The Pan-African Parliament (PAP) President, H.E Senator, Fortune Charumbira has given a scorecard of his Bureau since their inauguration on June 29 at the ongoing August Sittings of the Permanent Committees of the sixth Parliament of the PAP in Midrand, South Africa.
These sitings are guided by the African Union theme of 2022; ‘Building resilience in nutrition on the African continent: Accelerate the human capital, social and economic development’.
Presenting a keynote address at the opening ceremony of the Strategic Reorientation Workshop for Members of the PAP, H.E Charumbira noted that the Bureau has been trying to restore the battered image of the parliament, especially after the unfortunate incidents of May 31 and June 01, 2021, that led to the suspension of parliamentary activities.
“We, as members of the Bureau, heard your clarion call and have, therefore, shaped our agenda and administrative strategic principles to reflect those priorities; I think it will be prudent that I outline a few of the actions that we have undertaken since assuming office to achieve this manifest desire to revive, renew, reposition and reinvigorate our legislative body,” said H.E Charumbira.
“The Bureau has actualised the confirmatory statement you made in support of the principle of rotational leadership by ensuring that it is cascaded throughout all the structures of the PAP. For the first time in the history of our institution, each Region now chairs at least two Committees, deputises in at least two Committees and has at least two Rapporteurs.
“In so doing, your Bureau has underlined its commitment to the abiding values of fairness, equity and justice within the PAP by ensuring that no Region exercises undue dominance over the other. Rest assured that your Bureau intends to follow the same procedure in the recruitment of staff to vacant positions in order to guarantee that the cosmopolitan nature of our continent is reflected even in the staff complement at the institution. It is my hope that when the advertisements for vacant posts are flighted, Hon. Members will encourage qualified prospective employees from their various countries to apply for these positions.
H.E Charumbira also mentioned that one of the founding principles of “our institution is to facilitate cooperation between Regional Economic Communities in Africa and their Parliamentary fora.
“That is why on 7th July 2022 I attended my first official speaking engagement as President of the Pan African Parliament at the 51st Plenary Assembly of the SADC Parliamentary Forum in Lilongwe, Malawi. This mission was in furtherance of PAP’s commitment to strengthening regional parliamentary cooperation and relationships. This was also in recognition of the fact that collaborative and mutual engagements of PAP and regional bodies such as SADC PF embody the best hope for regional integration which is integral to the actualization of the foundational objectives of PAP,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Bureau also embarked on a hugely successful mission to re-engage the Executive Council of the African Union and the African Union Commission at the African Union 4th Mid-Year Coordination Meeting at the 41st Ordinary Session of the Executive Council in Lusaka, Zambia.
“At that meeting, the AUC Chairperson, His Excellency, Mr. Moussa Faki Mahamat presented the Report on the PAP Elections and subsequently introduced the Bureau to the Executive Council. This unanimous support was evident when we presented the challenges facing the PAP, particularly the budgetary constraints occasioned by austerity measures which had been instituted during the PAP’s prolonged enforced hiatus.
“The Executive Council and AU Commissioners roundly supported our request for a Supplementary Budget to support Committee activities, fact-finding missions, Bureau activities and plenary sessions, among others. In that regard, we submitted a Supplementary Budget of slightly over USD 5 million to allow our full return to operational functionality. I am pleased to report that the request for a supplementary budget has since been approved with the proviso that it should not exceed 15% of the original budget in compliance with the Financial Rules.
“Accordingly, we have reduced our Supplementary Budget request from USD 5 million, which is 41% of the original budget to USD 1.7 million and we anticipate that this will be approved. Your Bureau will continue to engage the Union to ensure that the institution is adequately funded to enable the PAP to effectively carry out its mandate,” said H.E Charumbira.
H.E Charumbira further highlighted on the improved relations of PAP with other organisations.
“It is gratifying to note that there is a rekindled spirit and interest to embrace PAP’s agenda with an overwhelming expression of support for PAP’s institutional programmes. Since then, there has been an unprecedented number of Ambassadors and national Parliaments expressing support for the Bureau, requesting courtesy calls and/or inviting the Bureau and the PAP to participate in various parliamentary activities,” he said.
The President also disclosed that he participated in a welcome cocktail jointly hosted by the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) and the University of Pretoria to officially welcome the CEO of AUDA-NEPAD, Dr. Nardos Bekele-Thomas, and the PAP Bureau to the AU family.
“Let us recall that the PAP and AUDA-NEPAD are two institutions that were established to concretize the commitment to make the African Union a people-centered organization. With AUDA-NEPAD being the resource mobilisation arm, the PAP shall ensure that the citizens are given a platform to actively participate in the conceptualization of the policies aimed at achieving the Africa We Want. The cocktail provided a platform for discussions on strengthening and expanding the ongoing programmes with African Union Member States, Development Partners and our intellectuals in the various institutions of higher learning,” he added.
H.E Charumbira further mentioned that their commitment to mainstream gender issues and ensure that affirmative guidelines on gender equity and inclusiveness are prioritized, on 31st July 2022, saw the Pan-African Parliament celebrating the Pan-African Women’s Day, led by the third Vice President, Hon. Lucia Maria Mendes Goncalves dos Passos, at the National Assembly of Cabo Verde.
“At this engagement which brought together parliamentarians, government officials, civil society organisations, members of the diplomatic corps and immigrant communities, the Vice President reiterated that the focus of the PAP will be to ensure that financial inclusion of women is prioritized and regarded as a pathway to sustainable development. I throw down the gauntlet to the Committee on Gender, Family, Youth and People with Disability to ensure that this aspiration is realised for the greater good of all disenfranchised and disadvantaged women on the continent.”
On another note, in repositioning the PAP within the African Union (AU) governance architecture, the Bureau has also taken initiatives towards forging lasting relationship with Organs and agencies of the Union.
“Along the sidelines of the Executive Council Meeting in Lusaka, Zambia, and again on the 17th August 2022, the Bureau met with the AU Department of Political Affairs, Peace, and Security, in a bid to resolve some of the challenges that limit our ability to achieve the Union’s objectives of an integrated, prosperous and peaceful Africa and our mandate as representatives of the people.
“This engagement has enabled us to address issues around the framework for collaboration, including but not limited to, election observation missions (EOMs), Fact-finding missions, the African Governance Architecture (AGA) and the role of the PAP in the ratification of AU Legal Instruments. As a result of these engagements, I am pleased to report to you that PAP Parliamentarians have now been re-engaged in Election Observer Missions. To that end, our MPs participated in the EOM to Kenya and are currently among the team of observers to the elections in Angola. We have also agreed on the development of a work plan and roadmap for the implementation of collaborative initiatives and transversal activities. We look forward to mutually beneficial co-operation with all AU Organs into the future,” he added.
He further stated that as “part of the image building, engagement and re-engagement process, we will also be convening a Strategic Retreat with the PRC hopefully before the end of September 2022. Hon. Members will agree with me that over the years the PAP’s relationship with the AU has significantly deteriorated to a point where serious questions and concerns were raised relating to the image of PAP, the lack of respect for AU decisions, the failure to adhere to institutional regulations, and what they perceived as the absence of viable results to underscore the PAP’s legislative mandate.
“To some, the PAP resembled the biblical prodigal son intent on stubbornly doing its own thing outside the wider AU family. Fortunately, the prodigal son is back home and has clearly been welcomed with open arms by the AU family. The PAP-PRC Retreat will thus provide a platform for the PAP to repair its battered image and outline the challenges it has been facing in fulfilling its mandate and, hopefully, elicit the full support of the PRC in resolving these challenges,” he added.
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