Latest Pan African Parliament Session on Africa’s Integration

On 05 November 2009 the Pan-African Parliament’s (PAP) First Ordinary Session of the Second Parliament has closed in Midrand, South Africa, after nine days of deliberations. The focused of the session was on Africa’s integration.
At the final press briefing of the session, PAP President Hon. Dr. Moussa Idriss Ndele encouraged all Heads of State to advocate for a strong and unified Africa, saying Africans needed to unite on issues of common interest like climate change, peace and security and democratic governance.

“It’s only a united and strong Africa that can survive the 21st century, the integration of the whole Africa is sine quo none. It does require that the states will come up with a prerogative. We need strong executives. We cannot be strong without an independent legislative arm. All heads of state agreed on this,” Hon. Ndele said.
He was optimistic the PAP, which has been operating as a consultative body since its establishment five years ago, would evolve into a legislative body by 2011. “It is our hope that by the end of the January 2010 Session, the new Protocol (to make PAP a legislature) will be examined by the Heads of State,” he said.

“There are a few countries that have not ratified the Protocol to the Treaty of the African Economic Community Relating to the PAP. There are some other countries that have been suspended or have financial constraints and so have not fulfilled their financial obligations to the body. We have pledged to bring back the countries by asking them to ratify the Protocol so that they can sit in PAP with other parliamentarians.”

During the just ended session, parliamentarians resolved to push for the full implementation of the Kyoto Protocol at the forthcoming Copenhagen conference in Denmark this December. They also proposed a budget for the PAP totalling US$ 22,351,781 for 2010.

The PAP also called upon the military in Guinea not to contest the elections but to hold fresh, credible elections to be supervised and monitored by the African Union.

Besides that, PAP also raised concerns about the political situation in Niger, and denounced the recent national elections as null and void, hence demanding for a re-run under the supervision of ECOWAS. West African leaders and ECOWAS had also raised concerns about the political impasse in Niger, threatening full sanctions if President Mamadou Tandja does not suspend legislative elections.

On the issue of preparations for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, Ms. Tumi Dlamini, Head of International Relations at the 2010 FIFA World Cup Organizing Committee in South Africa, addressing the Members said nine out of 10 stadia and about 20 specific training venues had been completed and were in the process of being handed over to FIFA for inspection. “Construction of the stadia has gone on very well, without incidents. All the dates set have been met, except for the Cape Town stadium because it had litigation issues at the beginning,” Dlamini said. “But it will be ready by January (2010) to give us enough time to test it, since the World Cup is only starting in June.”

The Parliament also adopted a report presented by Hon. Mary Mugyenyi, Second Vice President of the PAP on behalf of the Parliament’s Women Caucus, calling for the immediate abolishment of harmful traditional practices in Africa that continue to affect the safety of African women and children, mainly female genital mutilation (FGM).

The Women’s Platform Action Plan in Africa is an initiative that organized three women conferences, the first of which was organized by the Parliament of South Africa in Cape Town in 2006, whereas the second and third were held at the PAP in October 2008 and October 2009 respectively. This year’s conference theme was “Women Parliamentarians against Harmful Traditional Practices in Africa: in Particular Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting”.
Statistics show that at least 30 countries in Africa, mostly countries in the Horn of Africa and in West Africa, practice female genital mutilation, regardless of dire health, social and psychological consequences that the harmful traditional act inflicts on women and children.

According to the Deputy Chairperson of the Women’s Caucus, Hon. Anab Abdulkadir Ahmed, the motivation behind the existence of the practice in the continent is the believe in most communities that the act is religious, to others it’s a culture they say they have to adhere to in order to control and avoid early relationships.

In their presentation, the Women Caucus tabled recommendations highlighting the need to implement legislations in countries where the act is mostly practiced. Amongst the ten recommendations presented by the Women’s Caucus, is the need for political will at the highest level; the need for governments to put in place votes and budgets for programmes that champion the eradication of the act; the need to have a systematic plan approach; the need for a proper action plan to deal with FGM; and the need to offer alternative income generating activities to people who engage in FGM.

