Pan-African Parliament Opens Fifth Ordinary Session with Renewed Call for Unity, Accountability, and Reparative Justice

The Pan-African Parliament (PAP) formally opened the Fifth Ordinary Session of its Sixth Parliament on Monday, 21 July 2025, in Midrand, South Africa, under the African Union's Theme of the Year: “Justice for Africans and People of African Descent Through Reparations.” The opening ceremony, presided over by the President of PAP, H.E. Chief Fortune Charumbira, was a persuasive call for unity, performance, institutional relevance, and justice for the continent and its diaspora.

A Delayed But Legally Compliant Session

Addressing dignitaries and parliamentarians from across the continent, President Charumbira began by clarifying the reasons behind the later-than-usual scheduling of the session. Traditionally held in May or June, this year’s session was delayed due to resource constraints. However, the President affirmed that the delay was within the legal bounds of the PAP Protocol, which requires only that two ordinary sessions be held within a calendar year—not at fixed months. He expressed appreciation to the AU Executive Council and Permanent Representatives Committee (PRC) for approving a special budget allocation of $650,000 to facilitate the session’s convening.

Parliament as the People’s Voice

In a reflection on PAP’s founding purpose, President Charumbira emphasized that the Parliament was created to give democratic legitimacy to the African Union, transitioning it from a Union of States to a Union of Citizens. He traced the institution’s mandate back to the principles enshrined in the Constitutive Act of the African Union, noting that without elected representatives, AU declarations on popular participation and democratic governance would remain hollow.

Repositioning PAP as a Performance-Oriented Institution

The President detailed the Bureau’s transformative agenda to "Revive, Renew, Reposition, and Reinvigorate" PAP, stressing that measurable performance and tangible results are now central to the Parliament’s operations. He outlined key achievements since the Sixth Parliament began its work, including:

·       Adoption of a Strategic Plan aligned with Agenda 2063 and AU priorities;

·       Themed plenary sessions focused on relevant contemporary issues like peace, AI, US trade tariffs, and youth empowerment;

·       Capacity building for members and staff, including diplomatic training in collaboration with DIRCO;

·       A landmark Joint Retreat with the AU Peace and Security Council (PSC)—the first in over a decade.

“These efforts are not just for show,” said President Charumbira. “They reflect a growing confidence in PAP’s capacity, echoed in the affirming voices of the PRC and Executive Council.”

A Historic PAP–PSC Retreat: Redefining Institutional Synergy

The President devoted a significant portion of his speech to the outcomes of the historic PAP-PSC Joint Retreat, held under the theme “Strengthening Institutional Synergy and Collaboration for Sustainable Peace and Security in Africa.” Key outcomes of the retreat included:

·       Agreement on regular, structured coordination between PAP and PSC;

·       Acknowledgment of PAP’s role in conflict prevention, early warning, and post-conflict reconstruction;

·       Joint field missions and fact-finding engagements;

·       Collective promotion of the Ezulwini Consensus for Africa’s permanent representation at the UN Security Council;

·       A renewed push for the ratification and domestication of key AU legal instruments.

President Charumbira reminded Member States that treaties such as the African Charter on Democracy, the Protocol on Free Movement, and the African Disability Protocol remain largely unratified. “What do we lose by procrastinating?” he asked. “We lose time. We lose trust. We lose lives.”

Outcomes from the AU Mid-Year Coordination Meeting

The President shared highlights from the AU’s 7th Mid-Year Coordination Meeting (MYCM) held in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, where AU leaders debated pressing issues including:

·       Global financial inequities and calls for African financial sovereignty;

·       The need for full implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA);

·       Proposed US tariffs on African exports and their threat to over 100,000 South African jobs;

·       The Africa Team Roundtable and the importance of involving PAP in its investment programmes;

·       Institutional reform proposals which could limit PAP’s mandate—a move the Bureau firmly opposes.

Charumbira warned against institutional regression: “We will stand our ground in defending the place of the Pan-African Parliament in the AU governance matrix.”

Pushing for Justice Through Reparations

In line with the AU’s 2025 theme, the President delivered one of his most impassioned calls yet for reparative justice for Africans and people of African descent. “Reparations are not about charity,” he declared. “They are about dignity, recognition, and structural correction. The past is not past—it lives with us today.”

He called for:

·       Financial reparations from historical exploiters;

·       Institutional reparations through education reform and debt justice;

·       Cultural reparations, including return of looted artifacts;

·       Legal justice to hold perpetrators accountable for crimes against humanity.

Institutional Challenges: Budget, Recruitment, and MP Allowances

President Charumbira did not shy away from PAP’s internal struggles. He flagged:

·       A 50% budget cut since 2017, reducing the annual budget to $10.5 million;

·       Over 24 critical staff vacancies, with no recruitment budget approved;

·       Ongoing advocacy for the restoration of MPs’ allowances, suspended since 2019 in violation of Article 10 of the PAP Protocol.

He urged MPs to lobby their national foreign ministries and PRC representatives for increased support, stating, “This is not about charity—it’s about constitutional rights and operational functionality.”

Africa Must Act—As One

Concluding with an appeal to the continent’s conscience, President Charumbira invoked the African philosophy of Ubuntu and the visionary words of Nelson Mandela: “It always seems impossible until it is done.”

“Let us no longer wait for others to shape our future,” he said. “Let history not say we were silent. Let it say we stood together, acted boldly, and moved Africa forward. One Africa. One Voice.”