Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt 4 April 2019- A meeting of the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) being held in Egypt from 4th to 5th April is reviewing and reflecting on the effectiveness of the APRM tools, methodology and processes, to better achieve the mandate of APRM. This is in pursuance of the part of the APRM’s mandate that requires it to track the African Union’s (AU) Agenda 2063 Aspirations 1 and 2, and the United Nation’s goal 16, which focus directly on good governance.

Dubbed the 3rd APRM Annual Methodology Forum, it is the organ’s flagship meeting gathering experts from various fields, academia, AU organs, APRM national and continental stakeholders. The 3rd Forum will examine two new APRM review approaches developed and implemented in the past two years, i.e. the APRM 2nd Generation and Targeted Reviews. The objective of the review of assessment approaches is to examine the review cycle; methods, techniques, duration, team composition and reporting formats. This will be undertaken in the context of experiences from APRM countries.

Other key sessions at the Forum include:
The National Governance Councils and National Governance Reports, which has the objective of establishing a common understanding of the values, principles, parameters, formats and processes that will guide national level planning and reporting on governance.

The session of Agenda 2063 and UN Agenda 2030 will culminate in a proposal for a Continental Tracking Framework for Agenda 2063 and the SDGs 2030. The objective of the session is to seek consensus and convergence on a continental standard for tracking the governance Aspirations of the AU Agenda 2063 and the UN Agenda 2030.

The session on gender and governance in Africa will review the Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development’s framework for gender reviews and a framework for gender sensitive budgeting. The two frameworks will be part of the consideration in the review of a proposal on engendering the APRM instrument.

Following the launch of the first African Governance Report (AGR) in February this year, and the expected release of the second in 2021, another session will review selected frameworks on the application of future studies to governance in Agenda 2063 and a general approach to futures Studies and Governance in Africa. The objective of the session is to solicit proposals on the theme, and approach to be employed in the development of the 2021 African Governance Report.

In a session titled “APRM support to members on international credit ratings agencies in Africa, the Forum will receive a summary of study on Credit Rating Agencies (CRA) in Africa from the perspective of a central bank and will thereafter deliberate on a concept note on the APRM’s support to Member States on CRA initiative.

In relation to the African Union’s theme of 2019, i.e. Refugees, Returnees and Internally Displaced Persons: Towards Durable Solutions to Forced Displacement, the Forum will examine migration in the Case of Uganda, and migration, refugees, IDPs, returnees as they relate to youth in the context of governance. The objective of the session is to generate proposals on approaches to integrating migration, refugees, IDPs and returnees in APRM reviews.

“The specific objectives of this two day workshop in Sharm el Sheikh are to examine and interrogate the APRM tools, methods and processes, and come-up with concrete recommendations for the improvement and strengthening of these tools, methods and processes to better achieve its mandate in the context of the expanded mandate given by the Assembly of the African Union. This includes monitoring and tracking the implementation of the key governance areas on the continent, including the Agenda 2063 and the SDGs”, said the APRM Chief Executive Officer Professor Eddy Maloka at the opening ceremony on the 4th of April. He added, “The outcomes of this two day meeting will help the APRM to be more proactive and effectively implement its mandate related to early warning, diversifying its review portfolio, and its impact within the countries in order to improve the governance in Africa in the context of Agenda 2063”.

Other speakers at the opening ceremony were Ambassador Khaled Emara, the Minister of APRM in Egypt; Prof Ibrahim Gambari, the Chairperson of the APRM Panel of Eminent Persons; and Mr Khayar Oumar Defallah, the Minister of APRM in Chad.

Participants to the Forum include government experts, members of the African Peer Review Panel of Eminent Persons, the APRM Committee of Focal Point Representatives, Representatives of APRM National Structures, APRM collaborating and Strategic Partners’ Representatives, experts from the African Union Commission and institutions, APRM Continental Secretariat staff members, and officials and civil society of the host government.

The APRM is an organ of the African Union whose aim is to encourage the adoption of policies, standards and best practices that lead to good governance.

For more information:
Wynne Musabayana | Head of Communication | African Union Commission I E-mail: MusabayanaW@africa-union.org