The Caucus also highlighted the urgent need to work towards the transformation of governance and legislative regimes so as to eradicate practices and beliefs that discriminate against women. They also proposed that PAP should be given legislative powers to enable it to legislate against FGM.

It was concluded that the PAP will table the recommendations before the next AU Assembly of the Heads of State and Government.

Parliament also adopted a motion to exert pressure on the government of the Kingdom of Morocco to release the seven Sahrawi human rights activists who were abducted “upon their return from visiting their families in the Saharawi refugee camps.”

The motion stated that “in view of the Moroccan convinced authorities’ decision to bring the seven human rights defenders before a Moroccan military court and the dangerous outcome of such action on the United Nations-African Union peace progress in the territory”, that the Parliament’s “previous recommendations which re-affirm the Saharawi people’s right to independence and self-determination” still stands.
“Sahrawi is fully recognized by all African countries. The country was a founder member of the AU. It’s time to establish a just and democratic system in Africa. Let’s stand against this unjust oppression”, Hon. Hammi Laroussi, Vice President of the PAP said.

Source: http://www.pan-african-parliament.org

 

Regional ICT Conference on “e-Parliament, concepts, policies and reality”

Parliament of the Republic of South Africa, OSISA and Africa i-Parliaments Action Plan, is convening a Regional ICT Conference on “e-Parliament, concepts, policies and reality”, 12-14 October 2009, Cape Town, South Africa.
As the SADC region continues to witness an increase in the digital divide, it becomes critical for parliaments, as legal representatives of the most affected, to respond in a manner that will ensure the active participation of the electorate. Reducing the digital divide means ensuring the access to the Internet and that the benefits of accessing technology are extended even to the remotest parts of the countries; ensuring also that all sectors respond critically to the policy issues and that the backbone telecommunication infrastructure facilitates access to Internet. In order to effectively reduce this digital divide SADC needs a response that is anchored on policy and legislation and thus parliaments, as one of the important pillars for democracy, should take a leading role. The demand for inclusive democracy is pushing parliaments to be more transparent and accountable and ensure the active participation of their constituencies in the policy and decision making process of their countries. In the absence of an enabling and supportive legislative environment it is difficult to plan, allocate resources, monitor and oversee the effective implementation of any policies.
In the past few years the issue of access to information and the technologies that facilitate this has become a critical element of deliberations within the SADC Parliamentary Forum. A number of interventions have been conducted bringing together the relevant people to develop a road map for the crucial engagement of parliaments in the information society and the development of e-parliaments. These interventions have exposed members to a number of crucial issues and very significant recommendations have been put forward that call for:
the crucial role of Parliaments as political catalysts for the promotion of consistent strategies aimed at directing the information and communication technologies towards social and economic development goals; the identification of legislative instruments that can both enhance public and private interventions for the development of ICT and the Information Society; and the ensuring of  adequate protection of new and emerging rights and of the positive impact of new technologies on political representation and citizens’ empowerment and participation in public life.
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The focus on ICT Policy, Legislation and Internet Governance specifically for MPs at this conference comes from the realization that there is need for a more active engagement by parliaments in ensuring the development of an equitable information society for all. Internet has become the backbone for access to information and Africa lags behind in the access to Internet and even more in the global governance of Internet.
Therefore the Conference is aimed at providing an in-depth analysis of the existing national ICT policy and legislative frameworks to identify challenges and opportunities to harmonize the ICT policy and regulation at regional level. More specifically the workshop seeks to achieve the following objectives:
1.    identify existing gaps in implementing ICT to develop a network of e-parliaments;
2.    facilitate the interpretation of ICT Policy frameworks and provide a basis for a harmonised model;
3.    provide a forum for ICT Managers to deliberate on designing tools that will facilitate the achievement of e-parliaments;
4.    identify challenges and opportunities that can facilitate the quicker achievement of e-parliaments in the region and foster inter parliamentary cooperation;
5.    further the discussion on access to the Internet, broadband and affordability of the Internet;
6.    initiate discussions on Internet Governance to ensure the inclusion of African issues in the global agenda.

