Pan-African Parliament Hansard Report, Fourth Parliament of the Second Parliament

Jurisdiction: African Union (AU)
Date: 9 May 2011
Language: English
Type: Hansard

Pan-African Parliament Hansard Report, Fourth Parliament of the Second Parliament

Monday, 9 May, 2011

LE PRESIDENT:Mesdames, messieurs les membres du Bureau du Parlement panafricain,Mesdames et messieurs les membres du Parlement panafricain,Monsieur le Secrétaire exécutif du MAEP,Mesdames et messieurs les Présidents des Assemblées nationales et des Sénats,Excellences Mesdames et messieurs les Ambassadeurs et Chefs de missions diplomatique et consulaire,Mesdames et messieurs les Représentants des Organisations internationales,Membres des délégations parlementaires étrangères,Distingués invités,Mesdames, messieurs,C’est, pour moi, un insigne honneur et un agréable devoir de procéder, ce lundi 09 mai 2011, à l’ouverture solennelle de la 4^e session ordinaire de la 2^e Législature du Parlement panafricain, qui se tient du 09 au 20 mai 2011.Je commencerais par remercier tous nos invités qui ont bien voulu accepter de rehausser, de leur présence, l’éclat de cette cérémonie officielle et solennelle, conformément à l’article 28 du Règlement intérieur de notre Parlement.Je voudrais, à cet égard, vous inviter, mesdames et messieurs les membres du Parlement panafricain, à saluer la présence dans cet hémicycle des hautes personnalités ci-après:Madame Lindiwe MASEKO, Présidente de l’Assemblée provinciale de la province de Gauteng - notre province hôte -(Applaudissements),Monsieur Joao Manuel Goncalves Lourenco, Premier vice-président de l’Assemblée nationale de la République d’Angola,(Applaudissements)Monsieur Messoud Ould Boulkheir, Président de l’Assemblée nationale de la République de Mauritanie.(Applaudissements),A nos illustres invités, le Parlement panafricain vous sait gré de votre amitié et tient, tout particulièrement, à vous renouveler sa profonde reconnaissance pour avoir accepté d’honorer son invitation.Aussi, au nom de tous les membres du Parlement panafricain, je souhaite la bienvenue aux nouveaux membres. Ces forces nouvelles qui vont, d’ici peu, prêter serment, contribueront, par leur vive participation, à enrichir les débats au sein de notre auguste assemblée continentale.Honorables membres,Distingués invités,Le Parlement panafricain, dont l’un des objectifs est de promouvoir la paix, la sécurité et la stabilité en Afrique, reste préoccupé par la persistance des conflits et les germes d’instabilité qui existent dans plusieurs pays du continent et constituent une menace pour la paix et la stabilité de nos Etats.En effet, divers évènements surviennent sur le continent, se traduisant par des changements qui démontrent que les peuples africains réclament la démocratie de toutes leurs forces, parfois avec l’énergie du désespoir, à travers des mouvements de révolte qui fédèrent la majorité des populations.Les causes du mécontentement nous sont, hélas! connues: le chômage, la fracture sociale, la corruption, une jeunesse marginalisée, les libertés qui s’octroient au compte-goutte, des dirigeants autoritaires qui s’accrochent trop longtemps au pouvoir et dont les richesses personnelles dépassent l’entendement face à la misère et aux souffrances multiples et multiformes de leurs peuples.Ce bouleversement, que l’on nomme à propos « le printemps arabe », a émergé de la Tunisie et sa toile d’ombre s’est propagée ensuite en Egypte et en Lybie, pour inspirer aujourd’hui d’autres peuples, aussi bien du continent et d’ailleurs. Il doit nous interpeller, en notre qualité de représentants des peuples africains.L’Union africaine, dans son ensemble, n’est restée ni sourde, ni aveugle à ces appels du peuple mais, hélas! elle a montré ses limites. Elle s’est mobilisée comme elle le peut, avec le monde arabe et la communauté internationale, pour trouver une solution diplomatique et pacifique aux fins de rétablir l’Etat de droit, la légalité internationale et le respect des droits de l’Homme - car il s’agit de rétablir la normalité et la stabilité, afin de permettre le développement de nos Etats. C’est pourquoi, nous ne pouvons que nous réjouir de la sortie de crise en Côte d’Ivoire qui, après plusieurs mois de dures tensions, commence à se reconstruire.Je comprends que nous restions partagés sur la méthode de l’utilisation des forces étrangères pour rétablir la légalité en Côte d’Ivoire. Nous aurions évité ces pertes en vies humaines, en privilégiant la raison et le dialogue par la résolution pacifique et négociée des conflits. Nous aurions ainsi épargné des énormes souffrances que causent lesdites rivalités à nos peuples.Honorables membres,Distingués invités,Les crises que nous vivons doivent faire prendre conscience que les Africains doivent assumer, plus que jamais, leur rôle au sein de notre continent, dans la prévention et la résolution des conflits, le maintien de la paix, la stabilité, la promotion de la démocratie et de la bonne gouvernance.Cela dit, les concepts de démocratie, de gouvernance, des droits de l’Homme, de bonne gestion de la chose publique, ne sont pas nouveaux pour l’Afrique, mais il convient plutôt de les adapter et surtout de les appliquer au sens objectif de la culture qui justifie l’essence africaine de nos nations.La 16^e Session ordinaire du Conseil exécutif de l’Union africaine avait recommandé à la Conférence des chefs d’Etat et de gouvernements de consacrer la conférence de janvier 2011 au thème: « Les valeurs partagées de l’Union africaine ».Les valeurs partagées sont les idéaux qui servent de points de référence communs aux peuples d’Afrique tout au long de leur histoire. Ils répondent, entre autres, au désir d’intégration continentale, fondé sur un héritage commun, les idéaux du panafricanisme, les pratiques culturelles africaines et des principes, tels que la solidarité et le consensus. Ils font le socle de la communauté de destin de l’Afrique. Ces valeurs ont fait l’objet d’une élaboration dans diverses déclarations politiques collectives et dans des instruments contraignants, régionaux et continentaux, parmi lesquels la Charte africaine de la Démocratie, des Elections et de la Gouvernance.Aussi, le Parlement panafricain a-t-il travaillé, en collaboration avec la Commission de l’Union africaine, les parlements régionaux, les parlements nationaux, les organisations de la société civile et les médias, à vulgariser la Charte au sein de chaque Etat membre aux fins de permettre à nos concitoyens de se l’approprier.Pour ce faire, nous avons lancé à Kampala, la Campagne 11, avant 2011. La réunion consultative de Kampala fut suivie de deux autres, pour l’Afrique centrale à Ndjamena et pour l’Afrique australe à Victoria Falls.Cette année, nous avons programmé celle de l’Afrique du nord et de l’Afrique de l’ouest, si le contexte politique nous le permet.La réalisation de cet objectif que s’est fixé le Parlement panafricain, suite à la résolution du Sommet des chefs d’Etats et de gouvernements, participera à enrichir la culture de la démocratie, des élections et de la bonne gouvernance au niveau national et continental.Cependant, nous sommes conscients que cette tâche n’est pas aisée. Néanmoins, il est inéluctable qu’au prix du gâchis, de la violence et de la souffrance, la démocratisation, la bonne gouvernance et l’alternance, avec des élections libres, crédibles et transparentes, se feront dans tous les continents. Pour éviter ce gâchis, réduire la violence et abréger la souffrance des peuples africains, nous avons un outil: la Charte africaine de la Démocratie, des Elections et de la Gouvernance. Il est impérieux et de notre devoir de contribuer à sa vulgarisation, son adoption et son application.Honorables membres,Distingués invités.Au-delà des crises et des conflits, c’est l’occasion, pour nous, de relever, pour s’en féliciter, la bonne tenue des élections au Niger, en Ouganda, au Bénin, en République centrafricaine, au Burkina Faso, au Nigéria, au Tchad, au Cap vert et à Djibouti. La bonne tenue de ces élections nous laisse espérer une évolution systématique de nos Etats vers des modèles démocratiques que nous souhaitons.Permettez-moi, chers collègues, d’adresser nos chaleureuses et respectueuses félicitations à tous les chefs d’Etat élus ou réélus sur le continent. Ces félicitations vont également à l’endroit de nos populations qui ont su faire preuve de maturité politique.Enfin, n’oublions pas le succès remporté par l’organisation du référendum au Soudan, le 09 Janvier 2011; processus à travers lequel le peuple soudanais a tranché de manière démocratique en faveur de la partition du pays.Nous devons respecter ces choix et veiller à ce que la paix et la stabilité règnent définitivement dans l’intérêt des populations de ces pays.Honorables membres,Distingués invités,L’ouverture de la présente session nous donne l’occasion de vous informer de l’agenda des activités qui feront l’objet de nos délibérations pendant nos 10 jours de travaux. Il s’agit entre autres:du débat sur les crises en Afrique;du rapport de paix et de sécurité de la Commission de l’Union africaine;du rapport d’activités du Parlement panafricain;des communications sur les actions des commissions permanentes;d’un programme de formation de la Banque mondiale sur le développement international pour les parlementaires;du rapport du groupe des sages de l’Union africaine;du rapport sur les questions financières et administratives de l’Union africaine;de la présentation du budget du Parlement panafricain pour l’année 2012;de la présentation et l’adoption du projet de contribution du Parlement panafricain à la 17^e Session ordinaire de l’Union africaine sur le thème: « Accélérer l’autonomisation des jeunes pour un développement durable »;et enfin de la présentation et de l’adoption des recommandations et résolutions de la 4^e Session ordinaire.Honorables membres,Nous sommes tous appelés à privilégier la discussion et les échanges sur ces questions pertinentes.En souhaitant plein succès à nos travaux, je déclare ouverte la 4^e Session ordinaire du Parlement panafricain.Je vous remercie de votre aimable attention.(Applaudissements)

LE PRÉSIDENT:Honorables membres, conformément à l’article 9 du Règlement intérieur, nous allons procéder à la prestation de serment des nouveaux membres qui, suite à leur élection ou désignation comme membres du Parlement Panafricain, prennent part à nos travaux pour la première fois.PRESTATION DE SERMENT DES HONORABLES:1.PERIS CHEPCHUMBA (KENYA)2.DEKA AHMED ELMI (DJIBOUTI)3.GLORIA SOMOLEKAE (BOTSWANA)4.BERNADETA KASABAGO MUSHASHU (TANZANIA)5.HAMAD M.Y. MASAUNI (TANZANIA)6.STEPHEN JULIUS MASELE (TANZANIA)7.LUHAGA JOELSON MPINA (TANZANIA)8.KHALIFA SULEIMAN KHALIFA (TANZANIA)9.BERNARD SONGA SIBALATANI (NAMIBIE)Honorables membres, en guise de bienvenue aux 09 nouveaux membres du Parlement panafricain, je vous demande de bien vouloir les acclamer encore une fois.(Applaudissements).Honorables membres, conformément aux dispositions de l’article 38 alinéa 1-h du Règlement intérieur, j’ai grand plaisir de demander à nos invités spéciaux de bien vouloir entrer dans la Chambre:S.E. Madame Lindiwe MASEKO, Présidente de l’Assemblée provinciale du Gauteng.(Applaudissements)S.E. Nkoana-Mashabane, Ministre des Relations internationales et de la Coopération (Afrique du Sud)(Applaudissements)S.E. Joao Manuel Goncalves Lourenco, Premier vice-président de l’Assemblée nationale de la République d’Angola(Applaudissements)S.E. Messoud Ould Boulkheir, Président de l’Assemblée nationale de la République Islamique de Mauritanie(Applaudissements),J’invite à présent S.E. Madame Lindiwe MASEKO, Présidente de l’Assemblée provinciale du Gauteng, à donner lecture de son message de solidarité.

H.E MRS. LINDIWE MASEKO [SPEAKER OF THE GAUTENG PROVINCIAL LEGISLATURE]:Good morning your Excellencies, the President, Hon. Idriss Mousa, Hon. Speakers and Ministers present here, hon. Members of Parliament, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, all protocol observed.The Gauteng Provincial Legislature (GPL) is, indeed, honoured to be invited to this august institution. The 4th Ordinary Session of the PanAfrican Parliament (PAP) is being convened during interesting times in South Africa as the country prepares for the local government election scheduled for 18^th May, 2011. In essence it is eight days from today. These elections will further deepen the democratisation of the country that started in 1994 and will show that our people are enjoying and are, indeed, being given an opportunity of choosing their preferred leaders in Government in a free and fair environment.Hon. Members and Presiding officers, it is common knowledge that the legislative sector, in general, is set to promote peace, human rights, democracy and accountability. Equally, it is common knowledge that the PAP and the GPL have the above aspects in their vision statements and objectives. The two institutions are, therefore, destined to relate. The invitation of the GPL to be here today is testimony of the existence of this relationship. We, at the GPL, believe that PAP should take its rightful place in continental politics, including occupying a central role in being the voice of all the people of Africa in aspiring for democratic participation, peace, development and self-reliance. The people of Africa are looking up to the legislative sector for democratic space that will empower them to resolve their own problems. The GPL is proud to be associated with PAP, especially at two levels. The first is that the two institutions are based in the same city of Johannesburg and secondly the GPL has continued to deploy staff members to support PAP when in session. In the beginning, we know that when PAP had a session, the GPL operations came to a stop. We could not function because we had to deploy all our staff to help. There are opportunities to take this relationship to another level by, amongst others, sharing and learning from each other on issues such as ministerial accountability, holding the Executives to account, law making and public participation and promoting co-operative governments.As the African democratic project continues to unfold, it is becoming urgent that parliaments on the continent forge relations and work towards a common legislative framework. We believe that PAP could play an important leadership and facilitative role in this regard. We trust that our invitation to say a few words to you today is part of the process that will lead to greater interface between the GPL and PAP. We believe that this will enable us to streamline issues relating to better governments. It is also worth mentioning that the invitation is a strong expression on the part of PAP to improve its interaction and dialogue with the GPL. Therefore, relations between the GPL and PAP can possibly lead to an aggregation of interests of those we represent. In this regard, we can become legitimate so as to reach our common interest where views and opinions can be expressed.Hon. Members, endless and exciting possibilities exist for PAP in advancing a good governance agenda towards the betterment of the people of the continent. The "Sirte Declaration" was particularly instructive on how PAP could realise these ideals in particular the declaration call for the continental Parliament to work with Africans and the grassroots in articulating the aspirations of the continent. One of the most effective ways in which the continental Parliament can realise its objectives is through working with other Parliamentary institutions at national and, at this instance, at a provincial level. In this way, we will be opening up the democratic space where every voice, opinion and interest can be heard.Furthermore and most importantly, we are mindful of PAP’s mandate to promote human rights and democracy. We are, therefore, willing to be partners in consolidating these noble ideals. To this end, we can ensure that PAP’s mandate is given effect in the Gauteng Province. It is worth noting that the objectives of PAP, which are to facilitate co-operation and development, strengthen continental solidarity and build a sense of community among the people of Africa do, indeed, foreground the need for closer working relationships with other parliamentary bodies. Furthermore, these relations can benefit Members of Parliament at both institutions and will thus enable us to strengthen our ability to engage on a broad range of social and policy issues. Technical exchange between the institutions is also for purposes of sharing good practices. It should culminate in exchange of experiences on oversight practices and parliamentary work.In conclusion, as the Gauteng Provincial Legislature, we believe that we have a lot to share with you and your respective parliaments on our oversight model Programme Evaluation and Budget Analysis which we believe has all the methodologies to hold the Executive accountable. We believe this relationship will ensure that together we contribute towards building a better Africa and a better world.On behalf of the people of Gauteng and the Gauteng Provincial Legislature, we want to welcome you all. We believe that you will have great deliberations in all the sessions for the ten days that you will be here. We wish you all the best and wish all the African countries that will be holding elections the best. As I said, as Gauteng Provincial Legislature, ours is not like marathon runners who eventually get to the finishing line, but sprinters. Therefore, to achieve all our objectives, we need to sprint towards better lives for our people.Thank you.

H.E. JOÀO MANUEL GONÇALVES LOURENCO [1° VICE-PRESIDENTE DA ASSEMBLEIA NACIONAL DE ANGOLA]:Sua Excelencia Dr. Moussa Idriss Ndélé, Presidente do Parlamento Pan-Africano,Excelencias Senhores Vice-Presidentes,Distintos Convidados,Minhas Senhoras e Meus Senhores,Gostaríamos, antes de mais, de expressar o nosso agradecimento pelo convite que foi feito à Sua Excelencia o Engenheiro António Paulo Kassoma, Presidente da Assembleia Nacional, quem eu aqui represento, para que pudesse proferir a presente intervengo, nesta Augusta Casa dos Representantes dos Povos do nosso continente, nesta ocasiao solene de abertura da Quarta Sessao Ordinària da II Legislatura do Parlamento Pan-Africano.Sendo o Estado angolano um dos que, desde muito cedo, ratificou o instrumento constitutivo do Parlamento Pan-Africano, permitiu que, desde a génese da cria$ao deste órgao, os Deputados da Assembleia Nacional de Angola, participassem activamente em todas as suas sessoes e demais actividades. Este facto demonstra bem a importancia que Angola atribui ao parlamento que é justamente considerado como sendo a «Voz dos Povos Africanos».Excelencias,Minhas Senhoras, Meus Senhores,O Parlamento Pan-Africano é uma demonstrado clara de que a história recente do continente Africano ficou marcada pelos ideais de autodeterminagao dos seus povos, alicergada na consciencializa$ao política que foi determinante na formagao dos movimentos nacionalistas africanos e na consequente independencia dos Estados africanos. Nesta fase, ilustres filhos e filhas africanos escreveram páginas douradas no livro sagrado da história dos povos, em prol da conquista da liberdade total dos povos africanos. Os pais de nossas independencias, permanecerao na nossa memória colectiva como exemplos de africanos que souberam interpretar profundamente a vontade soberana dos povos africanos que este Parlamento tao bem representa.Excelencias,Minhas Senhoras, Meus Senhores,Num dia como hoje, em 1950, Robert Schuman apresentou uma proposta de criagao de uma Europa organizada, como sendo o necessário requisito para a manutengo de relagoes pacíficas entre os seus países. A proposta, que ficou conhecida como "Declaragao Schuman", é geralmente considerada como tendo langado as bases para a criagao do que é hoje a Uniao Europeia. E, de facto, a Uniao Europeia, enquanto estrutura integracionista, logrou progressos significativos, entre os quais se conta a criagao do Parlamento Europeu.Este breve recurso à história europeia, serve apenas para enfatizar que no mundo cada vez mais globalizado dos nossos dias, nós, os povos africanos, nao temos outra alternativa que nao seja a conjugagao de esforgos na prossecugao dos nossos objectivos comuns. Aliás, a criagao da Uniao Africana, estrutura de que este Parlamento é um dos órgaos, demonstra precisamente isso. Só uma acgao concertada dos Estados africanos, permitirá que consigamos enfrentar os desafios que lhes sao colocados, como o caso da prevengao e gestao de conflitos, a erradicagao da pobreza, o respeito pelos direitos e liberdades fundamentais, a promogao da boa governagao, a edificagao do Estado de direito e a preservagao de um meio ambiente sadio.Excelencias,Minhas Senhoras, Meus Senhores,Ao falar da prevengao de conflitos, nao podia deixar de fazer referencia à situagao na Líbia, um país irmao conturbado com uma guerra civil com enorme prejuízo de vidas humanas e causando uma gritante crise humanitária. Obviamente que as consequencias imediatas desse conflito tem repercugoes em todo o continente no presente e no futuro. Somos nós, os africanos, que sentimos na pele os resultados da instabilidade social, política e económica de um dos Estados Membros da Uniao Africana. É com muita angústia que constatamos que a solugao dos problemas africanos continua a ser decidida e mal, pelas potencias estrangeiras ávidas do fácil acesso aos nossos abundantes recursos naturais.O Parlamento encontra-se reunido num momento em que o nosso continente enfrenta grandes desafios para além dos habituais, resultantes do fraco desenvolvimento socioeconómico como os baixos índices de produçâo industrial e agrícola, que resultam na fome e na miséria, nas grandes endemias como as da Malária, da Pólio e do HIV/SIDA, entre outras.A paz e a segurança encontram-se seriamente ameaçadas nâo só no Norte de África com a vergonhosa ingerência das grandes potências, como noutras partes do continente, onde a intolerância política também é causadora de instabilidade e insegurança em alguns dos países outrora tidos como promissores e em franco desenvolvimento.É hora de as instituiçôes políticas regionais e do continente assumirem com maior vigor a procura das soluçoes mais adequadas para os conflitos internos que assolam alguns dos nossos países.É importante que as cruzadas de triste memória nao sejam reeditadas muitos séculos depois contra nossos países e povos, hoje soberanos.Minhas Senhoras,Meus senhores,Estimados convidados,Angola é um país que está a reerguer-se de uma longa guerra civil e, por isso, conhece bem o impacto social negativo desse fenómeno. A nossa própria experiência nos ensina a privilegiar a soluçao pacífica dos conflitos. Aliás, isso mesmo foi recentemente reiterado por Sua Excelência o Presidente da República de Angola, ao dizer - e eu cito -: "Somos claros em defender o diálogo e a concertaçao para a resoluçao de todo.

S.E. MESSAOUD OULD BOULKHEIR [PRESIDENT DE L’ASSEMBLEE NATIONALE DE MAURITANIE]:(Bismillahi Arahmani Arrahim)Honorable Dr Idriss Moussa NDELE, Président du Parlement Panafricain,Honorables Présidents des Parlements nationaux et invités,Honorables Vice-présidents du Parlement Panafricain,Honorable Secrétaire Général du Parlement Panafricain,Honorables invités,Mesdames et messieurs,Mes premiers mots, Monsieur le Président, seront pour vous exprimer mes sincères remerciements et ma profonde gratitude, pour l’aimable invitation que vous m’avez adressée et qui m’offre, aujourd’hui, l’immense privilège de prononcer ce discours devant cette auguste assemblée qui ne pouvait trouver meilleur logeuse que la République sœur d’Afrique du Sud qui demeurera, à jamais, dans le cadre de la marche du continent vers sa re-personnalisation, à travers son combat pour l’indépendance, la liberté, la dignité et l’épanouissement intégral de l’Homme africain, une source d’inspiration pour chacun de nous, une école de la souffrance, de l’endurance et de la persévérance pour le prix de la victoire finale, incontestable et incontestée.Quoi, en effet, de plus naturel que d’honorer la Patrie de Son Excellence le Président Nelson MANDELA qui, pour avoir, à lui seul, et pendant près de trois décennies, incarné mieux que quiconque le courage, la fierté et la dignité de l’Homme africain, avant de devenir, par sa sagesse et sa magnanimité, un patrimoine de l’humanité que tous adorent et respectent? Quoi, dis-je, de plus naturel que d’en faire le siège de l’Institution législative? Laquelle, de mon point de vue, devra damer le pion à toutes les autres institutions africaines, parce que forte de l’espoir qu’elle inspire à tous les citoyens du continent.Hommage, donc, appuyé à Son Excellence le Président Nelson MANDELA et, à travers lui, à tous les hommes, toutes les femmes et toute la jeunesse d’Afrique du Sud, qui ont rendu à l’Afrique sa fierté et sa dignité, en attendant de voir s’y instaurer la démocratie véritable, s’y développer la notion des Etats de droit, avec leurs corollaires économiques et sociaux mieux répartis et davantage acceptés.Recevez, donc, Excellences Messieurs les Présidents, honorables invités, mesdames et messieurs, le salut fraternel des parlementaires mauritaniens et l’assurance de leur solidarité agissante, en vue de réaliser, à vos côtés, une véritable intégration africaine.Dans un monde fortement ébranlé par les retombées d’une crise économique qui n’a même pas épargné les nations les mieux loties, notre continent, longtemps présenté comme le réceptacle de toutes les misères de l’humanité, est aujourd’hui soumis, au Nord comme au Sud, aux plus fortes convulsions politiques et sociales qui compliquent d’autant sa situation.C’est ainsi que nous assistons, meurtris et impuissants, à la déconfiture de nombreux de nos Etats dont les dirigeants sont demeurés aveugles et sourds aux appels pressants de leurs peuples qui ne revendiquent, pour la plupart, que la démocratie, la liberté, la dignité, un meilleur partage des ressources et un mode de gouvernement plus transparent.La situation est d’autant plus affligeante qu’elle semble justifier, plus à raison qu’à tort, les droits d’ingérence et d’interventions humanitaires, avec les risques certains qu’ils font peser sur la souveraineté et l’intégrité de nos Etats fragilisés.Face à cette réalité amère, et à un moment où les peuples sont plus que jamais décidés à assumer pleinement leur destin, le Parlement panafricain doit nécessairement s’adapter, et de toute urgence à cette nouvelle dynamique. Il doit, en d’autres termes, renoncer à sa vocation première en donnant un contenu plus réel, plus concret à son fameux slogan: « One Africa, One Voice ».C’est, en effet, au sein d’une société enfin harmonisée politiquement, socialement et économiquement, que les peuples africains, riches et fiers de leur grande diversité, s’affirmeront, cette fois, définitivement comme des partenaires viables et égaux.Pour terminer, je réitère mes remerciements et mes félicitations aux autorités d’Afrique du Sud, à mon frère, l’Honorable Dr Idrissa Moussa NDELE et je souhaite de tout cœur que vos travaux soient couronnés de succès.Je vous remercie.(Applaudissements)

THE PRESIDENT:Honorables membres, nous allons applaudir nos invités pour leur présence et pour leur message de solidarité.Honorables membres, le Secrétaire général du Parlement panafricain m’a, conformément aux dispositions de l’article 8 alinéa 5, fait savoir qu’il a reçu une correspondance du Parlement de l’Ouganda informant le Parlement panafricain que les membres actuels du Parlement de l’Ouganda cesseront d’être membres de ce Parlement le 16 mai 2011.Cela veut, par conséquent, dire que l’honorable Mugyenyi Mary RUTAMWEBWA, 2ème Viceprésident, cessera d’être membre du Parlement de l’Ouganda, parce qu’elle n’a pas été, à nouveau, candidate à l’élection.Conformément aux articles 5 alinéa 3, 4 alinéa e, 12 alinéa 3 et 12 alinéa 8 e du Protocole instituant le Parlement panafricain, ainsi que l’article 8-1 alinéa e, elle cessera d’être membre du Parlement panafricain à cette date.Par conséquent, conformément aux dispositions de l’article 8-5, je déclare que le poste de 2ème Vice-président sera vacant le 17 mai 2011.Monsieur le Secrétaire général, si vous avez des annonces...

THE CLERK:Thank you Honourable President and Honourable Members. Following the declaration of the vacancy of the Second VicePresident by the President, I hereby call for submission of candidatures in accordance with the provisions of Rule 15(2).The election to fill this vacancy shall take place on 16^th May, 2011 and the elected Vice-President will take the oath on 17^th May, 2011. The submission of candidatures must be in compliance with Rule 15 (1) and (3) and these two sub rules read as follows:15(1) For the nomination of the President, a region may present one candidate and for the nomination of the Vice-President, each region shall present two candidates, ensuring equal representation of men and women.15 (3) reads as follows:The candidatures for elections to the Office of the President or VicePresident shall be submitted to the Clerk on the nomination form prescribed in Appendix A, not later than six hours before the time fixed for the elections.Thank you.I would like to make the following announcements:The following caucuses will meet as follows:(i)the First, African Caucus in Room 1 at half past 2 today;(ii)the Eastern African Caucus in Room 2 at 2:30 pm(iii)the Southern African Caucus in Room 3 at 2:30 pm;(iv)the Central African Caucus in Room 4 at 2:30 pm;(v)the Northern African Caucus in Room 5 at 2:30 pm; and(vi)the Committee on Cooperation, International Relations and Conflict Resolution will meet immediately after the adjournment as agreed yesterday.The next announcement is that, after the adjournment by the President of the Sitting, there will be a photograph session outside with the dignitaries and Honourable Members.The last announcement is that, there will be a luncheon at 1200 hours at Gallagher Estate.I thank you.(SUSPENSION DE SEANCE)

LE PRESIDENT:Honorables Membres, la séance est levée jusqu’à demain, mardi, 10 mai 2011 à 09h00.

Tuesday, 10 May, 2011

LE PRESIDENT:Nous allons observer une minute de méditation ou de prière.(Méditation ou prière)Merci. Veuillez prendre place, s’il vous plaît!Honorables membres, la séance est reprise. Je vais demander au Secrétaire général de donner lecture du premier point, inscrit à l’ordre du jour.

THE SECRETARY GENERAL:Hon. President,Presentation and debates on the situation in Africa.

LE PRESIDENT:J’invite l’honorable KHUMALO Marwick, Président de la Commission permanente de la Coopération, des Relations internationales et du Règlement des conflits, à présenter le rapport de la Commission.

HON. KHUMALO MARWICK (SWAZILAND):

REPORT OF THE PAN-AFRICAN PARLIAMENT PERMANENT COMMITTEE ON CO-OPERATION,INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS AND CONFLICT RESOLUTION ON PEACE AND THE SECURITY SITUATION IN AFRICA

Mr President, Hon. Members, I wish to thank you for this opportunity to present the Report of the Committee on Co-operation, International Relations and Conflict Resolution.Mr President, pursuant to its mandate, the Permanent Committee on Co-operation, International Relations and Conflict Resolution resolved, during its Committee Sitting of March 17-18, 2011, to send fact-finding missions to Egypt, Tunisia, Libya, Côte d’Ivoire and Sahrawi. However, the Committee was to later learn that it should confine itself to Egypt and Tunisia due to unavailability of funds. Therefore, the Committee had to consider the State of Peace and Security in Africa and also received updates on the latest developments on the conflict situations. It is encouraging to note that the matter has been resolved and missions are going to take place as originally planned.The Committee had a meeting on May 5 and 6, 2011 with a delegation of the African Union Peace and Security Council which was composed of the Chairperson of the Peace and Security Council, Ambassador Major-General Lungile Christian Pepani, from the Republic of South Africa and two Council Members, Ambassador Joseph Nsengimana from Rwanda and Ambassador Kakena S. K. Nangula from Namibia. During the meeting, a presentation was made to the Committee on the State of the African continent on conflicts. The Committee also received presentations from the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) and the Global Economic Policy Institute.The report is, therefore, based on the Committee’s input, the Peace and Security Council delegation and the Institutes cited above. It provides an overview of the current peace and security situation on the continent in the following countries:(i)Libya;(ii)Côte d’Ivoire;(iii)Somalia;(iv)Tunisia;(v)Egypt;(vi)Madagascar;(vii)Decolonisation in the Arab Saharawi Democratic Republic; and(viii)Djibouti

THE SITUATION IN LIBYA

Mr President, the conflict in Libya began as a peaceful protest in the eastern part of the country in mid-February, 2011 and quickly spread to the rest of the country, and evolved into an armed confrontation between the Government forces and protestors. Since then, the fighting has been continuing in different parts of the country, especially in the cities along the coast. The fighting in Libya has far-reaching consequences, especially given the important role that the country has been playing in the implementation of the African agenda.The conflict between the opposition and proGaddafi forces in Libya continues to wreak havoc in the country. Since the implementation of the UN Security Council Resolution in 1973, fighting between the opposition and Gadaffi forces continued unabated.More than 30,000 civilians fled from the western mountains of Libya into Tunisia, leaving towns mostly deserted. In Eastern Libya, in cities such as Benghazi, Ajdabiyya, and Misrata, the peace and security situation is desperate.Lack of water, intermittent electricity supply, scarcity of food, and pressure on medical facilities to deal with the dead and wounded people are commonplace conditions. In addition to the desperate humanitarian situation, the bombardment from both sides of the conflict has been taking a huge toll on the civilian population.The humanitarian situation is disconcerting and the fact that no political solution seems to be in sight further exacerbates the growing humanitarian disaster. The international community’s response, particularly THE North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), to the crisis in Libya is also heading into dangerous territory with calls for deployment of military advisors to rebel forces coming to the fore. The United States of America (USA) has also launched its first unmanned drone strikes against selected targets in the country. The peace and security situation in Libya is, therefore, desperate, and a political solution has to be found. If this is not forthcoming, the conflict may escalate further.It is important, Mr President, to indicate that from the beginning of the crisis, the African Union (AU) remained seized with the Libyan issue, with important initiatives underway. The African Union Peace and Security Council met on 23 February, 2011 to consider the situation in Libya and inter alia, expressed its conviction that the situation called for an urgent African action for the following:(i)the immediate cessation of all hostilities;(ii)the co-operation of the competent Libyan authorities to facilitate the timely delivery of humanitarian assistance to the needy populations;(iii)the protection of foreign nationals, including the African migrants living in Libya; and(iv)the adoption and implementation of the political reforms necessary for the elimination of the causes of the current crisis.The AU Peace and Security Council met again, at the level of Heads of State and Government on 10 March, 2011 and, among other things, decided to establish an AU High-Level Ad Hoc Committee on Libya, comprising five Heads of State and Government, as well as the Chairperson of the AU Commission, with the mandate to:(i)engage with all parties in Libya and continuously assess the evolution of the situation on the ground; and(ii)facilitate an inclusive dialogue among the Libyan parties on the appropriate reforms.(iii)engage the AU’s partners, in particular, the League of Arab States (LAS), the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC), the European Union (EU) and the United Nations (UN), to facilitate co-ordination of efforts and seek their support for the early resolution of the crisis.It must be pointed out that the pursuit of other agendas in Libya, by non-African actors, has had an impact on the implementation of the AU Roadmap. Attempts have been made to marginalise an African solution to the crisis, specifically the timely implementation of the AU Roadmap.In pursuit of its mandate, the Ad Hoc Committee held meetings in Nouakchott on 9 April, 2011. Furthermore, the Committee undertook a mission to Libya, to discuss the AU Roadmap. In this regard, it first held consultations with the Libyan authorities in Tripoli, on 10 April, 2011. Thereafter, the Committee travelled to Benghazi, where it held consultations with the Transitional National Council (TNC), on 11 April, 2011.It should be noted that the Pan-African Parliament (PAP) is planning to undertake a fact-finding mission to Tripoli and Benghazi in order to gather as much information as possible to make sustainable recommendations aimed at the restoration of peace in the country.Finally, in view of the prevailing political crisis, it has become clear that there is condemnation in some quarters directed at those countries that voted in favour of the UN Resolution 1973, the Republic of South Africa included. In defence of his country’s vote, the Ambassador of the Republic of South Africa His Excellency Ambassador Sangcu said:"Many of us worked a great deal on the operational clauses of the resolution to ensure that this was the case. However, on reflection, I think there are sufficient loopholes in Resolution 1973 to enable abuse and the questions we are asking ourselves now is: how do we tighten the resolutions to ensure this sort of thing does not happen again in the future? As things stand, with implementers of the resolution abusing it in the service of their own agendas, the noble concept of more effective peace-keeping risks going into reverse".

