Event Date: April 22, 2022 - 2:30pm to 4:30pm EDT
Location: FSS4007, in person, 120 University Private, FSS building

Registration: Eventbrite

Presented by CIPS, as part of the project Changing Orders: Shaping the Future and Securing Rights in a World in Transformation. The roundtable is organized with the support of the Alex Trebek Forum for Dialogue and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC).

This year marks the 20^th anniversary of the African Union. Since its founding in 2002, much has been achieved. Whereas its predecessor the Organization of African Unity was often disparaged as a talking-shop for dictators, the AU has endorsed democracy, human rights, and spearheaded the principle of ‘non-indifference’ towards war crimes, genocide, and crimes against humanity in member states. Inspired by Pan-Africanism, the organization has also launched the African Continental Free Trade Area and strengthened Africa’s voice on the global stage. Yet challenges abound. The AU’s 20^th anniversary is celebrated at a time of geopolitical turmoil and shifting multilateral alliances. On the continent, democracy is on the decline, the military coup has returned, and conflicts continue to rage. Has the AU lived up to its promise? And how can the organization navigate the challenges and opportunities of the next 20 years? These are some of the questions discussed by this expert panel.

Join us for this Roundtable featuring:

Dr. Rita Abrahamsen – Professor in the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs and the Director of the Centre for International Policy Studies (CIPS) at the University of Ottawa. Her research interests are in African politics and security, Africa and International Relations, postcolonial theory, as well as the Global Right.

Dr. Oumar Ba – Assistant Professor of International Relations in the Department of Government at Cornell University, Ithaca, New York. His primary areas of research focus on law, violence, race, humanity, and world order(s) in international politics.

Dr. Thomas Tieku – International relations and negotiation expert and an Associate Professor of Political Science at King’s University College at Western University in Canada. His research focuses on informal international politics, international organizations, mediation, and African politics.

Dr. Antonia Witt – Senior Researcher at the Peace Research Institute Frankfurt (PRIF), Germany. She has a background in International Relations, African Studies, and Peace and Conflict Research. Her main research interests are: international and (African) regional organizations, authority and legitimacy in the international realm, and societal effects of interventions in Africa.

The event will be in English and in person in the room FSS 4007.

Please present proof of vaccination and ID at the door.

Please note that wearing a mask on campus at the University of Ottawa is required until May 1.

Please fill out the following form for visitors before arriving on campus.