting public rallies, road shows, sports events; and intensive media publicity, including Radio/TV Talk Shows; and newspaper supplements and organizing EAC Open Days and East African Music Co-operation Festivals during October-November 2009.
The East African Cultural Festival will be held in Arusha in November featuring cultural groups and entertainment bands from the EAC Partner States. The East African Cultural Festival, as in the first one held in 1999, is expected to be elaborate and vibrant, including poetry, music, dance, drama, art, traditional East African dishes, fashion shows, handicrafts, artifacts and photographic exhibitions.
Other activities include the EAC Sports Tournament, mainly the EAC Football Tournament which will be staged in Arusha on 16-18 November between the National Assemblies Football Teams of the EAC Partner States and the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) /EAC Football Team; and the EAC Jua Kali Exhibition which will be held at the Sheikh Amri Abeid Stadium on 18-21 November.
The One Laptop per Child campaign will be launched by the Heads of State on 20th November 2009. The One Laptop per Child Association of the US has pledged to contribute a laptop for each laptop contributed from regional sources at the subsidized rate of $100 per laptop.
Meanwhile, a High-level EAC Peace and Security Conference was held in Kampala on 5-7 October as an EAC 10th Anniversary event and a Special Session of East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) will be held on 19 November 2009 in Arusha which will feature a debate on the achievements, challenges and prospects of the East African Community.
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