Pan African Parliament kick-starts process of revising Rules of Procedure

The meeting on the revision of the Pan-African Parliament (PAP) Rules of Procedure has kicked off at the seat of the continental Parliament in Midrand, South Africa. Running from the 8th-12th of March, the meeting is attended by the Acting President, the Permanent Committee on Rules, Privileges and Discipline (Rules Committee), Chairpersons of Regional Caucuses and Permanent Committees as well as the PAP Secretariat.

The ongoing sitting was organized to define the substantive and procedural direction for an effective and fruitful revision of the Rules of Procedure of the PAP; and enable the Rules Committee and Bureaux to review and determine the gaps and areas of concern in the current Rules of Procedure. The gathering is also meant to take stock of the current situation facing the PAP underpinned by a long period of inactivity caused by the COVID-19 pandemic; vacancies in various leadership levels of the Parliament; and a way forward on how to conduct business of the legislative arm of the African Union ahead of the next Plenary session planned for May 2021.

In his opening remarks, Acting President of the PAP, Hon. Chief Fortune Charumbira, described the first in-person meeting of members of the PAP since March 2020 as critical for the future of the Parliament and its relevance within the African Union architecture.

“We have a responsibility towards all members of Parliament and the African citizens to come up with tangible solutions on how our Parliament can be fully operational as we head into the next elective Plenary Session in May. We face a myriad of challenges and our consultations over the next few days ought to be productive and provide answers on a roadmap on Rules of Procedure, swearing-in of new members, guidelines on virtual meetings, mechanism allowances in the context of the new normal among other organisational issues,” said Hon. Charumbira.

Calling on the leadership structures to engage in a candid conversation on how the PAP can effectively resume business in the context of COVID-19, Hon. Charumbira also proposed a framework on an inclusive decision-making process, which involves regional caucuses in the light of the vacancies in the Bureau.

Source: Media Office, Pan African Parliament