South Africa will on Saturday begin the process of establishing its new National Governing Council of the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM).
Public Service and Administration Minister Senzo Mchunu, in his capacity as the APRM Focal Point for South Africa, will preside over the process that will lead the roll-out plan of the second review process of the country.
The formation of the National Governing Council (NGC) will pave the way preparing for the country’s second Generation Review taking off from next month.
Once established, the new NGC will be expected to lead the country’s self-assessment process and ensure its credibility and ultimately produces the Country Self-Assessment Report (CSAR) in the end of the process for the APRM.
The NGC structure is at the core of the functioning and success of the country’s APRM, as its key role is to mobilise and ensure participation of all stakeholders and citizens in general to the APRM processes.
The structure comprises representatives and key stakeholders from government, civil society, private sector, marginalized communities and organisations representing women, youth and people with disabilities.
The APRM statute demands that Member States set up the NGC as a national structure that will, among others, ensure the strategic functioning of the APRM at national level and provide strategic policy guidance for its implementation, ensure that the country review process is technically competent, credible and free from political manipulation.
This also includes leading the APRM sensitization programmes countrywide and ensure that all stakeholders participate in the process and own it, as well as ensuring that all the concerns outlined in the self–assessment reports and in the country review reports are addressed in its National Programmes of Action (NPOA).
The role of the Minister as the Focal Point of the APRM is to provide leadership, ensure that all APRM processes are conducted according to the values and principles of the APRM.
Central to these principles is to ensure broad base participation of the stakeholders across South Africa.
Also, next month, South Africa takes over Chairpersonship of the Committee of Focal Points of the APRM programme from the Republic of Chad, a continental ministerial platform for all 40 APRM participating member states. This means that Minister Mchunu will play a leading role in advancing the agenda to improve governance in the continent. – SAnews.gov.za
