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The Fifth Meeting of the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) Panel of Eminent Persons (APR Panel) hosted by the NEPAD Secretariat, was held in Johannesburg, Republic of South Africa from the 29th to the 30th of April, 2004. Ms. Marie-Angelique SavanР№, Chairperson of the APR Panel presided over the meeting.
All Seven Members of the APR Panel were present:
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Ms. Marie-Angelique Savané [Chairperson]
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Prof. Adebayo Adedeji
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Amb. Bethuel Kiplagat
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Dr. Graca Machel
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Mr. Mourad Medelci
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Dr. Dorothy Njeuma
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Dr. Chris Stals
Also in Attendance were:
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Professor Wiseman Nkuhlu, Chairperson of the NEPAD Steering Committee and Executive Head of the NEPAD Secretariat;
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Dr. Kerfalla Yansane, APRM Lead Consultant;
Election of the Vice Chairperson of the APR Panel
Ambassador Bethuel Kiplagat from Kenya was elected the Vice Chairperson of the APR Panel.
Progress Report of the Chairperson of the APR Panel
The Chairperson's report outlined the activities she had undertaken since the last Panel Meeting that was held in Kigali, Rwanda on the 13th of February 2004. The Chairperson has met with the heads of all four Strategic Partner Institutions, to broadly define the terms of collaboration and their participation in the review missions. She discussed with the UNDP-Africa Bureau the conditions for the establishment of the APRM Trust Fund. She also met with the Secretary General of the
Agence de la Francophonie. All these institutions and organisations have reiterated their commitment to contribute to the work of the APRM.
The Panel Members expressed strong appreciation to the Chairperson for her hard work to ensure the process gets off the ground as well as for her efforts to give visibility to the APRM.
The APR Secretariat Report
The Panel recognised the progress made in establishing the APR Secretariat, and the various interactions by the Secretariat with countries and Partner Institutions, as well as progress with regard to establishing a Pool of Experts for the APR processes. The Panel also noted that the APRM Questionnaire prepared as a tool to assist countries in their self-assessment had been formally sent to the first four countries.
The Panel expressed appreciation to the APR Secretariat for the enormous grounds it has covered in operationalising the APRM under very difficult conditions. The Panel directed that immediate steps be taken to enhance the human and institutional capacity of the APR Secretariat as a matter of priority.
Update on the APR Processes
The Panel noted that although substantial progress had been made with respect to the preparedness of countries for the APRM there were still challenges including the establishment of appropriate national structures and the organisation of a participatory process for the APRM.
It was noted that Ghana was at an advanced stage of preparations and had proposed a support mission for the end of May 2004. Follow up action with the other three countries selected as first for review including Kenya, Rwanda and Mauritius would continue and it is anticipated that Support Missions would be conducted to these countries as soon as possible. In this respect, the Panel took note of the forthcoming consultative workshop that Kenya is planning to organise on the APRM from the 9th – 11th May 2004 in preparation of the Support Mission.
The Panel decided that the composition of the Support Mission in these countries would include: a member of the Panel, as Team Leader, a member of the staff of the APR Secretariat and experts from Partner Institutions.
The Panel also resolved to add six more countries (namely Mozambique, South Africa, Nigeria, Senegal, Algeria and Mali) on the priority list for the preparation of the peer review process.
The Panel recognised the formal accession of Benin and Egypt, and the expression of intention to accede to the APRM received from Lesotho. The Panel directed that immediate steps be taken to initiate contact with the newly acceding countries to provide all the relevant information, and also with Angola which had openly expressed its intention to accede to the APRM during the 9th HSGIC on 14th February 2004, in Kigali.
Civil Society and the APRM
As a policy, the panel has decided to put a strong emphasis on finding ways to involve the civil society in the APRM at country level. The importance of involving the private sector has also been stressed. The Panel noted the importance of information dissemination to civil society and private sector both at national and continental levels.
Funding for the APRM
The Panel expressed appreciation for the contribution of Nigeria towards the funding of the APRM, and the continuous support extended by the South African Government to the operationalisation of the APRM. The Panel has also been informed of the pledges of Algeria, Gabon and that of the ADB for the Trust Fund. UNDP-Africa Bureau has offered to support a preparatory assistance phase. The panel expresses its sincere appreciation for the involvement and the strong support it is getting from the UNDP.
Brainstorming Meeting With Strategic Partner Institutions
On the sidelines of the Panel Meeting, a brainstorming meeting was held between the APR Panel and the Strategic Partner Institutions designated by the Inaugural Summit of the Committee of Participating Heads of State and Government in the APRM (APR Forum) on 13th February 2004, in Kigali, Rwanda, namely the relevant organs and units of the African Union Commission, the African Development Bank, the United Nations Development Programme/Regional Bureau for Africa, and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa. The brainstorming meeting addressed among other issues, the modalities for engagement of these institutions in the APRM, including in assisting to develop a database of background information on the participating countries, provision of country profiles and technical assistance to countries and to the APR Panel and the APR Secretariat. The brainstorming meeting also provided the opportunity to exchange views on the processes and instruments of the APRM.
The APR Panel thanked all the institutions for the support received to date and their expression of commitment to
the implementation of the APRM.
Appreciation
The APR Panel registered its appreciation to the NEPAD Secretariat for hosting the meeting and the APR Secretariat for the work done.
Issued in Johannesburg, South Africa, 30th day of April 2004.
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