STEM Students Join AU Simulation on Justice
The Global Solidarity Network has wrapped up its African Union Simulation Model, bringing together STEM school students under the theme “Justice for Africans and People of African Descent through Reparations.” This theme, first adopted by the African Union at its February 2025 summit, provided the foundation for a month-long program in August that combined academic sessions, workshops, and policy writing exercises.
The initiative attracted diplomats, African affairs researchers, AU officials, and representatives from research centers, all contributing to the preparation of students for a realistic simulation of an African Union Summit.
Participants engaged in intensive sessions on key topics, including the institutional structure of the African Union, Egypt’s role in continental development, water cooperation, the African economy, AU legal frameworks, and peace and conflict issues. A particular focus was placed on AU resolutions addressing justice and reparations for Africans and people of African descent.
The program culminated in a simulation session held at the Palace of Ali Ibrahim Pasha, supervised by anthropological researcher and Global Solidarity Network founder Hassan Ghazaly. Students assumed the roles of delegates from thirty African nations and eight former colonial states, presenting thirty-eight comprehensive position papers. African state representatives emphasized demands for recognition of historical rights, psychological reparations, rewriting African history to reflect colonial atrocities, and acknowledgment of resource plundering and the slave trade.
Ghazaly described the model as a success, noting its impact on strengthening students’ research, presentation, and debating skills while deepening their understanding of African issues. “Preparing a young generation that is conscious of Africa’s challenges and capable of representing it with competence is a true investment in the continent’s future and a reflection of Egypt’s vision to support African capacity-building,” he said.
Since its launch in 2012 as part of the International Awareness Program, the African Union Simulation Model has aimed to raise youth awareness of AU institutions, their decisions, and Egypt’s historic role in the organization since 1963.
The Global Solidarity Network oversees a range of initiatives designed to foster cooperation and dialogue. Its projects include the AfroMedia Initiative, the Seeds Project for Popular Culture, the Global South Solidarity School, the National Awareness Project for the African Continental Free Trade Agreement, the Nile Valley Peoples’ Solidarity Project, and the Global Solidarity Talks Program.
