New York, NY  -  A meeting of African and African Diaspora Parliamentarians took place on February 16, 2012, at the African Union Hall of the African Union Permanent Observer Mission to the United Nations.  The meeting, dubbed a preparatory meeting, was organized by the Pan-African Parliament based in Midrand, South Africa, in conjunction with the Office of the Special Adviser on Africa to the Secretary-General of the United Nations, and the World Bank.

The first of its kind, the Pan African Parliamentarian forum was as a result of an effort by the African Union as well as its Parliamentary group to mobilize the potential of the African diaspora to help revitalize their ancestral homeland and spur the growth and empowerment of people of African descent worldwide.  The hope was that parliamentarians from Europe, Asia, North and South America, as well as the Caribbean countries would send representatives to the meeting.  However, there were representatives from Europe, South America, United States and Africa.

Opening the session were Ambassador Cheick Sidi Diarra, Special Adviser at the Office of the Special Adviser on Africa to the UN Secretary-General, Ms. Louise Bailey, Charge d'Affaires at the African Union Observer Mission to the UN and Dr. Idrisa Ndele, President of the Pan-African Parliament.  Ambassador welcomed the delegates and voiced optimism of why his office had agreed to sponsor the meeting and hoped for a productive meeting.  Ms. Bailey on her part, welcomed the delegates on behalf of Ambassador Tete Antonio, the Permanent Observer who was traveling.  She also paid great tribute to the legendary Pan-African icon, Ambassador Dudley Thompson, who died on the 20th of January, 2012, a day after his 95th birthday, while he was visit New York to attend a Pan-African event.  A one-minute silence was observed on his behalf.

Both the President of the Parliament, Dr. Ndele and CIDO Director, Dr. Adisa, traced the history of the African Union's resolve in reaching out to the African Diaspora by recognizing the African Diaspora as the Sixth Region of the African continent.  This outreach to the Diaspora started in 2003 when the African Union Assembly passed the following resolution:

"Recalling the Protocol on Amendments to the Constitutive Act of the African Union, approved in January 2003 by the 1st Extraordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of
State and Government, held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and in particular Article 3(q) of which invites and encourages the full participation of the African Diaspora as an important part of our Continent, in the building of the African Union;

"Taking into consideration the Declaration of the 1st Conference of Intellectuals from Africa and the Diaspora held in Dakar from 6 to 9 October 2004, reaffirmed by the 2nd Conference held in Salvador de Bahia, Brazil, from 12 to 14 July 2006, by which the intellectuals from Africa and the Diaspora subscribed to the idea of making the Diaspora the sixth region of the African Union;

"Also taking into consideration the proposals of Africans from the Diaspora aimed at assisting the African Union and the Continent, and providing moral and diplomatic support to Diaspora initiatives designed to effectively help the Continent;

"Convinced of the need to build a solid foundation for reviving the African family in its entirety across the world as an effective instrument to give impetus to the African renaissance;

"Aware of the need to build lasting partnerships between the African Diaspora and the African continent through sustained dialogue and resilient collaboration with the governments and peoples of different regions of the world, home to the African Diaspora;

"Desirous of sending a strong signal to all components of the Diaspora and establishing an official mechanism for consultation between Africa and its Diaspora;

"1. DECIDES to recognize the African Diaspora as a substantive entity contributing to the economic and social development of the Continent, and to invite its
representatives as observers to sessions of the Assembly of the African Union."

Dr. Adisa reiterated the African Union's definition of who is an African Diaspora as of "people of African origin living outside the continent, irrespective of their citizenship and nationality and who are willing to contribute to the development of the continent and the building of the African Union," especially in terms of attempts to delineate between African Diaspora who were taken out of Africa in chains and those who voluntary migrated out of Africa.

During the meeting, most of the discussions centered on the need for bringing the African Diaspora together, the realization of the African Diaspora as the 6th Region of the African Union, and especially giving a legal framework to the 6th Region.

Two people presented papers, one by Prof. Pape Ndiaye Diouf, whose topic was on "The Growth of Pan-Africanism and its impact on African Diaspora," and Dr. Zweledinga Pallo Jordan, who presented on "The Influence of the Diaspora in the struggle Against Colonialism and apartheid in Africa."  Both papers were well researched and espoused the usual rhetoric when such topics are discussed by Africans. 

The two parliamentarians, the Hon. John Godson and Hon. Luiz Alberto Silva dos Santos, provided very interesting countervailing stories.  Mr. Godson, from Nigeria and known originally as Godson Chikama Onyekwere, migrated to Poland in 1993, married a Polish woman and they have four children.  After becoming a Polish citizen in 2001, he unsuccessfully ran for the Polish parliament, but was elected to the Lodz City Council in 2008.  He was reelected with one of the highest votes in the country and as the former Parliamentarian, Ms. Hanna Zdanowska was elected Mayor of Lodz, Godson replaced her as the member of parliament.  He was reelected in 2011.  Godson believes African Diaspora should assimilate in whatever country they are in so that they could run for office and influence decisions required to enhance Africa.

