The last time South Africa hosted this important gathering was in the year 2002 in Durban, Kwa-Zulu Natal Province, where the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) was transformed into the African Union (AU). The AU was launched with some of the following objectives in mind:

1. To achieve greater unity and solidarity between the African countries and the peoples of Africa;
2. To defend the sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence of its Member States;
3. To accelerate the political and socio-economic integration of the continent;
4. To promote and defend African common positions on issues of interest to the continent and its peoples;
5. To encourage international cooperation, taking due account of the Charter of the United Nations and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights;
6. To promote peace, security, and stability on the continent;
7. To coordinate and harmonize the policies between the existing and future Regional Economic Communities for the gradual attainment of the objectives of the Union;
8. To work with relevant international partners in the eradication of preventable diseases and the promotion of good health on the continent.

Available: http://www.dfa.gov.za/docs/speeches/2015/mash0608.htm