B3 Haruka YOKOI
Overview of the Model African Union
The Model African Union (AU) conference was held for the first time on August 23, 2024, co-organized by the Model AU Executive Committee, UNDP (United Nations Development Programme), JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency), Sophia University, and various embassies. The event's purpose is to provide young people with an opportunity to actively think about the sustainable development and partnerships of African countries, with a view toward the 9th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD9) to be held in Yokohama in 2025.
In this program, students take on the roles of representatives from various African countries and engage in discussions. This year's Model AU theme was "Green Economy and Climate Change." Students negotiated with other countries, considering their national interests, while discussing complex issues per the theme.
Implementation of Seminar Series on Contemporary African Politics
To make our participation in Model AU meaningful, we undertook various preparations. One of these preparations was organizing the Seminar Series on Contemporary African Politics to learn about Africa's political and economic issues that are gaining importance in today's international community. This seminar was held in four sessions between August 9 and 22, allowing participants to gain in-depth knowledge about the ongoing challenges faced by African countries.
In the first three seminars, we had the opportunity to learn about the political situations and issues in various African countries such as Uganda, Egypt, Angola, South Africa, and Tanzania, as well as the approaches and reflections regarding those issues. I also considered how the partnerships developed by the AU might change the international community's awareness of Africa as a whole. In the final seminar, following an in-depth study of these topics about South Sudan, we carried out a role-playing activity based on Model AU. In this role-playing activity, participants were divided into each African country and deliberated on whether the AU should be granted the authority to establish hybrid courts.
This seminar and role-playing activity gave me new perspectives on Africa and an excellent opportunity to simulate utilizing the information and knowledge I had gathered effectively. This experience has further clarified my vision of participating in Model AU.
Experience at Model African Union
On August 23, 2024, 130 participants, including Japanese students and African students studying in Japan, gathered at the venue of Model AU in Tokyo. Fifteen students from the seminar of Professor Hiroshige Fujii also participated, and I handled representing Guinea-Bissau along with Sana Yamamoto, a fellow seminar member.
Model AU was conducted in two parts: in the morning, discussions were held within each Specialized Technical Committee (STC), and the outcomes were compiled into a Working Paper. Based on the Working Papers submitted by the STCs in the afternoon, a Draft Resolution was formulated during the General Assembly. There were three STCs: the first focused on the Coordination of a Just Energy Transition for Sustainable Development in Africa and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA); the second on Innovation in Climate Action through Cutting-Edge Technologies; and the third on Strengthening Climate Security: Strategies for Climate Change Displacement, Adaptation, and Mitigation.
We, Guinea-Bissau, participated in the third STC. In advance, we had contacted Leopoldo Victor SANCA, an international student from Guinea-Bissau. We exchanged views on how Guinea-Bissau should approach the STC's theme.
1, Morning Session-Specialized Technical Committee (STC)
During the morning session, participants first expressed their country's stance based on the Position Paper we had prepared, followed by a round of questions and answers to each other. Our Guinea-Bissau team emphasized the promotion of health policies in response to climate change and raised the issue of the need for more effective support from the AU in this field.
The most challenging thing I found was evaluating the feasibility of new proposals while comparing them with actual data. For example, regarding the proposal to establish a new disaster relief fund, the discussion expanded to questions such as why a new fund was needed when institutions like the African Development Fund and Bank already exist, who would manage this fund, and what criteria should be set if the fund were to be established. Sometimes, the conversation veered off into areas unrelated to the Working Paper, and it was also difficult to steer the discussion back on track.
2, Afternoon Session-General Assembly
During the afternoon General Assembly, much time was spent on informal discussions to clarify unresolved issues from each STC. Due to the pressure of submitting the final draft resolution within a limited time, I felt frustrated at not being able to assert my country's position as I had hoped fully.
However, through these activities, I also learned the importance of strengthening relationships with allied countries and fostering a spirit of cooperation. For example, when opinions raised in the STC I participated in overlapped significantly with those of other STCs and were absorbed into their discussions, leading to outcomes that differed from the stance we had supported, I shared our concerns with the Sierra Leone team. We also actively objected to wording that would impose undue burdens on our country and its allies, engaging in vigorous debate until the end.
As a result, we could not produce a satisfactory draft resolution as Guinea-Bissau. However, there were many valuable lessons to be learned from the other participants' passion, negotiation skills, and knowledge. In particular, it was a precious opportunity to observe up close the countries that played central roles in discussions during the STC and General Assembly and those whose Position Papers were recognized.
Conclusion
Similar to the Model AU being a pioneering attempt in Japan, this was also my first experience participating in a discussion forum as a representative of a country. While I typically observe information objectively, this activity required me to engage with them actively. Additionally, interacting with local students made me recognize that there is much information we cannot obtain just from the Internet. I had previously held the image of Africa as a distant continent, but I realized that it is possible to think about, discuss, and engage with Africa even though I was in Japan. Using this experience as a foundation, I aim to advance my research and will also pay close attention to the future partnership between Japan and Africa.
要約
2024年8月23日、模擬アフリカ連合（AU）が初めて開催されました。この参加を意義あるものにするため、私は、現代アフリカ政治連続セミナーに参加し、アフリカが抱える政治・経済問題について学びました。また、セミナー最終日には、模擬AUにも基づくロールプレイアクティビティを行い、模擬AUのイメージをより具体化することができました。
模擬AUは午前の分科会と午後の総会の2部構成で行われ、３つの分科会がそれぞれ１つのワーキングペーパーを作成し、それを総会で１つの決議案として作成することが目指されました。アクティビティを行う中で、意見を通しぬくことや議論をまとめることが非常に困難でしたが、同時に、自国と友好的な関係を持つ国と協力する重要性や、リーダー的な存在だった国やポジションペーパーが評価された国の知識や英語力、交渉力やそれにかける情熱的な姿勢を学びました。
私にとって模擬ＡＵのような機会は初めてであり、非常に興味深い経験となりました。日本にいながらアフリカのことを考えることや議論すること、そして行動することができると知りましたが、同時に現地でしか得ることができない情報もたくさんあることを改めて認識する機会になりました。
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