Source: www. sadcf.org

 

PAP Holds Third Women’s Platform for Action in Africa

The President of the Pan-African Parliament (PAP) Hon. Dr. Moussa Idriss Ndele, MP, on 6 October 2009 inaugurated the official opening ceremony of the Third Women’s Platform for Action in Africa, which was organized under the theme: “Women Parliamentarians Against Harmful Traditional Practices, in Particular Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C)”. The Platform continued for two days at the PAP precincts in Midrand with participants coming from most African countries and beyond.
Among the guest speakers at the ceremony was H.E. Baleka Mbete, Chairperson of the African National Congress (ANC) and former South African Deputy President. She came in her capacity as the initiator of this Platform when she was the Speaker of the South African National Assembly. The Platform was initially organized by the South African National Assembly in Cape Town in 2006, then jointly organized by the South African National Assembly and the PAP in Midrand in 2008, and now fully handed over to the PAP. Another guest speaker was the Rt. Hon. Rebecca Kadaga, Deputy Speaker of the Ugandan Parliament. The meeting was also addressed by Hon. Mary Mugyenyi, MP, Second Vice President of the PAP, as well as Hon. Farida Ilimi, MP, Chairperson of the PAP Women’s Caucus.
After two days of deliberations, the participants adopted the following Action Plan:
1. Establish consortiums, steering Committees or sub-groups of existing Committees that will bring together Government and non-government actors to share information in strategy development, planning, support and monitoring of national efforts towards FGM/C.
2. Lobby for and leverage resources for the conduction of baseline data survey on the situation of FGM/C.
3. Support mapping of existing FGM/C eradication initiatives at both national and sub-regional level by both Governments and non-government actors.
4. Support documentation of best practices toward FGM/C eradication.
5. Champion inter-ministerial effort to develop and adopt national and continental (PAP) parliamentary Plans of Action of FGM/C eradication linked, where possible, to wider national Plans of Action against Gender Based Violence.
6. Ensure the adoption of a culturally sensitive approach that reflects community experiences and community needs into policy and legal frameworks.
7. Bring together countries where practicing communities go beyond national borders and expand into neighboring countries; and support the creation of borders between countries of origin and countries of destination for migrant communities to ensure a proper system of knowledge sharing and mutual support.
8. Create linkage between the Pan African Parliament Women’s Caucus and sub regional Women’s Caucuses in efforts to support FGM eradication in Africa.
9. Involve community leaders including religious leaders, traditional chiefs and elders as allies in the anti-FMG/C effort especially in their respective communities. This is because their respective communities may unite with them out of kingship allegiance rather than open up to external criticism
10. Oversee government efforts in effectively implementing policy and legal
frameworks that reflect community experiences and community needs
11. Encourage Governments to put in place votes/budgets for programs that work towards abandonment or eradication of FGM/C, so that there is commitment and visibility at the highest level.
12. A specific Committee should be established within PAP to deal with harmful traditional practices.
13. The PAP should engage directly with State parties to monitor progress and ensure the eradication of FGM/C.

 

PAP Committee on Cooperation, Int’l Relations and Conflict Resolution Meets in Khartoum

The Pan-African Parliament’s (PAP) Committee on Cooperation, International Relations and Conflict Resolution (CCIRCR) concluded a three-day meeting in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum. The meeting, which was organized jointly with the Sudanese National Assembly, focused on the issue of Darfur, the troubled western region of Sudan.
The meeting was briefed by a number of Sudan Government officials, including the Adviser to the Sudanese President, Dr. Mustafa Osman Ismail; the Minister of Justice, Mr. Abul Basit Sabdarat and the Chairperson of the National Election Commission, Mr. Abel Alier and his Deputy, Prof. Abdalla Ahmed Abdalla. The UN-AU Acting Special Representative for Darfur, Mr. Henry Anyidoh and his UNAMID team also briefed the meeting.
The Committee travelled to the capital of South Darfur State, Nyala, where they met with the Deputy Governor of the State and members of his government before they visited one of the internally displaced persons’ (IDPs) camps. At the end of the visit, the Committee was briefed by the UNAMID officials in Nyala on the political, humanitarian and security situation in South Darfur State.
A set of recommendations were then adopted by the Committee to be presented to the PAP plenary later this month for final adoption. The recommendations included a call on all concerned to respect the AU decisions on the issue of the International Criminal Court’s indictment of the Sudanese President Omar Al Bashir. They also called for the intensification of diplomatic efforts to help in the normalization of relations between Sudan and Chad. The recommendations also called for the inclusion of the IDPs in any future peace talks and for their facilitation to participate fully in the forthcoming elections. They also called on all parties concerned to facilitate the dignified voluntary repatriation of the IDPs to their home towns and villages. Finally, the recommendations called for the High Level Committee set up by the AU to be the only body mandated to work out a peace agreement in Darfur.

