On April 5, 2024, I was appointed African Union Special Envoy for the Prevention of Genocide and other Mass Atrocities. I would like to express my deep gratitude to H.E. Moussa Faki Mahamat, Chairperson of the AU Commission, to whom I owe this exceptional opportunity. I measure the weight of the trust placed in me by the AU, for this position which is a new one within the institution. It is for me a great honor to serve the African continent and the cause of human rights.
In light of the AU's determination to maintain peace and stability with emphasis on the promotion of good governance and human and peoples' rights on the African continent, and while recognizing the political, logistical or operational challenges that I may face, I am humbled but eager to contribute, with the support of the AU Department of Political Affairs, Peace and Security. I am ready to address these challenges in order to ensure the success of the mandate entrusted to me.
My mission is to drive all the relevant AU agenda on the matter and identify risk indicators of the ideology of hate, genocide, and hate crimes, and ensure timely interventions on the African continent. To this effect, my main tasks would be to identify risk indicators of the ideology of hate, genocide, and other mass atrocities; ensure timely interventions; enhance early warning mechanisms; pay more attention to early warning signs; prevent escalation; effectively regulate and closely monitor the misuse of media platforms and encourage Member States to adopt necessary policies that would monitor the media and promote professionalism, ethics and factual reporting; prevent the exploitation and propagation of extremist messages that incite hate crimes and genocide; and regularly brief the AUC Chairperson and AU Organs, particularly the Peace and Security Council as may be appropriate.
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Africa is a continent rich in diversity and value systems. Concerted efforts to promote mutual trust, tolerance, respect and reconciliation will be necessary, in order to instill a culture of peaceful coexistence, in accordance with the deep-rooted African values which are anchored in Ubuntu. Traditional African cultures recognize the dignity and integrity of the human being, with our common brotherhood intrinsically linked with our common humanity. These values are also found in the Constitutive Act and Aspirations 4 and 5 of Agenda 2063 which reaffirm respect for the sanctity of human life as enshrined in various regional and international instruments such as the Constitutive Act of the AU, the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights, the United Nations Charter, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.
I solemnly undertake to work in close collaboration with Member States, political decision-makers and governmental and non-governmental actors, at the national, regional and international levels, so that we all strive to give the best chance to the implementation of the mandate, and thus effectively and robustly prevent the ideology of hatred, hate crimes and genocide and to track down fugitives.
