Governance Perspectives is a monthly update published by the Governance and African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) Programme at the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA). Governance Perspectives aims to contribute to a robust and informed debate on the nature of Africa's governance challenges and successes. We hope to keep civil society groups, researchers, governments and development partners informed about issues relating to governance, accountability and democracy. Each month, Governance Perspectives will feature SAIIA Occasional Papers as well as opinion articles, and links to interesting, relevant new material.
We hope that you will visit our website to subscribe in order to continue receiving this newsletter, and look forward to hearing your views. Steven Gruzd, programme head, APRM Programme, steven.gruzd@wits.ac.za
APRM in the News
Summit Season: All eyes will be turning to Addis Ababa at the end of the month, as the 14th African Union (AU) Summit kicks off in the Ethiopian capital under the theme of “ Information and Communication Technologies in Africa: Challenges and Prospects for Development” on 31 January. It is expected to mark the end of the chairmanship of AU Assembly the by Libyan President Muamar Qadaffi, and the selection of his replacement, World Bank President Robert Zoellick is slated to speak, and the new AU flag will be unfurled. The Sudan-ICC issue is also on the agenda.
APRM Forum Convenes: In the run-up to the Summit, the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) Forum of Participating Heads of State and Government is due to convene on Sunday 31 January. At this stage, no agenda has yet been made publicly available. While at one point it looked like both Mauritius and Ethiopia would be peer reviewed, neither seem likely to be ready to present. This will leave more space for two key issues to be covered: renewing the membership of the APRM Panel of Eminent Persons, and discussion of the implementation of APRM National Programmes of Action from many of the early states.
Nigeria’s Report Launched: On 16 December 2009, the APRM Country Review Report of Nigeria – completed in October 2008 – was finally launched in the country. It drew a fair deal of press comment, in newspapers such as Punch, Daily Trust and in commentary by SAIIA’s George Katito. Among the key issues it highlighted was a concentration of power in the executive, corruption and gross inequalities between rich and poor. It also commended the country for its leadership on the continent, gender relations and the establishment of corruption-busting agencies.
Measuring Governance: In November 2009, as part of their Global Programme on Democratic Governance Assessments, the UNDP Oslo Governance Centre in collaboration with the InWEnt Centre for Economic, Environmental and Social Statistics and the Namibian Institute for Democracy hosted a regional workshop entitled "Country-led Governance Assessments: Sharing Experiences and Increasing Political Accountability" in Windhoek, Nambia. The workshop report and presentations – several of which examined the implementation of the APRM – are available on their Governance Assessment Portal.
Off Track? Findings from South Africa’s First APRM Implementation Report
by Yarik Turianskyi
SAIIA Occasional Paper, No 53, January 2010
Download - English [.pdf]
This paper summarises and analyses the First Report on the Implementation of South Africa’s African Peer Review Mechanism Programme of Action (Implementation Report). Although the Implementation Report was initially praised at the African Union Summit in January 2009, a closer look reveals many of its faults and deficiencies. It appears that the report was rushed in order to meet a deadline, which is evident from its inconsistencies, contradictions and errors. Instead of discussing the progress and achievements made in response to the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) National Programme of Action (NPoA), the Implementation Report mostly notes accomplishments since the end of apartheid and the country’s democratic transition in 1994.
Read more
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The South African Journal of International Affairs seeks article submissions focused on Africa's (and South Africa's) international relations, and key governance and developmental challenges. African scholars are especially encouraged to make submissions. Articles should be 5000 to 8000 words long, employing endnotes for referencing. All submissions will be subject to a blind peer review, and articles must not be simultaneously under consideration for publication elsewhere. Please forward an abstract of the article to the Editor, Martha Bridgman, at sajia.editor@saiia.org.za or on CD in MS Word format via post to:
SAJIA,
PO Box 31596,
Braamfontein,
2017, South Africa.
Authors of successful abstracts will be notified with regard to submission of a full article.
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SAIIA’s online APRM Toolkit has been redesigned and updated with the latest information on the APRM, including several SAIIA Occasional Papers, relevant research reports, several academic papers on the APRM as well as the APR Country Review Reports of Algeria and Benin. We plan to update the APRM Toolkit on a monthly basis so please check back regularly. If you have written a paper on the APRM or governance matters in Africa and would like to share it, please email yarik.turianskyi@wits.ac.za with the subject line "APRM Toolkit'.
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If you would like to submit an original, unpublished, governance-related manuscript for possible inclusion in the SAIIA Occasional Paper series, please email steven.gruzd@wits.ac.za
Opinions expressed in papers and articles are those of their authors, and not SAIIA.
SAIIA gratefully acknowledges the Royal Netherlands Embassy in South Africa, which has generously supported the Governance & APRM Programme and this series.
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