THE SITUATION IN CôTE D’IVOIRE

Mr President, Months of political tensions and conflict following on the country’s disputed elections have come to an end. The stand-off between former President Laurent Gbagbo and Alassane Ouattara brought the economy to a stand-still and the ensuing military confrontation had a severe impact on civilians. Since the ouster of Laurent Gbagbo, the peace and security situation in the country leaves much to be desired. Reports of clashes between pro-Ouattara forces in Yopougon and Abobo are a cause for concern in this regard. The UN mission to the country, UNOCI, dispatched more peacekeepers to these regions and has also stepped up ground and aerial patrols.Although the election stand-off and ensuing conflict has been brought to an end, the political situation in the country will remain fluid for some time. Reports indicate that talks between the Gbagbo camp and the new administration is continuing. A new cabinet has to be appointed and it is rumoured that the recommendations the AU made in this regard will be followed.The humanitarian situation is deteriorating. The disruption of economic activity, water, electricity, and other basic social services during the past months have had a negative impact on the country.Future threats to peace and security include:(i)the need for a comprehensive DDR process to be undertaken;(ii)the need to build national reconciliation mechanisms;(iii)armed groups with specific regional, ethnic or political affiliations;(iv)return of over a million persons displaced as a result of months of conflict;(v)management of the humanitarian situation, in order to reduce the suffering of refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPS);(vi)arresting of the proliferation of small arms and light weapons;(vii)investigations of human rights violations.It is heartening to note that the Ivory Coast’s Constitutional Council ratified on Thursday the 5^th May, 2011 the results of a presidential election showing that Alassane Ouattara won, reversing an earlier decision to reject them.The court’s initial rejection of electoral commission results from the November, 2010 poll sparked a more than four-month power struggle between Ouattara and the then incumbent leader Laurent Gbagbo that killed thousands and displaced more than a million. Constitutional Council President, Paul Yao N’Dre, said the top legal body now accepted that Ouattara-won the election.

THE SITUATION IN SOMALIA

Mr President, the peace and security situation in Somalia remains disconcerting to say the least. In the first quarter of 2011, military confrontations between Transitional Federal Government (TFG) forces, the African Union Mission for Somalia (AMISOM), and insurgents continued. A 5^thbattalion from Burundi has been added to the AMISOM force which brings its strength to about 9,000 troops at this stage. During February and March AMISOM made significant gains in Mogadishu, leading to the TFG now controlling 60% of the city. It is estimated that 80% of Mogadishu’s population live in areas under AMISOM and TFG control.The humanitarian situation in Somalia remains a crisis. Severe drought and the fact that Al Shabaab denies aid agencies access to areas under their control means that severe food shortages, malnutrition, and water shortages are confronting Somalis.The peace and security situation in Somalia remains a challenge to the African Union, Intergovermental Authority for Development (IGAD) and the rest of the International Community. The African Union, through AMISOM, has made a significant contribution towards the peace and reconciliation process in Somalia. AMISOM has contributed to the destabilisation of Mogadishu, and some parts of central Somalia, among other gains. However, raiding among the Transitional Federal Institutions (TFIs) remains a major impediment, more so as the country approaches the end of the transitional period in August, 2011.Mr President, since its deployment the TFG moved back to Mogadishu, and the parliament has been able to continue with its work in the city as well. However, there are indications of rising tension between the TFG and the parliament due to a dispute concerning the extension of parliament’s term. A further challenge to establishing lasting peace and security in Somalia is the alliances Al Shabaab has made with clans and sub-clans in regions such as Kismayo, Bay and Bakool.Piracy off Somalia’s coast remains a threat to international shipping and potentially to peace and security as well. Instability in Yemen across the Gulf of Eden may add a new level of uncertainty to already dangerous international waters. Efforts to curtail piracy activities have had limited impact. A solution to the problem of piracy will only come if lasting peace and political stability is established on land.

THE SITUATION IN TUNISIA

Mr President, in stark contrast to events unfolding in Libya, the Tunisian peace and security situation is much more stable. It is nevertheless important to recognise the fact that the country is still in the midst of a process of dramatic political change. The interim President, Fouad Mebazza announced that the caretaker government will remain in power until the country elects a constituent council in July, 2011. Since the ousting of former President Ben Ali, street protests continued on some occasions as a result of frustrations with the pace of change in the country.It should be noted that Tunisia is embarking on a very difficult political process. Constitutional changes, and the need for opposition parties to organise themselves after decades of authoritarian rule may yet lead to the emergence of new political tensions. In order to maintain peace and security, and ensure that the process of change in Tunisia goes ahead without any violence, the AU and the international community should provide extensive support and monitoring facilities as Tunisia heads for elections in July, 2011.In this regard, Mr President belated as it may seem, the PAP will carry out facts finding missions on the state of democracy and the evolution of transition in the affected countries that includes Tunisia. These missions will be undertaken in June, 2011, according to the period suggested by Tunisia and Egypt Authorities.

THE SITUATION IN EGYPT

Mr President, on the 11^th of February, 2011, President Hosni Mubarak announced his resignation. This followed sustainable popular mobilisation against his government. Subsequently, a military council took control of the country and is currently presiding over a very complex political transition. The peace and security situation seems to be holding firm, but there are signals of popular discontentment with the caretaker government.In the weeks following Mubarak’s resignation, several protests erupted in postponed elections until September of this year. This has led to some opposition figures in Egypt asking when the military council will remove itself from power. It is furthermore important to note that Egyptians are unhappy about the fact that the emergency laws, which partly led to frustrations that boiled over into popular protests, have still not been cancelled by the caretaker military council.Mr President, in terms of the prospects of maintaining stability in Egypt, it should be noted that poverty and unemployment remains a major concern. The socio-economic conditions of people, combined with frustrations about Mubarak’s decades long rule, sparked protests in January of this year. This means that the popular mood of frustration remains. This furthermore implies that new threats to peace and security could emerge in the form of popular protests if the ruling military council is seen as not taking proper steps to transit the country towards a democratic dispensation.

THE SITUATION IN MADAGASCAR

Mr President, the March 2009 coup that toppled President Marc Ravalomanana, and resulted in a political crisis in the country, is still far from resolved. Former President Joaquim Chissano of Mozambique has been acting as the Southern African Development Community (SADC) mediator to find a solution to the crisis. Since the coup led by Andry Rajoelina, very little progress has been made to return Madagascar to constitutional rule. This is mostly due to Mr. Rajoelina’s intransigence. Agreements have been reached on a roadmap to democratic elections as well as the establishment of a transitional government and parliament. These agreements have not been implemented mainly due to a lack of political will on the part of Rajoelina.The main challenge to peace and security in Madagascar remains the need to return the country to constitutional rule. If this does not happen, institutions in the country can be further eroded, impacting negatively on citizens and the economy. Growing popular discontentment with the political stalemate can also lead to further challenges to stability in the country.However, it is important to note that SADC and the AU are continuing to deploy co-ordinated efforts to help resolve the crisis in the country.

DECOLONISATION IN THE ARAB SAHARAWI DOMOCRATIC REPUBLIC

Mr President, the stalemate that characterises political conditions between Morocco and the Polisario Front (PF) continues. On the 20^th of April, 2011 Ahmed Boukhari, the Polisario Front representative to the UN, issued a call for the UN Security Council to reinvigorate and take steps to move negotiations forward. By doing so, Ahmed Boukhari expresses the deep frustrations felt by not only the PF, but also the Saharawi people still living in camps in the desert. Closely related to this is the fact that Ban Ki-Moon, the UN Secretary-General recently commented that negotiations between Morocco and the PF are in a dangerous stalemate.The fragile ‘peace’ between the PF and Morocco is nothing to be optimistic about. The need for Saharawi to conduct a referendum to determine its future is urgent.The Honourable House will note, Mr President, that there is a new Resolution 1979 (2011) adopted by the UN Security Council on the 27^th of April, 2011 whereby it is reaffirming its position on all its previous Resolutions on Western Sahara. However, the bone of contention remains the issue of a human rights mechanism that was not included in the Resolution even though a section of the UN Security Council Members protested that it should be included because there were reports of human rights abuses. On this one, Mr President, I think you will appreciate that it is consistent with all peacekeeping missions of the UN that there be a proviso that only deals with human rights abusers. In this case, it was somewhat not permitted. However, there are reports that next year it may be considered when the Resolution is revised or reviewed.

THE SITUATION IN DJIBOUTI

Mr President, Djibouti is facing social tensions due to limited pluralism. There are 65% - 70% of unemployment in the country, alongside imported labour skills in ports. The disadvantaged population of Afar origin and the fact that they are few in government jobs constitutes serious frustrations for the people.The major problem of the country is governance. The recent political crisis put the country in a situation which needs to be monitored in order to avoid army conflict in the country.President Guelleh has been in power since 1999. His election in 1999 was without any significant objections internationally. His two-term limit, according to the country’s Constitution, ended in April, 2011. It has been noted that the same family and political party has been in power since independence from France in 1977.The President was re-elected unopposed in 2005. The opposition boycotted the election, claiming that it was ‘not free and fair’, and reporting intimidation and manipulation of the electoral register. The National Assembly Members are mainly supporters of the President.Mr President, in 2008, the decision to change the Constitution was floated, however, the National Assembly voted unanimously in May, 2010 to change the provision relating to the mandate of the President of two terms in power.There were public demonstrations from April/May, 2010 against the constitutional change. Some measures were taken by the government to weaken the opposition parties. On the 1^st February, 2011, there were demonstrations of professionals and students outside the Central Bank. On February 11^th, 2011, there were major demonstrations in Djibouti Ville, that were encouraged by the success in Egypt. The government used tear gas and live fire against demonstrators on February 18, 2011. This was widely reported as election violence.There was political intervention by the State Department of the United States of America through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) that appointed Democracy International to assist in setting up election systems and processes, including supporting processes for election observers and reporting on the election. Democracy International issued reports in January, 2011 onwards, concluding that the election would not be free and fair. It noted the insufficient domestic and international observers; the problems on the management of voter lists and the compromised independence of the Election Commission. Democracy International was technically ‘expelled’ from Djibouti on March 16^th 2011.Nonetheless, the election results reported that there were 160,000 people eligible to vote out of a population of 850,000. 70% of the eligible population turned out to vote and that 81% of the vote was for President Guelleh.The internal risks of the situation in Djibouti are, among others:(i)attrition preceding the 2012 National Assembly elections;(ii)further decline in economic conditions - possible unrest;(iii)armed conflict with the Afar groups could re-ignite;(iv)tensions with migrant workers;(v)strikes at ports; and(vi)possibility of the population turning against the foreign bases.It should be noted that there are possible risks in the Horn of Africa, in general, that includes poor governance relations between Djibouti and Eritrea; the Somalia responses to Ethiopian actions or vice versa; increased Eritrea - Ethiopia tensions, among others.The AU is, therefore, called upon to increase its interest in this part of Africa.

CONCLUSION

Mr President, the Committee will be formulating Recommendations and Resolutions on the above conflict situations which will be tabled for the consideration of the PAP, after it has been informed by the debate that is going to ensue soon after I have finished with my presentation.Finally, the Committee pays tribute to the Bureau for facilitating, through the Secretariat, its longstanding meeting with the Peace and Security Council. Furthermore, the fact that the information plus goodwill missions will now extend to Tripoli, Benghazi, Saharawi, Côte d’Ivoire, Egypt and Tunisia bears testimony to the seriousness with which the PAP considers the state of Peace and Security on the African Continent.Mr President, let me take this opportunity to pay tribute to members of the Committee on Cooperation, International Relations and Conflict Resolution for their dedication at short notices to hold meetings until very late owing to the fact that we had to produce this document. Not only that, they were also dedicated in deliberating on the peace and security situation in Africa. I really thank them for the co-operation they afforded me as the Chairman.Mr President, I submit.Thank you.

LE PRESIDENT:Merci beaucoup, Honorable KHUMALO Marwick, Président de la Commission.Comme votre rapport le suggère, les honorables membres vont apporter leurs contributions au cours du débat qui va s’instaurer maintenant; ce qui va éclairer la Commission pour qu’elle nous présente des recommandations et éventuellement une résolution d’ici la fin de notre session.J’ai une liste de vingt trois (23) inscrits. Probablement, il va y avoir d’autres inscrits.Je suggère qu’on limite les interventions à trois (03) minutes au niveau de la machine.Le premier inscrit est l’honorable MAVIMBELA Petros du Swaziland.

HON. SUELMA [SAHARAWI REPUBLIC]:Gracias Sr. Presidente.Señoras y Señores.Quiero expresar mi opinion acerca de la situacion en Africa, la situacion de los conflictos en Africa. Tristemente de nuevo, vamos a hablar de una situación cada vez mas critica en África. Con todo el esfuerzo [...].(Problemas técnico]Puedo empezar?Decía que Cuando pensábamos que nos encaminamos hacia una África con mas Democracia, con paz, con estabilidad y prosperidad, desgraciadamente cada vez hablamos de más guerras, de más intervenciones de afuera, que causan guerras a nuestros respectivos países y a nuestros respectivos pueblos y quiero hablar de que no solamente el tema ahora es el del Sahara Occidental, el problema del Sahara Occidental, ni de Somalia, ni de Madagascar, sino que nuevamente tenemos problemas, tenemos guerras.En el norte de África, como en el caso por ejemplo de nuestros hermanos en Libia, es una guerra expuesta desde afuera, es una guerra que nos imponen siempre y cada vez más los que abanderan entre comillas, dicen que abanderan las democracias, y que son los que abanderan los derechos humanos y defensores de los derechos humanos, son ellos los que nos imponen las guerras civiles en nuestros respectivos países.En el caso por ejemplo de la MINURSO, incluir el tema de los derechos humanos en el Sahara, se ha reconocido, Muchos países han presentado sus quejas, han presentado, han hablado de que se tiene que incluir en la misión de naciones unidas en el Sahara occidental el tema de los derechos humanos por la violencia continua de los derechos humanos en el Sahara, pero sin embargo cuando Francia presenta su voto, no se puede, no se puede, a pesar de que se ve a ojos de todo el mundo, se ve al alcance de todo el mundo y todo el mundo es testigo de ello, pero por ser Francia no se puede incluir este tema, y es el caso también de su intervención en Libia.Esta más que claro, que todas las violencias de los pueblos de frica, todos los problemas a los que no enfrentamos el día día son intervenciones extranjeras. Por eso nosotros como representantes de nuestros respectivos pueblos, tenemos que luchar, tenemos que luchar y cada vez más, para mas democracia en nuestros respectivos países, para que nuestros gobernantes, no hayan gobernantes africanos que aceptan intervenciones extranjeras en nuestros asuntos internos, que cada vez nos traen mas. y es..nada más y nada menos que formas de garantizar y seguir garantizando sus intereses económicos en nuestro continente, por lo tanto yo creo que esta más que claro, que con mas intervenciones extranjeros tenemos más problemas. En el Sahara pasa lo mismo con las intervenciones de Francia apoyando al invasor Marroquí, al dictador del Hassan sexto, en Liba también, han intentado entrar también en Túnez, han estado en Egipto, han intentado fomentar y movilizar cada vez más problemas en nuestro Africa y por lo tanto, creo que tenemos bien claro quienes son nuestros enemigos, quienes quieren dividir África, quienes quieren mantener África siempre en la pobreza, en la falta de democracia, en la falta de derechos humanos. Quieren dejarnos siempre en la parte peor de la historia de los pueblos y por lo tanto creo que nosotros como parlamentarios africanos tenemos el deber de luchar y de hacer todo lo que podemos y tenemos entre manos para evitar esta situación.Muchas Gracias.

HON. SAWADOGO YAMBA MALICK [BURKINA FASO]:Merci Monsieur le Président.Ce rapport me donne un aperçu de ce qui se passe actuellement sur notre continent. Cependant, je reste divisé quant aux interventions étrangères. Idéologiquement, moralement, je condamne fermement ces interventions barbares et inhumaines.Mais, Monsieur le Président, quand on observe bien, la plupart de ces attaques extérieures concernent les Etats qui ont été imposés à leur tête par des tyrans, des assassins, des voleurs, par ces mêmes impérialistes qui pillent ensemble et narguent les peuples africains.Je ne parle pas de la Libye qui est un cas particulier, même si l’exemple donné, ici, est la résolution 1973. Je parle plutôt de ces valets locaux, installés à la tête de nos Etats et qui, à la faveur de leur durée au pouvoir - souvent plus de vingt ans - ont fini par escroquer et leurs maîtres et les peuples, en instaurant des démocraties militaires verrouillées et maquillées avec des gouvernements claniques et familiaux.Ce rapport-là nous le confirme et nous conforte dans nos propos.Si, aujourd’hui, Monsieur le Président, leurs anciens complices ont compris qu’ils ont été l’objet d’escroqueries, au même titre que les peuples africains, et veulent régler leurs comptes, tant mieux! Seulement, il faut que nos peuples restent très vigilants, afin d’éviter que ces impérialistes-là ne les remplacent par d’autres valets locaux. Ce serait vraiment dommageable!Enfin, je souhaite que la Commission, en tout cas, tienne compte de mes préoccupations dans ses recommandations.Je vous remercie.

HON. TAMBOURA ASCOFARE OULÉMATOU [MALI]:Merci Monsieur le Président.Je voudrais également féliciter la Commission pour ce rapport exhaustif de la situation que nous vivons sur le continent depuis un certain temps.Les foyers de tension qui sévissent un peu partout en Afrique, donnent un tableau sombre et peu honorable pour notre continent, aujourd’hui. A mon avis, ces foyers témoignent, pour la plupart, d’un déficit démocratique de notre continent qu’il faut corriger, coûte que coûte, pour l’intérêt de nos populations.Je voudrais aussi dire que le combat que nous menons au niveau du Parlement pour la ratification de la Charte africaine de la Démocratie, des Elections et de la Gouvernance, est pertinent à cet égard.Mais, une question me taraude depuis un certain temps, depuis que tous ces conflits ont jailli un peu partout: c’est l’attitude de l’Union africaine.A mon avis, cette organisation devrait être prompte à la résolution de ces différents conflits, mais ce qu’on a vu, c’est une Union africaine assez timide, et je pose cette question à la Commission: est-ce que l’Union africaine ne devrait pas être plus visible pour la résolution de ces différents conflits, notamment le cas de la Lybie?Pour finir, je voudrais également m’interroger: est-ce que le Parlement panafricain ne devrait pas aussi se faire entendre, étant donné que l’on a vu, quand même, une CEDEAO plus active, même si nous devons envoyer des missions d’informations sur ces différents plans?Je vous remercie.

HON. MBAH NDAM JOSEPH [CAMEROON]:Thank you Mr. President for giving me the floor also. Mr. President, I want to say that it will be an if aberration we continue to talk of imperialism and attacks on Africa when we are ourselves permissive of the things that cause internal strife and therefore open the way for outsiders to come in. To my mind, there is a causal relationship between longevity of a President at the helm of a country and related conflicts that eventually explode within such a country.We have discovered that the crises we are having now relate to elections and the concerned leaders who have stayed for too long on the saddle are the advent of multi-partisan. In the early 90s, there was a common movement to limit the terms of presidents to at least two, five to seven years. That was commonly accepted around the continent but gradually our presidents continue to manipulate the constitutions and to stun elections again. If you watch where presidents have lived in their countries at the helm for more than two/three terms, you also have a relationship with the kind of crises that arise. We have lived through Egypt, we are on Libya and it was Tunisia yesterday. In Ivory Coast, we know that a five-year mandate turned out to be 10 years and of course, we have the consequences.So Mr. President, onto our leaders who are today the leaders of the African Union, we together accept that the clause limiting the mandate a number of terms a person can run for the presidency becomes enshrined in all our constitutions and are not amendable, shall we therefore be able to avoid foreign intervention. But once the people continue to perpetrate their stay in power and cause the internal strife which opens the way for intervention and United Nations (UN) resolutions, Africa will continue to be a slurry. I beg to stop here. Thank you.

HON. GLORIA SOMOLEKAE [BOTSWANA]:Mr. President, Sir, sorry, I have no comment. When I was signing, I thought I was just indicating that I am present.

HON. PETER KATJAVIVI [NAMIBIA]:Thank you, Mr. President, Sir. I wish to thank Hon. Khumalo for his report that he has just delivered to us. The President, the Parliamentarians and the law-makers have a duty to be heard particularly when Africa is under attack as is the case with the crisis in Libya. Our peoples in Africa are looking up to us at the PanAfrican Parliament (PAP) for guidance, particularly on those issues that have been ably covered by Hon. Khumalo in his report. For now, there is an understandably deep concern over the developments in Libya. Questions have been asked regarding the role of PAP in this particular crisis. With respect to the overall crisis, there are issues that have been raised with the respect to the role of the African Union (AU). References have been made to the United Nations (UN) resolution that authorised the no-fly zone over Libya. Where was the AU on this serious issue? How come these loopholes were not spotted earlier? These are the important questions that we have to seek answers to.Mr. President, Sir, this House has been called upon to express its deep concern over the ongoing crisis in Libya. Libya, in this case, happens to be of particular interest because Africa is being attacked by foreign forces. There is growing concern over the foreign military intervention in the Libyan crisis. Foreign military intervention has helped to exacerbate the situation there to a major crisis with serious consequences for the African continent. Therefore, we should call for an immediate end to foreign military intervention, a halt to the current hostilities and a ceasefire. This should be followed by swift engagement in dialogue by the two parties to the conflict. This House should call upon the AU to continue with its mandate to use its good offices to assist the parties in the conflict in Libya to work towards a peaceful resolution and thereby protect their country’s sovereignty and integrity..Thank you.

HON. KHALIFA SULEIMAN KHALIFA [TANZANIA]:Bw. Rais, asante sana kwa kunipa fursa ya kuchangia na mimi niungane na wenzangu katika kupongeza kazi nzuri iliyofanywa na Kamati kwa uchambuzi wa kina waliofanya na mapendekezo yao.(Interjections)

AN HON. MEMBER:No translation!

THE PRESIDENT:Ready now, you can go on.

HON. KHALIFA SULEIMAN KHALIFA [TANZANIA]:Bw. Rais, nakushukuru kwa kunipa nafasi na mimi niungane na wenzangu kwa kuipongeza kazi nzuri ya Kamati ambayo imetupa mwelekeo wa hali halisi ilivyo katika bara letu.Bw. Rais, inasikitisha sana kuwa leo tuko mwaka wa 2011 lakini bado swala wa uvamisi wa bara letu unafanywa na sisi wenyewe Waafarika tunanyamaza kimya. Kinachosikitisha zaidi ni namna gani viongozi wetu wanavyokosa msimamo dhidi ya uvamizi kama huu. Leo ni shahidi kwamba mataifa mbali mbali ya bara la Afrika yaliunga mkono Azimio 1973 dhidi ya Libya huku wakielewa madhara yake. Inapotokea hali kama hiyo inaonekana kwamba sisi wenyewe tunatoa fursa ya kuuliwa na kudhalilishwa kwa watu wetu kwa sababu tu tunataka kuyaridhisha mataifa makubwa. Kinachoendelea katika bara la Afrika, hasa nchini Libya, kwa kweli ni udhalilishaji ambao unahitaji kukemewa kwa nguvu zote. Inasikitisha sana kwamba mandege ya kivita yanakwenda kule yanapiga wanawake na watoto wasiokuwa na hatia na mwisho wa siku rasli mali ya bara la Africa inachukuliwa kwa kizingizio cha kukuza demokrasia na kuwalinda watu. Watu gani wanalindwa wakati watu hao hao ndio wanaouliwa? Huo ni mkanganyiko mkubwa. Unasema unawalinda watu na wakati huo unawauwa.

AN HON. MEMBER:Mr. President, Sir, I am not getting any translation.

HON. KHALIFA SULEIMAN KHALIFA [TANZANIA]:Bw. Rais, mimi bado najiuliza mamlaka ya Bunge hili. Je, lina mamlaka gani katika kuwashauri viongozi wa bara letu inapotokea hali kama hii kwa sababu haiwezekani hata siku moja chombo kikubwa kama hiki kinakosa mamlaka ya kuweza kuwashauri viongozi wetu kukemea au kutoa kauli dhidi ya maonevu yanayofanywa kwa wananchi wa Afrika wasiokuwa na hatia? Kinachonisikitisha mie ni kuona kuwa tofauti ndogo ndogo za ndani ya bara letu tunazikuza sisi wenyewe na matokeo yake ni kwamba wasiotutakia mema wanatumia fursa hiyo kwa kuzivamia nchi zetu na kutupiga. Lakini si hiyo tu, mwisho wa siku rasli mali zinachukuliwa kwa urahisi sana. Sisi sote ni mashahidi na tunaona mameli ya mafuta yanavyoweza kubeba mafuta kule Libya katika maeneo ambayo yanashikiliwa na hao wanaoitwa waasi. Ni lini bara hili litakuwa na msimamo mmoja?Kwa hayo machache, nasema asante.

HON. NJUBA SAMUEL KALEGA [UGANDA]:Thank you, Mr. President, for giving me the Floor. I would like to thank the Committee Members for the very good report they have given us, giving us an overview of the situation in Africa. However, if we are going to solve this problem permanently, we must examine the cause of this conflict. In my opinion, the cause of that conflict in a specific country is the lack or the need to change the incumbent leadership. There was a time when a one party system was fashionable. It was opposed by the military. Whenever the opposition rises, it is considered an enemy, therefore, legitimate opposition is suppressed. Then there are Electoral Commissions which are not independent or situations where elections are not held. There are also people who permanently masquerade as revolutionaries who must not be voted for.Now, unless we faced these challenges and unless we impose time limits on leaders we will not achieve anything. I have told friends that it is easy to vote in a president, but it is very difficult to vote out an incumbent president and going to an armed struggle to do so is not like a tea party, it’s a rare sacrifice. If you know the man is going next year, or next week or the other year, you can wait, but every man is going to stay permanently in power, then the choice is obvious.Secondly, there are elections that are bogus and that is the result of compromised electoral commissions. I feel so sad that as I leave this House, we have not been able to convince African countries to enact the African Charter on DemocracyI feel very sad that this has not been done. Imposing time limits on the Presidents, dictators and kings would have given us a step forward. There are people who want to express their vote. We must recognise legitimate opposition. There must be space for the opposition as legitimate people who can lead the country. Not a single party has vision that will last forever.Lastly, the independence of the Electoral Commissions must be ensured.I wish you the best deliberation as this is my last contribution in this House.Thank you, Sir.

HON. MHLANGU MNINWA JOHANNES [SOUTH AFRICA]:Thank you, Mr President for giving me the Floor. I also wish to thank the Chairperson of the Permanent Committee on Cooperation, International Relations and Conflict Resolution, Hon. Khumalo, for the wonderful report presented to us. The conflict situation in many parts of the continent takes long to be resolved. This is so we, as Africans, are not quickly making decisive decisions. We need to be decisive regarding what we need to do and the processes to be used. This is so because we have been dealing with these issues for quite some time in different countries. When we become decisive, we should also be firm on our principles and not change principles from time to time. Therefore, this becomes very important and very crucial.We seem to be nursing egos of some of our leaders and not wanting to be on their wrong side. The international community has also not helped the situation because of its double standard approach. This is not the way to solve the problems. What we need to do is get to the root cause of the problem and uproot it because that is very important. We know the symptoms, but the important issue is to uproot those causes that cause the conflict on the continent. We know that the main cause of this conflict is lack of democracy in some of the countries. The African Union has known about this matter for a very long time, but nothing substantial has been done to correct this malpractice. Instead, there were debates about what type of democracy we are talking about and many other arguments. These debates are not going to help us.The question of democracy is serious and simple that we need to correct. We do not have to sit here and debate the songs of democracy. We already know that democracy is the government of the people and by the people and it stops there. It does not go beyond that. Owing to the fact that the AU did not want to get on the wrong side of the leaders in these countries, it led to an undemocratic situation until the people themselves decided enough was enough. The African Union is found wanting because it has now to deal with a full-blown conflict, something that could have been proactively prevented.In the Western Sahara situation, if I may briefly talk about it, there are so many questions that must be asked. Why is the international community silent about the suffering of the Saharawi people? How different is the action of the Moroccan Government to that of the Libyan Government which is currently being bombarded by the international forces in an effort to protect the citizens of Libya against their own government? Why is the Security...?The hon. Member’s time expired.

