The 2024 Second Technical and Political meetings of the African Governance Architecture and African Peace and Security Architecture (AGA-APSA) Platform have kicked off today in Accra, Ghana. Representing the President of the Pan-African Parliament, Hon. Lucia Dos Passos, 3rd Vice President reiterated the call for a citizen-driven democratic governance model that requires the capacitating and inclusion of the Pan-African Parliament in every stage of the initiatives taken to promote good governance, human rights, and strengthen democracy in Africa. This includes ensuring effective representation of the African Parliamentary body in electoral observation processes.
The establishment of the Pan-African Parliament is informed by a vision to provide a common platform for African peoples and their grassroots organizations to be more involved in discussions and decision-making on the problems and challenges facing the continent.
Conducted as per Rule 9 of the African Governance Platform, the members of the Platform shall meet at the Technical and Political level twice a year. The 2024 AGA-APSA Platform Technical and Political Meetings are being held alongside the 6th AU-RECs Mid-Year Coordination Meeting (MYCM) of the African Union and the RECs from 16-17 July 2024.
The meeting is envisaged to continue enhancing synergy and collaboration among Members of the Platform and specifically validate the harmonisation of the state reporting mechanisms initiative. The Platform will further come as a collective to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the establishment of four AU Organs and Members of the Platform namely, the Peace and Security Council (PSC), Pan African Parliament (PAP), and AU – Economic Social and Cultural Council (ECOSOCC) and the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM).
The celebration is aimed at recognising the importance of progress made not only as organs but as a collective to enhance the spirit of the Platform and advance collaboration and synergies.
The African Governance Architecture was established in 2012 as a “platform for dialogue between the various stakeholders” who are mandated to promote good governance, human rights, and strengthen democracy in Africa, in addition to translating the objectives of the legal and policy pronouncements in the AU Shared Values. The establishment of the African Governance Architecture (AGA) stems from the Decision of the 15th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the African Union (AU) Heads of State and Government.
