Standing at the crossroads of Europe and Africa,
between the Eastern and Western Mediterranean, Tunisia
has always been a bridge between multiple regions,
civilizations and cultures. Historically, it gave its old name
“Ifrikiya” to the African Continent.
POLITICAL AND ECONOMICAL TIES :
Even before its independence in 1956, Tunisia has
engaged with its African brothers in the fight against
colonialism and apartheid. As a sovereign State, it gave
a special attention to the strengthening of its political
and economic ties with all African countries.
The legal framework governing bilateral cooperation
includes more than 300 agreements in different fields of
partnership. Besides, the Tunisian Government offers
annually hundreds of fully funded scholarships to
African students and trainers.
As a founding member of the Organization of African
Unity, currently the African Union, Tunisia has played a
pioneering role in establishing its pillars and supported
common African action by adhering to the African
Union’s goals and plans aiming to create an integrated,
prosperous and stable space for the African people and
the coming generations.
Tunisia is hosting three important African Union bodies
: The Pan-African Institute of Statistics, the Pan-African
Intellectual Property Organization and the Africa
Inclusive Markets Excellence Centre.
Fully convinced that an integrated Africa is a strong
Africa, Tunisia adhered to the main economic
groupings of the Continent. In this spirit, it has joined in
July 2018, the Common Market for Eastern and
Southern Africa (COMESA), as a full member and is
currently actively engaged in the process of
implementing the African Continental Free Trade Area
(ACFTA). Tunisia is also an observer-member of the
Economic Community of States of West Africa
(ECOWAS), since June 2017.
PEACE AND SECURITY :
In its efforts to contribute to the consolidation of peace
and security in Africa, Tunisia participated, since the
60’s of the last century, to many UN missions. Tunisian
Blue Helmets are currently deployed within four UN
peacekeeping operations in Africa.
Driven by its deep conviction of a common destiny and
the imperative of coordination and solidarity, Tunisia
aspires today to work together with its African brothers
in order to meet the multifaceted challenges facing the
Continent, in particular economic, social and
technological development, climate change, terrorism,
human security…
As a member of the Peace and Security Council of the
African Union for the 2022-2024 term, Tunisia is
committed to continue its efforts to raise the voice of
Africa and defend its causes relying on its late
experience as a non-permanent member of the UN
Security Council (2020-2021). Indeed, Tunisia has
endeavored during its mandate, to place African issues
at the forefront of the international community
priorities, while defending the values of solidarity and
co-operation in all fields, especially in light of the health
crisis resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic and its
repercussions on the entire world.