HON. MABILETSA ISAAC STEPHEN [BOTSWANA]:Thank you, Mr. President, for giving me the Floor. I am a member of this Committee and I associate myself with this report. Having said that, there is one question that has been posed regarding the role of Pan-African Parliament in the midst of these conflicts. I know the Chairman will do that later on, but I am saying this is the Committee through which the PAP’s voice should be heard. I want to say that the Committee on International Relations and Conflict Resolutions has no budget to work with. This makes it operates like a boardroom type of committee.On paragraph 15, the Chairman is indicating that the Committee is planning to go on fact finding missions. It is not actually even reflecting that the Committee had a prior plan before most members of this session have to undertake these fact finding missions. However, because of funding constraints, we were not able to do so. I want to say to you, Mr. President, that unless you give adequate resources to this committee, we will always act like a postmortem committee that only comes in when everything else has taken place. I want you, Mr. President, to note this point very seriously.Having said that, you know peace and tranquility is not something that can be bought. It is something that people actually create for themselves, but I want to associate myself with the remarks made by Hon. Mbah from Cameroon. He said that you know our African leaders once they are in place. The seat of presidency, they want to perpetually stay in as presidents is characterised by misrule, governance which ultimately leads to conflicts that we are currently facing. It is when people arise to say enough is enough that they use arms and military force against their own people and this is not good. Really, Mr. Chairman, I want to advocate that, maybe, Africa must now deal with this issue of the Commander-In-Chief. It must not only belong to one man, the president, but also become the domain of Parliament because in Parliament it is more than one brain that can think about it. If it becomes the domain of the president, if his interests are threatened, he uses his powers as one person to go against those who rebel against him and I think this is not good. We ought to be considerable because in the midst of these conflicts, it is the innocent men, women and children who suffer.I thank you, Sir.

HON. STEVEN OBEEGADOO [MAURITIUS]:Monsieur le Président,Il n’est pas chose aisée de résumer mes pensées en trois minutes, mais je voudrais, de prime à bord, féliciter la Commission pour cet excellent rapport, à la fois, de par le caractère exhaustif de sa revue des foyers de conflits sur le continent, de l’objectivité de son analyse et aussi pour la pertinence de ses observations.Toutefois, il est plus que regrettable, sûrement inacceptable que le rapport dont nous devons débattre, maintenant, n’aura été circulé que ce matin. Et, pire encore, la version française a été circulée après l’ouverture de la présente séance.J’inviterais, donc, à la fois, le Bureau et le Secrétariat, à en tirer les conclusions nécessaires.Monsieur le Président, à l’occasion de l’ouverture de ce débat, en plénière, je pense qu’il convient aussi de saluer ce qu’il est maintenant convenu d’appeler le « printemps arabe ». Ce formidable vent de liberté qui a balayé et qui balaie le Nord du continent et qui continue à faire trembler, dans leurs fondements même, les régimes autoritaires au-delà du continent: du Yémen à la Syrie, en passant par le Bahreïn.Le printemps arabe, c’est aussi cet espoir qui renaît en Palestine avec la réunification du Fatah et du Hamas, permettant de parler et d’élever une seule voix contre l’occupant israélien.Monsieur le Président, ce printemps arabe a aussi témoigné de la volonté des peuples à prendre leur destin entre leurs mains, pour venir affirmer, dans les faits, que démocratie, pluralisme politique et alternance démocratique ne sont pas des vains mots, mais constituent, aujourd’hui, une valeur universelle, au-delà des particularités nationales et culturelles.Monsieur le Président, le temps fait défaut, mais je pense que ce rapport réaffirme l’importance capitale de certains principes fondamentaux de détermination des peuples, que nous devrions trouver des solutions africaines aux problèmes africains, de l’importance de la résolution nonviolente des conflits en Afrique, et aussi l’idée que les causes premières de tous ces conflits, c’est, à la fois, le fait que nos peuples n’arrivent pas à satisfaire leurs besoins fondamentaux, et de par l’absence de démocratie, n’arrivent pas à s’exprimer.Mais, deux remarques pour conclure: j’encouragerais la Commission à continuer à accorder toute son attention à la question du Sahara occidental - question trop souvent oubliée dans les débats internationaux et qui demeure une blessure profonde pour tous les Africains - et j’inviterais aussi la Commission à accorder son attention à la décolonisation [...].(Temps de parole épuisé)

HON. CATARINA PEDRO DOMINGOS [ANGOLA]:-Muito obrigada, Senhor Presidente, Ilustres Deputados.Primeiro, gostaria de congratular-me com o relatório apresentado pela Comissâo. Em segundo lugar, reiterar as palavras do nosso VicePresidente da Assembleia Nacional de Angola, ontem proferidas, na Sessao de abertura. Por outro, notar que os problemas dos africanos devem ser resolvidos pelos africanos e nâo à imposiçoes estrangeiras.Terceiro, gostaria de exortar os parlamentares a reflectirmos com as sábias palavras do nosso líder angolano, o Presidente José Eduardo dos Santos, que passo a citar: "O mundo parece retomar aos métodos da época da Guerra Fria, quando nas relaçoes internacionais, o uso da força e a ingerência em assuntos internos de estados soberanos prevalecia sobre o uso da força do direito e do respeito pela igualdade, soberana das naçoes;Utilizando vários protestos ou critérios subjectivos, ou ainda, uma política selectiva em fUnçâo dos seus interesses, alguns países industrializados ocidentais estao a realizar intervençoes militares condenáveis para condicionar a resoluçâo de problemas internos de outros países soberanos.Estas intervençoes, diga-se em abono da verdade, só sao possíveis em países nos quais as sociedades e os povos estao divididos, e a África está a ser usada como campo de ensaio para essa política, cujo objectivo é certamente, o acesso fácil às matérias-primas e o ressurgimento do neocolonialismo". Fim de citação.Ilustres Deputados, nao devemos adormecer quando a casa do vizinho está em chamas. A África deve solidarizar-se, unir-se e levantar-se contra todas as manobras. Nao queremos a neocoloniza$ao, devemos dizer: basta aneocoloniza$ao em África com guerras impostas!Trabalhemos, pois, para a prosperidade do nosso continente com diálogo pacífico.Obrigada.

HON. PROF. EL BADAOUI SUAD EL FATEH [SUDAN]شكرا السيد الرئيس ،سوف أتحدث باللغة العربية ، ألن العالم العربي اآلن في فوهة البركان ، وأبدأ ببعض األسباب أوالً اء الحكام علي التي أدت إلي هذا الثوران،: بق الكراسي لفترات طويلة دون العناية بهموم الشعوب، ثانيا غياب الرأي اآلخر و وجود ديمقراطية زائفة، ً: ثالثا انقسام الشعوب في هذه البلدان وغيرها من ً: البلدان األفريقية إلي طبقتين ، طبقة الحكام و من هم حولهم ، وطبقة الشعوب المقهورة ، الفقيرة ، المريضة ، الساكتة ، الصامدة، رابعاً: استغالل الغرب لهذه األحوال المأساوية والتدخل إما بطريقة مباشرة كما يحدث اآلن في ليبيا ، أو بطريقة غير مباشرة عن طريق منظمات حقوق اإلنسان التي تغض الطرف عن ما يجري في بالدها وتتولى حقوق اإلنسان في أفريقيا، و هو السبب وراء ذلك ـ وهذا هو مربط الفرس ـ فالغرب يفتقر اآلن إلى الثروة والشباب والقوة التي تحتفظ له بهذه القياد ة ، واآلن جميع األنظار موجهة إلى أفريقيا المليئة بالثروات ، ولألسف المليئة بالعمالء الذين يقومون بتولى عملية الخراب والدمار نيابة عن الغرب و الذي نواجهه اآلن في....

HON. SYLVIA TEMBO MASEBO [ZAMBIA]:Thank you very much, Mr President. Let me also join others in commending the Committee for a job well done. I think the report helps us to understand, generally, what is happening in our continent. However, let me start by making this comment that, as a woman member of Parliament and as a member of this Pan-African Parliament, I really cry for the woman and children who are caught up in this conflict that is mainly caused by our men. I need to say that, indeed, it is important that, as we clear our way as members of PAP, I think one of our work is to give our concerns publicly and make our comments. I see that our comments come very late even as Pan-African Parliament in relation to what is happening in some of these conflicts in Africa.The African Union is even worse than us and I think that many who have spoken before me have said that it is important that we begin to look inside ourselves. What are we doing? We should ask what is causing these conflicts in Africa as opposed to spending a lot of time condemning those what are intervening and are, in fact, in some places, saving the lives of children and women? Can you imagine what would happen if some of these interventions were not there? I think the situation would even be worse. We are crying about the fact that some of the interventions are based on people trying to steal or to get our resources. That also is true but, for me, my emphasis is on the people who are dying, the women and children. This is especially so because they are vulnerable to all these crises or fighting that are taking place in our countries.One other issue that we need to look at is our role in ensuring that many of our countries sign to this African Charter because that is the only true way that we will see some improvements in most of these issues that are causing conflicts in our countries.Lastly, Mr President, I just want to say that it would be important for the Committee to be assisted to ensure that they go on the ground on time. PAP should become visible in some of these conflicts, especially that we are here for these people who are getting caught up in the crises. I know that there are problems of resources, but we need to work very hard to ensure that even just one country must be visited on time when such conflicts take place. We must hear our leaders and members of PAP make comments or show concern about what is happening. I think that is another way of becoming visible.

HON. TRUSTY GINA [SWAZILAND]:Thank you, Mr. President, Sir. I want to thank the Chairman of this Committee and the Committee itself for the comprehensive report, but I want to ask myself about what can be done for the African Union (AU) to be recognised by the so-called super-powers. As I said, maybe, it is because of the way it is doing things while intervening in these conflicts according to the 1973 Resolution. Is this resolution going to be there forever and will not be revised so that the AU also has a voice on issues affecting Africa because as it is the AU is not there. Even if it goes to the affected countries, there is nothing done. Everything that is said by the AU is looked down upon because they do not have power. They went to Libya and Ivory Coast, but nothing was done. Look at what happened in Ivory Coast; women and children were dying, people were burnt alive, but there was nothing done until France intervened. Otherwise, if it did not intervene, people could have continued to die even up to now. Syria has the same problem, the people there are dying. Although it is not in Africa, the people in that country are dying, but the so-called super-powers are saying that they are not going to intervene, and yet the course is the same; people are dying.Mr. President, Sir, there is this tendency of our leaders depositing huge monies in the accounts of the countries in the west. They do not tell us when these monies are being deposited in their accounts, but at the time of conflict, they start telling us that they are freezing those accounts and that money turns out to be donor to Africa. That is an insult to us because they should tell us when they are using the money with them. There is a lot of money there. So, if Africa can go to those banks to check on the accounts of all the leaders who are banking that money with them and then tell the continent how much we have, then it can be better. We can be able to help ourselves and our people.

HON. HASSABO MOHAMMED ABDUL RAHMAN [SUDAN]بسم هللا الرحمن الرحيمشكراً سيدي الرئيسالسيد الرئيس:السادة االعضاء:سمحوا لي أن أحيى اإلخوة في لجنة العالقات الدولية وفض النزاعات ، وأنا أتشرف بأني عضو في هذه اللجنة ، ولكن أخي الرئيس أقول اوال :أنا متأسف بأن إن اللجنة لم تتمكن أن تحقق زيارة واحدة لمناطق النزاعات حتى نتحصل على معلومات حقيقية من ارض الواقع .ثانيا ، لذلك جاء تهميش ً :إن تدخل اإلتحاد األفريقي كان متأخراً اإلتحاد االفريقي ، كنا نتوقع من اإلتحاد األفريقي أن يرسل بعثات عسكرية الى ساحل العاج ، أو ليبيا ، ثم يطلب التعاون أو المساعدة من المجتمع الدولي أو من االمم المتحدة ، ولذلك أرى أخي الرئيس أن آليات اإلتحاد األفريقي من إنذار مبكر ، وفض النزاعات ، وسرعة التدخل ال بد أن تكون مبكرة حتى ال نكون مهمشين.سيدي الرئيس :إن ظاهرة الثورات في بعض الدول االفريقية لها مؤشرات بأن هناك أسباب جذرية منها ، الحكم الرشيد وممارسة الديمقراطية والمحاسبية والفساد ، وعليه البد أن يكون صوت برلمان عموم أفريقيا عا ٍل من أجل اإلصالحات السياسية و اإلقتصادية و اإلجتماعية ومعالجة قضايا الفقر ومعالجة قضايا البطالة.ومن العوامل المهمة جداً في أفريقيا الخلط بين القبائل واإلثنيات والعمل السياسي ، وهذا ما ظهر كثيراً في مناطق مثل ساحل العاج وكينيا سابقاً وغيرها.أسمح لي سيدي الرئيس أن أعلم مجلسكم الموقر أن بالدي ) السودان ( قد أكملت بنجاح شامل مرحلة اإلستفتاء الذي تم إعتماده ، وإن شاء هللا ستكون) في 9 يوليو القادم( دولة الجنوب الجديدة التي نتمنى لها كل إستقرار ، وتنمية ، و أن تتم مساعدتها من كل الدول االفريقية ، أما بالنسبة الى دارفور فإن خطوات السالم الشامل ستكتمل في نهاية هذا الشهر بمؤتمر شامل لكل أهل دارفور في الداخل والخارج الذي سيعقد في الدوحة ، وأنا أشيد بالعالقات المتطورة الجيدة بين تشاد والسودان وأفريقا الوسطى لما كان له من أثر ايجابي في وقف االنفالت وفي تطور التنمية والخدمات....

HON. KANDEH MAMMA [GAMBIA]:Thank you, Mr President, for giving me the Floor. I also want to join my colleagues in thanking the Committee on Co-operation, International Relations and Conflict Resolution for a job well done.Mr President, I will start by commenting on Ivory Coast. There is a very critical question I would like to bring to the fore. My understanding from the presenter, is that the President of the Constitutional Council has now accepted that Ouattara won elections. Why now and not before? The question is: why now after thousands of people were killed and millions displaced? Why announce or accept that Alassane Ouattara won the elections now?On the issue of Libya, Mr President, I was expecting that the Pan-African Parliament to hold an extra-Ordinary Session to deliberate this current crisis that Africa is facing today. All we have achieved in the last fifteen years has now gone to waste. We are just going backwards.On the issue of Libya, I do not understand the forces that are in Libya because they are sometimes called the opposition or prodemocratic forces or sometimes rebels. At the beginning they were rebels. But they have been supported and given arms. Where can that happening in the whole world? The issue is not about Gadaffi, but Africa. It is about Africa. Why supporting rebels against another system.Applause

HON. KANDEH MAMMA [GAMBIA]:The other point is on Syria and Yermen and Israel is bombarding Palestine every day and night. Where is the intervention of the foreign forces? Why Libya? What interest do they have in Libya?Interjection

HON. KANDEH MAMMA [GAMBIA]:Correct. And now, we, as Africans, sit by and ...

HON. KANDEH MAMMA [GAMBIA]:Mr President, give me one minute, please.I want to condemn all the independence celebrations that we are have in Africa. It is a joke. Our former colonial masters laugh at us when we are celebrating our independence because there is no independence when we cannot speak for ourselves. We have no voice in our continent. We are noticing a lot of foreign interventions, but this should come through the African Union. The African Union should lead in whatever happens in Africa. Mr President, this is sad. I am very disappointed that people can sign something that they even do not know. Yes, you sign something that you do not know and you end up telling us that there are loopholes. What were you doing? Where were you?I call for condemnation and want us to condemn all the foreign interventions in Libya. This is an African problem and we should try to solve our own problems.Applause

HON. KANDEH MAMMA [GAMBIA]:Thank you.Applause

HON. KASINGO L. LOIDE [NAMIBIA]Allow me to quickly make my comment. I will start with our slogan, "One Africa, One Voice". What does this mean to us and to the citizens at the grassroots whom we represent? To me "One Africa, One Voice" means that we should be united in Africa to protect and defend the territorial integrity of our African continent. What is going on in Libya is an act of aggression, as my brother from Gambia has stated that it is not a question of Libya, but the whole of Africa. Due to lack of time, I would also like to call upon the continental body, the AU, to push forward so that the act of aggression should be made against one of those crimes against humanity in terms of ICC.Secondly, I would also like to call upon those of us who are representing us at the continental level and international level to act vigilantly, prudently and strategically when it comes to issues like that.I am talking about the United Nations Resolution 1973.Lastly, I would also like to call upon us to ensure that all the member states of the AU ratify the Charter of Democracy and Governance. Through that, we will be able to push forward for democratic institutions and a democratic constitution. In addition to that, we, as parliamentarians, at this level and national level must go to our grassroots to teach them what a democratic institution means. This is because at the end of the day, those people at the grassroots are the ones who have the power. Once, they understand this institution, they will be able to bail us out in terms of what we say against the people who want to be presidents for life.Thirdly, I would also like to call upon us...The hon. Member’s time expiredThank you Honourable Mushashu

HON. BERNADETA KASABAGO MUSHASHU [TANZANIA]:Thank you, Mr President, for according me time to contribute towards this debate. I would like to start by thanking the Chairperson of the International Relations and Conflict Resolution Committee for the abundant facts they have brought up in this report.It is surprising that after so many years of independence, a good number of countries are experiencing turbulence and crises as what we can see in Madagascar, Egypt, Tunisia, Somalia, Libya and others. Millions of people have been displaced and turned into poor, homeless and frustrated refugees. Hundreds and thousands of soldiers and innocent civilians have been killed during these armed conflicts and civil wars. However, I think in most of these countries, the crisis is fueled and supported by various national and international corporations and regimes, which have interests in the outcomes of the conflict and I think this is the main problem.Mr President, what are we saying as representatives of the voices of the Africans, that is the Pan African Parliament? I commend the Pan African Parliament for issuing a very strong statement regarding the crisis in Libya, but how soon was it done? We see the international organisations coming in like North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) in Libya. They are in the picture, but where is the AU? It is not visible. Why? What is the role of the African Union when there are signs of or the actual crisis in any one of the member states?Mr President, I heard the Chairman of this Committee saying that after this debate, they are going to make recommendations. But I strongly feel that the role of the Pan African Parliament should be revised so that instead of just making recommendations, PAP should be given mandate to come up with more binding resolutions.Lastly, I would recommend that the AU and the continental bodies put in more timely, coordinated efforts in coming up with peaceful, political solutions. They should also come up with our own African solutions aimed at bringing peace and security in the continent. What I am saying, Mr President, is that, as Africans, we should be able to solve our own problems.

HON. MOHAMMED ALI ALMARDI [SUDAN]بسم هللا الرحمن الرحيمشكراً سيدي الرئيسوالشكر للجنة علي تقريرها الضافي .نحن سيدي الرئيس ، كأفارقة ، وكممثلين لشعوبنا نحتاج ألن نمارس قدراً كبيراً من الشجاعة والنقد الذاتي ألنفسنا .إن الصراعات التي تحدث في أفريقيا تؤدي ـ بال أدنى شك ـ إلي إهدار الموارد ، وإفقار الشعوب ، وتعطيل التنمية ، وفقد األرواح وزيادة النزوح ، وتفتح االبواب لتدخل الدول الكبرى في شؤوننا ، ليس لمصلحتنا ، وإنما لتنفيذ أجندتهم الخاصة بهم .يجب أن نسأل أنفسنا لماذا يحدث كل ذلك ؟ يحدث لسبب أساسي ورئيسي هو أننا نفتقر في أفريقيا إلى الديمقراطية ، وإلى الحكم الراشد وألحترام شعوبنا .إن غياب الديقراطية وإنتهاك حقوق اإلنسان هو الذي يشجع الحكام على عدم وضع أي إعتبار لشعوبهم ،وبدالً من اإللتفات إلى مطالبهم ومعالجتها ، تجدهم يواجهونهم بالرصاص ، ثم هل تصدقون أن هناك رؤساء دول يستعينون بالمرتزقة على شعوبهم ؟ هذا أمر مخجل للغاية . إنهم يفرطون في إستخدام القوة ضد مواطنيهم ، ويستهدفون المدنيين ، ويستعملون الصواريخ والمدافع واألسلحة المحرمة حتى في الحروب ضد شعبهم االعزل .نحن الذين يا سيدي الرئيس نشجع الدول الكبرى بمثل هذه التصرفات على أن يتدخلوا في شؤوننا الداخلية ، ونحن الذين يجب أن نالم على ذلك . نرجو أن تستكمل الدول األفريقية المصادقة على الميثاق األفريقي للديمقراطية والحكم الراشد واإلنتخابات ، وأن يكثر البرلمان األفريقي واإلتحاد االفريقي....

HON. STEPHEN JULIUS MASELE [TANZANIA]:Thank you, Mr. President, Sir. I first want to congratulate the Chairman of the PAP Committee on Co-operation, International Relations and Conflict Resolution for the detailed report.Mr. President, Sir, I am very much concerned with the way the United Nations (UN) is handling issues and conflicts in Africa. Apparently, the UN has failed to perform its duties thereby leaving all the major and crucial decisions to be made by NATO. I am very sorry to say that to me the UN is becoming functionless. As a young leader, I am very sad, afraid and also getting worried about the future of Africa. It would be very unfortunate if the African Union (AU) followed the UN steps. We, as Pan-African Parliament (PAP), need to improve our efforts to pressurise and make stronger statements with regard to the problems of Africa.Mr. President, Sir, I have heard many contradicting statement issued by individual countries in Africa. I wonder why some of the African countries are supporting the UN Security Council Resolution 1973 on military operation, ceasefire and sanctions on Libya while when we come to the PAP we condemn what is happening there. To me, it is very contradictory. Our struggle to restore order in Libya has not come because we defend the personality of the Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi. Our concern is about the Libyan sovereignty. Libya, as a sovereign state, has a defence policy. It has the right and mandate to defend the rights of the people against any inversion, be it internal or external. Africa should always feel as one. When Libya is attacked, South Africa, Kenya or Tanzania should feel the same. We are not defending Libya, but we are looking at the interest of our continent.Mr. President, Sir, the international law has been violated in Libya. We have seen a lot of civilian casualties in Libya. When the pro-Gaddafi forces try to defend the country, it is defined as killing civilians, but when NATO does that, it is prodemocracy.Thank you.

HON. LAROUSSI HAMMI [ALGERIA]بسم هللا ، ونحن نعيش مراسيم ومجريات أشغال الدورة الرابعة لبرلماننا الفتي ، والذي تعلق عليه شعوبنا آماالً كبيرة ، كما هو الشأن بالنسبة للهياكل األخري لقارتنا ، فقد شرعنا بالسماع لهذا التقرير القيم الهادف من لجنة العالقات الدولية وفض النزاعات وأضم صوتي للزمالء ألتقدم بشكري للمكتب وألعضاء هذه اللجنة .وللتذكير ، وقبيل هذه المرحلة العصيبة التي عرفت مؤسستنا بال القارية نشاطا تنسيق مع هيئات إقليمية أخري ، كنا نعتقد ً مكثفاً صادقين إخالص العمل وصدق النوايا معها ، وأذكر علي سبيل المثال القمة بين البرلمان االوربي والبرلمان األفريقي التي تلتها قمة بين اإلتحاد األفريقي واإلتحاد األوربي ، والتي جرت بالجماهيرية الليبية في أواخر السنة الفارطة ، حيث إنبثقت عنها نصوص وقرارات براقة ، إعتقدنا أنها تحمل آماالً كبيرة فيما يتعلق بمستقبل تنسيق العمل المشترك ، وأعتقدنا كذلك بأنه سيكون منعرجا إيجابياً خدمةً لشعوبنا .لتحسين وتغيير أوضاع أساليب العمل لهذا النظام وسعياًمنا جميعاً ُحادي القطب الجا العالمي أ ئر ، الذي عودنا علي إنتهاج مبدأ الكيل بمكيالين ، وقضية الجمهورية الصحراوية لهي خير دليل في هذا المجال ، هذا النظام الذي كان السبب في الدوس على مصالحنا وحتى على حقوقنا المشروعة التي تضيع لألسف في كل مرة واألمثلة عديدة ال تحصى وال تعد في هذا المجال وخاصة فيما تعلق بالتدخالت وياللعجب بذريعة الدفاع عن حقوق اإلنسان من جهات لم تستح من تاريخها والمشكوك في ماضيها وحاضرها في هذا المجال بالنسبة الى عالقاتها التقليدية مع قارتنا وفي هذا المجال عاشت مؤخرا أقطارا من قارتنا أحداثا مؤلمة قد نعتقد بل نجزم بأن أيادي غريبة جاءت وتدخلت لتزكية نار الفتنة لتنشب أعمال شغب بين مكونات الشعب الواحد حيث تطورت األمور إلى خراب ودمار وما يشبه الحروب األهلية وعمليات هدم للقواعد األساسية لهذه األقطار اإلفريقية أمام مرأى ومسمع الجميع وخاصة الجهات الفعالة التي كنا نعلق عليها كل األمال عسى أن تعدل عن نهجها المنحاز المعتاد ، ولكن كان ذلك وهما منا لألسف فلم نفهم طريقة التدخالت األجنبية في تلك األقاليم التي عاشت إضطرابات مؤخرا ، حيث كانت تدخالت بطريقة مهينة ظالمة وبوسائل عدة حتى الجهنمية منها بإمطار أراضي طاهرة من الكيان اإلفريقي بأبشع وسائل النار والقتل والتفكيك باستعمال حتى القنابل المحرمة دوليا وتسليح جزء من المجتمع ليتقاتل مع الجزء األخر وكل ذلك تحت ذريعة حماية المواطن ويالها من حماية ومن ذريعة صادرة عن هيأت لألسف إقليميةوحتى دولية ترى المنكرة منكرا والظلم ظلما وتتمادى في تعنتها تحت صمت رهيبوسكوت مخجل بل بتواطؤ من بعض األطراف التي يجدر بنا أن نصفها بالعميلة كل هذا أمام غض الطرف والسكوت المخجل لكل المؤسسات اإلقليمية ، كان األجدر بها تكثيف الجهود وتوحيد الصف والمسعى والكلمة للدفاع عن مصير أقاليم تعتبر جزء ال يتجزأ من كيان قارتنا .وعليه فإننا نندد بكل شدة بما يجري في جزء بل أجزاء من قارتنا التي تدنس مرة أخرىبأقدام غزاة والمتمثلة في المستعمر الجديد الذي هو القديم والذي ال هم له سوى امتصاص ثرواتنا ونهبها وغرس قواعده الفتاكة على أراضينا كشوكة أزلية في جسم قارتنا البريئة .وعليه ومن هذا المنبر أدعو الجميع وخاصة مؤسساتنا القارية لتحمل مسؤوليتها كما أقول ولألسف أنه يجب علينا مواجهة هذه األوضاع .وأختم بالحديث الشريف : " من رأى منكم منكرا فليغيره بيده أو بلسانه أو بقلبه وذلك أضعف اإليمان " ." ال يغير هللا ما بقوم حتى يغيروا ما بأنفسهم " ، ونحن أصحاب خير إن شاء هللا .والسالم عليكم ورحمة هللا وبركاته .

HON. DERY AMBROSE [GHANA]:Thank you Mr. President for the opportunity. Permit me also to thank my brother Hon. Khumalo for the excellent presentation.Mr. President, I think that the conflicts are symptoms or effects and to solve them, you have to go to the causes. In my view, there are a few broad causes:-1.Unfair economic order;2.Bad political leadership and bad governance in Africa; and3.The resultant lack of capacity for the AU and other continental African bodies to deal with African problemsFirst, I am a believer in the free market, but it is true that all countries which have developed have protected strategic industries and if you look at Britain, it protected its wool industry at that time France was leading. If you look at America, it protected its industries, it still subsidises its farmers today. Norway protected NOKIA for 70 years without making losses. Toyota in 1959, the first car to be sent to America was described as an Astray on four wheels It was protected and is now a giant company, South Korea and the rest of them.Now we are told in Africa that we must produce raw materials only because of the comparative advantage and theory of the division of labour. That is wrong. We have to protect our strategic industries and in that vein, I think I like what Zimbabwe is doing about local in terms of investment. If we do not do that, then there will be poverty as the first problem. Secondly, there is bad leadership. African leaders want to be presidents for life. That is not right. We should have a limited term. Once we have a limited term, half the problems are solved. Election results must be accepted.In Ghana in 2008, my party was in power, the difference was 46 per cent. We handed over power to them. There is no problem in Ghana. Then a man in Ivory Coast who has ruled the country for ten years, when it suited him, foreign intervention was good. Now he loses by a clear 8 per cent, he says no, he would not leave office. In that regard, I want to commend Nigeria for holding elections that are progressive.Secondly, we political leaders must not be the boss, but servants of the people. The youth who burnt himself in Tunisia did so because there was political exclusion. We get the power, we forget the interests of our people. There is a time bomb. The majority of the people in Africa are women, but are not represented We have excluded them and are waiting for a day women will bury themselves and get up crying to work. We must have good leadership and if we have good leadership, we will play politics of service not bosses. We must include everybody within the system. In this way, we would not have these effects that we are talking about. That sends us to the AU. Why are we pretending we do not know that the AU is ineffective? How many members of the AU are proponents of democracy? When you send an AU delegation to a country and the person the delegation is going to talk to knows all the people of the delegation as step one, do not respect election results, how can you expect them to listen? The AU is bullying Pan-African Parliament. We represent the grassroots, but they do not want to give us space. They are not true democrats and until they change their altitude and begin to respect the grassroots. If they get our economy on the right track, if they get the political relation right and respect the grassroots, then we will have empowered PAP and other continental institutions and these conflicts will be a thing of the past.Thank you Mr. President.

HON. BOUDINA MOSTEFA [ALGERIA]:Merci, Monsieur le Président.Monsieur le Président, notre session se tient dans une conjoncture marquée par de graves conflits dans notre continent. Cependant, notre session n’a bénéficié d’aucune couverture médiatique. Il n’y a qu’une voix; qui va l’entendre? Comment la faire parvenir? Nous représentons nos peuples. Alors, est-ce qu’on va discuter et nos discussions vont rester là?Monsieur le Président, je suggère que le rapport présenté par la Commission, que je soutiens, et le débat qui va suivre, soient conclus par une résolution qui dira halte aux bombardements en Lybie, qui dira halte à l’ingérence étrangère dans nos pays d’Afrique, qui dira halte à l’intervention étrangère dans notre continent.Voilà une position ferme et unanime que nous devons prendre au cours de notre session!Nous devons aussi faire appel à l’Union africaine de prendre la même position aussi ferme, parce qu’elle représente tous les Etats africains et tous les peuples. Ensemble, nous devons prendre cette position, parce que les puissances étrangères agissent au nom de la démocratie, mais c’est de l’hypocrisie.Il y a deux poids deux mesures: il y a des régimes qui sont soutenus jusqu’à maintenant. Dans certains pays, un président qui règne pendant quarante (40) ans et meurt dans le fauteuil, et son fils le remplace, avec la bénédiction de ces puissances qui nous disent venir dans notre continent, au nom de la démocratie. Nous leur disons: ce sont vos intérêts que vous défendez! Là où il y a du pétrole, vous fomentez des complots et vous soulevez des conflits armés.

LE PRESIDENT:Merci, Honorable BOUDINA Mostefa.

