Who we are
The AU Sixth Region USA Foundation is a Network of the People of African Descent in the USA, as part of the Sixth Region of the African Continent residing outside the Continent.
The African Unity Sixth Region USA Foundation is the official African Diaspora Initiative Network (ADIN) established to mobilize, galvanize, organize structure, and unite the African Diaspora in collaboration with the African Unity Sixth Region Canada to the Motherland. The African Unity Sixth Region USA is a network of People of African Descent, individuals, and their organizations, including both non-profits and for-profits. This AU6RUSA Network is expected to be engaged, through strategic programming and work, to elect representatives for the USA in the African Union ECOSOCC Assembly, in line with the African Union Constitutive Act Article 3(q), which invites the African Diaspora to participate as an essential component in the building of the African Continent, and to build sustainable partnerships between the African Continent and the African Diaspora through sustainable dialogue and effective collaboration with governments for the rejuvenation of the global African family as an instrument of a wider renaissance; and ultimately to enable the African Diaspora to increase their participation as observers in the affairs of the African Union and as the Sixth Region of the Continent that would contribute substantially to the implementation of policies and programs.
Our Mission
To galvanize, mobilize, structure, and empower the People of African Descent in America and reconnect them to the Motherland. One Voice, One People, One Africa
Our Vision
Our vision is to be the center and focal point of the Africa Diaspora Initiative Network in America, unifying and reconnecting all people of African Descent to Africa, while our mission is to galvanize, mobilize, unite, and structure the African Diaspora in America for the socio-economic and political development of the Diaspora, their local community, and the reconnection to Africa, based on the clarion call of One Africa, One People, Uniting to Transform The Motherland into the Africa We Want
Our Goal
The AU Sixth Region USA goal is to create an extensive professional African Diaspora database in various sectors, including Agriculture, Tourism, Finance, IT, Infrastructure, Energy, Healthcare, Education, etc., and to leverage the power of our collective diaspora network to increase the impact of the development activities of our constituent members and Africa
Our ultimate goal is to unite all People of African Descent in the United States, and connect them to the African Union; establish a Pan-African Trade and Investment Center in America; a sort of Economic Empowerment Palace for Africans desiring to do business in the U.S. and Africa; truly build and leave a legacy by investing in women and children, within the context of ‘leaving no one behind,’ in the spirit of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (Agenda 2030) and African Union Agenda 2063 for sustainable development; become voting members of the African Union; establish Pan-African-centered institutions and programs to enhance increased partnership between academics and research facilities and institutions in Africa and in the Diaspora.
Our Desire
We desire to promote Africa and her Diaspora in a positive light and to undo the negative narrative as well as to positively impacting trade, investment, tourism, and development activities
Our Core Values
AU6RUSA strives to become an efficient and value-adding institution driving the African integration and development process
AU6RUSA Core Value is Think Africa above all; Respect for diversity and teamwork; Transparency and accountability; Integrity and impartiality; Efficiency and professionalism; Information and knowledge sharing.
Our Determination
INSPIRED by the Aspirations of the African Unity to re-unite the Global African family and the
DESIRE to RECONNECT for Restoration
UNITE to reconnect and reconcile,
EQUIP to rewrite and rebuild together our future.
We Are the Blessings of Africa, Reshaping Our Greatness Together”
Our Mandate
African Unity mandate is as follows: Mobilization of Africans in the Diaspora through a professional skills database. To achieve this, we intend:
- To coordinate the African Diaspora in America within the Sixth Region; provide the ease of integration and interconnectivity between the African Diaspora and the Motherland for the social, economic, and political development of People of African Descent.
- To unite AU6RUSA Network with the Sixth Region of the Union for a Global Diaspora family and reconnect them to the African Continent to speak with One Voice, One People, One Africa.
- To promote Africa and the African Unity and portray Africa in a positive light, which means undoing the negative narrative about Africa, which is negatively impacting trade, investment, and tourism.
- To engage and reconnect the African Diaspora in America with the People of African Descent from all nations, including Africa, and elect representatives for the USA in the African Union ECOSOCC Assembly.
- To create an extensive and professional African database on commission/sector basis: (Education, Healthcare, Agriculture, Tourism, Finance and IT, Infrastructure, Energy).
