The President of the
Pan-African Parliament (PAP), H.E. Hon. Chief Fortune
Charumbira has commended the members of PAP for their unity of purpose
and dedication which they exhibited during the just concluded session of the
Parliament.
H.E. Charumbira made the remark in his closing speech on Friday
before the adjournment of the Third Ordinary Session of the Sixth Parliament of
the Pan-African Parliament. The session lasted from 24 June to 7 July 2024 at
the precincts of the Parliament in Midrand, South Africa.
He commended the
parliamentarians for their maturity and decorum exhibited during debates even
when the sessions lasted till late evenings.
“Hon. Members, I stand before you today full of
pride, hope and optimism because of the way this session has progressed. The
cordiality of the debate has been refreshing, the objectivity in the manner in
which we have looked at issues has been calming, the seriousness with which we
took our work has been enervating, and the commitment to unite and strive for a
common purpose has been rousing and inspiring.”
“We have made the
proverbial first step in the right direction in the journey of a thousand miles
towards building a PAP that we all want and an Africa that we all want. Let us
not make this another false start. Let us all recommit in word and deed to
working together seamlessly, to rejecting any overtures that seek to divide in
our endeavour to further the mandate of PAP of, “ensuring the full
participation of African peoples in the economic development and integration of
the continent.”
He expressed delight by
the discipline demonstrated by the parliamentarians throughout the session .
“The way we have behaved, the sense of unity and character we have shown is
amazing. With this attitude and behavior, our Parliament is destined for greater
heights. Your behavior will surely drive and invite more Africans to take an
interest in this Parliament. The spirit of discipline and unity is key to
achieving a better Africa.”
Charumbira advised the parliamentarians to be mindful of
their utterances and conduct stressing that “what we think, say and repeatedly
do will become our destiny. We must, therefore, be exemplary in our conduct if
we are to be taken seriously and not perceived as “an institution of
hooligans.”
“We must take our roles
seriously if we are to be taken seriously by an expectant citizenry. When we
adjourn for lack of quorum we are shooting ourselves in the foot. When we fail
to implement Committee activities when funding is available under AGA, we are
losing the plot. When we fail to address recurring audit issues, we are
committing financial suicide. When we burn bridges with other AU Organs, we are
diminishing our effectiveness in the continental governance matrix.”
He stated that the focus
of the Parliament must be on “what we are delivering to the people, what we are
delivering to the continent. Our Committee activities must have tangible
outcomes. The Bureau missions must have meaningful results. The recommendations
that we make must meet the SMART principle (Specific, Measurable, Attainable,
Realistic and Time-Bound).”
“We must be each other’s
accountability partners. We must hold each other accountable for what we are
supposed to do to advance the mandate of PAP. We must hold each other
accountable for resolutions and recommendations that are within our sphere of
influence. To that end, from the next session, we will expect Leaders of
Delegations to present Feedback Reports on what each delegation has done at the
national level to promote the work of PAP, including pushing for the implementation
of recommendations relevant at the national level.”
Chief Charumbira pointed out that the era of activities for
activities’ sake is gone. “The era of per-diem driven missions without tangible
outputs ends now. As I promised earlier, we shall convene a capacity building
workshop on results based management and strategic planning prior to the
commencement of Committee meetings to ensure that we all adopt a results –
focused approach in what we do.”
He stressed that in
order for the PAP to remain relevant in the continental governance matrix, It
must align its programmes and activities to the Seven (7) African Union (AU)
Moonshots/ Strategic Focus areas.
“Quite often there is a
clear disjuncture between what we are doing and what other AU Organs are doing.
We need to enhance synergies with AU Commission so that we complement each
other in achieving the moonshots. With that approach, we will put to bed
lingering questions about our relevance.”
“We should, therefore,
earnestly self-introspect and interrogate whether what we are doing contributes
to the seven (7) Moonshots/ Strategic Focus Areas identified by the African
Union.”
The AU Commissioner for
Political Affairs, Peace and Security, Amb. Bankole Adeoye in
his address at the closing ceremony, highlighted the urgency for Peace and
Security in Africa.
He called for concerted
and intensified efforts towards peace and security across Africa and emphasized
the critical nature of addressing the continent's multifaceted security
challenges. He also stressed the urgent need for collective action in the face
of escalating conflicts and environmental crises. "Excellencies, Honorable
Members, the peace and security landscape in Africa demands our unwavering
attention," said Ambassador Adeoye.
The closing ceremony was also addressed by the Dean of African Ambassadors in South Africa, H.E. Ambassador Andre Nzapayeke, a representative of the Government of South Africa, the host country of the PAP.
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