At its onset in 1963, the OAU was a vehicle for pan-African solidarity at a time of liberation struggle. Its successor, the AU, is part of the international peacebuilding system. It has made a significant contribution to peace in Africa.

The reality is that two-thirds of Somalis are under 25. A huge number of these young people are fed up with living in conditions of grinding poverty, with little prospect of work. The challenges facing Somalia are enormous.

Like Justine Greening, I can't understand the arguments made by some against spending 0.7% of GNI to relieve suffering overseas. They should remember that 7p in every £10 is a small slice of our national income when compared with the spectre of people dying unnecessarily, living without access to education or even clean water.

David Cameron will warn that failure to support the rebuilding of Somalia will lead to "terrorism and mass migration" as the international community g...

Some places almost never get the attention they deserve. One of these is the Democratic Republic of Congo. A vast country of some 80 million people, at the heart of Africa. It has struggled since independence in 1960 with a poor colonial legacy, cold war manipulations, venal and incompetent governments, and a succession of wars.

The UK will not stand on the sidelines while millions suffer from this entirely preventable and treatable disease. It's time for the international community to come together yet again and keep up their commitments. We need another decade of action against malaria. The prize could be another million lives saved.

Orji Uzor Kalu's pitch as peace broker could yet propel him to Nigeria's presidency. However, the former state governor will struggle to be heard above the chaos consuming the country

On May 8th 2013 President Guelleh of Djibouti visits London. The situation in Djibouti and it's importance does not receive much attention in London. It should.

I ask the other G8 countries, on behalf of the many rape survivors we at CARE have assisted over the years in DRC and other war-torn states, to listen to the voices from Goma and act to end the heinous crime of warzone rape.

The economic crisis paining Europe and the U.S. is surely one of the factors that has pushed China in new directions in its search for trade partners. Especially if thinking of the long term, China has to expand its network beyond the struggling American and European markets.

The French military intervention in Mali since mid-January and much of the official discussion of Mali in the UN and among Western governments seem to have been driven by a quite narrow and short-term view of the issues the country faces. As in anything, if the problem is mis-diagnosed, the solution will probably mis-fire.

For many donor countries, a large proportion of 'aid' never leaves their country. Spending this money on education in the world's poorest countries could go a long way to giving the 132 million out-of-school children and adolescents the chance for a better future

In November last year, UN member states voted overwhelmingly in favour of finalising a global Arms Trade Treaty in March 2013. The creation of such a treaty could significantly reduce the armed violence caused by weapons falling into the hands of criminals, insurgents and human rights abusers.