1. PARLIAMENTS-CSO S PARTNERSHIP IN APRM Dr. Khabele Matlosa Programme Advisor, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

2. PRESENTATION OUTLINE SIGNIFICANCE AND VALUE OF THE APRM. STRATEGIC ROLES OF PARLIAMENTS AND CSOs IN APRM. PARLIAMENTS-CSOs PARTNERSHIP. MAIN CONCLUSIONS.

3. SIGNIFICANCE OF APRM Monitoring progress of African states in signing, ratifying and applying international and continental standards and codes; Institutionalising a culture of accountability and transparency by linking the governors and the governed; Promoting a culture of dialogue and consultations in governance; Identifying governance challenges (early- warning mechanism) and profiling best practices for experience sharing and lessons learning; Enhancing civic engagement and participation in governance.

4. STRATEGIC ROLES OF PARLIAMENTS AND CSO S Parliament forms one of the three main organs of government; The other two being the executive (policy-making body) and the judiciary (justice adjudication body); In some countries, parliament is unicameral (national assembly only); In others, it is bi-cameral (national assembly and senate); The three primary functions of a parliament are (a) representation, (b) law-making and (c) oversight.

5. STRATEGIC ROLES OF PARLIAMENTS AND CSO S (C ONT ). These three functions of parliament should inform its strategic engagement in the APRM process as follows: Representation-parliament has the duty to ensure that views of the people are well represented in the APRM report, through, inter alia, its constituency offices; Law-making-parliament should promulgate appropriate laws to bring about governance reforms as articulated in the CRM report and monitor implementation of such laws; and Oversight-parliament has to oversee implementation of the National Programme of Action (NPoA), vote appropriate budget for its implementation and monitor public expenditure through an appropriate committee (e.g. Public Accounts Committee) In order to ensure its strategic engagement with the APRM process, parliament ought to create a specific committee on NEPAD/APRM to ensure its strategic participation throughout all the five key stages of the APRM; Effective participation of parliament in APRM will help reduce the overwhelming executive dominance.

6. STRATEGIC ROLES OF PARLIAMENT AND CSO S (C ONT.) CSOs constitute an important actor in governance and a key indicator of the degree of civic engagement; Society is made up of three main sectors, namely: The public sector (government and parastatals) The private sector (formal and informal businesses); and The voluntary sector (civil society organisations and Community-based organisations); The three main functions of CSOs and CBOs are (a) mobilisation of citizens for civic engagement in governance; (b) lobby and advocacy for policy influence; and (c) acting as a watchdog against power abuse and corruption

7. STRATEGIC ROLES OF PARLIAMENT AND CSO S (C ONT.) CSOs and CBOs ought mobilise the people and guide them for their effective and meaningful participation in the APRM process; Once the APRM report and the NPoA are in place, CSOs and CBOs ought lobby and advocate for appropriate governance reforms; CSOs and CBOs should position themselves strategically in order to curtail executive dominance in the APRM process and expose corruption in the implementation of the NPoA; CSOs and CBOs should form alliances and coordinate their efforts for effective engagement in all the five stages of the APRM.

8. STRATEGIC ROLES OF PARLIAMENTS AND CSO S (C ONT.) Parliaments and CSOs need to form strategic alliances for two main reasons: To promote meaningful citizen engagement in APRM; and To curtail executive dominance of the APRM process; The strategic partnership of parliaments and CSOs are possible in five main areas: Public awareness and sensitisation; Simplification of APRM techniques and information- sharing; National dialogue and consultations; Preparation of the country self-assessment report (CSAR) and the Country Review Mission (CRM) report; Preparation, implementation and monitoring of the NPoA

9. MAIN CONCLUSIONS Composition of the National Governing Council should include a significant representation of parliamentarians and CSOs; Using their local networks and constituency offices, CSOs and parliamentarians will be better positioned to more effectively promote the APRM and encourage citizen participation; MPs should work in partnership with both the public and private media in promoting civic education and information around the self-assessment process; Parliaments and CSOs should design complimentary strategies to monitor implementation of the National Programme of Action (NPoA); In adopting a constructive engagement, rather than a confrontational approach, towards APRM, the partnership between parliamentarians and CSOs will ensure that all key governance actors (both state and non-state) contribute meaningfully in the APRM process and thuis curtailing the omnipresence and dominance of the executive.

10. USEFUL RESOURCES APRM Secretariat, APRM Country Review Reports (Various). ECA. 2008. African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM): Handbook for African Civil Society, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (Mimeo). ECA & PAP. 2008. Putting Parliaments at the heart of the APRM: Synopsis of the Bagamoyo Workshop on the APRM, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (Mimeo).