HON. KANTENGWA JULIANA [RWANDA]:Thank you, Mr President, for giving me the Floor. Allow me to congratulate our Chairman, Honourable Khumalo for representing us so well. I also wish to associate myself with the previous speakers who have made use of the space we have in PAP to air our views and frustrations about our continent that is besieged by our own African leadership.Mr President, at times I ask myself when we make such very good contributions, whether there is anybody listening to us. Does it reach the ears of the people who are frustrating Africa? We are lamenting the double standards of the west, but I believe that the west has always manifested double standards in Africa simply because Africa manifests multiple standards. I am saying this, Mr President, because the leadership of Africa in the name of the Assembly of Heads of State is a club where the leaders scratch each other’s back. As a result, Mr President, allow me to commend the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) for having been steadfast in their approach to the way they have dealt with conflicts in their region namely; Cote d’Ivoire, Niger, Guinea and others. They have really been steadfast and have not manifested those standards.I will not mention, with dismay, what is happening across the other regional economic communities. Look at the problems that have besieged the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and how they have been resolved; East African Community Intergovernmental Authority for Development (IGAD), across Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA). It leaves a lot to be desired. That is why I am commending ECOWAS.I also wish to salute the gallant sons and daughters of Tunisia and Egypt who have said no to loss of human dignity. I am only saying this because it will not take long - and I do not want to be quoted as a prophet of doom - before the despots of Africa, this experience of Tunisia reaches them. They cannot continue to subjugate Africans to loss of human dignity. We are lamenting the resolution that caused the intervention of the NATO forces because we allowed it. How different is it from our kings who colluded with the enslavers who came to buy us and trade us for cheap cowry shells?Therefore, Mr President, I am only saying that the international community in the names of NATO and US-led whatever coalitions coalitions, postured a stra...The hon. Member’s time expired

HON. ABDOULKADER MOHAMED MOHAMED [DJIBOUTI]Je suis membre de la Commission de la Coopération internationale et je soutiens le rapport qui a été présenté. Néanmoins, j’ai un certain nombre d’observations à faire.Je voudrais lever une équivoque, tout d’abord.A la lecture du document, en parlant de Djibouti, on peut avoir une confusion. Djibouti n’est pas un pays en conflit, aujourd’hui. Il n’y a pas de conflit interne à Djibouti. Il y a un conflit qui oppose Djibouti à l’Erythrée. Donc, il y a une confusion au niveau de la présentation du rapport.Je voudrais aussi dire que ce rapport n’émane pas d’une mission qui s’est rendue sur le terrain. Donc, ce sont des informations qui ont été données par des sources dont on ne connaît pas le crédit.En ce qui concerne le point 47, il est dit qu’il existe des sanctions du fait du manque du pluralisme à Djibouti.Je voudrais faire connaître à ces parlementaires que le pluralisme est inscrit, d’abord, dans la Constitution, mais il existe dix partis politiques à Djibouti, dont cinq de l’opposition et cinq de la majorité. Et, si les partis de l’opposition boycottent les élections, c’est leur droit; on ne peut pas les en empêcher. On ne peut donc pas appeler cela un manque de pluralisme.Deuxième chose: il est dit qu’on emporte les travailleurs du port de Djibouti vers l’extérieur.Je voudrais m’inscrire en faux contre cette information. Au contraire, nous, Djiboutiens, nous fournissons des formateurs aux autres ports de l’Afrique, notamment au Sénégal. Donc, nous n’importons pas des travailleurs de l’extérieur pour le port de Djibouti. Ce sont des données qui ne sont pas fondées.Je voudrais aussi intervenir sur un autre point.Le rapport suggère que la situation qui peut prévaloir dans la corne de l’Afrique, émanerait d’une simple mauvaise relation de gouvernance entre Djibouti et l’Erythrée. Qu’est-ce que cela veut dire « mauvaise gouvernance entre Djibouti et l’Erythrée »? Non! Je dis qu’il y a eu [...]

LE PRESIDENT:Merci, honorable ABDOULKADER Mohamed Mohamed.

HON. ABDOULKADER MOHAMED MOHAMED:Une minute Monsieur le Président, si vous le permettez [...](Temps de parole épuisé)

HON. MAKGALEMELE DIKGANG PHILLIP [BOTSWANA]:I thank you, Mr President for giving me the Floor. First, I wish to indicate that I do appreciate the report as presented by the Committee. It is clear that the emerging picture is that the peace situation is reversing. We are losing out on some of the gains as ably presented by Honourable Kandeh earlier on.Mr President, I wish to state that the peace situation in Africa is quite complex in terms of proactive measures that have been taken, including the reactive ones, both by the AU and the international community. I wish to humbly request, Mr President, that as we analyse and debate these issues, we be objective in our analysis. We should point out the faults by the international community and also highlight where we contributed negatively as Africa. As noted by my colleague from Ghana earlier on, we need to really find out what the root causes are.Mr President, I wish to associate myself with those who spoke against leaders who stay too long in power. We must bring this as an agenda before the AU and push that it be a resolution of Heads of State. Further, as per my colleague from Cameroon earlier on, such provisions should not be amended by selfish leaders. Mr President, I wish to propose that PAP and the AU must negotiate a platform with the international political world; the UN and NATO and others and present the situation as we see it as PAP.Mr President, the situation in Djibouti is disturbing and I agree with the Committee that it needs urgent attention because 65 to 70 per cent unemployment is by no means unacceptable. However, I also want to request the Committee to note that, in future, they also give us progress in terms of the past resolutions made by this House. I still recall that, in the past Sessions, we made a resolution on the Arab Saharawi Democratic Republic and if my memory serves me well, on Somalia as well. One would have wanted progress in terms of the extent to which these resolutions have actually been undertaken.Finally, Mr President, I support Hon. Mabiletsa’s call for the issue of budget allocations. I think, as PAP, we must give attention to...The hon. Member’s time expired.

HON. MUKABARANGA AGNÈS [RWANDA]:Je vous remercie, Monsieur le Président, et, en même temps, je félicite la Commission de la Coopération pour le rapport qui nous a été soumis et qui sera, sans doute, beaucoup plus complet quand nous aurons écouté la Commission africaine des droits de l’Homme, et qui sans doute nous parlera de combien les conflits occasionnent la violation des droits fondamentaux de nos populations.Monsieur le Président,Ce que nous sommes en train de faire, c’est juste une interprétation des faits; que ce soit en Tunisie, en Egypte, en Libye, en Côte d’Ivoire, pour ne citer que ces pays-là, parce que le temps nous est limité.Ce que nous constatons dans ces pays, c’est parfois le manque d’alternance durant une longue période, accompagnée par des modifications des lois fondamentales de la Constitution, par l’organisation des élections dont la crédibilité et la liberté dans les pays cités sont remises en question, tant par la population elle-même et l’opposition que par les missions d’observation internationales.Monsieur le Président,Nous avons constaté la personnalisation du pouvoir de certains présidents qui refusent de quitter le pouvoir. Nous l’avons constaté amèrement en Côte d’Ivoire, où il a été proposé à un Président l’amnistie des crimes internationaux, mais il refusait de partir. Tout simplement parce que dans certains pays, l’armée n’est plus républicaine, l’armée n’est plus neutre, l’armée n’est plus là pour protéger les populations. Et, pire encore, nous constatons que dans certains pays, on a recours à des milices et à de mercenaires.Oui, Monsieur le Président, il faut que nous le disions! Certains pouvoirs tuent leurs propres populations. Le droit à la vie n’est pas respecté. Nous devons dénoncer cela. Nous devons également démasquer les présidents qui tuent leurs populations lorsque celles-ci décrient la pauvreté dans laquelle elles vivent et dénoncent le non-respect de leur droit à l’expression. C’est pour cela que nous donnons des brèches à l’intervention des organisations internationales. Cette intervention des organisations internationales, malheureusement, efface les organisations continentales, telles que l’Union africaine, la CEDEAO qui avaient pourtant fait un bon travail et qui avaient une feuille de route claire pour la paix en Côte d’Ivoire.Monsieur le Président,Le PAP doit lutter pour la redynamisation de nos organes. Le PAP doit continuer à promouvoir la Charte africaine des droits de l’Homme. Le PAP doit continuer à promouvoir la Charte africaine pour la Bonne Gouvernance, des Elections et la Démocratie, et le PAP aussi, il est vrai, doit dénoncer les bavures commises par les organisations internationales, surtout quand elles sont constatées, comme c’est le cas en Libye.

HON. CHARUMBIRA FORTUNE [ZIMBABWE]:Mr. President, I have listened to people’s contributions and am excited by most of them. The situation on the continent is worrying and very depressing. When we talk of root causes, I just wish we could dedicate a day, in this Parliament, to deliberating the root causes of our problems. I believe what we are calling root causes may be symptoms. When you say someone has overstayed in power, it is a symptom and not a root cause. When you allow a term limit, it is a symptom of something. We need to go deeper into those issues and not shy away from the causes of poverty and corruption. I agree there is corruption, but should we shy away from talking about the wealth situation on the continent and how our minerals and other resources are being exploited by foreigners? A good case of this is Zimbabwe. Recently, we were told by the Finance Minister that out of US$600 million generated by the mining sector, the Government only got US$15 million. The rest 97% went out to multinationals. You cry about the high poverty levels, but what is the source of that poverty? It is because your money is going outside the continent.I am also depressed that even this morning while coming to this House, NATO is bombing Libya. That shows lack of respect for what is happening on the continent. As we debate, they are bombing and hearing us.The other worrying issue is that, yes, we have these problems of dictatorship and the rest on the continent, but when the colonial masters come back to try and make good, then we get worried. Are we not being recolonised in one form or the other? The big issue is that these people bombing us have no respect for Africa. And unless, as Africans, we also find our own space that we are equal with others outside the continent, people will look down on us and we will remain ineffective. The AU is an ineffective organ we should admit. In many respects, it has no common agenda and does not see its direction. It is divided. Some belong to the West although they are Heads of State in Africa. Therefore, I do not see us making much progress unless PAP stands up to speak for the continent. I do not know why we keep raising issues in this room, but who is listening to us. I think after this debate, we need to see how we can engage Europe, the UN and the Americans in dialogue so that we are...The Hon. Member’s time expired.

HON. BENDIR KHATARI DJAMEL [SAHARAWI REPUBLIC]Gracias Sr. Presidente.Gracias para la Comisión y su presidente.Mi intervención se asiente sobre el nuevo colonialismo en África, en nuestro continente. Este nuevo colonialismo con ropas de democracia [...](Problemas técnicos).Este nuevo colonialismo con ropa de democracia su única intención es la explotación de los derechos naturales de nuestros continentes, aprovecha nuestros retraso y las diferencias políticas y sociales para ensalzar su intervención en África, aprovechar a la ausencias de respeto de derechos humanos en África para continuar su vital interferencias en nuestros asuntos internos desde hace muchos años. Hasta incluso a nivel del consejo de seguridad de Naciones unidas, en especial la falta de mecanismo de control de derechos humanos en el Sahara Occidental, debiendo que la MINURSO es la única misión de Naciones Unidas que no incluye este punto en su mandato.Los africanos, debemos decidir con nosotros mismos y con nuestros pueblos.Gracias Sr. Presidente y Gracias por todo.

HON. FRANCISCA DOMINGOS TOMÁS [MOCAMBIQUE]:-Muito obrigada, Senhor Presidente.Caros Colegas,Ilustres Deputados,Primeiro, gostaria de felicitar a Comissao pela apresenta?ao deste relatório, que nos poe ao corrente de toda a situa?ao que estamos a passar em África. A situa?ao de paz e seguranza em África é deplorável. Vários povos africanos estao a ressentir-se da inseguran?a devido as guerras e a instabilidade política, como foi referido no relatório. Consequentemente, nesses países há perdas de muitas vidas humanas e destruido de infra-estruturas sociais e económicas.A crise política nesses países reflecte-se noutros países vizinhos e, consequentemente, em toda a África, com populaçoes deslocadas nos outros países, exacerbando as condiçoes de vida das populaçoes e dos países acolhedores.A situaçâo da Libia é bastante preocupante porque pretende atingir toda a África. A guerra nao é via segura para resolver qualquer problema político nos nossos países. É necessário que os países africanos se engajem em diálogos para resolverem os problemas políticos dentro do seu próprio país.É necessário que a Uniao Africana encontre mecanismos de aproximaçao das partes em conflito para acabar com o sofrimento das populaçoes. Especialmente, para o caso da Líbia, a Uniao Africana deve aproximar as forças aliadas que estao a bombardear a Líbia para, imediatamente, pôr termo ao sofrimento dos Líbios e para pôr termo à destruiçao da economia da Líbia.Caros Colegas,Em conclusao, devemos desempenhar o nosso papel de persuasao no que diz respeito à paz e segurança em África, pois devemos sentir que o sofrimento de um país irmao é também o nosso sofrimento.Muito obrigada, caros Colegas!

HON. ABDULAZIZ ABDULAHI MOHAMED [SOMALIA]:Mr. President, Sir, thank you for allowing me to take the Floor. I would also like to thank Hon. Khumalo, the Chairman of my Committee.Mr. President, Sir, I would like to make certain comments about Somalia. Somalia has been in a civil war and conflict for over two decades. On 13^th January, 2011, a meeting was held by the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) and the African Union (AU) in Addis Ababa. It proposed an extension of the transitional period, the transitional institutions. Following the proposal made by the AU, on February, 2011, the Transitional Federal Parliament made a decision in accordance with the Transitional Federal Chapter on two issues. First, it was on the issue of the extension of the transitional period of the Transitional Federal Parliament. Secondly, it was the election of the Speaker and the deputies of the Speaker which must take place in August, 2011 because their terms of office will end at that particular time. The aim of the decision was to avoid a vacuum and to establish a legitimate and effective Somali Government that can be accepted by the Somali people.Mr. President, Sir, in addition to what Hon. Khumalo has reported about Somalia, there are serious constitutional crises among the Transitional Federal Institutions (TFI). This is really an alarming situation which has to be addressed and challenged by the African Union (AU). It is my personal belief that the situation will get worse unless there is an immediate intervention by the AU. This dispute can cause the total collapse of the TFI of Somalia. As a member of the Transitional Federal Parliament, I have taken the Floor to send an early warning signal to the AU through the Pan-African Parliament (PAP). It is my request that PAP should support and respect the wishes of the people of Somalia.Thank you.

HON. LUHAGA JOELSON MPINA [TANZANIA]:Thank you, Hon Mr President for the opportunity to contribute on this debate. I congratulate the Committee which has produced a very good report. The foreign military intervention in Libya is exerting death, tears and bloodshed on our brothers and sisters. This is intolerable and cannot be accepted. The foreign interference in Libya warrants concerted African leaders’ decision. There is foreign interference simply because Western countries want to exploit the resources in Libya. They are also doing so because they do not want Gaddaffi to be in power due to his stand on the national resources. Do we, as Africans, have appealing authorities when such a situation happens?To me, the issue of staying in power for long is not an agenda of immediate concern today. The agenda now is that African action is needed to speed up resolutions to cease the use of fire, military interference and use negotiations as the best way to protect civilians. When, where and at what point will the Pan-African Parliament make intervention? What are the Heads of State, the AU, doing to end the Libya crisis?I am very unhappy to hear that the Committee on Co-operation, International Relations and Conflict Resolutions do not have funds to exercise and execute their duties. This simply means that we are not serious and if this is so why are we here? Let us be very serious and let us make very seriously recommendations to end the crisis which is in Libya today.I thank you, Sir.

HON. MATAMISA ERIMENZIAH EDITOR [ZIMBABWE]Thank you, Mr. President for giving the Floor. I would like to thank the committee for a job well done and wish them success in their missions. Mr. President, on the issue of Libya, I have this comment to give that the African states are partly to be blamed because all along they have been playing big brother politics because it was them that were feeding them. The signs that existed in Libya were a fertile ground for a revolution.Mr. President, Honourable Members, the fact that there are problems in Africa cannot be overemphasized. The issue of democracy and good governance leaves a lot to be desired in most African nations. The issue is the delaying of ratification of the African Charter by our governments. Some African leaders are stubborn and will not relinquish power without a fight.Mr. President, even on an advisory role, PAP should reflect that it is an institution above national Parliaments and should advise likewise. I feel, Mr. President, that foreign intervention in crisis-ridden countries such as Libya is there to ensure that the descending voices are not silenced for good. As PAP, we are not here to rubber stamp the lengthy stay in power of incumbent leaders or dictators. Let us stand up and advice leaders who have overstayed to give way to genuine elections and usher in new leadership. Let us learn to call a spade a spade, Mr. President. I would like to say foreign intervention was meant to ensure that there is protection of foreign nationals and also to ensure protection of women and children and to ensure accessibility of food and water to the surviving and medical facilities to the wounded. Mr. President, I think this is the decade for women and I think it is high time women of calibre should now take up the challenge to lead the African nations because we value life as women. These men who are leading us do not value life because I can not expect a leader to be killing his own people. What is happening in North Africa and Central Africa cannot be permitted to go on as the norm.Mr. President, to conclude, for credibility purposes, the Pan-African Parliament should denounce all bad practices and assist the AU to realise where they have lost it all by playing softly with to corrupt leaders who want to stay on in power.Thank you.

HON. SIRMA MUSA [KENYA]:Thank you, Mr President, for giving me the opportunity to contribute on this debate. First and foremost, I want to say that I associate myself with the comments made by Hon. Editor from Zimbabwe and Hon. Ambrose from Ghana for the cause of the conflict in Africa. The interference by the west and the UN Security Council is for the people who have no voice and have been suppressed. How can you look for sovereignty of your country when you are killing your own people and denying them breathing space in terms of democracy. Can you call this sovereignty?Mr President, the disease of dictatorship started in Kenya when the Kenyan President refused to leave power after losing elections. It went to Zimbabwe and flourished in Ivory Coast. What are we talking about? Do we accept the same course to continue in Africa because people just want to change the constitution? The problem is lack of respect for the rule of law and unless we accept the rule of law, we shall continue having problems. I watched how the Ugandan elections progressed. The incumbent President decided to wear a gun and said, "I came in through the gun and I will go through the gun". Is that an election? These are issues we need to look at.When I read the Green Book of Libya, I discovered that it states that Parliament is an institution of dictatorship, and yet we accept Libya to be part of Pan-African Parliament when they do not believe in Parliament. Is that democracy? I want to say it is time that this club of the African Union; a club of friends, dictators and people who do not believe in the rule of law; a club which believes in supporting their colleagues to stay in power forever and those people who really want to change constitutions to favour themselves to lead in their countries for life respected the will of the people. It is time for people to wake up. People’s power must be respected.Mr President, it is time that we woke up to the realities of the world that it is democracy that must be espoused and it is going to be democracy and it must flourish.Thank you, Sir.

HON. MOISERAELE MASTER GOYA [BOTSWANA]:Thank you very much Mr. President for giving me the Floor to contribute to the report that has been presented to this hounourable House by Hon. Khumalo in his capacity as Chairperson of the Committee on Co-operation, Internal Relations and Conflict Resolution. Mr. President I think I will be perverting the interest of justice if I do not thank the Committee for its well done job to produce a very comprehensive report despite the limited resources and time that the Committee was confronted with in an effort to cover all the areas that they intended to cover in Africa.Mr. President, it must be accepted and acknowledged that there is a wind of change that is currently going across Africa. One does not want to use the help of the microscope to see which direction this wind of change is leading. For obvious reasons, it is going to territories in Africa where leaders have overstayed in power. That is a fact. Mr. President, I want to associate myself with hon. Members of Parliament who are of the view that time is ripe to get our act together, as African Union and as members of the Pan African Parliament, to make sure that we uproot conflicts in Africa.The African Union, Mr. President, has, for years, been succumbing to the egos of some African leaders and some nations that call themselves super powers, the untouchables. How on earth can someone call himself a leader when he kills the people whom he is actually leading? This does not augur well with me. I do not support this practice, Mr. President. One thing that these people should remember is that if you kill by the sword, you are also going to die by the sword. If you kill by the barrel of the gun, you are also going to die by a barrel of a gun. One matter they should bear in mind is that if they continue doing this, killing people, they are bound to also be killed. The African Union needs to put its act together to make sure that it comes out with a uniform term limit for all Presidents across the African region. This should be done because these people are being corrupted by power for staying too long in the leadership of their countries. People say that it is money which corrupts people, but I tend to think that power corrupts people. It corrupts people even more than money itself. Therefore, what is happening currently in Africa should be a wakeup call to all other countries and territories whose leaders have over stayed in power. They must know that this wind of change, sooner than later, will go to their territories as well.Mr. President, I want to conclude my remarks by saying I personally advocate for a uniform term limit for all presidents in Africa. However, before I conclude, I would like to comment on page 5 of the report where the Committee states:"It is heartening to know that the Ivory Coast Constitutional Council ratified on Thursday 5^th May, 2011, the result of the presidential election, showing that Alassane Quattara won, reversing the earlier decision to reject them."As much as this is heartening to the Committee, to me, it is disheartening. I think Mr Quattara needs to dismiss all the council of members. Why are they now changing the decision? They must all be fired from their positions. They are hypocrites.I thank you very much, Mr. President.

HON. MUNGARO GEDEON [KENYA]:Bw. Rais, pia ningependa kuchangia mjadali huu, lakini yangu mengi yatakuwa ni kuuliza maswali kuliko kuchangia. Nimesikia wenzangu wengi hapa wamezungumzia swala la ni vipi nchi za nje zinaingilia matatizo ya bara la Afrika. Mimi nataka kusema kwamba kama Afrika imeshindwa kutatua maswala yake basi haina budi nchi za nje kuingilia. Mfano mzuri ni juzi katika nchi ya Ivory Coast wakati Rais wa Nigeria, Bw. Jonathan Goodluck na waakilishi wa Shirika la ECOWAS walipoambiwa watatue swala hilo lakini aliye kuwa rais Bw. Gbagbo alikataa hata kuwaona. Je, ni vipi marais wa Jumuia ya Afrika watakaa katika kongamano fulani wakubaliane na kisha wakitoka hapo waende wafanye mambo tofauti wakiwa nyumbani kwao? Ni siku gani Jumuiya ya Africa imeita kongamano la dharura la marais kusema kwamba nchi fulani ina tatizo na lazima litatuliwe? Hii ni kwa sababu marais wa Afrika hawataki kuheshimu katiba. Miaka yao ya kung’atuka mamlakani inapofika wanajiongezea muda kwa kubadilisha katiba. Hata wakikubali kuondoka wanajaribu kuweka ndugu zao au watoto wao mamlakani ili awe rais. Afrika itaendeshwa namna hii mpaka lini? Jambo nzuri ni kwamba wapigaji kura wa Afrika sasa wamechoka. Kwa mfano katika nchi ya Egypt wananchi waliamua kwamba kama rais hatang’atuka mamlakani watafanya maandamano bila kutumia bunduki mpaka rais ang’atuke mamlakani.Kwa hivyo mimi ningependa kusema kwamba kama marais hawawezi kuheshimu kongamano la Jumuiya la Afrika ambapo hao ni wanachama basi wataheshimu kitu gani zaidi? Bunge hili lina jukumu na mamlaka ya kuweza kuamua pale ambapo marais wanashindwa. Mwisho, ningependa kusema kwamba yafaa tukubaliane kama Waafrika kwamba nchi ambayo inakiuka masharti ya Jumuiya ya Afrika ikatazwe kuhudhuria mikutano ya kongamano hili.Nashukuru, Bw. Rais.

HON. OUADDADI CHEIKH AHMED EL-HEIBA [SAHARAWI REPUBLIC]شكراً سيدى الرئيس :

HON. ABDUL RASHID PELPUO [GHANA]:Mr President, I cannot remember very clearly which African leader or African writer observed the post-independence Africa and leadership and made a comment of lamentation. He said that ‘it is no more the foreign walk on our alien chicken prey, but we, on ourselves’. This is the definition of the situation we have today. Most of our situations today are because we created a condition for them. It is high time we stopped blaming the external and began to look inside-out in Africa to see how we can solve our own problems.I have looked into the report and I look at it with a lot of regret that in Africa the same problems that we fought years ago against colonial administrators are resurfacing under our own leadership. It is regrettable that we have the most atrocious human rights abusers in Africa today, a practice that is perpetuated by the leadership itself. High level of corruption and general leadership failure are creating the conditions of foreign intervention in Africa.It is high time we stopped talking about foreign intervention because we create the condition for it. In Cote d‘ Ivoire the former President had all the opportunities to accept Angola when they extend a friendship to him asked asked him to seek asylum in their country. The Southern African government requested him to leave his country and offered to host him. He refused all the requests and insisted he was President. He saw that his people were dying, but he kept staying in power.Mr President, we need to redefine who an Africa is and what Africa is and what we want to make of this continent. It is important that we say the things that we want to say to our leadership. You cannot extend yourselves into the future as a President. You should understand that you have a tenure of office. You should understand that the sovereignty of the continent and the country you rule is crucial and that a people make the sovereignty workable.Indeed, it is important that this Parliament begins speaking out and making strong statements about these things to our leaders. We do not have to just be a workshop. I think that there is a rule we have to play and the rule should not be a talking workshop that will end here. We need, at every point in time, to define a way out and bring out strong positions that we send to the AU. I do support the call by one of the speaker...The hon. Member’s time expired.

LE PRESIDENT:Merci beaucoup.On passe la parole maintenant à l’honorable KHUMALO Marwick, pour apprécier les contributions des parlementaires, pour apporter quelques éléments de réponse, en attendant, bien sûr, nos recommandations et nos résolutions qui viendront, lors une prochaine séance.

HON. KHUMALO MARWICK [SWAZILAND]:Mr President, fellow colleagues, I think it has been a very exciting debate for one who has been listening to each and every word that has been said by my colleagues that have debated on the Floor. Let me just regret the fact that such an important debate by brains that have actually put up solid arguments will not actually go to the whole of Africa, and not even to Addis Ababa, the AU, to make them know what the Parliamentary wing is feeling about the situation in Africa.The diverse opinions on the Parliament Floor are actually presenting a challenge to the Committee on Co-operation to come up with recommendations and resolutions, particularly when you hear, for example, on the issue of foreign interference. There are some very good arguments that are for just as there are good arguments that are against the notion of foreign interference. Of course, those who are for the idea are saying it is here to protect the civilian population which is being ochestrated by the very leadership of Africa. There are those who are saying no, let Africa’s problems be for Africans and for Africans to attend to. So, it is diverse, but I can assure you, Mr. President, that with the submissions that we have heard, as a Committee, we are bound to bring recommendations and resolutions.Mr President, I find it quite time consuming because we have noted the comments of our colleagues. I will not even attempt to respond to each and every member that has spoken because I think the submissions are helpful to our Committee just so that we can be able to produce the necessary recommendations and resolutions. Otherwise, we feel so much enriched as a Committee by all the submissions of the honourable members that have been made here.The other point that I would actually like to touch on, although I would like to touch on, maybe, one or two issues like the issue that was mentioned by my colleague who is also a member of the Committee on Co-operation, the Hon. Abdoulkader. With all due respect, I can only say we should bear in mind that when we are here, we try by all means to represent the people of Africa as opposed to representing our governments.Also, I will appeal for consistence, particularly to members of my Committee. In this particular case, I am not even aware of any member who is opposed to any section of the report because it was deliberated extensively by the Committee and even when misgivings were raised about certain sections of the constitution, some of them were expunged just so that we can be in total agreement with the documents. Therefore, I repeat, Mr President, that I am not aware of any one single member who is opposed to any section or any provision of this constitution. So I can actually appeal for consistence. If anything, the contrary was in terms of the present document.Mr President, the Hon. Makgalemele from Botswana mentioned the issue of post resolution on Somalia and Saharawi. Yes, on Somalia there was a resolution of the PAN-African Parliament which has been there for sometime, but we were advised, at the time, by the African Union that it would not be safe for the PAN-African Parliament mission to go to Somalia. This is so because, at the time, I believe it was very tense so it would not have been safe. In Saharawi, the finances have been a challenge. Yes, there is a resolution, it is quite correct and it is one of the countries that are going to be visited by the Committee on Cooperation, International Relations and Conflict Resolution.Mr President, as I stated earlier on I would like to take this opportunity to thank members of the Committee for having come up with this document and I would like to pay tribute to my colleagues in the whole House for having praised the Committee for a job well done within a short space of time.Last but in no means least, I thank you, Mr President, for your support.

THE CLERCK:Mr. President, Hon. Members, we have the following announcements to make on Committee meetings:1.Committee on Military and Financial Matters - 2.00 p.m. - Committee Room 12.Committee on World Economy, Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environment - 2.00 p.m., Room 23.Committee on Rules, Privileges and Discipline - 2.00 p.m. Committee, Room 34.Committee on Health, Labour and Social Affairs - 2.00 p.m. Committee, Room 45.Committee on Justice and Human Rights - 2.00 p.m, Committee Room 56.Committee on Administrative and Financial Evaluation meeting with the Bureau of the PAP - 3.30 p.m, Presidential Room.Thank you.

LE PRESIDENT:Merci beaucoup.Secrétaire général, vous avez des annonces?

LE PRESIDENT:Honorables membres, nous sommes arrivés à la fin de nos travaux de ce jour. La séance est, par conséquent, levée, jusqu’à mercredi 11 mai 2011 à 09 heures.

Wednesday, 11 May, 2011

LE PRESIDENT:Merci. Veuillez prendre place!La séance est reprise.Je vais demander au Secrétaire général de donner lecture du premier point inscrit à l’ordre du jour.

THE CLERK:Thank you honourable president. Presentation and vote on the amendment of the rules of procedure.

LE PRESIDENT:J’invite l’honorable INZOUNGOU-MASSANGA Zely Pierre, Viceprésident de la Commission Permanente des Règlements, Privilèges et de la Discipline, à donner un aperçu général des amendements que je vous soumettrai, par la suite.

AN HON. MEMBER:On a point of order, Mr. President.

THE PRESIDENT:(Oui)

AN HON. MEMBER:Mr President, with all due respect, I would like to take a strong objection to the treatment being given to Members of this House and to seek your ruling in that respect. Yesterday, I raised a point of order on reports to be debated being circulated at or after the opening of discussions, but my comments did not elicit a word of explanation, let alone an apology. Today, again, all the reports, I insist, all the reports to be debated, today, have only been made available to us this morning. Such a manner of proceeding makes an absolute mockery of any adherence to the due process of parliamentary scrutiny and democratic debate. Therefore, I, with all due respect, I stress, seek your ruling and would like to request from, either the Bureau or the Secretariat, a word of explanation as to how brothers and sisters in this august Assembly can do justice to our task of reading, analysing and reflecting upon the reports before coming up with a meaningful contribution.Thank you, Sir.

LE PRESIDENT:Merci beaucoup.Pour la journée d’aujourd’hui, nous avons quatre rapports: le premier qui concerne les amendements au Règlement intérieur, date de deux ans; il ne date pas d’aujourd’hui. Honorable, vous êtes nouveau, mais les anciens savent que c’est un rapport qui date de deux ans. Il a été certainement réactualisé et mis à jour, mais il doit être disponible.Le rapport d’activités du Parlement panafricain, à ma connaissance, devait être disponible depuis le début de la session. Si ce n’est pas le cas, je vais demander des explications au Secrétariat.Le rapport (suivant) d’évaluation, c’est un rapport qui n’a pas été distribué; il va être lu, séance tenante, par la 2^ème Vice-présidente. Tout comme le rapport sur les contrats et les recrutements du personnel, qui va être lu par l’honorable Hammi LAROUSSI, 3^ème Vice-président.Donc, pour les deux premiers rapports, ils ne doivent pas souffrir, et si des parlementaires n’ont pas une version depuis le début de la session, on demandera (des explications) au Secrétaire général pourquoi ces deux premiers rapports ne le sont pas.Est-ce que tous les parlementaires ont les deux premiers rapports?

UN HONORABLE:Non

LE PRESIDENT:Le rapport sur les activités du Parlement panafricain? Vous ne l’avez pas non plus?Yes, honorable Dery

HON. DERY AMBROSE [GHANA]:Thank you, Mr. President, for the opportunity.Mr. President, I think that the intervention that has been made by my brother on the late distribution of documents is spot on. It does not matter if it is new, but it is appalling and should be condemned. I just got the activity report this morning and yesterday I wanted to see if I could fill some forms to contribute, but I could not find any. I think that it is a problem and we should allow the Secretariat to explain what the problem is. I think things are getting worse and I do not understand why the other two reports on Evaluation of the Clerk and Deputy Clerk and others ones could not be read.Mr. President, may I remind you that the mandate of this House as per Section 66 of the Protocol and 23 of the Rules of Procedure, this House is vested with the power to appoint the Clerk and the Deputy Clerk. Rule 17(f) only stipulates that they are proposed to us, but what proposal will it be if at the eleventh hour we sit down to deliberate this matter. To us, Mr. President, these are very critical issues, especially that just yesterday, we discussed about good leadership. You have been a good leader and I do not have a problem with that, but let us watch it that we do not have this House being treated shabbily. We are not here to rubber stamp any decisions and the decisions we endorse must be substantive. We have given you the authority, but that does not mean we have adjudicated our rule because the power is still with us. What you have said is spot-on and some of us think that we are always complaining, but we think we need an explanation from the Bureau. These other two reports must be distributed before they presented to us. It is not an ark of covenant that only some people who are initiated should have access to. We all have a mandate to be here, Mr President. I fully support what the Hon. Member said and think that all hon. Members must make sure that this House is not taken for granted.I thank you, Sir.

