Book excerpt: The African Union (AU) has committed to a vision of Africa that is integrated, prosperous and peaceful driven by its own citizens, a dynamic force in the global arena (Vision and Mission of the African Union, May 2004). This guide is an effort to take up the challenge of achieving this vision. It is a tool to assist activists to engage with AU policies and programmes. It describes the AU decision-making process and outlines the roles and responsibilities of the AU institutions. It also contains a sampling of the experiences of those non-governmental organisations (NGOs) that have interacted with the AU.