WHAT:New members of the Pan-African Parliament will be sworn on the 16^th September 2024 at the opening session of parliament sittings. Permanent Committees and Other Organs of the Pan-African Parliament will also resume sittings.

WHEN: Various activities will take place from the 9^th to the 20^th of September 2024.

• Opening Ceremony and Swearing-in of New Members of Parliament:
• Date: 16 September 2024
• Venue: Plenary Chamber, Pan-African Parliament Headquarters, Midrand, South Africa
• Press Conference: 16 September 2024
• Date: 16 September 2024
• Venue: Plenary Chamber, Pan-African Parliament Headquarters, Midrand, South Africa
• Meetings of the Permanent Committees:
• Date: 16 – 20 September 2024
• Venue: Committee Rooms, Administration Building, Pan-African Parliament Headquarters, Midrand, South Africa
• Meeting of Clerks of Parliament:
• Date: 17 September 2024
• Venue: Plenary Chamber, Pan-African Parliament Headquarters, Midrand, South Africa
• Conference of Speakers of Parliament:
• Date: 18 – 20 September 2024
• Venue: Plenary Chamber, Pan-African Parliament Headquarters, Midrand, South Africa

WHO: Pan-African Parliamentarians, Speakers of National and Regional Parliaments, Members of National and Regional Parliaments, Clerks of National and Regional Parliaments, Government Officials, Civil Society Organizations, Academia, African Union Member States, African Union Organs and Institutions, United Nations Organs and Bodies, and the Diplomatic Corps.

WHERE: Pan-African Parliament Headquarters, Midrand, Republic of South Africa

BACKGROUND

The Pan-African Parliament has eleven Permanent Committees whose functions align with those of the African Union Commissions. Each Committee has a maximum number of thirty Members with regional and gender representation (Rule 22 (5)) excluding the Committee on Audit and Public Accounts which has a maximum number of fifteen Members.

Members are designated to committees by the five (5) Regional Caucuses, including new members who have gone through the verification exercise by the Committee on Rules, Discipline and Privileges to ensure that the procedure and conditions for designation by their National Parliaments are met. The Permanent Committees meet twice a year (March and August) for statutory meetings and can meet more often during parliamentary sessions or for non-statutory meetings when the need arises.

The Permanent Committees are as follows:

• Committee on Education, Culture, Tourism and Human Resources
• Committee on Cooperation, International Relations and Conflict Resolution
• Committee on Gender, Family, Youth, and People with Disabilities
• Committee on Monetary and Financial Affairs
• Committee on Trade, Customs and Immigration Matters
• Committee on Health, Labour and Social Affairs
• Committee on Transport, Industry, Communications, Energy, Science and Technology
• Committee on Rules, Privileges and Discipline
• Committee on Justice and Human Rights
• Committee on Rural Economy, Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environment
• Committee on Audit and Public Accounts (CAPA)

Leading up to the Sitting of Permanent Committees, Preparatory meetings include the following:

• Meeting of the 6^th Bureau of the Pan-African Parliament:
• Date: 09 – 11 September 2024
• Venue: Presidential Boardroom, Pan-African Parliament Headquarters, Midrand, South Africa
• Meeting with African Ambassadors in South Africa:
• Date: 11 September 2024
• Venue: Committee Room 3, Pan-African Parliament Headquarters, Midrand, South Africa
• Joint Meeting of the Pan-African Parliament Bureauxes:
• Date: 12 September 2024
• Venue: Committee Room 3, Pan-African Parliament Headquarters, Midrand, South Africa
• Workshop on Results-Based Management (RBM) for all Parliamentarians:
• Date: 13 – 14 September 2024
• Venue: Plenary Chamber, Pan-African Parliament Headquarters, Midrand, South Africa

MEDIA ACCREDITATION

Accreditation is required for all media who wish to cover the Sitting in person. Journalists should fill out the accreditation form at https://pap.au.int/en/documents/2020-09-09/pap-accreditation-template and return to jeffrey.onganga@panafricanparliament.org by 13 September 2024.

Media representatives are invited to cover the Sitting of the Permanent Committees and Other Organs of the Pan-African Parliament from 16-20 September 2024.

For further information, please contact:

Jeffrey Onganga | Media and Communications | Pan-African Parliament |Tel: +27 115455000 ext 5307/Mobile: +27 79 074 0005 | E-mail jeffrey.onganga@panafricanparliament.org | Midrand, South Africa