Hon. Lucia Dos Passos leads PAP West African Caucus on advocacy drive to Cape Verde and Côte d’Ivoire

Third Vice-President of the Pan-African Parliament (PAP) and representative of the West African Caucus within the Bureau, Hon. Lucia Dos Passos is leading a West African Regional Caucus advocacy missions to Cape Verde and Côte d’Ivoire from 25 September to 4 October 2023. She was on 21 August 2023 appointed the Acting President of the Parliament on rotation, when the President, Hon. Chief Fortune Charumbira proceeded on leave. 

The missions aim to advocate for the ratification of African Union Legal instruments that promote good governance, respect for human rights, justice and the rule of law in Africa.

This is in line with PAP’s mandate to promote and coordinate the ratification, domestication and popularization of African Union legal instruments including the Revised Pan-African Parliament Protocol also known as the Malabo Protocol.

Specifically, members of the continental Parliament from West Africa will engage the authorities in both countries on the signature, ratification and implementation of the 2014 Protocol to the Constitutive Act of the African Union relating to the Pan-African Parliament (Revised Protocol of the Pan-African Parliament/Malabo Protocol); African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance (ACDEG); Protocol to the Treaty Establishing the African Economic Community relating to Free Movement of Persons, Right of Residence and Right of Establishment; Protocol to the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in Africa; and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) with a focus on the Protocol on Trade in Services and the Protocol on Rules and Procedures on the Settlement of Disputes.

These missions are held within the framework of the African Governance Architecture Support Project (AGA-SP), whose overall objective is to contribute to good governance, respect for human rights, justice and the rule of law in Africa, in accordance with Aspiration 3 and 6 of Agenda 2063 of the African Union.

The delegation will during the visit, engage with Heads of State of the two countries; Speakers of the National Assembly /Senate; Prime Ministers; Ministers of Foreign Affairs; Ministers of Justice and Labour; National Commissions on Human Rights and Election; and Leaders of Political Parties represented in Parliament.

Pursuant to Article 3.1 of the Protocol to the Treaty establishing the African Economic Community relating to the Pan-African Parliament, the legislative arm of the Union is called upon to “facilitate the effective implementation of the policies and objectives of the African Union”.

The Parliament is further expected to promote and coordinate the ratification, domestication and popularization of the African Union instruments. Cognizant of this, the Pan-African Parliament has regularly engaged other African Union Organs, regional and national parliamentary fora and Regional and Economic Communities (RECs).

Cape Verde and Côte d’Ivoire are yet to ratify the Malabo Protocol, intended to extend the powers of the Pan-African Parliament into a fully-fledged legislative organ of the Union. The ratification of other legal instruments related to human rights and governance will also form part of the upcoming missions.