PAP May Session: Climate Change, Continental Free Trade to top agenda

The Second Ordinary Session of the 6^th Parliament of the Pan-African Parliament (PAP) is expected to take place from 15 May to 02 June, 2023 at the seat of the Parliament in Midrand, Republic of South Africa.

The Session is taking place under the African Union (AU) theme of the Year for 2023, “Acceleration of the African Continental Free Trade Area Implementation”. PAP is expected to devise ways to fast-track the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), in line with the African Union (AU) theme for 2023.

According to the Protocol to the Treaty Establishing the African Economic Community Relating to the Pan-African Parliament (PAP Protocol), one of the objectives for the establishment of PAP is to facilitate the implementation of policies, objectives, and programmes of the AU, and overseeing their execution by the various organs of the Union. The Parliament is also expected to contribute to a more prosperous future for the peoples of Africa by promoting collective self-reliance and economic recovery.

In line with these objectives, PAP will hold a dedicated seminar on the theme of the year which will focus on the unbundling of the AfCFTA Agreement and the strategies that will be identified by the legislative arm of the Union to accelerate the landmark accord.

The other key item on the agenda of the upcoming Ordinary Session is the 3rd African Parliamentarians Summit on Climate Policy and Equity, to be held on 16-17 May 2023. The Summit seeks to galvanize a critical mass of stakeholders capable of catalyzing broad support for pro-poor, just, equitable, locally led and science-based decisions in nationally determined contributions (NDCs) implementation and overall climate action. The high-level climate engagement will also identify a common African agenda in the Global Stock Take (GST) process and in the countdown to COP28, and the role parliamentarians can play.

It would be recalled that the President of the Pan-African Parliament H.E. Hon. Chief Fortune Charumbira had during a recent visit to Kenya on April 26, extended an invitation to the Coordinator of the Committee of African Heads of State and Government on Climate Change (CAHOSCC), and President of the Republic Kenya, H.E. William Ruto to grace the Summit.

President Ruto  was recently commended by AU Heads of State and Governments for the outstanding achievements in providing political direction and maintaining the unity of Africa as well as leading the continent during the 27th Conference of the Parties (COP27) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the 17th Meeting of the Parties serving as the Conference of the Parties to its Kyoto Protocol (KP) and 4th session of the Conference of the Parties serving as the Meeting of the Parties to the Paris Agreement.

The Assembly expressed gratitude to the Republic of Kenya for coordinating the work of- CAHOSCC and for the outstanding achievements in providing political direction and maintaining the unity of Africa as well as leading the continent during the 27th Conference of the Parties (COP27) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the 17th Meeting of the Parties serving as the Conference of the Parties to its Kyoto Protocol (KP) and 4th session of the Conference of the Parties serving as the Meeting of the Parties to the Paris Agreement.

The 36th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the Union which took place on 18-19 February 2023 at Addis Ababa, Ethiopia requested the African Union Commission (AUC) to enhance the capacity of member states to access climate finance required for implementation of multiple programmes for both adaptation and mitigation as well as just transitions including through the Africa Climate Change Governance programme.