Johannesburg, South Africa, 10-11 June 2015. The APRM Panel of Eminent Persons (APRM Panel) held its 72nd APR Panel Meeting in Johannesburg, South Africa, on the margins of the 23rd Summit of the APRM Forum.

Ambassador Fatuma Ndangiza, Chairperson of the APRM Panel, presided over the meeting. The following members of the Panel were in attendance: Ambassador Ashraf Rashed (Vice-Chairperson), Dr. Mustapha Mekideche, Hon. Joseph Tsang Mang Kin, Professor Al-Amin Abu-Manga, and Professor Mahamoud Youssouf Khayal and Hon. Brigitte Sylvia Mabandla.

Also present at the meeting were Dr. Ibrahim Assane Mayaki, Mr. Olusola Akinbade and Senior Staff of the secretariat.

Highlights of the Meeting:

The APRM Panel of Eminent Persons observed a moment of silence in memory of the late APRM Panel Member, Chief (Mrs.) Chinyere E. Asika.

The meeting congratulated the newly-elected leadership of the APR Panel, namely Dr. Mustapha Mekideche, Chairperson, and Professor Mahamoud Yousouf Khayal, Vice-chairperson of the APR Panel of Eminent Persons whose appointments are expected to be endorsed by the 23rd Summit of the APR Forum.

Updates on Country Review Missions

As a result of the financial constraints, the Panel prioritised Djibouti and Senegal for Review Missions in the Second Semester of 2015.

The APRM Panel acknowledge the importance of fielding missions to both the post-conflict countries and countries where the review process stalled in order to encourage their participation in the review processes.

The APR Panel congratulated Uganda, Sierra Leone and Benin on their readiness to present Progress Reports on the implementation of their National Programmes of Action (NPoA) at the upcoming Summit. The Panel also commended Djibouti, Senegal and Sudan for the progress they have made in their respective review processes.

The Meeting reiterated the importance of organising more regional workshops to sensitise the public on the work of the APRM. In this regard, it was recommended that an APRM regional workshop be organised in Senegal for the West Africa therefore decided to work towards the successful holding of the regional workshop in Senegal which will cover all the countries in West Africa.

Regional Activities

The APRM Panel commended the participation of civil societies organizations and the media in the APRM workshop organised in Gaborone for SADC region. The Panel emphasised the need for further collaboration between APRM and SADC, as highlighted in the Keynote Address delivered by the Dr. Mustapha Mekideche.

Meeting with Strategic Partners

The UNDP Regional Bureau for Africa (UNDP), African Development Bank (AfDB), United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), and United Nations Office of the Special Adviser on Africa (UNOSAA) reaffirmed their commitment to support the APRM in carrying out its mandate.

They agreed to provide technical and financial assistance required for the scheduled Review Missions in Djibouti and Senegal, in addition to their contribution to the APRM impact assessment and strengthening the Knowledge Management (KM) Systems.

The Meeting further welcomed the inter-governmental negotiations on the UN Post-2015 Development Agenda listing APRM among the agencies to monitor reviews on the Sustainable Development Goals.

Administrative and Financial Matters

With regard to the APRM Administrative and Financial Matters, the APRM panel decided to bring issues concerning its status to the attention of the APR Forum.

The APRM panel thanked and bade farewell to Ambassador Fatuma Ndangiza (Rwanda) and Ambassador Ashraf Rashed (Egypt), whose tenure as Chairperson and Vice Chairperson of the Panel respectively expires in June 2015.