Pan-African Parliament adopts March – June 2024 Performance Report

The Pan-African Parliament (PAP) on Wednesday unanimously adopted the March – June 2024 Performance Report presented by the President of the Parliament, H.E. Chief Fortune Charumbira. The report, which covers the period from March to June 2024, provided a comprehensive overview of the PAP's activities and achievements, is structured around four strategic objectives as outlined in the PAP's Strategic Plan: strengthening parliamentary functions, enhancing partnerships and institutional capacity, promoting human rights and shared values, and improving research, knowledge management, communication, and advocacy.

Strengthening Parliamentary Functions:  The report highlighted significant progress in the implementation of the February 2024 Executive Council decisions aimed at restoring the PAP's operational functionality following internal conflicts that spanned from August 2023 to February 2024. Key actions included filling vacancies in the PAP Bureau, reinstating the Clerk of the Secretariat, and reconsidering suspended rules of procedure to ensure consistency and legality

Enhancing Partnerships and Institutional Capacity:  PAP engaged in multiple missions and activities designed to foster greater cooperation and strengthen institutional capabilities. Notably, PAP participated in international conferences, such as the Global Conference of Women Parliamentarians in Doha, Qatar, emphasizing its commitment to contemporary global issues like counter-terrorism and the prevention of violent extremism​.

Promoting Human Rights and Shared Values:  The report underscores the PAP's efforts in promoting human rights and the shared values of the African Union. This included active participation in various advocacy and legislative initiatives aimed at enhancing human rights protections across the continent.

Improving Research, Knowledge Management, Communication, and Advocacy: One of the key areas of focus has been the strengthening of research, learning, and sharing within the PAP. This has involved improved knowledge management systems, enhanced communication strategies, and robust advocacy efforts to support the PAP's mandate of ensuring the full participation of African peoples in the continent's economic development and integration​

Summary of Challenges: Despite the progress, the report candidly addresses several ongoing challenges. These include a high turnover of PAP members, staffing shortages in critical divisions, and financial constraints that have hindered the full implementation of planned activities. Moreover, the report highlights the need to rebuild the PAP's reputation within the African Union and among the general public, which has been negatively impacted by past conflicts and administrative issues.

Conclusion: The report acknowledged the significant strides made by the PAP Bureau in a relatively short period, thanks to the collective efforts of various stakeholders. However, it also calls for continued collaboration to address the lingering challenges and to work towards restoring the PAP’s esteemed position in the continental governance agenda. President Charumbira's call for unity and a shared purpose was a resonant theme, encapsulating the spirit of "One Africa! One Voice!"​.

Contributions after the presentation: The presentation of the report which was presided over by the First Vice President, Prof. Laghdaf was followed by contributions and debates by the parliamentarians. A parliamentarian from Kenya was particularly concerned about the notion of the Office of the Legal Counsel of the African Union Commission (OLC) being handed over, the drafting of the Rules of Procedure of the PAP. “Which provision of the Constitutive Act or Protocol which established the Parliament allowed the OLC to draft the Rules of Procedure for PAP, he queried?  Another member from Cameroon in his contribution, stressed the need to invoke the provisions of PAP’s Code of Conduct on those members who had brought the name of the institution into disrepute. The report was unanimously adopted after exhaustive debate by members of Parliament.