PAP is a critical organ of the AU - President Ruto

The President of the Republic of Kenya and Chair of the Committee of African Heads of State and Government on Climate Change (CAHOSCC), H.E. Dr. William Samoei Ruto has described the Pan-African Parliament (PAP) as a critical organ of the AU whose full institutional potential become manifest in formulating effective and sustainable solutions to the tremendous crises confronting African peoples and humanity in general.

President Ruto stated this while addressing the Third Pan-African Parliamentarians Summit on Climate Policy and Equity which took place 16 – 17 May, 2023 on the sidelines of the Second Ordinary Session of the Sixth Parliament of the Pan-African Parliament in Midrand, South Africa.

 “The Pan African Parliament is a critical organ of the African Union, whose full institutional potential is going to become manifest as we rally to formulate effective and sustainable solutions to the tremendous crises confronting our peoples and humanity in general. This Parliament rises higher, and goes farther than the sum of its legislative, representative and oversight mandates for Africa. It provides a fundamental deliberative forum where the peoples of Africa gather to reason exhaustively together and develop African Solutions to Africa’s Problems.”

“This assembly is the august crucible where the full range of African voices, the diversity of African ideas and the variety of African insights interact and generate the principles and knowledge that we need to inform our endeavours to give present and future generations a prosperous and secure Africa and a liveable planet. I therefore congratulate all of you for the confidence you have clearly inspired to be chosen as the African peoples’ representatives in this Parliament. “

“You take your seats in this House at a very critical time for Africa and the world. The world is presently confronted with a daunting array of multifaceted challenges, which range from post-pandemic recovery to the existential threat of climate change. There is also the prevailing adverse financial environment characterised by increasing interest rates and looming debt distress affecting Africa and many other regions, not forgetting the complex security implications of a delicate geopolitical crisis.”

“At this time, your leadership as members of this House is more vital than ever to guide and support all other institutions of the African Union in the pursuit of a new, ambitious and inspiring vision. It is a time to be bold, strong and resolute enough to confront these challenges with greater unity and commitment. It is time to extend our forefathers’ Pan-African dream into a brave new world in order to bequeath the people of Africa and our future generations a much better, more secure and prosperous Africa that plays its role and makes its contribution in full to global affairs.”

President Ruto regretted that the discursive profile of Africa has too often been focused on the challenges and difficulties facing the continent and the assistance she needs in a way that depicts Africans as “chronically subordinate, eternally vulnerable and perpetually incapable. As a consequence, an emerging psychology of victimhood implicates both African and global leadership in a politics of pity and helplessness. It also denies the world’s youngest continental repository of unparalleled abundance the agency to articulate appropriate solutions to its own problems and to offer its unique, indispensable contributions on the broader global stage” he said.