1999 — The Declaration That Built the African Union

On September 9, 1999, African heads of state meeting in Sirte, Libya, issued the Sirte Declaration, calling for the establishment of the African Union. Hosted by Muammar Gaddafi, the extraordinary summit of the Organization of African Unity declared that the OAU should be transformed into a stronger, more integrated continental body.

The declaration led to the AU's Constitutive Act at Lomé, Togo, in 2000, and the African Union was formally launched in Durban, South Africa, in 2002. The AU replaced the OAU with broader powers, including the right to intervene in member states in cases of war crimes, genocide, and crimes against humanity.