LE PRESIDENT:Merci beaucoup le secrétariat, pour les deux premiers rapports.

HON. BOUDINA MOSTEFA:Je peux faire un point d’ordre, Monsieur le Président?

LE PRESIDENT:On est déjà sur les motions; si c’est la même motion?

HON. BOUDINA MOSTEFA:Non!

LE PRESIDENT:Ok! Allez-y!

HON. BOUDINA MOSTEFA [ALGERIA]:Monsieur le Président, je vous demanderais d’imposer aux membres du secrétariat, quand il y a des interventions et quand vous intervenez vousmême, qu’ils gardent leur casque sur leur tête.

LE PRESIDENT:D’accord! Ils ont écouté.

AN HONORABLE MEMBER:Good morning, Mr. President and Hon. Members. Let me address the issue of the first item that relates to the rules and that was not distributed yesterday. It is just that it has been the practice of this House that all documents for the day are given out on the morning they are being considered. I take the concern of Hon. Members and we will, indeed, distribute the documents the day before, that is, the reports that are ready.Regarding the second report relating to the President and the report of the Pan-African Parliament (PAP), it was not finalised until yesterday morning. Therefore, the translation had to be done overnight for us to be able to circulate to the hon. Members. On the other two documents, as the President has said, we are not privy to those reports.

LE PRESIDENT:Bien. Honorables membres, pour les troisième et quatrième rapports, on va les rendre disponibles dans toutes les langues et nous allons les programmer pour une prochaine séance.Pour le Règlement intérieur, si nous avons le quorum, nous allons l’adopter article par article.Je pense que même si nous l’avons reçu tard, on peut prendre l’opportunité du quorum pour l’adopter.Là, on n’a pas le quorum non plus.

HON. JAIME BESSA NETO [MOÇAMBIQUE]:Muito obrigado, Senhor Presidente.Senhor Présidente, nos achamos que o primeiro tema, relativo às emendas do Regimento é bastante importante. Entretanto, o que estamos a verificar é que nâo o temos na versâo portuguesa. Nâo sei o que é que nos, falantes da lingua Portuguesa, estaremos a adoptar.Muito obrigado!

LE PRESIDENT:On n’a pas le quorum. On ne peut pas procéder aux amendements du Règlement intérieur.Il nous reste un rapport: celui que vous avez reçu, ce matin. Si vous pensez que vous êtes à même de suivre et apporter vos contributions, on va le mettre aux débats. Si vous pensez qu’il vous faut du temps pour lire et apporter vos contributions, on fera une programmation.

HON. LABELLE MARIE NOËLLE FRANÇOISE [MAURITIUS]:Mr. President, I would like to draw the attention of the House to a report of the Committee on Administrative and Financial Evaluation that has been circulated. It is entitled "Follow-up on the Recommendations of the Committee on Administrative and Financial Evaluation Report of October, 2010". May I inform hon. Members that this is not the final report of this Committee. The report of the Committee is not ready and, therefore, this report should not have been circulated.Thank you.

HON. MABILETSA ISAAC STEPHEN [BOTSWANA]:Thank you, for this opportunity to contribute on this debate, Mr. President. I wish to say that the comments made by the Hon. Member from Angola that were supported by Hon. Dery regarding the timely presentation of reports to Members are well noted. However, when we look at the operational systems here, we have serious limitations that we have to acknowledge, first, before we make such very big and important demands.Let me give you an example, Mr. President. Our Committee on Co-operation, International Relations and Conflict Resolution met on Thursday and Friday and by Friday, we were writing a report which did not have translations in other languages. The Members in that Committee were complaining. I am wondering whether we can afford a situation whereby if the report is being drafted, there are simultaneous translations. If that was to take place, then maybe we could succeed. It happens that if the report is drafted in French, those who are drafting it ultimately have to give it back for translation into other languages. I am saying these are the limitations that we have. If we do not acknowledge them, we will be on the neck of the President and his Bureau will be on the neck of the Secretariat and ultimately, who will be blameless in the whole process? Let us own up to our limitations and accept that certain limitations will limit our efficacy in terms of operationalising our systems.That is just my observation, Mr President, but I think the call for timely presentation or release of the reports is very genuine. However, we have these limitations that we must also own up to before we put all the blame on the Bureau and the Secretariat.I thank you.

AN HONORABLE MEMBER:Mr. President, regrettably, I cannot see any of such limitations. When you want to have a report on time you make sure that the activity preceding the presentation of that report is done in good time and not very late. This is the problem. For instance, if the report is to be presented on 10^th, make sure that, either the Permanent Committee meets well before that time like on 3^rd or 4^th. On the question of the Member of the Secretariat saying that when she came to this House, that is what was going on, regrettably, I have to say here that if that was what was done, then, it was wrong and you cannot continue with what is wrong.Mr. President, I would like to suggest that before any item is put on the Order Paper for the day, it should be made sure that the report is ready in advance and should have been circulated to everybody otherwise, as my colleague has said here, it will be making mockery of all of us.Thank you very much.

HON. KHUMALO MARWICK [SWAZILAND]:Mr. President, thank you very much for giving me the Floor. Firstly, Mr. President, I would like to propose that we continue with the Activity Report of the Pan-African Parliament because it is going to be read and really, it is the report of the PanAfrican Parliament which we can debate with ease. On that score, Mr. President, I would support that we continue with the work on the Activity Report of the Pan-African Parliament because it is a report that is traditional, unless there are other issues.Secondly, Mr. President, it is true that like the Hon. Member from Sierra Leone said, he is right that probably it should not be happening in the way it has happened. However, it is true that for those of us who have been here from day one when the Pan-African Parliament started, these reports have been received here. There was a time in the past when hon. Members were given the reports a few days in advance, but Members would forget them in their hotels the next day. Then they would ask for second copies of the same reports when they entered the Chamber. That was the reason this practice was discontinued. Therefore, I am saying...(Interjections)

HON. KHUMALO MARWICK [SWAZILAND]:I am talking about what used to happen. I am supporting the fact that, Mr. President, reports have to be given in advance in order for them to be read and have hon. Members informed prior to the debate that is to ensue the next day. That is what is happening in all our Parliaments, I want to believe. It should not be different here, but I am just talking about the history, which is a fact, Mr. President.Mr. President, having said that, I still maintain and support that we cannot just sit here and say we are not doing anything today. At least, the Activity Report can be debated because I believe it is harmless.Thank you, Mr. President.

HON. AMADI BETHEL [NIGERIA]:Mr. President and distinguished honourable colleagues. May I sincerely apologies on behalf of the Bureau and the Secretariat. We have here a part-time Parliament and most of us arrive here a few days before the session. Most of the reports that are being presented are finalised by hon. Members when we arrive. As a result, sometimes it takes a lot of time to get the right translations done on time. We are not denying the fact that Members are entitled to have the reports days in advance to enable them give them the appropriate scrutiny. We have had a few challenges in the recent past. We sincerely apologies for these lapses and believe that we will work very hard to improve on the process.May I, therefore, urge all hon. colleagues here present to, please, bear with some of these challenges that we have had. We are mandating the Secretariat and also the Committees that produce the reports to ensure that these reports are done on time to enable us have them translated and distributed. We promise to improve on this process.Thank you very much.

LE PRESIDENT:Merci beaucoup. Je propose qu’on avance. On va vérifier si on a le quorum, pour examiner le Règlement intérieur.Maintenant, après avoir vérifié le quorum, on peut suspendre la séance et procéder à la réunion des Présidents, pour réexaminer le calendrier de notre session, parce que le calendrier émane de la Conférence des Présidents, c’est-à-dire, la réunion des Présidents du Bureau du Parlement panafricain et des Bureaux des Commissions et des Présidents des Caucus régionaux et des Caucus des femmes.Donc, je suggère qu’on vérifie le quorum. Si on a le quorum, on procède aux amendements du Règlement intérieur et aussitôt on va suspendre pour une réunion de la Conférence des présidents.Secrétariat, vérifiez si on a le quorum qualifié pour amender le Règlement intérieur.Ok! On est 92; on est loin des 121 pour le quorum qualifié.

HON. NGUINI EFFA MARIE-ROSE [CAMEROON]:Il y en a qui n’ont même pas signé!

HON.NGUINI EFFA MARIE- ROSE [CAMEROON]:Merci beaucoup, Monsieur le Président.C’est par rapport au quorum. Vous savez très bien, Monsieur le Président, que tous les parlements n’ont pas encore désigné leurs représentants. Donc, nous devons juste tenir compte des parlementaires ou effectivement des pays qui ont déjà envoyé leurs parlementaires, par rapport au quorum. Sinon on ne peut pas avoir le bon nombre.Merci Monsieur le Président.

LE PRESIDENT:Ces éléments sont pris en compte pour la recherche du quorum.Honorable Zély, vous pouvez nous dire le quorum qualifié recherché, aujourd’hui, pour amender le Règlement intérieur?

HON. INZOUNGOU-MASSANGA ZELY PIERRE [CONGO]:Merci Monsieur le Président.Au départ, le Parlement panafricain était composé de 47 Etats membres; ce qui représentait un total de 235 députés. Mais, depuis, il y a un certain nombre de situations qui se sont créées dans certains pays et on compte, aujourd’hui, des Etats sous sanction, donc, qui ne sont plus représentés au Parlement: c’est le cas de Madagascar.On compte des Etats sans parlement: c’est le cas du Niger et de la Guinée. A ceux-là, s’ajoutent la Tunisie et l’Egypte.Il y a également sur la liste que j’ai, ici, des pays qui sortent des élections et qui n’ont pas encore communiqué leurs députés.Donc, de mon point de vue, il faut faire la somme de tout cela, pour voir l’effectif exact, aujourd’hui, des membres du Parlement panafricain, et à partir de cet effectif exact, on prendra les 2/3.

LE PRESIDENT:Honorable Mugyeni.

HON. MUGYENYI MARY RUTAMWEBWA [UGANDA]:Mr. President, what I really wanted to say is what Hon. Inzoungou-Massanga has just said. We have countries like Ethiopia that, even if they held an election sometime back, still do not have Members in this House. Therefore, what do we do with countries that are not sending Members to this Parliament? Do we continue to fail to get a quorum whether we have passed the amendments to these rules or not? There are countries such as Malawi to add on Ethiopia that still do not have representation in this House. What do we do with countries that are not sending Members here? I think we need to find a solution thereto. This House needs to work on the way forward in this regard. I think the question should be put to the House to find a solution. We cannot continue like this. We have been talking about the drafting of the amendments of the rules for years now, but I think the House needs to take a decision on this.

LE PRESIDENT:Il a été déduit: Madagascar, le Niger, la Guinée, l’Egypte et la Tunisie, l’Ethiopie, la République Centrafricaine, la Côte d’Ivoire.Donc, après déduction, la plénière fait 194 parlementaires, et le quorum de deux-tiers (les 194) est de 129.

HON. BOUDINA MOSTEFA [ALGERIA]:Monsieur le Président, dans tous les cas, vous avez fait une proposition que je soutiens.C’est un travail qui aurait dû être fait par le secrétariat. C’est un travail dont le secrétariat aurait dû faire l’inventaire de ce qui est officiel, règlementaire et de ce qui ne l’est pas. Il aurait dû nous présenter le quorum exact à atteindre. Comme le travail n’est pas fait, je soutiens votre proposition de lever la séance et de tenir une réunion de coordination avec le bureau des Commissions et des Caucus.Je vous remercie, Monsieur le Président.

LE PRESIDENT:Le travail est fait par le Secrétariat; il est devant moi.Nous allons suspendre la séance et nous retrouver à 10 heures 30 minutes, pour la réunion du Bureau du Parlement panafricain, avec les Bureaux des Commissions permanentes et les Présidents des Caucus régionaux et Caucus des femmes.La séance est suspendue.(Suspension de séance)

Mme WAWA JOSIANE:Merci Monsieur le Président.La journée du jeudi 12 mai, pas de changement.Vendredi 13 mai, de 09 heures à 12 heures 30: il est inscrit à l’ordre du jour la présentation des débats sur le rapport d’activités du Parlement panafricain. L’après-midi est consacré à la réunion du groupe des femmes parlementaires et le programme de formation de la Banque mondiale pour le développement.Lundi 16 mai:premier point inscrit à l’ordre du jour: la présentation et les débats relatifs au rapport sur la paix et la sécurité;le deuxième point à l’ordre du jour: l’élection du deuxième vice-président du PAP;troisième point à l’ordre du jour: le programme d’informations relatif à l’évaluation des Secrétaires généraux et des Secrétaires généraux adjoints;quatrième point à l’ordre du jour: point d’informations relatif au rapport sur les contrats du personnel et les recrutements.L’après-midi, de 14 heures 30 à 17 heures: présentation et débats sur le rapport intermédiaire de la Commission d’évaluation administrative et financière.Journée du mardi 17 mai, de14 heures 30 à 18 heures: présentation et débats sur le rapport relatif aux droits de l’Homme et des peuples. Présentation qui sera faite par l’honorable Agnès MUKABARANGA.Le reste est sans changement.Monsieur le Président, merci.

LE PRESIDENT:Merci beaucoup, honorables membres...

HON. BOUDINA MOSTEFA [ALGERIA]:Point d’informations, Monsieur le Président!

LE PRESIDENT:Oui! Point d’informations.

HON. BOUDINA MOSTEFA [ALGERIA]:Je souhaiterais, Monsieur le Président, que le Secrétariat annonce les salles de réunions et les horaires des Commissions.

LE PRESIDENT:D’accord! On va le faire. Le Secrétariat va le faire.Donc, voilà les amendements apportés, suite à la motion pour la disponibilité des rapports présentés en plénière. La Conférence des Président a pris bonne note des interventions et de l’échange que nous avons eus, en plénière, et nous ferons de notre mieux pour que, autant que possible, les rapports soient disponibles le plus tôt possible, pour que les membres du Parlement puissent apporter de manière efficiente leurs contributions.S’il n’y a pas d’observations sur ce nouveau calendrier, je vais demander au Secrétariat de donner - s’il y a des annonces notamment - la répartition des Commissions par salle.English follows (14:51:51-14:52:56)

THE CLERK:Mr. President, Honourable Members, your Committees will be meeting this afternoon at 3 o’clock.a.The Committee on Gender, Family, Youth and People with Disability will meet in Committee Room number 1;b.The Committee on Cooperation, International Relations and Conflict Resolutions will meet in Committee Room number 2;c.The Committee on Administrative and Financial Evaluation (CAFE) should meet in the Presidential Board Room;d.The Committee on Transport, Industry, Communication, Energy and Technology should meet Committee Room number 3;e.Committee on Education, Culture, Tourism and Human Resources, in Committee Room number 4;f.Committee on Trade, Customs and Immigration in Committee Room number 5; and theg.Committee on Military and Financial Affairs in Committee Room number 6Thank you Mr. President

LE PRESIDENT:Merci. Nous allons, sur ce, procéder à la suspension de notre séance pour reprendre, demain, jeudi 12 mai 2011, à 09 heures.La séance est suspendue.

Thursday, 12 May, 2011

LE PRESIDENT:Merci. Prenez place, s’il vous plaît!Honorables membres,Notre séance est ouverte.Honorables membres,Conformément aux dispositions de l’article 38.1 g, j’invite le Docteur Ibrahim Hassan MAYAKI, Directeur Exécutif de l’Agence de Planification et de Coordination du NEPAD, à entrer dans la Chambre.J’invite le Secrétaire général à donner lecture du premier point inscrit à l’ordre du jour.

THE CLERK:Mr. President, presentation and debate on the state of implementation of NEPAD’s programmes.

LE PRESIDENT:J’invite le Docteur IBRAHIM HASSAN MAYAKI, Directeur Exécutif de l’Agence de Planification et de Coordination du NEPAD, à faire sa présentation.

1.0 – PRSENTATION ET DÉBATS SUR L’ÉTAT D’EXÉCUTION DES PROGRAMMES DU NEPAD

HON. IBRAHIM ASSANE MAYAKI [CHIEF EXECUTIF OFFICE OF NEPAD]:Mr. President, Hon. Members of Parliament, Ambassadors representing the African diplomatic corps, distinguished colleagues, ladies and gentlemen.It is a privilege and pleasure to be invited to make a contribution at this 4^th Ordinary Session of the Pan-African Parliament (PAP). I am particularly pleased that I am able to share with you our collective commitment towards the pursuit of building a better continent for our people. As Africans, we all face the imminent and collective challenge in ensuring that the African Union (AU) and in particular the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) makes a genuine impact in addressing the challenges of poverty, development and marginalisation of the African continent. We need to place our continent on the path of sustainability and restore its dignity.(French follows 09.15.06 - 09.19.12)Et avant de procéder à l’examen de la mise en œuvre des programmes de NEPAD, je vais me permettre, Monsieur le Président, de dresser le contexte global dans lequel se situent les activités. Sur le plan mondial, ce que nous constatons, c’est l’évolution d’un monde unipolaire vers un monde multipolaire. Et la présence des économies émergentes est un signe très caractéristique de cette évolution - la présence et le poids des économies émergentes. Dans ce monde multipolaire, l’Afrique doit constituer un pôle de croissance et de développement. Ce qui veut dire, Monsieur le Président, chers députés, que les stratégies de développement que nous avons menées, au cours des cinquante (50) dernières années, doivent être revisitées dans la perspective de faire de l’Afrique un pôle de croissance et de développement dans ce contexte multipolaire.La deuxième caractéristique du contexte global dans lequel nous sommes, c’est que de tous les continents du monde nous sommes celui qui a fait, en termes de progrès, comparé à des continents et qui étaient dans des conditions relativement similaires, le plus d’avancé dans le domaine de la démocratisation et de la gouvernance. Et il y a une corrélation nette entre la qualité de nos indicateurs macroéconomique et la qualité de nos systèmes de gouvernance qui ont connu des progrès notoires.La troisième caractéristique, qui est spécifiquement africaine, c’est que nous sommes le continent le plus jeune du monde: deux (2) africains sur trois (3) ont moins de vingt-cinq (25) ans. Ceci est un potentiel considérable et, en même temps, il constitue un défi. Dans un pays comme le mien - le Niger - compte tenu de notre taux de croissance, cela veut dire que, sur le marché de l’emploi, chaque année sur une population de douze (12) millions d’habitants, au moins 200,000 cohortes de jeunes de 18 à 25 ans sont à la recherche d’un emploi. Nous sommes le continent le plus jeune avec un potentiel extraordinaire mais, en même temps, cette jeunesse constitue un défi à nos systèmes de gouvernance et dans la construction du continent, comme un pôle de croissance, les politiques spécifiques liées au développement et à l’emploi de cette jeunesse sont, évidement, essentielles.(English continues)It is in this regard, that I feel honoured to share with you the major developments that have taken place over the past year in the implementation of NEPAD by the newly established NEPAD Planning and Co-ordinating Agency which we call NEPAD Agency. I would like, in the same vein, to share with you our thoughts on how PAP, as a key organ of the AU, could synergistically work with the NEPAD Agency in fast-tracking the implementation of NEPAD programmes.Following the decision of the 14^th AU Assembly, the NEPAD Agency is now the technical development agency of the AU with a clear and specific mandate focused on implementation of programmes. This decision has provided us with an opportunity to enhance and strengthen our efforts in co-ordinating and facilitating the implementation of NEPAD’s regional and national development programmes and projects. In this regard, the NEPAD Agency has continued to work very closely with the AU Commission in consolidating and harmonising key AU decisions on the NEPAD programmes.The NEPAD Agency now focuses on result-based performance to deliver on its new mandate. In this regard, the agency has been working on its strategy direction which is based on the AU Commission Strategic Plan of 2009-2012. Equally, in the past year, the NEPAD Agency has adopted the AU rules, regulations and practices for its human resources, finance and administration systems. In addition, the agency has taken leadership in the mobilisation of partners and resources for the implementation of our regional and continental programmes and projects. As a result, we are also currently working on a specific results mobilisation strategy.With regard to our programmatic work over the past years, the NEPAD Agency has recorded progress in the following areas:

AGRICULTURE AND FOOD SECURITY

Mr. President, twenty-six African countries have now signed CADEP compacts on one regional compact by the Economic Community for West African Countries (ECOWAS) signifying the strengthening of CADEP. CADEP is, as you all know, is the Comprehensive African Agricultural Development Programme, which has been adopted as the continental framework for agricultural development and targets eleven (11) projectivity of 6 per cent per year for the next five years.If you may recall, at the AU Summit in Maputo, it was also taken as a decision to allocate 10 per cent of public resources to the sector of agriculture. I would like to say we are targeting to create conditions that allow agricultural land development in Africa. As you all know, our insipient levels of industrialisation and the limitations to hiring in the public sector make agriculture the sound, potential absorptive capacity of our youth. The best way in which we can create the necessary conditions for youth employment is to develop our agriculture. On this same dimension, we have worked on technical guidelines to facilitate access to funding for agricultural purposes. We have developed a model which can be used by African countries and have taken Lesotho as the model.Regarding the issue of illegal fishing, we are combating it and promoting better trade governance. We also consider it as a priority and continue to address this priority with African Ministers of Fisheries and Aquaculture. In collaboration with the AU Commission and the Economic Commission for Africa, the NEPAD Agency also unveils the rural future programme which is looking into the changing scenarios of the future rural development landscape.

REGIONAL INTEGRATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE

Mr. President, the AU Commission and the NEPAD Agency jointly provided technical coordination support for the take-off of the Presidential Infrastructure Champion Initiative with the ministerial and experts meetings organised by the Government of South Africa as the Chair. In the context of that presidential initiative which is a must within the framework of the Programme for Infrastructural Development in Africa (PIDA), some key projects have been targeted for implementation. These include the finalisation of the Trans-Saharan Highway, the development of the optic fibre project from Abuja going through Niger and landing in Algeria, Brazzaville-Kinshasa Road and rail projects, the North-South Corridor in Southern Africa, the Dakar-Djibouti Road and rail projects and the Regional Optic Fibre Project which is developed from Rwanda. Each one of these regional infrastructure projects are being technically supported by the NEPAD Agency and have political champions who are presidents of the respective countries which have volunteered to be presidents of these projects.On another aspect, the EU-African Infrastructure Trust Fund has approved the grant of Euros 1.35 million for the feasibility study for the NEPAD Information, Communication and Technology (ICT) infrastructure network covering West, Central and North Africa. This will close the ICT broad-band gap in these sub-regions.

CLIMATE CHANGE AND NATURAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT

The AU Commission and the NEPAD Agency collaborated in providing technical support to facilitate African negotiations and the design of a common position to the climate change conference in Cancun Mexico.

HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

The NEPAD Teacher Development Centre on training in Mathematics based in Kenya has made progress in its activities while a similar centre is to be established in Gabon. Regional economic activities have been engaged through the African Medicines Regulatory Harmonisation Initiative which is another initiative that is a key component of the African Union Pharmaceutical Plan. We believe that the regulatory issues are absolutely fundamental if we want to soundly implement the AU Pharmaceutical Plan and fight against the use of false and illegal medicines.

CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT

On the cross-cutting issues in capacity development, the Capacity Development Strategic Framework, which has been adopted by the AU, is being operationalised with the roll out of the Capacity Development Report Programme for the Common Market for East and Southern Africa (COMESA) and ECOWAS. Its major role is to support the development of implementing capacity for the regional economic communities with the financial support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Federal Republic of Germany.I would like to highlight the fact that one of the key obstacles to our effective development strategies is our capacity to implement them. Therefore, targeting the deficits in capacity and looking at ways to improve these capacities is absolutely fundamental if we want to move from theoretically designed objectives to concrete results. In the same vein, we have been mainstreaming capacity development into NEPAD’s sectoral priorities. We started this process that focuses on agriculture, infrastructure, gender, science and technology in the agency in October, 2010.

GENDER

Through the NEPAD Spanish Front, the second call for project proposals to promote African Women Empowerment and the Business Incubator Project is in progress, following the recommitment by the Government of Spain for Euros10 million support. This programme is particularly important because it will not only target the development of business-oriented women projects in the field but, at the same time, be a source of employment.

POLICY ALIGNMENT AND PROGRAMME DEVELOPMENT

On policy alignment and programme development, the agency has done the following:The NEPAD Agency worked on the regional programmes on combating tuberculosis and tryponosomiasis with partners.An impact assessment programme to promote evidence-based policy on agriculture and food securityBio-energy programme for small holders in partnership with Gates Foundation and Michigan State University has been developed.I would like to briefly say something on the importance of the bio-energy programme for small farmers. One of the key factors in enhancing agricultural productivity is the availability of energy in the agricultural sector. As we know, the percentage of Africans who have access to electricity is between 7 and 10 per cent. That percentage of access to modern energy is a fundamental obstacle to the development of agricultural productivity. Tapping into possibilities of bio-energy instruments will be absolutely important to enhance agricultural productivity in rural areas.

STRATEGY AND KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT

We have been working towards designing monitoring and evaluation frameworks, quality assurance, scenario planning and risk management capabilities and systems in collaboration with the UNDP, the Institute Studies in South Africa and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa.

COMMUNICATION

The issue of communication is very important for NEPAD. We have not been very good in highlighting what we are doing, therefore, communicating and advocating the vision of the AU and NEPAD is being strengthened through the set up of a revamped communication strategy and stakeholder engagements that are helping us to build, drive and sustain juvenile awareness and buying into the work that we are doing. On this aspect, we intend to liaise and have started to do so, very strongly, with the private sector and civil society organisations.

Mr. President, what lessons have we learnt in the implementation of the NEPAD programmes? Firstly, we should collectively, as AU and its organs such as the NEPAD Agency, regional economic communities and national governments, focus on the implementation of approved policies, strategies and programmes. This is critical, given the tendency in the past where the focus was largely on developing policies and strategies and getting them approved by summits and less on supporting implementation. The NEPAD Agency is working to address this gap by strengthening political leadership in ensuring implementation. The Presidential Champion Initiative and Infrastructure is an illustration of this process.Secondly, we have learnt that the NEPAD Heads of State and Government Orientation Committee is a key element in fast-tracking the implementation of key NEPAD programmes. They play an instrumental role in championing both regional and national NEPAD programmes which will also end blocking obstacles that arise in the implementation process. The concept of champions for selected NEPAD priority programmes is one which we intend to forestall as part of our advocacy in the implementation of NEPAD programmes.Thirdly, we have learnt that Africa is going through major demographic and socio-economic changes. Due to these unfolding changes, young people are emerging and are likely to emerge as key agents for change. It is, therefore, critical and imperative that, as African development practitioners, leaders and representatives of the people, we pay attention to the role that the youths can play in the governance of our countries and also their participation in the mainstream economy. This is one area where we, as the NEPAD Agency, are very keen to work jointly with PAP in defining viable interventions that can respond to these challenges.Hon. Members, we see you as champions, in your own right, in the respective areas of development competency.Fourthly, we have learnt that the global development and aid architecture is rapidly changing. As Africans, we should also begin to respond to these changes within the emerging role of BRICS on the global development landscape. Coupled with the emerging interest in Africa’s natural resources, it is evident that, as Africa, we shall need to define the role of these nontraditional partners because, as you all know, we cannot allow the exploitation of our natural resources to follow the same trends as in the past. Lastly and perhaps more critical is that we have learnt that the future development destiny of Africa lies in the hands of Africans. We have learnt that although development aid is important for Africa, it is unlikely to develop Africa. Africans must marshal their own resources to develop the continent. PAP has, clearly, an important role in the mobilisation of Africa’s own resources and NEPAD can be a mechanism to ensure that this happens. NEPAD speaks to the need for changing gear in the way national governments conduct the business of development and also the way Africa relates to the international development community.Within the context of reforms, there is recognition of the centrality of Parliamentarians. As lawmakers, Parliamentarians are key in facilitating major national, regional and continental reforms. For instance, our Parliamentarians are key in championing the policies that can foster regional integration. Our Parliamentarians are key in addressing the growing and widening disparities between the rich and the poor in our countries and in promoting interventions such as social protection. Our Parliamentarians are key in bringing to the attention of their national governments the vastly deteriorating environment and the danger it poses to the entire African continent. Our Parliamentarians, as democratically elected representatives of the people, are key interlocutors between local communities and the Executive. Indeed, PAP could very well take leadership in advancing the rights, and it is doing so, by advancing the rights and equal participation of women, youths, the protection of children’s rights and campaigning against the use of child soldiers, among others. The NEPAD Agency stands ready to develop specific interventions and strategies that could be championed by PAP. Allow me to propose that the NEPAD Agency and PAP establishes a joint working technical committee to look into joint interventions that could be advanced in support of PAP’s activities. NEPAD encapsulates the vision and hope, flexibility and expertise in the renewal of a new Africa as an AU programme. NEPAD has assured and demonstrated, the best it could, that Africa is willing and ready to define its own destiny in an intelligent partnership with the rest of the world.Mr. President, NEPAD has the real potential to break the vicious cycles of poverty, its development and bad marginalisation. There are great expectations within Africa and its peoples for NEPAD to succeed and bring about the longawaited change in repositioning Africa as the future global economic power.(French follows 09:46:34 - 09:47:05)Et, c’est dans cette perspective, Monsieur le Président, honorables députés, que je voudrais réitérer notre entière disponibilité à travailler comme un instrument technique qui peut vous permettre d’atteindre votre objectif et, par-delà d’aider l’Afrique à se développer.Je vous remercie.(Applauses)

LE PRESIDENT:Merci beaucoup Docteur MAYAKI, pour cette brillante présentation. Merci également pour votre régulière disponibilité, et je voudrais, au nom du parlement Panafricain, vous féliciter pour la brillante gestion de la jeune Agence de Planification et de Coordination du NEPAD.J’invite, à présent, l’honorable Mostefa BOUDINA, Président de la Commission permanente des Transports, de l’Industrie, des Communications, de l’Energie, des Sciences et de la Technologie, à faire sa présentation.