Source: pan-african-parliament.org

 

SADC Parliamentary Forum in Botswana

The SADC Parliamentary Forum in collaboration with the SADC Tribunal and the National Assembly of Botswana held a workshop between 27 and 28 August in Gaborone, Botswana to discuss HIV/AIDS related legislation in the region with a view to establishing consistency and compliance with human rights law and commitments across domestic jurisdiction.
Participants to this workshop were primarily legal professionals that included judges, magistrates and lawyers as well as key legislators who include the Speaker of the National Assembly Hon Patrick Balopi. The meeting was officially opened by the Hon Margaret N. Nasha, M.P Minister for Presidential Affairs and Public Administration and was closed by Attorney General, Dr Athaliah Molokomme.
Discussions revolved around the HIV and AIDS Epidemic and emerging public health concerns; the Southern Africa HIV and AIDS Model law and the extent to which it is consistent or in conflict with national laws; challenges in ensuring a rights-based approach in the war against HIV and AIDS; and case law on HIV and AIDS on rights of marginalized populations; disclosure of status; forced sterilization and mother-to-child transmission.
The relevance of the Model Law as well as contentious provisions in bills and laws being proposed in various parts of the region were also part of the debate.

At the 24th Plenary Assembly session of the Southern Africa Development Community Parliamentary Forum in Arusha, Tanzania on 20th – 27th November 2008, 14   Presiding Officers and 59 Members of Parliament representing the parliaments of Angola, Botswana, Democratic Republic of Congo, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe unanimously adopted the Regional Model Law on HIV.
The Model Legislation is aimed at assisting member states – in particular policy makers and legislative drafters to address all the relevant areas in need of legislative reform without usurping the authority of national legislatures. An important benefit of the Model law is that it builds on the collective experiences of other legislatures, providing a pool of wisdom from which a particular legislature may select and adapt provisions to suit its own circumstances and needs.
The specific goals of the workshop were to:
• Discuss the various legal issues that surround the fight against HIV/AIDS  in the SADC region, including reference to current national laws that conflict with human rights provisions and effective evidence-based HIV measures;
• Examine the role of the Model Law as a regional  in terms of both domestic legislative adoption and regional jurisprudence, especially with respect to judicial decision making by the SADC Tribunal;
• Consider strategic alliances between legal/judicial actors and state level legislators in advancing domestic adoption of the Model Law in a form relevant to each existing legislative framework, including reference to a direct engagement by judicial/legal actors with Parliamentary Committees;
• Consider more effective linkages towards this end between SADC PF , Parliamentary Committees, SADC and judicial/legal actors; and
• Identify actions that may strengthen the engagement of legal professionals in the fight against HIV/AIDS in collaboration with parliamentarians

Source:  www.sadcpf.org

 

18th Ordinary Meeting of the EAC Council of Ministers Set for Arusha

High on the agenda is consideration of the permanent seat of the East African Court of Justice and equitable distribution of benefits.

East African Community Headquarters, Arusha, Tanzania; Friday 28 August 2009: A series of preparatory meetings for the 18th Ordinary Meeting of the EAC Council of Ministers scheduled for 4th September 2009 in Arusha, started at the International Conference Centre on Monday 31, August 2009.