- To coordinate strategies for effective mobilization of the African Diaspora, and to create a platform that will rebuild a thriving relationship among People of African Descent in America, as we collectively develop a Pan-African Diaspora Network within the context of the African Union Legacy Projects and Agenda 2063 across diverse sectors including, but not limited to, economic empowerment, youth development, community impact, art and culture, and trade and investment, for sustainability and reconnection with the Africa continent.
- To assist in the execution strategy of the African Union Agenda 2063 and Legacy Projects implementation, using Blockchain technology to build up the African Diaspora Skills Database, African Diaspora Investment Fund, Market Place, the recruitment of Volunteers; all in a bid to increase remittances to the African Institute to create a new collective economy.
- To provide press releases, host events, conferences, tours, and trade shows; and to act as a primary venue where both African leaders and Diaspora civil society can effectively interface with each other.
Our Aim
- We aim at defending and maintaining the true African Heritage
- We aim to help African Diasporas and individual organizations maintain order/unity and be effective in society.
- We aim to support member organizations practically:
- By organizing “Fund Raising” programs
- By co-coordinating financial contributions among member organizations
- By organizing programs to strengthen member organizations (e.g., Conferences, Meetings, Seminars, Tours, EST.)
- We aim at co-coordinating strategies for effective mobilization of the African Diaspora.
- By regularly meeting and exchanging ideas
- By regularly conducting mobilization campaigns together
- We aim at training and equipping leaders of member organizations for good governance by conducting/establishing:
- Seminars
- Workshops
- Short courses
- Training school/center
- We aim at implementing Commissions by organizing
Youth activities; Entertaining programs and activities(e.g., music concerts)
- We aim at establishing an information center (Public relations); Mini- library
- We aim at promoting African Arts and Culture
- We aim to offer advice on legal and welfare aid issues, such as Health care; Housing; Employment
- We aim to establish project execution methodologies (for the benefit of Africa and Diaspora)
Our Objectives
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To support African diplomatic missions in America and North America to more effectively engage the various African Diaspora communities to contribute their support for their organizations in America and the development on the African Continent.
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To organize an annual diaspora engagement forum through the mechanism of a workshop, seminar or conference, involving the African Diaspora in America, in order to establish, maintain and reinforce their participation in the developmental and integration agenda, with particular reference to Diaspora participation in the implementation of AU Agenda 2063.
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To collaborate with and maintain a close and continuing partnership with the various Member Organizations and African leaders on the Continent to promote the participation and contribution of the African Diaspora in America towards developing their organizations and the African Continent.
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To engage, whenever feasible, the African Union CIDO (Directorate of Citizens and Diaspora Organizations) and the African Union Economic Social and Cultural Council (ECOSOCC) on issues of shared interest to build capacity, institutions, and agencies to better leverage the resources and potential of the African Diaspora in America for the benefit of development on the African Continent.
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To collaborate on the implementation of the Declaration and outcomes of the Global African Diaspora Summit, held in Johannesburg, South Africa, in 2012, including the execution of the Five Diaspora Legacy Projects.
Our Work with African Union
AU6RUSA is an umbrella organization of the African Diaspora Initiative Network established to implement the African Union Diaspora Declaration’s outcome. The Directorate of Citizens and Diaspora Organizations (CIDO) of the African Union Commission, as part of the implementation of the Program of Action from the Global African Diaspora Summit held in Johannesburg, South Africa, on May 25, 2012, with specific reference to the operationalization of Action Item I(A)(g) under Political Cooperation:
“Create platforms for closer interaction, solidarity and effective collaboration between and amongst governments and civil society of Africa and its Diaspora including the continuation of Regional Consultative Conferences and creation and consolidation of Regional Networks as partners and interlocutors for the implementation of the outcome of the Global Diaspora Summit”
The AU6RUSA will engage African Union through regular consultations with CIDO to review implementation of the Work Program and to establish new areas for cooperation
AU6RUSA ensures that activities align with the African Union Declaration, legacy projects, flagship projects, agenda 2063 within the Work Program of the AU6RUSA. AU6RUSA will work with the CIDO of the African Union to the extent feasible and within the confines of applicable rules and procedures to seek funding for carrying out joint activities under its Work Program. Such fundraising may take the form of project proposals, sponsorship requests or other mechanisms. Financing from African Union depends on the availability of the necessary financial and human resources. As a USA 501c3 humanitarian organization, we will also employ fundraising, donation, sponsorship, program campaign, etc., for funding and financing our programs.