2.0 – PRÉSENTATION DE LA COMMISSION PERMANENTE DES TRANSPORTS, DE L’INDUSTRIE, DES COMMUNICATIONS, DE L’ENERGIE, DES SCIENCES ET DE LA TECHNOLOGIE

HON. BOUDINA MOSTEFA [ALGERIA]:Honorable Président du Parlement Panafricain,Chers collègues,Monsieur le Directeur de l’Agence de Développement,Je voudrais, d’abord, rappeler que la Commission que je préside répond, peut-être, sur plusieurs domaines qui relèvent de l’autorité de votre Agence, notamment le transport, l’énergie, l’industrie, les communications, les sciences et les technologies.Notre Commission a déploré, dès hier, le fait de n’avoir pas reçu votre rapport à temps, pour pouvoir l’examiner et faire ressortir les principales appréciations de ce qui était à réaliser et aussi les préoccupations qui restent à prendre en charge.Monsieur le Directeur,Vous venez de créer un espoir chez nos parlementaires pour nos prochaines collaborations plus actives et plus pragmatiques, entre notre parlement et votre agence. Nous enregistrons votre volonté et votre disponibilité dans ce domaine.Depuis le lancement du NEPAD, nous avons eu à travailler ensemble, pour vulgariser son contenu, en tant que nouvelle stratégie de développement, en tant que programme, mais aussi, dans la seconde phase, nous avons commencé à traduire cette stratégie et ce programme en projets de court, moyen et long terme.Dans ce cadre, vous avez évoqué, par exemple, le domaine des infrastructures: vous avez parlé de la transsaharienne.Nous savons que le tracé de la transsaharienne va d’Alger jusqu’à Abuja, et que sa réalisation a débuté, il y a longtemps - la partie du Nigéria étant réalisée, la partie algérienne également - et pendant longtemps, le Niger a rencontré des difficultés de financement.La question qui se pose, aujourd’hui, est la suivante: est-ce que ce problème de financement pour la partie du Niger a été réglé? Et, si c’est le cas, quand est-ce que cette transsaharienne sera opérationnelle? Quand est-ce qu’elle permettra aux africains de circuler d’Alger jusqu’à Abuja? Vous avez également parlé de la fibre optique d’Alger à Abuja.Cela nous ramène à parler du réseau de la fibre optique. On souhaiterait avoir plus de détails dans le domaine pratique de l’implantation de ces fibres optiques, qui vont régler énormément des problèmes dans le domaine de la communication entre les différents pays d’Afrique.Il y a également le domaine du ferroviaire.Dans ce domaine, où est-ce que nous en sommes? Il y a le problème de la connexion entre les sousrégions. Est-ce que le problème de la différence de voies va enfin trouver une solution? Parce qu’il s’avère que la différence de voies empêche la mise en place de la connexion entamée dans ces régions.Il y a également un rêve qui a été annoncé au cours d’une réunion des ministres du Transport, qui s’est tenue à Alger, concernant le domaine du ferroviaire. Un communiqué a été annoncé par les ministres africains du Transport, qu’un projet de réseau ferroviaire allait être programmé ainsi la réalisation d’une ligne ferroviaire d’Alger jusqu’en Afrique du Sud.Est-ce que ce projet demeure encore une œuvre? Ou, alors, il y a une étude de faisabilité qui a commencé?Il y a également le domaine du transport aérien. Nous savons très bien que, quand Air Afrique a fait faillite, beaucoup d’efforts ont été déployés dans le passé. Est-ce qu’il y a un espoir qu’une compagnie africaine - privée ou semi-privée - va être créée? Ou, est-ce que nous allons continuer à subir le pénible trajet, en passant par les pays d’Europe pour venir en Afrique du Sud?Il y a également le transport maritime.Nous avons évoqué le transport maritime dans les rapports précédents.Je crois que là, il faut ouvrir une parenthèse pour dire que cela fait quatre ans que nous n’avons pas eu de rapport d’évaluation de la part de votre Direction. Ce qui nous fait travailler toujours sur les anciens documents qui ne sont pas à jour, en matière d’informations entre votre Agence et notre Parlement. C’est pour cela que je repose ce problème de transbordement entre les différents ports d’Afrique; où en sommes-nous? Parce qu’il y a des ports qui sont réalisés.Et le trafic; est-ce qu’il y a une opération concrète de transbordement qui a été lancée entre les différents ports d’Afrique?Il y a également le transport fluvial.On n’en parle pas beaucoup. Il y a un souci dans le domaine des infrastructures. Est-ce que la fameuse Convention dans le domaine du transport aérien entre nos différents Etats africains (signée à Yamoussoukro) est entrée en activité? Est-ce que le problème de la signature a été réglé?Dans le domaine de l’énergie, vous avez parlé du gazoduc Alger-Abuja; est-ce qu’il y a d’autres gazoducs d’autres pays traversant l’Afrique? Jusqu’à maintenant, la seule information, c’est le projet qui a été lancé.La question qui se pose est la suivante: J’ai assisté personnellement au lancement du projet et, plus précisément, au plan de l’étude de faisabilité. Depuis la rencontre d’Alger, on n’a plus d’informations. Où en sommes-nous avec le projet de ce gazoduc?Les peuples d’Afrique, notamment les pays que traverse ce gazoduc, attendent ce progrès technique, économique et social, puisqu’il va leur permettre de passer du chauffage à bois au chauffage à gaz, et il y a une impatience qui se déclare chez les populations.Il y a également les centrales électriques.Où en sommes-nous avec les régions et les raccordements entre les différentes centrales électriques qui devaient renforcer l’éclairage et la lumière sur les pays d’Afrique?Dans le domaine de l’industrie, là, Monsieur le Directeur, notre Commission est dans le noir. Nous n’avons aucune information. La seule information que nous avons est qu’il y a absence de stratégie industrielle africaine. Nous souhaiterions que votre Agence nous transmette des informations concrètes pour savoir ce que nous pouvons apprécier, en ce qui concerne l’industrie.Nous savons seulement que l’industrie du pétrole, dans certains pays, est sous la mainmise des Américains et que l’industrie du bois, ce sont les Français. Où en sommes-nous avec l’autonomie de l’initiative de nos différents pays dans le domaine de l’industrie? Est-ce qu’il y a une coopération interafricaine dans ce domaine?Dans le domaine des Tics; où en sommes-nous dans l’extension de l’internet et de l’augmentation de son débit, à travers les différents pays d’Afrique?Pour la téléphonie mobile, nous savons tout simplement que, selon le dernier rapport qu’on a eu, il y a 4 ou 5 ans, la téléphonie mobile a fait un très grand pas. Elle couvre toute l’Afrique maintenant.Nous avions eu à suggérer à l’Union africaine - je ne sais pas si vous avez pris en charge notre suggestion - que ces multinationales qui font des bénéfices énormes, à travers l’Afrique (puisque tous les Africains sont abonnés) de voir la possibilité de décider d’une taxe sur les bénéfices de ces multinationales pour pouvoir renforcer le budget de l’Union africaine et, par conséquent, de notre Parlement.La même chose pour le téléphone fixe; là aussi, il y a eu des progrès, mais nous souhaiterions avoir des statistiques aussi bien pour le téléphone mobile, l’internet que le téléphone fixe.Vous avez parlé, tout à l’heure, des fibres optiques.Dans le domaine des sciences et de la technologie, Monsieur le Directeur, nous avons eu la chance de tenir une séance de travail avec une responsable de votre Direction. Nous avons débattu le rapport qui nous a été soumis. Dans ce rapport, il était question de le soumettre à cette Session, mais comme nous avons la chance de recevoir le patron même de cette Agence et d’avoir un rapport plus global, nous avons décidé de laisser de côté ce rapport qui est édifiant, en matière de statistiques et de renseignements.Notre Commission a décidé de soumettre ce problème à la prochaine Session.Cependant, il y a une autre préoccupation que nous avons fait ressortir à travers le débat, au sein de notre Commission: c’est la recherche scientifique.Dans le domaine de la recherche scientifique, nos Chefs d’Etats, au cours de l’une de leurs réunions, ont décidé de fixer le taux de financement de la recherche scientifique à 1% du revenu national brut. Nous savons que certains pays ont atteint et dépassé ce taux, et leur nombre ne dépasse pas 3 ou 4, et la plupart des autres pays d’Afrique sont encore à 0,3 ou 0,4% en matière de financement. Nous n’avons pas de statistiques non plus, en ce qui concerne la fuite de cerveaux.La fuite des cerveaux, qui est un grave problème que nous avons toujours dénoncé et dont on s’est plaint, est en train de se transformer, aujourd’hui, en un exode de cerveaux, c’est-à-dire que c’est nous-mêmes qui poussons nos scientifiques à aller ailleurs. Pourquoi? Parce que nos scientifiques ne sont pas payés en conséquence. La science n’est pas payée. C’est le politique qui est le mieux payé, dans l’échelle des valeurs des salaires, suivi de l’administratif et le scientifique arrive en 3^èmeposition.Toujours dans le domaine de la recherche scientifique, on souhaiterait avoir le nombre de scientifiques africains qui travaillent pour le compte du développement des pays occidentaux? Je ne sais pas si votre Agence a étudié la politique des salaires, en direction des scientifiques; quelle est la moyenne salariale qui est distribuée?Nous avons aussi un manque d’informations, en matière de brevets d’invention.Est-ce que nos scientifiques qui restent opérationnels dans nos pays induisent des brevets d’invention? Et, nous en sommes à quel taux? A quel nombre?Quant au nombre de cadres qui bénéficient d’une formation dans le domaine scientifique, est-ce que nous pouvons avoir des statistiques ou des informations y afférentes? Est-ce que notre Parlement est en train d’encourager cet effort?Nous savons qu’il y a un effort qui a été fait dans ce domaine. Toutefois, nous manquons d’informations et de statistiques.Monsieur le Directeur,Le NEPAD, au début, a été pris en charge par nos chefs d’Etats.Dans tous les organismes qui ont été mobilisés à cet effet, nous constatons, ces derniers temps, qu’il y a de moins en moins de médiatisation, et le NEPAD n’est pas suffisamment vulgarisé. C’est vrai qu’il est de notre ressort de vulgariser le contenu du NEPAD, dans ses objectifs, etc., mais, comment voulez-vous qu’on puisse vulgariser le contenu de ce NEPAD, si nous manquons de statistiques et d’informations sur l’état d’application? Parce qu’il y a une différence.Nous avons pendant longtemps travaillé avec la Direction du NEPAD, on a eu suffisamment d’informations, quant au contenu théorique, quant aux objectifs, mais on n’a pas jusqu’à maintenant quantifié l’état d’application des projets annoncés, au moins, dans le court terme. Il y a le court terme, il y a le moyen terme et il y a le long terme.Il y a également les difficultés que l’Afrique rencontre dans la réalisation du NEPAD dans sa globalité, et en partant du G8; où en sommesnous avec l’engagement du G8 à garantir les financements des projets?Nous savons que, jusqu’à maintenant, le soutien financier des partenaires n’y arrive que lorsqu’il y a des projets juteux; les projets qui ne sont pas juteux sont toujours négligés par nos partenaires. Est-ce que nous pouvons avoir des informations dans ce domaine?J’ai apprécié, dans votre rapport, Monsieur le Directeur, que vous ayez annoncé votre volonté de mettre en place un Comité qui travaillera, à l’avenir, avec l’inter-parlement. Nous-mêmes, nous avons réfléchi à ce cadre de travail. Et puisque nous avons déjà lancé l’organisation des rencontres régionales - la première a été tenue à Alger, où on a eu à inviter deux membres de votre Direction de venir assister - on a réuni les opérateurs et les experts des infrastructures, malheureusement, vos représentants n’ont pas pu venir, faute de budget. Nous-mêmes, nous n’avons pu tenir d’autres rencontres dans les autres sous-régions, faute de budget. Comment allons-nous ensemble trouver le financement pour continuer la tenue de ces rencontres au niveau de ces régions?Laissez-moi-vous dire, Monsieur le Directeur, que le seul moyen, le seul cadre, et le seul niveau valable pour l’examen de l’état d’application, en somme, c’est à travers les sous-régions et non pas au niveau central du continent, comme nous le faisons aujourd’hui. Quand nous nous déplaçons dans les sous-régions, nous aurons à travailler avec les experts de la sous-région, avec les parlementaires de la sous-région, avec les universitaires de la sous-région et avec les opérateurs chargés de la réalisation des projets. Et, c’est à ce niveau que nous pouvons quantifier l’état d’application du NEPAD.Voilà, en résumé, Monsieur le Directeur, et dans notre future collaboration, notre Commission souhaite qu’il y ait des rencontres avec les responsables de votre département, avant de venir en plénière présenter un rapport.Vous, de votre côté, votre rapport sera complet et nous, de notre côté, notre rapport sera complet, et on se renforcera à faire la lumière et à encourager la réalisation du NEPAD.C’est encore une urgence: le NEPAD a besoin d’être encore vulgarisé, et cet effort, nous devons le partager, vous et les parlementaires à travers les sous-régions.Voilà, Monsieur le Président, voilà chers collègues, ce que notre Commission voulait introduire comme préoccupations etquestionnements, après l’intervention de Monsieur le Directeur de l’Agence du NEPAD. Je vous remercie.

LE PRESIDENT:Merci beaucoup, Honorable BOUDINA, Président de la Commission Transport, Industrie, Communication, Energie, Sciences et Technologie.J’invite, à présent, l’honorable Marie-Rose NGUINI EFFA, Présidente de la Commission permanente de la Santé, du Travail et des Affaires sociales, à présenter le rapport de l’atelier « Parlement panafricain-NEPAD sur l’harmonisation de l’enregistrement des médicaments en Afrique ».Ce point est toujours inscrit au titre du point 1 de notre séance.

3.0 – RAPPORT DE L’ATELIER « PARLEMENT PANAFRICAIN-NEPAD SUR L’HARMONISATION DE L’ENREGISTREMENT DES MÉDICAMENTS EN AFRIQUE

HON. NGUINI EFFA MARIE- ROSE [CAMEROON]:Merci, Monsieur le Président.Monsieur le Vice-président,Monsieur le Directeur Exécutif,Chers collègues,La Commission Santé, Travail et Affaires Sociales du Parlement panafricain a tenu un atelier, ici même, à Midrand, dont je m’en vais vous faire l’économie.

PREAMBULE

Le Parlement panafricain et l’Agence du NEPAD ont déployé des efforts conjoints, pour soutenir les Communautés économiques régionales, dans leurs efforts visant à harmoniser les règlementations relatives aux médicaments, à travers l’initiative d’Harmonisation et de l’Enregistrement des Médicaments en Afrique (HEMA).Le but de l’initiative est de promouvoir l’harmonisation des règlementations relatives aux médicaments, afin de réduire les barrières à la recherche, à l’enregistrement et à la production des médicaments essentiels sûrs et à l’accès de ceux-ci en Afrique.L’objectif est de réduire le fardeau de la maladie sur le continent.L’harmonisation des règlementations relatives aux médicaments dans le CER, lèvera également les barrières à la recherche et à l’innovation scientifique, facilitera l’approvisionnement en médicaments essentiels et l’accès à ceux-ci, et augmentera la capacité des marchés africains en nouveaux produits pharmaceutiques.L’initiative HEMA est née d’une conférence qui a eu lieu en février 2009, à Johannesburg, organisée par l’Agence du NEPAD et le PAP, au nom du Consortium.La Conférence a exploré les voies et moyens de soutenir l’harmonisation des règlementations relatives aux médicaments au sein des CER et des organisations africaines. Elle a également conçu une approche stratégique pour développer des propositions de projets destinés à mobiliser les ressources requises pour aider les CER à entreprendre l’harmonisation des règlementations relatives aux médicaments.Après la conférence, le Consortium a invité les CER à soumettre des propositions de projets sommaires, centrées sur les mesures immédiates requises pour promouvoir l’harmonisation régionale de l’enregistrement des médicaments, l’application nationale des procédures à harmoniser et/ou communes pour l’enregistrement des médicaments et la collaboration régionale pour renforcer la capacité nationale et régionale, en matière de régulation.A ce jour, le Secrétariat de la Communauté de l’Afrique de l’Est (CAE) a soumis, à travers le Consortium, une bonne proposition de projets sur l’harmonisation de l’enregistrement des médicaments dans les Etats membres de la Communauté de l’Afrique de l’Est, dont on attend le début et la mise en œuvre, à tout moment.La Communauté de développement de l’Afrique australe (SADC) et les Secrétariats régionaux de l’Afrique centrale, sous la direction de l’Organisation de Coordination pour la Lutte contre les Endémies en Afrique centrale (OCEAC), en collaboration avec la Communauté Economique des Etats de l’Afrique centrale (CEEAC), sont aussi en train de finaliser leurs propositions de projets, pour examen de financement avant la fin de 2011.C’est à la lumière de ce qui précède, et compte tenu de la nécessité des plaidoyers politiques en faveur de l’HEMA, qu’un atelier a été organisé à l’intention de la Commission permanente de la Santé, du Travail et des Affaires Sociales du Parlement panafricain.

INTRODUCTION

Cet atelier qui s’est tenu les 5 et 6 mai 2011, ici même, (dans les locaux du PAP) avait pour but de concevoir des stratégies pour sensibiliser les décideurs politiques et les politiciens en Afrique sur les avantages et les valeurs de l’harmonisation et de réglementation, comme éléments opportuns de l’amélioration de l’accès des populations africaines aux médicaments.L’atelier était également destiné à susciter une meilleure compréhension des efforts en cours et des barrières relatives à l’harmonisation des réglementations relatives aux médicaments en Afrique.

OBJECTIFS SPECIFIQUES

Les objectifs de l’atelier étaient:1d’identifier les défenseurs de l’harmonisation des réglementations relatives aux médicaments dans le continent au sein du PAP;2de convenir des termes de référence pour les défenseurs de l’harmonisation des réglementations relatives aux médicaments;3de convenir des résultats à atteindre, mettre au point les stratégies et le cadre de plaidoyer en faveur de l’harmonisation des réglementations relatives aux médicaments dans les diverses régions.

THEMES CLEFS

L’atelier comportait deux thèmes clefs:l’aperçu du projet relatif à l’harmonisation de l’enregistrement des médicaments;l’implication des parlements nationaux dans l’harmonisation et l’enregistrement des médicaments.

BREVE PRESENTATION DES EFFORTS EN COURS EN MATIERE DE L’HARMONISATION DE L’ENREGISTREMENT DES MEDICAMENTS

Les participants à l’atelier ont été informés que l’Initiative HEMA avait démarré avec l’engagement local et international du processus. Toutefois, à l’heure actuelle, il y a une réglementation inadéquate relative aux médicaments (absence ou peu de cadre juridique et réglementaire), un manque ou une faible capacité de régulation pour améliorer les médicaments à temps et assurer une qualité acceptable de normes de sécurité et d’efficacité et les fabricants confrontés à des dispositions réglementaires différentes, aux retards fréquents et à peu de transparence dans le processus.Il y avait moins de médicaments disponibles pour la majorité des populations africaines et les prix sont demeurés plus élevés, dans la mesure où la concurrence a été introduite plus lentement à l’échelle des économies, y compris la centralisation des achats à travers les pays qui a été retardée.Les résultats attendus de l’harmonisation sont, entre autres, le renforcement de la capacité et l’utilisation plus efficiente des ressources au niveau régional et l’accroissement des demandes d’enregistrement des médicaments provenant des fabricants.Toutefois, le succès de l’initiative dépend d’un certain nombre de facteurs importants dont:l’engagement politique africain, à travers une décision conjointe par les parties clefs sur la stratégie africaine en matière de santé, c’est-à-dire, la Commission de l’UnionAfricaine (CUA), le Conseil des Ministres de l’UA et le PAP.l’appropriation africainela structure régionale d’harmonisation existantela mobilisation opportune des ressources pour l’initiativeDans l’ensemble, l’HEMA peut être atteinte, s’il y a coopération, collaboration et engagement de tous les différents acteurs clefs, y compris le public, les politiciens, les institutions académiques et de recherche, les industries, les autorités nationales de régulation des médicaments, les gouvernements nationaux, les CER et les organes de l’Union africaine.Le rôle des acteurs clefs a été défini ainsi qu’il suit:le Parlement panafricain: mener le plaidoyer politique en faveur de l’HEMA par les révisions des législations aux niveaux continental, régional et nationalla Commission de l’Union africaine: fournir des directives relatives à l’HEMA comme partie de la mise en œuvre du plan pharmaceutique de l’UAle Nouveau partenariat pour le développement de l’Afrique: coordonner et mettre en œuvre l’HEMA

QUELQUES POINTS SAILLANTS DE L’ETUDE DE CAS FAITE AU NIVEAU DE LA COMMUNAUTE DE L’AFRIQUE DE L’EST ET DE LA COMMUNAUTE DE DEVELOPPEMENT DE L’AFRIQUE AUSTRALE

L’harmonisation des réglementations et des normes relatives aux médicaments, au sein et à travers les communautés économiques régionales et les organisations africaines, constitue une partie des solutions aux problèmes de qualité, de sécurité, d’efficacité et de prix raisonnable des médicaments essentiels.L’Agence du NEPAD a commis une étude pour analyser l’état de l’harmonisation des réglementations relatives aux médicaments en Afrique, pour servir de base à la conception d’une stratégie visant à soutenir les CER dans leurs initiatives d’harmonisation des réglementations relatives aux médicaments en cours.Une analyse de la situation effectuée dans la Communauté de l’Afrique de l’Est et la Communauté de développement de l’Afrique australe a relevé, entre autres, les problèmes communs suivants:différences en réglementations relatives aux médicaments dans divers Etats partenaires du processus d’harmonisationcapacité humaine limitée dans les Etats membresles infrastructures inadéquates pour appuyer les fonctions de régulation.le financement des ANRM limité ou en déclinpays appartenant à plus d’une CERmanque d’intérêt de certains Etats partenaires dans le processusconditions d’enregistrement des médicaments différentes au sein des Etats partenairesmanque de directives harmonisées en matière d’enregistrement des médicamentsPar conséquent, en vue de la réussite de l’harmonisation, il a été recommandé que certaines des mesures suivantes soient prises:la révision de la réglementation et des législations par les Etats membresle renforcement de la capacité des ANRM pour mieux exercer leurs fonctions juridiques et règlementairesl’affectation adéquate de ressources financières aux activités de régulation et d’harmonisation des médicamentsla sensibilisation de toutes les parties prenantes sur les avantages et la valeur de l’harmonisation au niveau régional

CONCLUSIONS ET RECOMMANDATIONS

En réponse aux problèmes soulevés et les recommandations faites par l’analyse de la situation et reconnaissant le rôle du Parlement panafricain dans l’initiative HEMA, les participants à l’atelier ont convenu des résultats suivants à atteindre par les défenseurs du PAP:la volonté politique: le cadre législatif et juridique pour l’harmonisation de l’enregistrement des médicaments.En dépit de l’existence de traités et protocoles relatifs à l’harmonisation de la réglementation relative aux médicaments dans la plupart des CER, la mise en œuvre des décisions régionales, convenues par les Etats membres, demeure un problème, parce que de tels traités sont non applicables, d’où la nécessité de la domestication de telles décisions à travers des lois nationales.Certains pays n’ont pas de politiques nationales globales relatives aux médicaments, qui assurent l’accès aux médicaments essentiels abordables, de bonne qualité, sûrs et efficaces, atteignant la majorité des populations, tel que le recommande l’Organisation Mondiale de la Santé (OMS).Les mesures suivantes sont à prendre:veiller à ce que toutes les CER aient des politiques d’harmonisation des réglementations relatives aux médicamentsveiller à la mise au point et/ou à la révision des politiques nationales relatives aux médicaments, pour s’assurer que tous les éléments clefs qui concourent à l’accès aux médicaments sont couverts, comme le recommande l’OMSveiller à l’adoption et/ou à la révision des lois nationales relatives aux médicaments qui tiennent compte de toutes les principales fonctions de régulation recommandées par l’OMS, y compris une disposition explicite dans les lois nationales qui donnent mandat aux ANRM pour enregistrer les médicamentsprévoir une disposition dans les lois nationales reconnaissant les décisions prises par d’autres ANRM dans la CERprévoir une disposition dans les lois nationales autorisant les ANRM à reconnaitre les décisions prises au niveau central de la CERla formation des ressources humaines en matière de régulation et de recherche.Selon un rapport de l’OMS, 90 % des ANRM africaines n’ont pas la capacité d’exercer des fonctions de régulation et ne peuvent, donc, pas garantir la qualité, l’efficacité et la sûreté des médicaments, y compris les médicaments traditionnels.Cette situation met en danger les vies humaines de la majorité des populations africaines.Du fait de la capacité limitée, en matière de régulation, certains pays ne sont pas capables d’enregistrer les médicaments à temps, refusant, de ce fait, aux patients les médicaments dont ils ont besoin pour le traitement de leurs maladies.Pour ce faire, les actions suivantes sont à entreprendre:mener le plaidoyer pour la création de centres régionaux d’excellence en matière de régulation, à travers les cadres institutionnels des ANRM existantsmener le plaidoyer pour la création des programmes de niveau post-licence pour la formation en science de régulation dans les institutions universitaires africainesinclure des dispositions dans les lois nationales pour accélérer l’enregistrement des médicaments prioritaires en matière de santé publiqueprévoir des dispositions pour accélérer l’enregistrement des médicaments prioritaires en matière de santé publique dans les politiques, réglementations et directives d’enregistrement des ANRMle financement par les autorités nationales d’enregistrement des médicamentsSelon le rapport de l’étude commise par le NEPAD sur les Etats partenaires de la Communauté de l’Afrique de l’Est, le financement octroyé par les gouvernements aux ANRM est limité ou en déclin; ce qui implique une dépendance vis-à-vis des frais des industries ou du financement des bailleurs. C’est un fait indiscutable que la régulation des médicaments est du domaine public et requiert l’engagement des gouvernements en matière de financement, pour assurer la protection de la santé publique. L’absence de ce financement pourrait porter préjudice à la qualité et à la sécurité des produits pharmaceutiques dans les pays et, par conséquent, à la participation des ANRM à l’harmonisation régionale des normes et des pratiques de régulation.Il faut entreprendre les actions suivantes:mener le plaidoyer en faveur de la création des ANRM semi-autonomes, dotées de pouvoirs de collecter et d’utiliser les frais relatifs à l’enregistrement pour exercer les fonctions de régulationmener le plaidoyer en faveur de l’augmentation du financement des ANRM par les gouvernements et réduire la dépendance totale vis-à-vis des frais payés par les industries

RESULTATS ATTENDUS

l’impact de la prise de conscience des gouvernements sur la régulation des médicaments, comme un important aspect de promotion de la santé publique et de développement économiquel‘accroissement de l’engagement des gouvernements et du financement des Agences nationales de régulation des médicamentsle renforcement des révisions et des mises à jour des politiques et législations nationales relatives aux médicaments avec l’intégration subséquente dans les lois nationales des traités et protocoles régionaux relatifs à l’harmonisation de l’enregistrement des médicaments

IMPACT ESCOMPTE

l’amélioration de l’accès des patients africains et de la population en général aux médicaments essentiels de qualité, sûrs et efficaces.l’amélioration de la santé publique.la contribution à la croissance économique.le cadre continental d’appui à l’harmonisation des règlementations relatives aux médicaments.

ACTIVITES PREVUES

Afin d’atteindre ces résultats, les participants à l’atelier ont décidé d’entreprendre les activités suivantes:l’organisation d’un atelier de deux jours pour le renforcement des capacités des défenseurs (probablement au mois de juin ou juillet)l’organisation d’ateliers régionaux à l’intention des parties prenantes pertinentes pour sensibiliser sur l’harmonisation des règlementations relatives aux médicamentsl’implication de l’Union africaine dans l’harmonisation des réglementations relatives aux médicamentsla vulgarisation de l’HEMA, à travers le site Web du Parlement panafricain, les bulletins d’information, etc.le lobbying en faveur de l’appui à l’HEMA

SELECTION DES DEFENSEURS

Les participants à l’atelier ont décidé que les membres du PAP suivants feront partie, mais cette liste n’est pas exhaustive, car elle ne comporte pour l’instant que les membres de la Commission Santé, Travail et Affaires Sociales.Très honorable Président,Messieurs les Vice-présidents,Chers collègues,Monsieur le Directeur Exécutif,Au nom de la Commission Santé, Travail et Affaires Sociales, je vous remercie pour votre aimable attention.(Applaudissements)

LE PRESIDENT:Merci beaucoup, honorable Marie-Rose NGUINI EFFA, Présidente de la Commission permanente de la Santé, du Travail et des Affaires sociales.Honorables membres,A présent, nous allons ouvrir les débats sur les trois rapports. Et, pour permettre, à la suite de vos contributions, aux Directeurs exécutifs et aux deux Présidents des Commissions permanentes d’apprécier vos contributions et, éventuellement, d’apporter quelques éléments de réponses, nous allons nous limiter à trois (03) minutes par intervenant.La première de ma liste est l’honorable EL BADAOUI Suad El Fateh.

HON. PROF. EL BADAOUI SUAD EL FATEH [SUDAN]:Thank you very much, Mr. President, for permitting me to take the Floor. I would also like to thank the presenters for the research they carried out on NEPAD.I would like to contribute on two very important points which are the central points of development and these are unemployment and illiteracy. There is a very big mistake being made in tackling this very important issue of unemployment by most of the African governments. They think unemployment will be solved through availability of jobs, but I think this is wrong because if we depend on this, nothing will be done in the area of unemployment. Unemployment should be tackled by the young people themselves with the help of governments.In the Sudan, first of all, we formed a micro finance bank to try and educate families, housewives and the unemployed youths to find jobs and businesses for themselves. To the young men, we allotted very small pieces of land for them for agriculture purposes. Some of the young people prefer to have a collective farm and they go and get their loans from the local finance bank and start their livelihoods there. We encourage them to build very simple houses there and start a family.As for the families, we have a very inspiring project. We mobilise the housewives to make their homes a centre of food production by giving them small loans to plant vegetables and fruits. We give them a goat for milk and chickens for eggs and meat. We regularly visit them to see that all this is in order. This project is a success in the Sudan and now we are trying to extend this activity to every village in the Darfur Region.For this purpose, we built a modern village in Darfur and are now implementing all these projects in this village. We are using the solar system as a source of energy to this new village. There are other settlements of displaced people by the conflict in Darfur, where we will introduce this project. This will also be a very good project for rural development in Africa. It is a very complicated and big project, but I hope that NEPAD will be interested in it and help us to popularise it in most of the villages in Africa, which is where most of the African people live. I think it is going to work and play a very inspiring role in the eradication of poverty.If you have food inside your home, then there will be no need for food and automatically, the prices of commodities will go down. In turn, we will open new markets for our vegetables, plants and livestock.I thank you.

HON. ABDUL RASHID PELPUO [GHANA]:Mr. President, NEPAD, as we have come to see, is a major policy initiative by Africa so we can take our own destiny into our own hands. I believe it is a strong response to the more than two decades of the practice of the Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP) which, in the end, has not helped Africa much. Therefore, NEPAD, following the legal stand of action, is a crucial policy determination which, indeed, is going to help Africa handle its own affairs and then take control of its development policy.I know that there are a number of criticisms against NEPAD. One major criticism is that there is precedence in the diagnosis of Africa’s problems as was diagnosed by the multinationals; the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF). The precedence coupled with the prescriptions of conditionalities also gives rise to the feeling that NEPAD may have been influenced from behind. Be that as it may, it is important to take note that this is an African Initiative and must be supported by Africans.But, again, the Initiative has projected a number of policy steps and one of the major policy steps that I think Africans should buy into is to firstly support and share the research position by NEPAD. The policy positions of NEPAD are important in the various areas in agriculture; technology sharing and these are very crucial areas because Africa needs to feed itself. Africa needs to be free of extreme hunger and want and Africa needs to have its own information technology.Therefore, the initiative to lay the fibre optic network to ensure that Africa has its own information technology is very important. I think that, in this endeavour, we have to strengthen it because information now drives the world. Knowledge base, development and economics are very fundamental in all that we do in this world today. It is a policy step that I think we should strengthen and work hard at to ensure that we take control of our knowledge base, development process and also ensure that, in everything that PAP does,...The Hon. Member’s time expired.

HON. KEITA LANCENI BALLA [MALI]:Merci, Monsieur le Président.Le NEPAD est une initiative pensée et mise en œuvre par les Africains, bien sûr, avec la participation des partenaires techniques et financiers, pour le développement des populations africaines. Alors, il a suscité, au départ, beaucoup d’espoir. Ses programmes visaient surtout à faire une intégration économique.L’exposé de Monsieur le Directeur exécutif nous a prouvé qu’il y a eu des avancées dans le domaine de la science et de la technologie. Malheureusement, les réalisations sur le terrain ont été jugées insuffisantes dans le domaine des infrastructures. A un moment, il y a même le Président Abdoulaye Wade qui disait que « le NEPAD est une belle Mercedes sans chauffeur ». Ma question est de savoir si cette affirmation est encore vraie, de nos jours.Merci.

HON. STEVEN OBEEGADOO [MAURITIUS]:Monsieur le Président,Avant de commenter les rapports, me permettrezvous une minute, qui ne soit pas comptabilisée dans mes trois minutes allouées pour l’intervention, pour faire un point d’ordre, un point de procédure.Merci, Monsieur le Président.Je voulais juste vous dire ma surprise, mon étonnement: l’ordre du jour prévoit deux thèmes distincts: « présentation et débats relatifs à l’état de mise en œuvre des programmes du NEPAD » suivi de deux intervenants; ensuite, « présentation et débat relatif au rapport de l’atelier », que nous a présenté la Présidente de la Commission Santé.Nous avons eu droit aux trois présentations, l’une après l’autre, et j’estime que cela ne nous permet pas de garder le focus sur l’un et l’autre des rapports à l’occasion de débats séparés qui auraient été souhaitables.Je comprends les contraintes de temps qui auraient pu guider cette décision. Je suggère, tout simplement, à l’avenir, que la démarche soit, dans la mesure où elle s’écarte de l’ordre du jour, expliquée aux députés afin que nous puissions nous y préparer.D’autre part, Monsieur le Président, je vous demanderais de transmettre nos remerciements au Secrétariat.Suite aux commentaires des membres de la Chambre, j’ai noté avec satisfaction les efforts du Secrétariat de rendre disponibles - tout au moins certains des documents à être débattus - les documents, dans la soirée d’hier. Je vous demanderais, donc, de transmettre nos remerciements au Secrétariat.(Applaudissements)Puis-je poursuivre?