The meeting of Senior Officials of the Co-ordination Committee is scheduled to run from Monday 31st September to Wednesday 2nd September 2009. The session of the Co-ordination Committee (Permanent Secretaries) is on Thursday 3 September and the Ministerial session is on Friday 4th September 2009.

The 18th Ordinary Meeting of the EAC Council of Ministers will be attended by among others; Hon. Monique Mukaruliza, Minister for East African Community Affairs of the Republic of Rwanda, who is also the Chairperson of the Council of Ministers of the East African Community; Rt. Hon. Eriya Kategaya, First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of East African Affairs of the Republic of Uganda; Hon. Amason Jeffah Kingi, EGH, Minister of East African Community of the Republic of Kenya; Hon. Dr. Diodorus Kamala, Minister of East African Co-operation of the United Republic of Tanzania; and Hon. Hafsa Mossi, Minister of East African Community Affairs of the Republic of Burundi.
At the 18th Ordinary Meeting, the Council of Ministers are expected to consider and make recommendations on several Reports on the regional projects and programmes being implemented by the different EAC Organs i.e. EAC Secretariat, East African Legislative Assembly, and East African Court of Justice, as well as the EAC Institutions i.e. Lake Victoria Basin Commission, East African Development Bank, Lake Victoria Fisheries Organization and East African Civil Aviation Safety and Security Oversight Agency (CASSOA). Also high on the agenda of the meeting is consideration of the permanent seat of the East African Court of Justice; equitable distribution of benefits of the Community by Partner States; and the mid-term review of the EAC Development Strategy (2006-2010).
The Council meeting is taking place against the background of the intensification and deepening of the EAC integration process.  The Customs Union is operating steadily and making a positive impact on the economies of the region. Over the past year both intra-regional and international trade of the region registered an upward trend of average 20% growth.

This success of the Customs Union has put the EAC on a confident basis and contributed to the good progress of the ongoing negotiations of the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with the EU and the negotiations of the Common Market Protocol which are currently underway.
Indeed, the progress being in the negotiations of the EAC Common Market Protocol and its Annexes; the successful hosting of several EAC events namely; the 4th EAC Conference on Petroleum Potential and Investment Opportunities in East Africa from 11th-13th March 2009 in Mombasa, Kenya; the  3rd East African Health and Scientific Conference from 25th – 27th  March 2009 in Nairobi, Kenya; the EAC Military Sports and Culture Week held from 13th – 25th June 2009 in Kigali, Rwanda; the 2nd EAC Investment Conference held from 29th – 31st July 2009  in Nairobi, Kenya; and the 3rd East African Media Summit (21st – 22nd August) in Kampala, Uganda are all indicative of the great milestones the regional body has attained.

The Council of Ministers is the policy organ of the Community. It consists of the Ministers responsible East African Community/regional cooperation of each Partner State and such other Ministers of the Partner State as each Partner State shall determine. Among its functions, the Council promotes monitors and keeps under constant review the implementation of the programmes of the Community and ensures the proper functioning of the regional organization.
For more information on the Council of Ministers please go to:
http://www.eac.int/council-of-ministers.html

 

Pan-African Parliament Speakers Conference: Transforming the Pan African Parliament into a Legislative Body 8- 9 October 2009

Pan-African Parliament Speakers Conference: Transforming the Pan African Parliament into a Legislative Body 8- 9 October 2009
The Pan-African Parliament is organizing The African Parliament Speakers Conference in Midrand, South Africa, from October 8th and 9th October 2009, to consider the transformation of the Pan African Parliament into a legislative body, the domestication of African Union (AU) Decisions and the advocacy of African Parliamentary Knowledge Network with the different Parliaments in Africa.

Article 18 of the PAP Protocol requires the PAP to work in close co-operation with Parliaments of Regional Economic Communities and the National Parliaments or other deliberative organs of Member States, the Pan-African Parliament is consulting Parliaments in Africa to develop a mechanism to ensure the sound and effective communication and full participation of the peoples of Africa within the integration processes of Africa as is required by Article 3 of the Protocol.

