17 October 2016, Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt- The African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) formally tabled five country review reports – those of Mali, Mozambique, Sierra Leonne, Tanzania and Zambia – before the Pan-African Parliament (PAP) at its third ordinary session (4th Parliament) held here at Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt.

The APRM is required under para. 7.17 of the African Peer Review Mechanism Organisation and Processes, one of its foundational rulebooks dating back from 2003 (NEPAD/HGSIC-3-2003/APRM/Guideline/O&P, 9 March 2003), to table its reports before a number of Pan-African institutions, of which PAP is among the most important.

At the formal tabling of the reports, Prof. Mahamoud Khayal, Deputy-Chairperson of the APR Panel of Eminent Persons, presented the summaries of the findings contained in those reports, focusing on the deficiencies that were identified for remedial action by the reviewed countries and the best practices for peer-learning by other countries.

The PAP President expressed his appreciation to Prof Khayal for his lucid and comprehensive presentation and opened the forum for debate, where over a dozen members of PAP took the floor and addressed different aspects of the reports, but they were unanimous in their congratulations to Prof Khayal for the clarity of his report. Some also raised a number of questions about the APRM, how it works, where its standards come from and what the follow-up mechanisms are like. It is notable that a PAP member from Namibia expressed her satisfaction at the recent decision of her Government to join the APRM, which she announced to the session.

All the countries whose reports were presented at the session except Sierra Leone were represented by senior government officials directly involved in the APRM processes at the national level; two of them – the Minister of Justice and APRM Focal Point for Zambia and the Deputy-Minister of Finance of Tanzania – made brief statements following Prof Khayal’s presentation.

The debate concluded with a motion from the President to adopt the APRM country reports.