LE PRESIDENT:Non, non, ne poursuivez pas! Je vais vous redonner la parole. Eteignez votre micro. Merci. Avant de passer la parole à l’honorable MarieRose NGUNI EFFA, Présidente de la Commission Santé, Affaires Sociales et Travail, j’ai bien annoncé que c’est une coquille dans l’agenda.Le rapport de la Commission Santé fait bien partie du premier point. Et, pour le second aspect, nous transmettrons vos appréciations au Secrétariat. Maintenant, vous avez vos trois minutes.

HON. STEVEN OBEEGADOO [MAURITIUS]:Merci beaucoup, Monsieur le Président, pour ces précisions.Monsieur le Président,Je souhaiterais, d’abord, vous dire combien j’ai été impressionné par le rapport de mise en œuvre du plan d’actions du NEPAD - auquel je vais me restreindre pour les trois minutes qui me sont allouées.La science et la technologie sont d’une importance capitale, afin que l’Afrique puisse tirer tous les bénéfices nécessaires de la mondialisation. Qui dit science et technologie, dit recherche et qui dit recherche, par extension, dit enseignement supérieur.Je voudrais simplement rappeler que, si en dix ans, le nombre d’inscrits, sur le continent dans l’enseignement supérieur, a doublé pour atteindre 4,5 millions d’étudiants, le taux brut de scolarisation au niveau du supérieur demeure au niveau de 6%.; ce qui est très loin de la moyenne mondiale qui est de l’ordre de 26%. Ce qui nous indique que c’est le véritable gouffre que le continent devra combler à l’avenir.Il n’empêche que les efforts de l’Agence du NEPAD sont d’une importance capitale; je voudrais en féliciter le Docteur MAYAKI et toute son équipe, pour ce travail immense réalisé.Je note avec satisfaction que mon pays - la République de Maurice - y est associé, à travers la création d’un centre de bioinformatique à l’Université de Maurice. Je m’étonne, néanmoins, du fait que Maurice ne soit pas partie prenante de la première phase de l’initiative sur les indicateurs africains dans le domaine de la science, technologie, informatique, et j’apprécierais les commentaires du Docteur MAYAKI, à cet effet.Monsieur le Président,En parcourant ce rapport, j’avais une préoccupation principale: la nécessité d’éviter le double emploi, le rapport coût-efficacité, dans la mise en œuvre du plan d’actions.Alors deux constats: satisfaction, eu égard au protocole d’accord avec l’Institut de Statistiques de l’UNESCO (ISU), afin qu’il n’y ait pas précisément double emploi, et un étonnement, le fait qu’il n’y fait pas mention du projet de l’Université panafricaine, dont nous avions pris connaissance et avions même débattu, au cours d’une session précédente.Je voudrais, donc, - le temps ne me permet pas de m’y étendre - demander au Docteur MAYAKI, éventuellement, de nous donner de plus amples renseignements, par rapport à la création du Réseau africain des Instituts de Mathématiques.Pourquoi un lien explicite n’existerait pas avec le projet de créer des pôles d’excellence prévus, sous l’égide de l’Université panafricaine?J’en ai terminé.Merci, Monsieur le Président.

HON. LUHAGA JOELSON MPINA [TANZANIA]:Thank you, Mr. President, for giving me this opportunity to make a contribution on this debate. I would also like to thank the presenters for a job well done. Despite African countries having been committed to implementing the NEPAD programmes, corruption, poor governance, inefficient and ineffective delivery of the public services to the citizens is frustrating the effort.Our people complain that the people whom they granted power to defend their interests and keep safe custody of their resources are the ones who are killing them and taking their resources abroad. Statistical evidence shows that financial flight from Africa to abroad is increasing.In Africa, poverty has never taken a holiday. Mr. President, it should be observed, very seriously, that despite the African leaders implementing the African Peer Review Mechanisms (APRM), the situation is getting worse.The large part of aid and grants end up in the pockets of a few people, hence frustrating the efforts of poverty reduction and extreme hunger reduction. I am very interested in the NEPAD programmes, especially the ones that have to do with education. The priority of ICT is the project of e-schools through which all African schools will be enabled to be connected to ICT within ten years.In the continent, there is a critical shortage of and high demand for teachers. To connect the schools to ICT would facilitate the access to teachers on the continent, especially in Science, Mathematics and Technology. More effort is needed to speed up this programme so that, after ten years, we can reach the target and make sure that all African schools are connected to ICT.Mr. President, thank you very much.

HON. DUMBUYA SHEKU B. [SIERRA LEONE]:Thank you very much, Mr. President, for permitting me to contribute to this debate. I would first like to thank Hon. Mayaki immensely; for the presentation which I must note, has been particularly noted for its clarity of thought and lucidity of exposition.Mr President, NEPAD, I must say, is a highly commendable initiative and I hope the AU will not relent in the vigorous implementation of the programme.The presenter said a few things about youth employment and agriculture. Mr. President, I would like to say that youth unemployment has become a very serious concern on the continent, which, if left unattended, will cause a monumental disaster in Africa. This would be the case because if the youth are left unemployed for too long, frustration will set in and we know that, normally, frustration leads to certain things. This has the potential of causing instability on the continent.I would like to agree with Hon. El Badaoui that the government cannot employ everybody. The government has so many things to do and is certainly not the best employer. In fact, that is why encouragement has to be given to the private sector to create employment. I, therefore, would like to agree with her that self-employment should also be encouraged. However, self-employment requires financial capacity. The government, therefore, has to build the capacity of these people financially if they are to be self-employed.The question of micro finance has its own problems because, in many parts of Africa, they give people loans, but they do not pay back. If you do not pay back, then what happens? Then, in fact, you are going to kill the whole idea of micro financing. Therefore, we have to look very seriously into this issue.Mr. President, I agree with the presenter that you cannot go on depending on aid all the time. If that is the case, we will continue to be perennially parasitic and when we become parasitic, we will compromise our dignity and sovereignty as independent national states. We have to look into that issue.Mr. President, we have to acknowledge that there cannot be any alternative to agricultural production in Africa. It is the mainstay of the economies of Africa. That is why every encouragement has to be given to agricultural productivity. However, here again, Mr. President, we talked about one very good issue that the AU was to make mandatory...The Hon. Member’s time expired.

HON. EDUARDO LADRIA [MOZAMBIQUE]:Muito obrigado, Senhor Presidente.Primeiro, permita-me saudar o Dr. Ibrahim Hassan, Director Executivo da NEPAD, pelo Relatório que nos apresentou. Este relatório apresenta muitos progressos nas diversas áreas de intervengo. O relatório realza acdes em curso na área da ciencia e tecnología, particularmente na saúde pública.É importante que o continente acelere programas para a investigado e valida?ao científica de várias plantas medicinais que o nosso continente possui. Por exemplo, no projecto de validado científica, os medicamentos utilizados no tratamento de infecdes oportunistas, para os casos de HIV-SIDA, em curso na Zambia, devem ser replicados em todo o continente para a cura de várias doen?as que enfermam os nossos povos.Senhor Presidente,Muitos países africanos, no entanto, nao veem os efeitos visíveis da NEPAD, infelizmente. Com isso, quero dizer que há falta de estratégias de divulgado das suas actividades. No meu entender, a NEPAD deve ser mais pragmática e deve prestar particular atendo aos projectos de infra-estruturas que se referiu no seu relatório.As populades africanas estao ansiosas em perseguir infra-estruturas que possam facilitar o encontro da sua produção.Os nossos povos estao ansiosos em verem desenvolvidas infra-estruturas que possam facilitar o intercambio cultural, o que vai contribuir para melhor integrado dos nossos povos.No meu pais, Excelencias, Mozambique, o Governo, que nos representa neste momento, tem estado a envidar esforzos na divulgazao e disseminado nas populades, do projecto que futuramente vai melhorar a vida das nossas populades e das populades vindouras. Por isso, Senhor Presidente, para terminar, penso que a Uniao Africana deve reequacionar a NEPAD, para melhor servir os interesses dos nossos povos africanos.Muito obrigado!

HON. DERY AMBROSE [GHANA]:Thank you, Mr. President, for the opportunity to contribute to this debate. Let me start by commending Hon. Mayaki for his insightful presentation, coming from Ghana, which is committed to NEPAD and was the first to submit itself to the APRM. I am very impressed about the progress that has been made in Ghana. I also wish to commend Hon Boudina for the pertinent issues he raised and Hon Nguini Effa Rose for informing us about the way we should ensure that medicines get to the poor at the grassroots level. We know the challenges of the Human Immuno Deficiency Virus (HIV) and malaria, among others.Mr President, let me say that the first thing that I am impressed about Hon. Mayaki’s presentation is the Joint Committee that he proposed between NEPAD and PAP so as to work together to get the AU and African institutions to do the right things. What are the right things? Firstly, it has to do with the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance, and particularly the participation and empowerment of women.Mr. President, some countries, including my own, have been said by the UN to have achieved some of the Millennium Development Goals. In the case of Ghana, we have been said to be making progress in the area of poverty, but it is not sustainable. If the majority of the populace in Africa is not empowered, it is statistically not sustainable. If the majority are not empowered and left ignored, then there are challenges. That is why I think the current initiatives that the Honourable Member from the Sudan talked about, in particular, microfinance, is very important.The Honourable Member from Sierra Leone said there are challenges, yes, but we have to provide microfinance together with education. If basic education of bookkeeping for good business policy is provided, you always have a group of women that is very reliable and very dependable when it comes to microfinance, and I have evidence of that.Having said that, we also need to look at the world economic order. Yes, I agree that agriculture is the mainstay of the economy and I like the idea that we have fixed a 10 per cent allocation for agriculture in our national Budget, but we need to move to value added protection. We need to move to a certain level of industrialisation. If we do not, then we are victims of a welfare economic order which will continue to keep us poor and that we cannot get out of.In doing so, I would like now to say that I would like to take my position and state that Millennium Development Goal Three (3) is the key to our development challenges which is the empowerment of women. As regards universal education, we are doing very well across the continent. However, at the tertiary education level, the figures begin to change and we have to work hard towards achieving...The Hon. Member’s time expired.

HON MBAH NDAM JOSEPH [CAMEROON]:Thank you, Mr. President, for recognising me. I want to say most of my pre-occupations were well captured by the Chairperson of our Standing Committee on Transport and Infrastructure, Hon. Boudina, and I hope that Hon. Mayaki has taken keen note of them and I will be very satisfied with the responses he will give to them.Suffice to say that the crux of the matter is implementation which implies political will. In my opinion, in as much as we remain sovereign countries and do not want to work towards a United States of Africa where policy can be implemented from up to down in a regular and standardised manner, we will continue to develop policy, Parliamentarians will continue to debate, but their effectiveness in terms of implementation will remain lacking.Mr. President, Africa will continue to lag behind in every aspect of implementation of our policies, which are very well worded, if our various Heads of State do not accept that we get united to the extent that the policies NEPAD is divulging on to the continent have a specific and regular method and models for implementation. This is the crux of the matter, in my view.Based on the fact that I come from Cameroon, I would like Hon. Mayaki to explicitly explain to me what has been going on regarding the TransAfrican road infrastructure which exits Cameroon to Nigeria. For over ten years or more, there has been some sort of very sleepy execution. This road stretches through Efomu, Eko, Ekok, Mounty, Bartibal and Bamenda of Cameroon. I would like to find out why such a short project of the Trans-African Road stretch has taken more than ten years to execute.I know, Doctor, that Nigeria means the...The Hon. Member’s time expired.

HON. SYLVESTRE NDONG ASSOUMOU [GABON]:Je vous remercie, Monsieur le Président.Mon intervention est en rapport avec le rapport de la Commission Santé sur l’initiative de l’Harmonisation de l’Enregistrement des Médicaments en Afrique(HEMA).Monsieur le Président du Parlement panafricain, Mesdames et messieurs les députés panafricains, Les efforts déployés par l’Agence NEPAD, dans le domaine de l’harmonisation des politiques nationales et régionales pour l’enregistrement des médicaments en Afrique, sont les bienvenus, au moment où dans le monde, la bataille des licences, dans le domaine des biotechnologies et des médicaments, fait rage.Le continent africain, avec ses énormes potentialités en biodiversité, est souvent le sanctuaire de ces découvertes au retentissement mondial dans le domaine du médicament.L’Afrique doit, donc, tenir son rang en faisant la promotion et en facilitant le travail des chercheurs africains dans le domaine précis des médicaments, spécialement pour les médicaments qui s’attaquent aux grandes pandémies qui sévissent sur notre continent.Au Gabon, - mon paysil y a actuellement un cas particulier qui demande à être connu du plus grand nombre.En effet, un chercheur - le Professeur Donatien MAVOUNGOU - après plusieurs années de recherche, au Canada, a découvert un médicament qui améliore très sensiblement l’état général et la condition physique des malades du Sida, en renforçant leur système immunitaire;médicament qu’il a appelé « IM28 ».Ce médicament, qui avait obtenu une autorisation temporaire de mise sur le marché gabonais, a été suspendu le mois dernier, pour d’obscures raisons de non suivi de la procédure.La procédure de mise sur le marché gabonais des médicaments, bien qu’écrite, n’est jamais suivie par les médicaments européens qui entrent au Gabon sans test. Le Gabon ne disposant d’ailleurs d’aucun laboratoire pour la mise en œuvre de sa propre procédure.Honorables députés,Nous sommes là dans une situation ubuesque, où un médicament découvert par un Gabonais est utilisé au Canada et dans plusieurs pays du monde et est interdit au Gabon.Nous attendons, donc, vivement qu’aboutisse cette initiative du NEPAD, pour que de tels abus n’existent plus, si tant est que le NEPAD puisse, à l’avenir, jouer le rôle de recours, en pareilles circonstances.Je vous remercie.

HON. KPARKAR EUGENE [LIBERIA]:Mr. President, thank you very much for recognising me. I would like to extend my esteemed gratitude and honour to the presenters and discussants for having raised this issue which is very important to the African continent. I would like to say that we have the programme as promulgated by NEPAD, especially the agency responsible, as clearly elucidated by Hon. Mayaki and our colleagues, Hon Boudina and MarieRose.We keep discussing these issues. I must say, emphatically, that the blueprint is very beautiful, but one skepticism that I have which I would like to share with this Chamber is that year-in and year-out, we keep discussing theories. We keep discussing the same things. Can we point out to practical realities, practical results on the African Continent? For example, all the plans, as clearly enshrined in the programmes, are very good. The microfinance, the super highway, science and technology are all very brilliant ideas, but the crux of the matter, as articulated by my colleague from Cameroon, is the scrupulous implementation of those programmes. Usually, that is the stereotype people have about Africans. We are good at putting up good plans, but our deficit lies with implementation.We should be thinking about initiating projects. More often than not, a lot of funds are spent on workshops, seminars and symposiums, discussing these issues year-in and year-out. We discuss the same issues every year. Where can we start? We are all conversant with the Chinese proverb which says, "a thousand mile journey begins with a single step". Why can we not start with the super highway? Why can we not start with science and technology? Therefore, I would like to find out from Hon. Mayaki what practical steps we have started. Have we initiated something? We want to know because Africa is lagging far behind. Have we done anything? This is where our interest lies.The hon. Member’s time expired.

HON. MAKGALEMELE DIKGANG PHILLIP [BOTSWANA]:Mr. President, I assumed that you were calling me.Firstly, I would like to thank the presenters for a very well thought-out presentation. I would like to appreciate the fact that Hon. Mayaki, in his presentation, mentioned, among others, four key issues. He talked about resource mobilisation, which is very important for the sustainability of NEPAD initiatives. I take it that we, as PAP, should be able to learn from them whatever strategy they are putting together.I strongly believe that the issue of resource mobilisation is one of our weakest links. I also want to appreciate the fact that he has emphasised the focus on youths and women development and the fact that they are making agriculture a priority programme for economic empowerment of those two targeted groups. Finally, he brought out the issue of how they want to enhance communication. Obviously, without communication, there is no way we can ensure empowerment of our people.Mr. President, I also would like to support his proposal of a joint committee between NEPAD and PAP. That is a very positive move that needs to be supported. I strongly believe that such a development will allow for the rich experiences of both organisations to be shared. I believe that the joint committee should revisit the rich contributions that have previously been made in this Parliament on the issues which Hon. Mayaki has mentioned in his presentation. There have been many contributions which I think, if taken forward by this proposed joint forum, would actually take us to the next level, especially with regard to issues relating to youths and women.Mr. President, finally, I wish to state that we need to enhance the efforts of taking NEPAD to the people. I am also hopeful that this joint initiative that is being proposed will further enhance Africa’s integration.

DR. IBRAHIM ASSANE MAYAKI [NEPAD]:Merci, Monsieur le Président.Honorables députés,Je voudrais très sincèrement vous remercier pour la qualité des contributions qui doivent nous emmener en tant qu’Agence à améliorer nos prestations.J’ai une série de douze questions auxquelles je vais essayer de répondre. Mais, avant de répondre, je voudrais faire des points de contexte.D’abord, l’Afrique a énormément progressée malgré toutes les vicissitudes et les limites de développement. Le revenu per capita de l’Afrique aujourd’hui est plus important que celui de l’Inde, et ce sont des statistiques de la Banque Mondiale. Qu’est ce que cela veut dire? Cela veut dire que nous sommes sortis des processus d’ajustements structurels très difficiles qui ont réduits nos capacités à définir stratégiquement nos plans mais, en même temps, cela nous a permis de stabiliser nos économies et d’atteindre des taux de croissance économique quasi unique, excepté pour la Chine. Et ces taux de croissance économique ont été constants, au cours de ces treize dernières années. Aujourd’hui, nous avons un revenu, et je répète, per capita, plus élevé que celui de l’Inde. Et la tendance est à ce qu’il soit encore plus élevé dans les années avenirs.Le problème de cette croissance économique, c’est qu’elle n’est pas suffisamment inclusive parce qu’en même temps, nous sommes le continent le plus inégal au monde. Donc nous avons rétabli des situations macroéconomiques saines, nous avons un revenu per capita plus important que l’Inde mais les inégalités perdurent et nous devons maintenant voir comment redistribuer les fruits de cette croissance. Je crois que c’est très important.Le deuxième point, mise à part l’Europe, nous sommes le seul continent au monde qui possède des structures d’intégration régionale aussi perfectionnées. Et ça, vous le savez très bien, donc, je ne vais pas m’attarder là-dessus.Ce que je veux dire, c’est que nous avons des atouts considérables et ces atouts doivent faire l’objet maintenant d’une traduction très pragmatique. Je tenais à souligner cela non sans oublier que l’intensité démocratique a été extrêmement importante et que nous avons des niveaux d’intensités démocratiques qui sont plus importantes que l’Asie.Sur le point d’histoire, le Secrétariat du NEPAD est crée en 2001 et, en 2011, nous allons fêter ses dix ans.Lorsque ce Secrétariat est crée en 2001, il n’avait pas de contenu légal. Il est le résultat d’une initiative qui fut l’objet d’un consensus. Cette initiative, c’est le programme du NEPAD. Ce programme est adopté comme celui de l’Union africaine, mais l’Institution qui est chargé de mettre en œuvre ce programme n’a pas d’existence légale. Aucune décision nulle part n’institue cette organisation. Avec la création de l’Union africaine qui intervient après celle du Secrétariat du NEPAD qui n’avait pas de base légale, se pose la question de l’intégration du Secrétariat dans l’Union africaine. Et, ce processus d’intégration du Secrétariat du NEPAD dans l’Union africaine a été décidé en 2003 et finalisé par une décision en 2010. Voyez que cela a pris sept ans pour qu’à travers des évaluations et des mécanismes de concertation, on aboutisse à la création de ce que nous représentons, aujourd’hui, c’est-à-dire, l’Agence du NEPAD.L’Agence du NEPAD dont je présentais le rapport n’existe comme Agence que depuis 2010.Au sommet de l’Union africaine à Addis de 2010, en tirant les leçons des programmes du Secrétariat, de la manière dont ces programmes avaient été misent en œuvre, les chefs d’Etat ont décidé de donner un mandat à l’Agence, axé sur la mise en œuvre. Depuis un an, ce à quoi nous nous consacrons, c’est la mise en œuvre.Dans le cas de notre plan stratégique, nous avons choisi deux priorités. Ce qui ne veut pas dire que nous n’intervenons pas dans d’autres secteurs, mais compte tenu de nos moyens humains, techniques, financiers, nous ne pouvons pas nous éparpiller dans quinze secteurs.Donc, nous avons choisi deux secteurs. Et ces deux secteurs, c’est l’Agriculture et les infrastructures. C’est là où nous pouvons véritablement faire la différence et nous avons des domaines transversaux, comme le genre, le développement des capacités qui nous aident dans ces deux secteurs qui sont les secteurs prioritaires. J’ai bien retenu l’exposé fait par le Président de la Commission. C’est extrêmement important, et ça, j’en prends l’entière responsabilité, que nous devons communiquer, en tant qu’Agence créée depuis 2010, d’une manière plus structurée et d’une manière plus régulière. Je prends l’engagement, ici, de faire en sorte qu’il en soit ainsi.Les domaines dans lesquels nous agissons, c’est à dire les programmes que nous avons, que ce soit en infrastructure, en agriculture, en santé, en développement humain et les domaines où nous devons apporter de l’information - parce qu’il y a des domaines où nous n’intervenons pas mais par rapport auxquels nous devons apporter l’information. Et un des point de notre mandat, c’est de constituer un... continental qui va pouvoir travailler sur des statistiques de qualité.Et je voudrais juste faire un petit commentaire sur la question des statistiques.Nous avons un grave problème dans l’ensemble du continent sur la qualité des statistiques. Dans un certain nombre de cas, lorsqu’en Agriculture, nous travaillons sur la conception de politique agricole nationale, nous sommes obligés d’aller chercher des données fiables au niveau de l’OCDE à Paris, pour construire des politiques nationales dans un pays donné parce que la qualité de la gestion des statistiques nationalement est très limitée. Et d’ou viennent les statistiques que l’OCDE utilise? Elles viennent de l’intérieur des pays. Les statistiques de la Banque Mondiale sur l’Afrique viennent de nos pays. Mais, nous n’avons pas nous même dans nos pays, très souvent, la capacité nécessaire de rationalisation de nos systèmes d’information. Et cela faisant partie de notre mandat, nous allons y travailler de manière très intensive, notamment avec le Département des Affaires Economiques de la Commission de l’Union Africaine.Donc, Monsieur le président de la Commission, nous prenons cela comme une recommandation très concrète sur laquelle nous devons travailler pour pourvoir, en termes d’informations régulières, le Parlement panafricain.« Régulières » signifiant non pas lors de ces présentations mais sur une base continue, tout au long de l’année.The first question, Mr. President, which was made by the Hon. Member of Parliament from the Sudan was on the fact that the solutions to unemployment could not be looked at only through the availability of jobs, but through the support to the young people in order for them to find jobs for themselves. I fully agree with that, but it also means that our public policies have to change, which means that we have to look at some means to support this majority. As I was saying, our low levels of industrialisation and the limits of our public services to our young, require that we be innovative in terms of solving the issue of job unemployment. The support to that majority is critical. This is why in the field of agriculture, what we aim at, as a priority, is to support the farmers. Agriculture in the United States and in Europe has and is still being heavily subsidised. It is a direct support to the producers. We should, therefore, also support our producers by giving them the necessary training, facilitating access to credit and providing the right technologies. This approach you have proposed of giving those in need of jobs the means that can help them develop their own activities is coherent. In the case of agriculture and in the case that you highlighted of transforming these youths into entrepreneurs; micro or major ones, I fully agree with you.On the second question, I am sorry I cannot remember which Hon. Member of Parliament asked it, but it was on the fact that one of the criticisms which could be made about the NEPAD programme was the coincidence between diagnosis and prescription with multinationals. It has been effectively a criticism, but we think that the values that are promoted by NEPAD, through ownership and leadership, give the programme the possibility to be implemented whether you have a leftist, rightist or a centrist orientation. We think that these values do not contradict the ideological positions that could be existing within a particular context. I also do agree that the dimension of capacity building is absolutely key. A propos de la question de l’honorable député de la République du Mali, relative à la remarque du Président Wade de la « Mercedes sans chauffeur », je crois qu’il a révisé, un petit peu, son appréciation, d’après ce que j’ai pu entendre dernièrement.Je suis d’accord avec vous que les infrastructures, c’est capital. Mais, je vais juste prendre un exemple pour illustrer le contexte dans lequel nous travaillons et qui est un contexte que nous devons améliorer. Le NEPAD ne travaille que sur des projets régionaux. Nous ne travaillons pas sur des projets d’infrastructures nationales qui sont la responsabilité des Etats. Mais, lorsqu’on prend un projet régional de route. Supposons le cas de la Transsaharienne qui a été souligné. Il y a trois niveaux qui interviennent. Il y a le niveau pays, il y a le niveau région, et dans le niveau région, dans le cas de la Transsaharienne, vous avez deux régions. Vous avez deux pays qui sont le Niger et le Nigeria, qui font partie de la CEDEAO et vous avez l’Algérie qui ne fait pas partie de la CEDEAO. Donc, cela veut dire que vous avez deux niveaux qu’on pourrait appeler technicoadministrative d’intervention différent. Il faut, donc, que, aussi bien, dans la réalisation de l’étude de faisabilité que dans la mise en œuvre du projet par la suite, il y ait une coopération très étroite entre les pays et entre les niveaux. Le rôle de l’Agence du NEPAD, c’est de faciliter cette coordination pour que la mise en œuvre puisse suivre. Je voudrais dire sur le cas de la Transsaharienne qu’il reste actuellement deux cent vingt kilomètres à réaliser entre la frontière algérienne et Arlit et que le financement de ces deux cent vingt kilomètres est acquis, donc, la Transsaharienne va être finalisé dans les mois à venir. Cela va avoir un impact considérable sur le commerce régional, parce que l’idée des infrastructures, notamment de transport, c’est de booster le commerce régional et de faciliter les échanges.Evidemment, comme vous le savez, en termes de commerce régional et en termes d’infrastructures, il sera important que le propre système douanier puisse être suffisamment efficace. Par exemple, entre Cotonou qui est la capitale du Benin et Ouagadougou qui est la capitale du Burkina-Faso, vous avez un peu plus de mille cinq cent kilomètres. Si vous comparez le coût de transport de marchandises entre Cotonou et Ouagadougou, ils sont deux fois et demie plus élevés qu’entre Ouagadougou et Shanghai. Cela veut dire que Shanghai est plus près de Ouagadougou que Cotonou. Cela nous pose un problème en tant qu’Etat, parce que c’est dans la gestion de la logistique et dans la gestion des systèmes douaniers que doivent se résoudre ces genres de problèmes.Sur la quatrième question qui a été formulé par l’honorable député de Maurice, je suis, tout à fait, d’accord sur le fait que dans l’initiative concernant les indicateurs africains, le projet Mauricien doit faire partie et nous nous emploierons à ce qu’il en soit ainsi. Je le remercie des recommandations qu’il a fait concernant le réseau des Instituts de mathématiques et le fait que nous devions véritablement prendre comme priorité une augmentation du taux brute de 6% concernant le ... dans l’enseignement supérieur qui est de très loin inférieur à la moyenne mondiale.Pour ce qui concerne le projet de l’Université Panafricaine, nous travaillons très étroitement avec le département des ressources humaines, de la science et de la technologie de la Commission de l’Union africaine pour sa mise en œuvre. Donc tout ce que fait ce Département dans l’élaboration de ce projet en vue de sa mise en œuvre, nous y participons de manière systématique.Pour ce qui concerne la question numéro cinq, où il avait été fait allusion aux questions de corruption et de flux financiers illicites, la statistique qui est donnée par le FMI pour 2009, c’est quarante milliards de dollars de flux financiers illicites qui quittent l’Afrique. Sur ces quarante milliards de dollars, il est estimé que à peut près vingt cinq milliards de dollars ont trait à ce que l’on peut appeler de la corruption pure. Evidemment, c’est une question qui est importante et qui, au niveau de l’Union africaine fait l’objet d’un traitement spécifique au plus haut niveau en essayant de mettre en place des mécanismes qui peuvent permettre de limiter cela. Mais là aussi, la différence avec l’Asie, c’est que nous ne sommes pas le continent le plus corrompu. Les fruits de la corruption sautent de l’Afrique et en Asie, ils sont réinvestis en Afrique dans l’industrie et dans les autres secteurs. Et ça évidemment, c’est un problème délicat et majeur. Pour la question numéro six qui a été formulée par l’honorable député de la Sierra Leonne, which was on the issue of youth employment.I think the fact that we are a young continent is a danger but, at the same time, a huge potential. If we compare ourselves to Europe, we realise that Europe is an aging continent. We also know very well that in 2030, Europe will need African immigration. This is a reality and a fact and not an argument. However, the youth we have, if well managed and geared into proper policies, will be a tremendous advantage to our continent in boosting our economic development.As regards the issue of paying back credit, the experience we have, in agriculture, where we are working very well with the Africa Green Revolution Forum (AGRF) which is the Foundation by Kofi Annan to enhance finance for agriculture is interesting. What we have noticed is that wherever we have programmes which help poor people have access to credit, it is the poor people who service the loans better. It is a reality the quality of reimbursement is always very good when we trade with poor people.On the question which was raised by the Hon. Member of Parliament from Mozambique, I fully agree that we have a problem of visibility and it is a weak point of NEPAD. We will need to disseminate the seeds in a much more intelligent and coherent manner. It is a challenge that we have to tackle because we do not communicate enough, but communicating entails doing so at all levels. We need to tackle that matter and I would appreciate the support of PAP in that process.With regard to the question which was raised by the Hon. Member of Parliament from Ghana on the Joint Committee, we intend, I repeat, to fully be active within that Joint Committee because it will also help to review and revise our own programmes so that they are better adapted. It is a very big opportunity for us.On the question raised by the Hon. Member of Parliament from Gabon, les avantages que l’on pourra tirer de la biodiversité et sur le fait que l’IM28 puisse y avoir accès au Canada et non au Gabon, c’est véritablement le cœur de notre initiative sur:1)la formation des régulateurs au niveau pays;2)la mise en place du processus d’harmonisation des systèmes de régularisation pour que les mécanismes d’enregistrement des médicaments soient facilités.Cela va nous permettre non seulement d’être plus efficace dans la promotion de nos propres produits, éventuellement, mais aussi de limiter nos coûts d’importation par rapport à un certain nombre de médicaments et d’augmenter la capacité d’accès des plus pauvres aux médicaments essentiels. Mais là, je pense sincèrement que le poids de la représentation parlementaire est tout à fait essentiel pour faire en sorte qu’au niveau national, ces questions-là soient appuyées.Sur la question numéro onze, concernant le fait que nous tendons, au niveau du continent à ne pas suffisamment, that sufficiently go towards enunciation of practical results and talk more about theories.I think there is a paradigmatic change which is taking place. I would give you an example of what is being done in the architecture of the AU. Today, in each specific sector at the level of the AU, there is a continental framework or strategy, which has been consented to. This continental strategy is regionalised at the level of ECOWAS, the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and East African Community (EAC) among others. Once it is regionalised, the pillars and principles of that framework have to be inserted into national plans. This is what we have done in agriculture. We have the comprehensive African Agricultural Development Plan that has four pillars. The four pillars are on the issue of land; the market; food security and research and science.In each one of these pillars, there are practical instruments which can feed national policies. CADEP, as a framework, has been regionalised. The first region to adopt it is ECOWAS. This means there is a CADEP regional framework in all the fifteen (15) countries of ECOWAS. This, in turn, means that all the fifteen countries have national investment plans of agriculture which are derived from the regional strategy of CADEP. That delivery process with a continental framework which is regionalised and then inserted into national plans is what we have to aim at in education and rural infrastructure development. In health and all the other sectors, this is the delivery process we have to follow, that is, a continental framework that is regionalised and then fed into national policies. This is the best way to reach regional integration in all our sectors.Evidently, it is a learning process and will take time, but the framework is in place and we have shown, through CADEP in agriculture, that it is pragmatically possible. In the ECOWAS Region, we have reached a level of national investment plans of agriculture. Therefore, we can mobilise resources in order to implement these national investment plans.With regard to the issue of resource mobilisation, the first sentiment was that we are depending more and more on aid. This is not true. We just finalised a report on the Group 8 (G8) commitments related to Africa. With the authorisation of the President, we would be very happy to share it. What is indicated in that report is that more than 80 per cent of public investment in Africa is not related to aid, but domestic resources. We are no longer depending on global aid. We have made enormous efforts in domestic resource mobilisation and we could do more by rationalising our resource mobilisation mechanisms.I fully agree with the reasoning of the last question that was on the fact of taking NEPAD to the people. NEPAD should not be looked at as a kind of elitist bureaucratic mechanism. Just as a by the way, it is the only African development initiative which has existed for ten (10) years and has been institutionalised through its integration into the AU. I think if it has an enabling environment to support its focus on implementation, it can deliver very well. This is where I think the Joint Committee will be extremely important because it will help us to focus and be realistic and pragmatic in the best way we can.Once again, I really thank you very much for your comments. We will take them on board.