The objective of the Speakers Conference is the formation of a platform for dialogue and contact between the Pan-African Parliament and the National Parliaments of Member States.  The conference will endeavor to establish principles which will lead to the development of a framework for the effective domestication of AU policies.

More specifically the Speakers Conference will provide the Pan-African Parliament the forum to: discuss the issue of the transformation of the Pan African Parliament into a legislative body as is required by Article 2(3) of the Protocol which states that “The ultimate aim of the Pan African Parliament shall be to evolve into an institution with full legislative powers, whose members are elected by universal adult suffrage”.

The conference will further seek to agree on the necessary framework for the domestication and dissemination of AU Decisions and Policies; the distribution of information on the activities undertaken by the Pan-African Parliament; and the development of the African Parliament Knowledge Network (APKN) as well as exchange ideas on various modalities that will better ensure that the citizens of Africa are aware of AU Policies and Decisions.
Source: http://www.african-parliament.org

 

Pan-African Parliament Women’s Conference 5- 6 October 2009

Article 3(4) of the Protocol establishing the Pan African Parliament requires the Pan African Parliament to familiarise the peoples of Africa with the objectives and policies aimed at integrating the African continent within the framework of the establishment of the African Union.  Article 2(3) of the same Protocol requires the PAP to evolve into an institution with full legislative powers, whose members are elected by universal adult suffrage. Against this background the Pan African Parliament launched a WOMEN’S PLATFORM FOR ACTION to ensure that voices of women are mainstreamed in AU policy processes and to raise awareness of women in Africa on the Decisions of the African Union. Through this initiative the PAP seeks to provide a platform for African women and leaders in public service, academia and civil society, to deliberate on means to ensure the full participation of women in the integration process of Africa.

The Conference aims to create a platform where Decisions of the AU on women can be propagated to women and these policies can be reviewed and evaluated. In particular the Women’s Conference aims to:
•    Revisit the progress made by  AU and its organs and the Pan African Parliament in the promotion of Gender Mainstreaming and the economic advancement of women in Africa;
•    Discuss the transformation of the PAP into a legislative body and the role of women in issues of governance;
•    Track progress on the implementation of Gender focussed programmes, policies and activities by  the AU,  and
•    Monitor progress on MDGs 5,6 and 7

Source: http://www.african-parliament.org

 

EALA Meets in Dar es Salaam

The First meeting of the Third Session of the Second East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) was held at the Tanzania National Assembly-Old Chambers (Karimjee Hall), Dar-es-Salaam from the 3rd – 13th August 2009. The session was also addressed by H.E President Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete, President of the United Republic of Tanzania on 7 August.
Other notable issues for the Plenary and Committees beside President’ Kikwete’s address were:
.Debate and passage of Bills: The EAC CASSOA Bill and the EAC Customs Management (Amendment) Bill;
• Debate and adoption of the report on Extractive Industries;
• Debate and adoption report of a study tour of the EAC border points;
• Debate and adoption of the report on gender main streaming;
• Debate and adoption of the report on Economic Partnership agreements;
• Questions to the Council; and
• Motions and Resolutions.
The EALA also used the First meeting of the Third Session to interact with the people of Tanzania and to share experiences with the Tanzania Chapter on important parliamentary and regional affairs.
Source: http://www.eala.org

 

PAP’ Statutory Meetings for September

The PAP will be holding various statutory meetings from 7- 11 September 2009. These will be attended by the PAP members, members of the PAP Bureau and Bureaux of Caucuses and members of Permanent Committees. The main activities of these meetings will be amongst others:
•    Regional Caucus Meeting focusing on allocation of members to various Permanent Committees;
•    Regional Women Caucus meeting focusing  on election of bureaux of Caucuses;
•    Joint Meeting of the bureaux of the PAP and Bureaux of Caucuses;
•    Meeting of Permanent Committees which will focus on Elections of Bureaux of Permanent Committees; and,
•    A joint meeting between the AU Commissioner for Political Affairs, the Bureaux of the PAP, Bureaux of Caucuses and Permanent Committees.

Source: http://www.pan-africanparliament.org/News.aspx