The Hon. Silva dos Santos, a deputy in the Brazilian lower house, is a Caucus leader, as well as being the organizer of the Afro descendant Parliamentarian Conference for the Americas in Brasilia in 2005.  Hementioned the startling population of 60% of Brazilians who are of Afro-descent.  Unfortunately, despite their huge number, they constitute less than 10% of the members of the legislature due to their lack of financial backing, as most of the Deputies are poor.  But he praised the former President Lula of Brazil for establishing affirmative action institutions to help Afro-descendants. 

The Hon. Mayor Robert Bowser, Mayor of the City of East Orange, NJ and President of the National Conference of Black Mayors spoke about his recent experiences leading other Mayors from his conference to the World Summit of Mayors to Senegal in December, 2011and many of the lessons they learned and the lessons that their African counterparts learned from them, especially on how the two groups could cooperate cooperate in many areas important to the development of the African continent as well as the Diaspora.

On her part, World Bank Program Officer, Ms. Sally Dormeyan, spoke expertly about the African Diaspora and implored African governments to stop regarding Africans in the Diaspora as enemies. She spoke of the need to recognize intra-border Diaspora in Africa, as these people also work and send money back to their relations in their respective African countries.  She also emphasized the need for African governments to begin to chart and gather data on their respective Diaspora so that they could easily find the type of talent they need for economic development.

After many hours of discussions, including contributions from Gen. Williams, Dr. Garvey, Prof. Bereket and others representatives Diaspora congressmen, Hon. Bethels Amadi, First Vice President of the Pan-African Parliament summed up what he believed had been achieved, including setting up the next date for the meeting of the Parliament, its agenda, name that should be given to the group as Pan-African Parliamentary Global Diaspora Group; the secretariat to be part of the Pan-African Parliament Clerk's office; and the appointments of Hon. Godson and Silva dos Santos as focal representatives for Europe and South America, respectively.

The organizers who attended included from the Pan-African Parliament Dr. Dr. Idrisa Moussa Ndele, President; Mr. Bethel Nnaemeka Amadi, 1st Vice President and member of the Nigerian House of Representatives; Mr. Hammi Laroussi, 3rd Vice President; Mr. Zwelethu Madasa, Clerk of Parliament and staff members.  From the Office of the Special Adviser on Africa were Ambassador Cheick Sidi Diarra, the Special Adviser on Africa; Mr. Patrick Hayford, Director; Ms. Mieko Ikegame, Chief, Coordination, Advocacy and Program Development Unit and other staff members.  The World Bank was represented by Ms. Sally Dormeyan and several staff members.  The African Union was represented by Dr. Jinmi Adisa, AUC's Director of CIDO; Ambassador Amina Ali, African Union Ambassador to Washington, DC.; Ms. Louise Sharene Bailey, Charge d'Affaires, a.i., at the African Union Observer Mission to the UN and Ms. Miriam Omala Gauvin, Coordinator.

The Diaspora parliamentarians included John Abraham Godson, the Polish legislator originally from Nigeria; Mr. Luiz Alberto Silva dos Santos, member of the Brazil Lower House, caucus leader and organizer of the Afro descendant Parliamentarian Conference for the Americas in Brasilia in 2005; and Mr. Nassir Ali Ahmed, a member of the Nigerian House of Representatives. 

Also attending were Mayor Robert Bowser, President of the National Conference of Black Mayors, whose organization is being seriously considered in the African Union's objective in empowering the 6th Region.  Three U.S. Congressmen had sent their representatives, including Mr. Jason Hilliard, representing Congressman Gregory Meeks; Ms. Angelle Kwemo, representing Congressmen Bobby Rush; and Mr. William Simpsons, representing Congressman Donald Payne.  Other notable attendees included Gen. Ishola Williams (rtd), member of the UN Nuclear Nuclear Panel of Experts; Ambassador Vincent Okobi, former Nigerian Ambassador to Togo; Prof. Bereket Habt Selassie, the William E. Leuchtenburg Distinguished Professor of African Studies and Prof. of Law; Prof. Pape Ndiaye Diouf, Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies; Dr. Zweledinga Pallo Jordan, former Minister of Arts and Culture, South Africa; Dr. Julius Garvey, son of the famous Pan-Africanist Dr. Marcus Garvey; Dr. Djibril Diallo, Senior Adviser to the UNAIDS Executive Director and Coordinator of the African Renaissance and Diaspora Network; and Dr. Chika Onyeani, Publisher/Editor-in-Chief of the African Sun Times and Coordinator of the African Union Diaspora Mayors/Legislators Group.