|
|
Zambia: APRM Implementation Gains Drive
 |
 |
|||||||||
|
||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||
|
||||||||||
The Times of Zambia (Ndola)
12 May 2008
Posted to the web 12 May 2008
Margaret Mangani
THE Implementation of the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) in Zambia is steadily gaining momentum with the current sensitisation of the process now targeting parliamentarians who are major stakeholders.
The role of the lawmakers in the process of APRM cannot be over-emphasised as it is cardinal when it comes to formulation.
Therefore, there is need for parliamentarians to identify their role in the whole process.
Since Zambia acceded to the APRM in 2006 after signing a memorandum of understanding, major strides have been taken in moving the process forward.
The 2007 national Budget had incorporated the APRM, which resulted in the ministry of Justice hosting the first-ever national brainstorming session for stakeholders drawn from across the country, marking the beginning of the journey to implementation.
It is the mandate of the APRM to encourage participating member states in ensuring that their policies and practices conform to an agreed political economic development. APRM is an African initiative born through New Partnership for Africa's Development (Nepad).
At the same time, Government has pledged unwavering committment to moving the process forward and this has started yielding some positive results.
Last week, the ministry of Justice, which is the focal point for the APRM, held the first workshop for parliamentarians with a view to bringing them on board as major stakeholders, given the cardinal role that legislators play in formulating the process.
Justice Minister, George Kunda observed that since the inception of the APRM, the role of most parliamentarians in Africa had been minimal, except for the South African Parliament, whose participation in the process was outstanding.
Mr Kunda said this was a reflection of under-achievement for African lawmakers, granted the pivotal role they played in the development of any nation.
Mr Kunda challenged the parliamentarians to strive and introduce high standards of engagement in the APRM.
He said the Zambian Parliament should strive to introduce high standards of engagement in the APRM as it had an important and enhancing role in society, given that it comprised elected representatives of people in the country.
He urged parliamentarians to ensure that they actively participated in the process since they held the legislative mantle on behalf of the people of the land.
He said through the oversight and legislative role, parliamentarians must ensure the success of the APRM process since its realisation partly depended on the adoption of appropriate laws and policies.
Mr Kunda emphasised that it was critical that MPs identified their role for the enhancement of the APRM.
He further urged MPs to explore more ways in which they could contribute positively towards the success of the APRM.
Member of Parliament for Namwala, Major Robbie Chizhuka commended the Government for holding the first workshop for MPs.
He described is as successful, especially that the presenters, including Mr Kunda, had proved a point that the APRM was not just voluntary, but a viable process which the country should undertake.
He hailed the Government's decision to move the APRM focal point from the ministry of Foreign Affairs to the ministry of Justice as a step in the right direction.
"It is clear the APRM is a very good idea to open up states on the African continent to best practices of governance. Ideas embedded in there are very good. When the APRM intertwines with the African Union (AU), it would help many African states deal with issues of governance," he said.
Major Chizhuka said it was important that nations opened themselves up to their people to ensure that development reached the masses.
"We have seen examples of how enclosed countries deny their people development and when it comes to governance, they experience problems in elections. So there is need to balance governance and development issues," he said.
|
He disclosed that it was a general feeling of parliamentarians during the deliberations that the law-making organ should have been directly involved right from inception of the APRM as it also affected other international protocols and loan agreements which the nation had previously acceded to.
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Make allAfrica.com your home page | RSS Feed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Top | Site Guide | Who We Are | Advertising | Search | Subscribe | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Questions or Comments? Contact us. Read our Privacy Statement. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