The AU Called, We Answered
The African Union (AU) has invited the African Diaspora to become “voting members” of the AU so that together African people can move toward making the unification of the African Continent into the reality called the Union of African States (or the United States of Africa) soon. The African Union (AU) – is the linear descendent of the Organization of African Unity (OAU). The OAU ceased to exist in 2001-2002 with the birth of the AU. The AU is the African government-centered, continent-wide body of 53 member states (Morocco has not joined) established to represent African countries’ joint interest and eventually create a Union of the African States, which will be a single country of Africa to replace the current 54 countries. On paper, the AU has laid out a roadmap for the creation of a real Pan African unification, and the Diaspora is a big part of those plans.
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In 2003 the AU amended its constitution (called the AU Constitutive Act) to clarify its fundamental relationship with the Diaspora and to invite the Diaspora to join the Organization to help African unify.
In article 3(3q) of the AU’s amended constitution, “the AU as a result of this “….. invite(s) and encourage(s) the full participation of the Diaspora as an important part of our continent, in building of the African Union”
The advent of the African Union (AU) can be described as an event of great magnitude in the Continent’s institutional evolution. On September 9,1999, the Heads of State and Government of the Organization of African Unity issued a Declaration (the Sirte Declaration) calling for the establishment of an African Union, with a view, inter alia, to accelerating the process of integration in the Continent to enable it to play its rightful role in the global economy while addressing multifaceted social, economic and political problems compounded as they are by certain negative aspects of globalization.
The main objectives of the OAU were, inter alia, to rid the Continent of the remaining vestiges of colonization and apartheid; to promote unity and solidarity among the African States; to coordinate and intensify cooperation for development; to safeguard the sovereignty and territorial integrity of member states, and to promote international cooperation within the framework of the United Nations.
Indeed, as a continental organization, the OAU provided an effective forum that enabled all member states to adopt coordinated positions on matters of common concern to the Continent in international for and defend the interests of Africa effectively.
Through the OAU Coordinating Committee for the Liberation of Africa, the Continent worked and spoke as one with undivided determination in forging an international consensus in support of the liberation struggle and the fight against apartheid. (Source: OAU)
In response to the Africa Union calls, the AU Sixth Region USA Foundation was officially established in line with the African Union Amended Constitutive Act (Article 3 (q)), and guided by the African Union call and protocol, as part of the preparations for this great opportunity, many Regional, Sub Regional, National and local meetings, organized for the African Diaspora Community in the several parts of the defined, conceptual Sixth Region. As in other parts of the Global African Diaspora Initiative Foundation; formal preparation meetings have also taken place such Canada, Europe (in the UK and in Holland), among others, to assist in the mobilization and unification of the African Diaspora and its Networks in America, and the reconnection to the Motherland.
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The African Unity Sixth Region USA Foundation, otherwise known by the acronym AU6RUSA Foundation, is a network of the People of African Descent individual members and existing African Diaspora Organizations (which continue to implement their program activities independently of the AU6RUSA Network), such as faith-based organizations, corporations, and civil society organizations operating in the United States of America, who have accepted the invitation to participate as part of the African Unity, and acknowledge the need for the African Diaspora to be adequately organized.
The AU Sixth Region USA Foundation is the African Unity Diaspora Network in America, Uniting the People of Africa Descent in America, as part of the African Diaspora Sixth Region of the African Continent residing outside of the Continent.
Meet Our Team
Many stakeholders (persons/elders and institutions) have played crucial roles in getting the African Union framework underway.
The African Unity Sixth Region Canada (AU6RC), lead by the Founding Chairperson, Dr. Macaulay Kalu, has been at the forefront, guiding the process. Dr. Queen Blessing was nominated to lead the mass mobilization of the African Diaspora in America by Dr. Kalu, who doubles as the African Union-elected Policy Adviser for the Diaspora mobilization in the Americas. Together, we work through the African Union Directorate of Citizens and Diaspora Organizations (CIDO) office in charge of the Diaspora – Americas.
Dr. Queen Blessing Itua
Chairperson, AU6RUSA
Chief Executive Facilitator, Africa Diaspora Initiative Network in America; Author, “WE Are The Blessings of Africa, Reshaping Our Greatness Together
Dr. Macaulay Kalu
Chairman, AU6RC
African Union-Elected Policy Adviser on African Diaspora Matters
