Editing Intergovernmentalism (section)

===African integration===
The [[African Union]] (AU, or, in its other official languages, UA) is a [[Continental union|continental intergovernmental union]], similar but less integrated to the EU, consisting of 54&nbsp;[[Africa]]n [[Sovereign state|states]]. The AU was presented on 26 May 2001 in [[Addis Ababa]], [[Ethiopia]] and officially founded on 9 July 2002 in [[Durban]], [[South Africa]] to replace the [[Organisation of African Unity]] (OAU).<ref name="African Union 2002">{{cite web
 |url=http://www.africa-union.org/official_documents/Speeches_&_Statements/HE_Thabo_Mbiki/Launch%20of%20the%20African%20Union,%209%20July%202002.htm 
 |title=Launch of the African Union, 9 July 2002: Address by the chairperson of the AU, President Thabo Mbeki 
 |author=Thabo Mbeki 
 |author-link=Thabo Mbeki 
 |date=9 July 2002 
 |publisher=africa-union.org 
 |location=ABSA Stadium, Durban, South Africa 
 |access-date=8 February 2009 
 |url-status=dead 
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090503210549/http://www.africa-union.org/official_documents/Speeches_%26_Statements/HE_Thabo_Mbiki/Launch%20of%20the%20African%20Union%2C%209%20July%202002.htm 
 |archive-date=3 May 2009 
 |df=dmy-all 
}}</ref> The most important decisions of the AU are made by the [[Assembly of the African Union]], a semi-annual meeting of the heads of state and government of its member states. The AU's secretariat, the [[African Union Commission]], is based in [[Addis Ababa]], Ethiopia.