LE PRESIDENT:Merci beaucoup, Docteur MAYAKI, Directeur exécutif.C’est avec une très grande appréciation que la plénière prend note aussi bien des réponses que des commentaires et également votre volonté de continuer une coopération plus rapprochée entre l’Agence et le Parlement panafricain.Honorable BOUDINA, vous avez deux (02) minutes.

HON. BOUDINA MOSTEFA [ALGERIA]:Merci, Monsieur le Président.Je voudrais tout simplement exprimer ma satisfaction de membre de la Commission, quant à l’exposé ainsi que les réponses satisfaisantes données par Monsieur le Directeur de l’Agence du NEPAD, et surtout son engagement dans une future collaboration fructueuse.Je voudrais également remercier les collègues pour la qualité de leurs contributions que nous allons, à notre tour, au sein de notre Commission, prendre en charge.Je vous remercie, Monsieur le Président.

HON. NGUINI EFFA MARIE-ROSE [CAMEROON]:Merci, Monsieur le Président.Je pense que je vais commencer par remercier Dr. MAYAKI pour ses éclaircissements.Je voulais lui faire comprendre, faire comprendre à la plénière que l’harmonisation et l’enregistrement sont une tâche importante et stimulante. La norme représente un instrument vital pour l’enregistrement des médicaments. Et, nous connaissons en Afrique, aujourd’hui, ce problème de médicaments frelatés, de médicaments périmés, de faux médicaments. Et, je pense que cette tâche ne doit pas être une initiative mais un aboutissement, d’autant plus que nous avons de petits soucis, en ce moment, de la réduction de la limitation d’utilisation des brevets, et nous savons que nos pays utilisent, essentiellement pour les antirétroviraux, des médicaments génériques. Si nous ne pouvons plus le faire - et la plupart de nos pays africains les distribuent gratuitement - à base de génériques, cela va être un problème très délicat pour nous.Je veux que cet adage cesse: « la maladie est au Sud et les médicaments au Nord ».Merci, Monsieur le Président.(Applaudissements)

LE PRESIDENT:Merci beaucoup, honorable Marie-Rose NGUINI EFFA, Présidente de la Commission de la Santé, du Travail et des Affaires sociales.La rangée de gauche a été oubliée de ma liste. Si les honorables membres de cette rangée (de gauche) veulent encore intervenir, je vais leur accorder deux (02) minutes.Yes, Namibia!

AN HONOURABLE MEMBER:Thank you, Mr. President. I will not really go into the detailed comments, I was going to make, but simply appreciate and commend NEPAD’s work, particularly in the vital area of science and technology.I would like to welcome the idea of a Joint Committee that has been proposed and say that we will be able to play our part in that important exercise.I also would like to emphasise the fact that there is a need for ownership. In the past, NEPAD was not well known in the various African member states, but the question of visibility is something that I would like to underline. It should become a reality in different parts because ownership is part of the exercise. It is very important that it is made known. I simply wanted to appreciate this detailed informative report that we have received from the Chief Executive.With those few words, I wish to say thank you. Sir.

HON. JATTA SIDIA S. [GAMBIA]:Thank you, Mr. President for giving me the Floor. I would like to first salute the initiative of establishing a Mathematics Training Centre in Kenya and its replication elsewhere on the continent. I was wondering why it has been limited to Mathematics. I think the sciences are so interconnected that I would have thought that we should have included the chemical and physical sciences. Technological transfer will no longer be possible in the world. We have to take it ourselves because it is a knowledge which is acquired. I would suggest that consideration be given to the development of sciences, in general, on the continent.I could not agree more with you when you said aid cannot and is not likely to develop the African continent. There is no doubt about that. I think being independent does not mean depending on others. Primarily, we have to depend on ourselves for development of the continent. Of course, agriculture is key to the development of this continent because the continent is fundamentally agrarian as you clearly put it. Agriculture development without industrialisation is inconceivable on our continent. Africa must begin to transform its raw materials and add value to them. These will help to generate, not only employment, but also revenue. However, this must be seriously given consideration. I do not know what your agency is doing about it, but industrialisation is key to agricultural development.Regarding the 10 per cent increase of national budgets to be allocated to agriculture, I think there should be a way of monitoring it because this is a commitment that was made by African leaders in Maputo. It should be monitored to see that this 10 per cent is actually given to agriculture because without agriculture, there can never be...The Hon. Member’s time expired.

AN HONORABLE MEMBER [SUDAN]شكراً سيدي الرئيس ،أسمح لي أن أتقدم بالشكر للدكتور موسى والسيد مصطفى والسيدة ميري .

AN HONORABLE MEMBER [...]:On a point of order, Mr. President.Thank you, for giving me the Floor. I rise on the Floor of this House because this debate has been closed. The presenters have responded to all the comments made by the Hon. Members. Why are we now reopening the debate?

LE PRESIDENT:Je n’ouvre pas le débat: la rangée de gauche avait été oubliée sur la liste des inscrits.C’est le dernier, de toute façon; il a deux (02) minutes.

AN HONORABLE MEMBER [SUDAN]:شكرا السيد الرئيس ،نحن قدمنا طلب التدخل لكن حدث هناك خطأ من قبل أمانة الكتب ،ونشكر الرئيس على اإلستجابة .السيد الرئيس ،مبادرة الشراكة الجديدة للتنمية في افريقيا )النيباد( مبادرة جديدة ،من أهم أهدافها :الريادة في مجال تنمية البحث العلمي وبرنامج تحسين الظروف السياسية واإلستقرا ر -ونعني بذلك الديمقراطية في افريقيا ،بناء القدرات في مجال التنمية -@ ولعل السيد الرئيس ، لتحقيق تلك األهداف من الشراكة الجديدة للتنمية في افريقيا تحتاج إلى اإليمان بالمبادئ االتية : -التعاون والتكافل بين الدول الغنية والفقيرة وأن تكون الشراكة شراكة حقيقية ،- التنسيق التكاملي التعاوني،و أؤيد فكرة أن يوضع في عين االعتبار أولويات المجتمع في التنمية .إن قارتنا اإلفريقية بها موارد طبيعية كبيرة ولكن أركز على الزراعة ألقول الزراعة ، الزراعة ، الزراعة ، والتنمية الصناعية واألمن الغذائي .السيد الرئيس ،حتى يكون للبرلمان دور في التوعية بمبادئ وأهداف النيباد البد أن نملك الكثير من المعلومات عن النيباد وننشرها حتى تكون واقعية وحقيقية ونشكر على هذا التقدم الملموس الحاصل خالل العشر سنوات في نظرية النيباد ولكن رغم ذلك تحتاج إلى عمل كبير من قبل البرلمان اإلفريقي .ونحن نؤيد الشراكة مع النيباد في دفع هذه النظرية حتى تصبح واقعا .وعليه أرجو من النيباد أن يجمعوا التجارب الناجحة من الدول في مجاالت التنمية حتى يكون هناك تكامل تنمويوشــــــــــــــــــــكرا جزيال السيد الرئيس.

LE PRESIDENT:Merci pour ces contributions.Docteur MAYAKI a une dernière question sur les mathématiques et les sciences, d’une part, et l’industrialisation, d’autre part. Vous pouvez répondre rapidement de votre place.

DR. IBRAHIM ASSANE MAYAKI [DIRECTEUR EXECUTIF DE L’AGENCE DE PLANIFICATION ET DE COORDINATION DU NEPAD]:Merci, Monsieur le Président.Sur la question relative au Centre des Mathématiques qui a été mis sur pied au Kenya et qui fait l’objet d’une réplication au Gabon, je pense que les commentaires visant à intégrer les dimensions ayant trait à la physique et à la chimie sont importants.Mais, je voudrais faire un petit historique sur la nécessité d’avoir créé ce centre. Cela part d’un diagnostic que la qualité de nos enseignants, au niveau secondaire, pour ce qui concerne l’Afrique, en général, avec des variations d’un pays à un autre, que le niveau de formation en mathématiques ne sont pas suffisamment élevés et qu’il était extrêmement important de relever ce niveau-là. C’est pour cela que nous nous sommes orientés vers les centres régionaux. Le centre régional du Kenya fonctionne très bien; c’est un exemple.Le centre régional de Gabon va être fonctionnel d’ici très peu de temps et nous veillons à ce que d’autres centres régionaux puissent être construits. Mais, absolument, rien n’empêche que les dimensions concernant les autres sciences puissent être prises en compte, et nous allons réfléchir, bien évidement, à cette question-là.Sur l’industrialisation, je suis, évidemment, tout à fait d’accord avec vous, parce que, par rapport à l’agriculture, l’Afrique a eu, entre autres, deux problèmes: le premier, c’est que nous avons importé, et nous continuons à importer - là-aussi, statistiques 2009 - pour à peu près trente-cinq (35) milliards de dollars de produits agricoles. Cela veut dire que, de nos poches, sont sortis trentecinq (35) milliards de dollars pour acheter des produits agricoles qui venaient d’ailleurs, qui venaient du Vietnam.Le Vietnam est sorti d’une guerre terrible. Le Vietnam est, aujourd’hui, après avoir ôté les bombes dans les rivières, le troisième producteur mondial de riz. Le Vietnam n’était pas producteur de café, il y a quarante (40) ans, mais d’ici quinze (15) ans, le Vietnam risque de concurrencer la Côte-d’Ivoire, dans la production de café. Tout simplement, parce que, non seulement ils ont investi énormément dans la formation de l’agriculteur, mais aussi ils ont investi dans la chaine de valeurs, pour également augmenter la valeur ajoutée. Et, c’est cela qui - je suis d’accord avec vous - est la base de l’industrialisation.L’industrialisation en Afrique ne sera pas différente de ce qu’elle a été sur les autres continents et, notamment en Occident - agriculture qui se mécanise où il y a la création de la valeur ajoutée, où il y a une augmentation de revenus de la majorité des producteurs. Cela crée un marché intérieur et l’industrialisation se poursuit et les produits de l’industrialisation peuvent être achetés par des producteurs qui ont plus de revenus. Donc, je suis absolument d’accord avec vous.Il y avait une question, d’ailleurs, auparavant, à savoir si nous avons une stratégie d’industrialisation, au niveau du continent.Nous n’avons pas de stratégie d’industrialisation continentale, mais nous savons que certains d’entre nous, notamment l’Afrique du Sud, le Nigeria, l’Egypte, le Maroc, l’Algérie, le Kenya, et j’en oublie d’autres, ont des niveaux d’industrialisation qui sont relativement poussés. Mais, la bonne nouvelle, c’est que, dans l’approche que nous prenons à l’intérieur du CADEP, la création de la valeur ajoutée, pour viser l’industrialisation, est un point qui est, tout à fait, essentiel.Je voudrais - juste pour terminer et ne pas prendre beaucoup de temps - dire qu’il y a dix (10) jours au Cap, il y avait une réunion à laquelle étaient présents les Présidents du Mozambique et de la Tanzanie, en vue de réfléchir sur l’attraction des investissements privés dans le secteur agricole, en prenant la référence du CADEP, du PDBA.Si le secteur privé international porte de l’attention de plus en plus à l’agriculture africaine, cela veut dire que l’agriculture africaine est rentable et qu’elle est un business. Donc, nous devons faire très attention à ce que les conditions de cette attraction puissent profiter au plus grand nombre et favoriser l’industrialisation du continent.Je vous remercie, Monsieur le Président.

LE PRESIDENT:Merci beaucoup, Monsieur le Directeur exécutif.Au nom du Parlement et des parlementaires, je vous remercie, encore une fois, et je vous félicite pour cette contribution.Je félicite également, au passage, les deux Présidents des Commissions permanentes et l’ensemble des parlementaires qui ont apporté leurs contributions, ce matin.Honorables Membres, conformément à l’article 32 du Règlement intérieur, nous allons observer une pause.La séance est suspendue jusqu’à 14 heures 30.

ANNOUNCEMENTS THE CLERK:Mr President, Hon. Members, the following Committees will meet as follows:(i)the Committee on Justice and Human Rights at 1 o’clock in Committee Room No.5;(ii)the Committee on Military and Financial Affairs at 2 o’clock in Committee Room No.1; and(iii)the Committee of the Bureau with the Chairpersons of Caucuses, the Bureau of Council and the Bureau of Committee on the Rules at 12.30 o’clock in the Bureau Board Room.

LE PRESIDENT:Honorables membres,La séance est reprise.Je vais demander au Secrétaire général de donner lecture du deuxième point inscrit à l’ordre du jour. C’était initialement écrit troisième mais, en fait, c’est le deuxième point.

AN HONORABLE MEMBER:On a point of order, Mr. President.Thank you, Mr. President. I think it is the second time today that I have to request to stand on a point of order.This morning, a debate was closed, but was reopened and that was out of order. This afternoon, the programme shows that we were supposed to have started at 2.30 pm. It is now 3 o’clock, but there is no explanation given to us for the delay. I think this is totally out of order.

LE PRESIDENT:Merci, beaucoup honorable OGOYA.L’explication que vous voulez est simple: suite à la dernière Conférence des Présidents, la réunion des bureaux du PAP (les bureaux des Commissions et les Présidents des Caucus régionaux), il a été demandé au Bureau du Parlement panafricain de s’asseoir avec les Présidents des Caucus régionaux (les cinq), le Bureau de la Commission des Règlements et le Bureau de la Commission CAFE, pour examiner un certain nombre de dossiers relatifs à notre session.Cette réunion a pris beaucoup plus de temps qu’il ne le fallait; il a fallu même l’interrompre, pour venir en plénière. Voilà l’explication.Et, si nous sommes en retard, nous nous en excusons, mais c’est qu’on travaillait également avec les Présidents des Caucus régionaux, dans l’intérêt de la bonne marche de notre Parlement et notamment de notre Session.

AN HONORABLE MEMBER:Thank you very much, Mr. President. That is the explanation we wanted from you.

LE PRESIDENT:Merci beaucoup pour l’opportunité que vous venez de me donner pour fournir ces explications.Monsieur le Secrétaire général,Le deuxième point inscrit à l’ordre du jour.

THE CLERK:Thank you, Hon. President, the next order is presentation and debate on the Pan-African Parliament Draft Budget for 2012.

LE PRESIDENT:Merci.J’invite l’honorable Njingum Muosa MBUTOH, Président de la Commission permanent des Affaires monétaires et financières, à présenter le projet de budget 2012 du Parlement panafricain.

A REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON MONETARY AND FINANCIAL AFAIRS ON THE 2012 PAP BUDGET

HON. NJINGUM MUOSA MBUTOH [CAMEROON]:Your Excellency and Hon. Members, before I go into this Monetary and Financial Affairs Report which seems to be as expected by the Library Department, permit me to express my sincere gratitude and appreciation to you, Mr President and the entire Bureau. Your leadership of fostering good relationships has made the PanAfrican Parliament (PAP) achieve very good diplomatic relations with other organs of the African Union (AU), especially the PRC. The relationship with the PRC now is not as it was before. This period of dialogue and understanding which you have been putting in place among the Members of Parliament (MPs), the Bureau, the Speakers of National Assemblies in other Parliaments and the other organs of the AU should continue until we have our full financial and legislative powers to let PAP exercise its full responsibility on the African continent.I would also like to extend my congratulations and gratitude to the members of the Committee who have constantly been present and very committed, collaborative and determined for us to come up with the important issues relating to our budget and the Financial and Monetary Affairs Report of PAP.Finally, I would also like to thank the many Members of Parliament, who have always, even on the corridors advised and made some input into the financial management of PAP. Your Excellency, before I go into the budget issue of the report, I would like to draw the attention of my colleagues to the finance documents you have in front of you so that we can iron out some doubt and make the corrections before we go into it. The corrections are as follows:(a)On Page 3: 13 million should read as: US$11.079.60;(b)On Page 4, Number 6(i): ‘AU’ should read as ‘OAU’;(c)On Page 9: ‘fora’ should read as: ‘for a’. That is the correction there;(d)On the same page Number 8: It should read as: ‘To speed the follow up of the implementation of the objectives of the Strategic Plan 2006-2010’;(e)The other correction is just one of numbering which is not a problem;(f)On Page 5, Number 9(i) under Challenges, it should reads as: ‘Meetings will be carried out’;(g)The last one on this page is 9(ii) and it should read as: ‘Lack of staff both in terms of numbers and capacity in key operational areas for a long period’;(h)On Page 6, (iv) ‘Non-Statutory’, should read as: ‘The holding of one (1) sitting for the Committee on Rules, Privileges and Discipline to carry out its principal role for the transformation of PAP to a legislative body’ and not ‘carry out its oversight role’. That is the correction there; and(i)On Page 7, Number 13 should read as: ‘The budget includes the cost of fifty (50) existing staff members’. I think that is a necessary and important correction in that finance document.Your Excellency, the Rules of Procedure of PAP under Section 26(2) stipulate that the Committee on Monetary and Financial Affairs is mandated to, among others do the following:1.examine the draft estimates of the Parliamentary budget and submit to Parliament;2.discuss the budget of the Union and make appropriate recommendations;3.examine and report to Parliament on the problems involved in the implementation of the annual budget; and4.assist Parliament to execute its role of establishing sound economic, monetary and investment policies.Pursuant to the aforesaid mandate under the Rules of Procedure, therefore, the Committee was convened to a Statutory Meeting held at the precincts of PAP, from 17^th to 20^th March, 2011 to consider the PAP Draft Budget for 2012.In the execution of its mandate, the Committee was guided by the prevailing statutory and legal regime governing the PAP Budget Formulation Processes as enunciated in the AU Financial Rules and Regulations, the Executive Council decisions (Ex.CL/DEC.98 (v), as revised by Ex.CL/DEC.407 (xii) together with decision Ex.CL/455 (xiv) and the PAP Protocol and the recent Executive Council decision EX.CL/Dec578(xvii).The Committee was allocated two days to prepare the budget contrary to the normal five days and this was not enough, hence an extension by three days to allow the Committee to do a thorough job. The following work methodology was adopted by the Committee:(a)the Committee unanimously agreed to use the year 2010 Actual Budget as a guide, given that the year 2011 Budget has not yet been executed;(b)presentation of the draft budget with an incremental clip of 6 per cent by the Deputy Clerk FAIR and the Finance Officer;(c)presentation of the draft year 2012 budget termed "real Budget" by the Deputy Clerk FAIR;(d)individual Members’ objective input and debate on each budget item line by line; and(e)presentation of the year 2012 PAP programme budget by Senior International Relations Officer (SIRO).The Committee wishes to advise the Bureau that review of the 2011 budget cannot be undertaken, given that we are in the first quarter of the year.A delegation of PAP led by Hon. Bethel Amadi, the First Vice-President, and composed of Hon. Mary Mugyenyi, the Second Vice-President, Hon. Mcdonald Joram Gumbo, the Fourth VicePresident, Hon. Musa Mbutoh Njingum, Chairperson, Committee on Monetary and Financial Affairs, Adv. Zwelethu Madasa, Clerk to Parliament, Mr. Morad Boularaf, the Deputy Clerk FAIR and Ahmed El-Dieb, Senior Protocol Officer, took part in the proceedings of the 24^th to 31^st January, 2011 AU Summit meetings where the budget of PAP was deliberated with the other organs and subsequently approved.In the absence of the 2011 budget execution, the Committee decided to use the 2010 Budget actual to prepare the 2012 Budget.Over and above the general implementation of the objectives of PAP, the year 2012 PAP Budget seeks to achieve the following key priorities:1.driving the transformation process that will see PAP’s status changing from advisory and consultative into an organ with some legislative powers.2.ensuring the visibility of PAP in Africa and beyond and driving the ratification of policies and conventions of the AU.3.to fully support the involvement of the PAP MPs in all the activities of peace and security in Africa. That is the main target for this budget.

CHALLENGES TO THE 2012 PAP BUDGET

The AU has once more requested its organs to prepare their budgets using an incremental clip of 0-5 per cent, despite the constant pleas that this does not allow PAP to meet its aspirations.PAP has been requested to submit its draft budget by 28^th February, 2011 and that is why this budget was decided upon in March. They have shifted the timetable for presentation of the budget for consideration and adoption to the next ordinary session of the policy organs scheduled to take place in June and July, 2011 in Equatorial Guinea. Taking into consideration that PAP has its own rules of procedure in budget preparation that requires the involvement of the Bureau, Committees and the Plenary before final submission to the AU, poses a challenge on the budget formulation. This looks like reformatory to you until the time we can change and be able to debate the budget and forward it before they make their conclusions. Nonetheless, as far as our operational system is now in the AU, it is difficult for us to debate on the budget, make amendments and forward it to them for final correction.Over and above the normal execution of the core operational activities of PAP, the 2012 budget has been drafted to include non-statutory activities.The Committee made the following recommendations:1.that some members of the Committee on Monetary and Financial Affairs together with a representative of the administration should form a delegation that will accompany the budget when it is submitted to the AU to explain the defects, principles and real needs of PAP to the PRC Subcommittee on Finance before its meeting. This is very essential because we just send the budget by e-mail and do not follow up to know exactly where the budget is, what is being done to it and they may just decide to do anything and return the budget to us;2.that the Committee on Monetary and Financial Affairs must have, at least, one non-statutory meeting to evaluate the execution of the PAP Budget;3.that each PAP Committee must have amongst its yearly activities, an activity that affirms the visibility of PAP and also responds to the call of the Heads of State for ratification of the AU conventions and contribute to the Integration of the continent and achievement of objectives of the AU as requested by the PAP Protocol. These activities must be carried out in the various member countries by each of the Committees;4.that the calendar of institutional and Committee activities for PAP should be circulated to all Members, as per plan and in good time;5.that PAP should continue in its process to arrange for insurance for Members on all PAP missions;6.that the CMFA has always used, at least, five working days to consider the budget and, therefore, it is recommended that this is regularised; and7.the Bureau should approach the AU organs and urge them to accelerate the approval of the PAP organisational structure. On this, it was also agreed a Memorandum be addressed to the PRC that accompany the budget to explain the defects, the principles and the real needs of the Pan-African Parliament. Hon. Members, as regards the allowances for Members, the Finance Committee has observed the inadequacy of this allowance. They debated and forwarded its recommendations to the Bureau for its engagement with the AU for final approval. This process is going on and with the spirit of our good leadership, we hope that someday soon, maybe, in the next session, God will have heard us on that.Hon. Members, to inform you even more, after we had prepared the budget and forwarded it, we tried to call for, at least, a quarterly report, that is, about every three months. This report is to give us some information on how the budget has been distributed for the three months so that this information could be relayed to the House. We received some clarification on that. This is the 2011 income which is the budget for 2011 that has been executed for three months now. The actual position of the PAP budget transferred by the AUC to the account of PAP is US$2,396,540.75. This money has been in the PAP account for three months now. During the period under review, just these three months, PAP spent a total of US$1,881,283.30. This represents a percentage of 19.36 per cent of the total budget which was approved to us which was US$D9,717,661 for the year 2011.In conclusion, your Excellency, Hon. Members, the Committee wants to give some clarification on the issue of the programme budget. The programme budget is not yet finalised as PAP awaits other donors or partners to send in their contributions because the programme budget now will be made as a calendar of all our activities which have been submitted to the Bureau. This will remain as a calendar and each of the activity will be executed according to the donors’ goodwill. We are still waiting all the donors to come in because we cannot depend on the AU budget for that.Secondly, if we get the approval of the budget for the non-statutory activities, which we are insisting we should put in the budget, the calendar of the activities of all the Committees will be reflected successfully. That is why what you see here is just a tentative programme, a total amount which is less than what is required to execute all the activities.The Committee unequivocally urges the Plenary Assembly to consider and adopt the proposed 2012 PAP Budget although we are just confirming it, I have insisted on the word ‘adopt’ unless they change the timetable. We were supposed to adopt our budget and confirm it, including the AU budget of US$14,293,744.24 (US$ Operational 11,079,606 and Programme US$3,214,138.24). Therefore, Hon. Members, let us be Africans. We will continue fighting until we have our full powers to execute our functions responsibly.I beg to move accordingly. Thank you for your attention.

LE PRESIDENT:Merci beaucoup, Honorable NJINGUM MUOSA MBUTOH, Président de la Commission permanente des Affaires monétaires et financières.Les débats sont ouverts sur l’examen du rapport de la Commission finances.Je n’ai que huit (08) inscrits; on va se permettre de donner cinq minutes par intervenant. Le premier...

AN HONORABLE MEMBER:On a point of clarification, Mr. President.I wanted to confirm whether all the annexure or attachments have, in fact, been communicated to Members. I think a few attachments are missing from this document I received.

LE PRESIDENT:Honorable Président, le tableau en annexe n’a pas été distribué.

HON. NJINGUM MUOSA MBUTOH [CAMEROON]:Mr. President, the Budget of 2012 has an extra attachment for the additional budget. If you do not have it, you should look at the last page. Please, all the documents and all the details on salaries and other details are thereto attached.

HON. LABELLE MARIE NOËLLE FRANÇOISE [MAURITIUS]:Mr. President, as a matter of fact, in the document in front of me, annextures BUF30, BUF11, BUF10, BUF41, BUF41b and BUF03f are missing. I do not know if that is the case with other Hon. Members.

LE PRESIDENT:Eclairez-moi, Monsieur le Président de la Commission et du Secrétariat.Des annexes sont citées et les parlementaires n’ont pas ces annexes.

HON. NJINGUM MUOSA MBUTOH [CAMEROON]:Mr. President, I think all these documents were forwarded to the Secretariat and we expected all of them to be attached to the document. We cannot do without those documents.Okay, the Secretariat will find a way in which it can forward them to the Members.

LE PRESIDENT:Vous avez une réponse?Oui?

UN HONORABLE MEMBRE:Merci, Monsieur le Président.C’est la même préoccupation concernant les documents que nous distribue l’Administration, parce que là, j’ai le rapport de la Commission à laquelle j’appartiens, d’ailleurs, mais les annexes sont en Anglais, donc inexploitables, en dehors des chiffres

HON.NKODO DANG ROGER [CAMEROON]:Merci, Monsieur le Président.Bon après-midi à tout le monde!Monsieur le Président,Je viens de jeter encore un coup d’œil sur le projet de budget. J’ai comme l’impression que les dispositions de l’article du Protocole de notre Parlement ne sont toujours pas appliquées.Il était stipulé qu’après cinq (05) ans, les députés seront pris en charge par le Parlement. Cinq (05) ans, les parlements nationaux devaient payer les déplacements des députés, pour venir assister aux réunions, ici. A ce jour, nous sommes à sept (07) ans, on continue à constituer des budgets, comme si les parlements nationaux étaient toujours liés de payer les déplacements des députés. De quoi il en retourne, Monsieur le Président?

LE PRESIDENT:Secrétariat, pour les annexes, éclairez-nous!Vous avez les annexes?(Interruptions)Alors, si vous les avez, pourquoi vous ne les distribuez pas?Le Président de la Commission vérifie, lui-même, les annexes. On dit que la version anglaise est complète; c’est bien ça?On attend toujours que le Président de la Commission vérifie les annexes, avec le Rapporteur de la Commission d’Evaluation.

HON. NJINGUM MUOSA MBUTOH [CAMEROON]:I think Hon. Members are right that some of the attachments are not present in most of their files. B13, B11, B41, B41(b) and B03(f) are all not in their files. I do not know what the cause of this is, but the Secretariat should find out and let the Hon. Members have them, please.

LE PRESIDENT:Le Secrétaire nous informe que le document distribué, hier, a les annexes au complet.Par contre, le document distribué, aujourd’hui, et qui peut encore être distribué, comprendrait, selon le Secrétariat, l’ensemble des annexes, et dans toutes les langues.

HON. OUADDADI CHEIKH AHMED EL- HEIBA [SAHARAWI REPUBLIC]شكراً سيدي الرئيس،فيما يتعلق أسمحو لي سيدي الرئيس أن أبدي إنشغالي خاصةً باللغتين العربية واالسبانية ال توجد بموضوع الترجمة ، مثالً وثائق مترجمة لذلك ال يمكننا متابعة النقاش سيدي الرئيس .شكرا

LE PRESIDENT:Vous pouvez distribuer à tous les parlementaires qui n’ont pas le rapport au complet.Donc, le rapport comprenant l’ensemble des annexes disponibles va être distribué dans les quatre langues de travail: le Français, l’Anglais, le Portugais et l’Arabe, en ce qui concerne la documentation écrite.L’Espagnol et le Swahili, nous les utilisons en Chambre, mais les documents ne sont écrits ni en Swahili, ni en Espagnol.Cela dit, avec le minimum que nous avons, je pense qu’on pourra commencer à avoir les contributions des parlementaires sur le budget.Il y a une question posée par l’Honorable Roger, qui est en fait relative à l’adoption de notre Protocole.Honorable BAHARI, le Vice-président de la Commission.

HON. ALI BAHARI [KENYA]:Thank you, Mr. President, for this opportunity. First and foremost, I would like to thank the Chairperson of this Committee for presenting this report, though I regret that the attachments have not been given as required. I think the Members will agree with me that the intention was to give the attachment because it forms part of the report as per page 2 where all the attachments are listed. The spirit is very clear, but the soul somehow did not reach. I apologise on behalf of the Committee of which I am a Member.Mr. President, financing of any institution is very key in its operations because we can do all the things that we want to do, but if we are not funded appropriately, you can be rest assured that we will not go very far. This is so because this is an institution that is of a continental nature. Its expenses are quite demanding and we are fully dependent on the grants that we get from the AU. We do not have resources of our own. We do not have revenues of our own that directly apply to us and, therefore, it has not been very easy.Similarly, we also live in a continent where our resources are generally limited, with member countries not up to date in contributions and some not actually paying their contributions. In addition, the source which we depend on, which is the AU, itself, has got a very, very unreliable source of funds and, therefore, we consequently, experience a lot of difficulties.I know Members come here with a lot of zeal to carry out their duties as it has been shown here through their contributions, but for the period that I have been here now, the issue of limitation of finances has been a day to day affair and a lot has not changed over a period of time now. This is true also for our own countries, for our own economies. We know the difficulties that we go through in terms of budget formulation because of the demands that we are not able to meet through our revenues and the borrowings.These, therefore, give us a lot of very difficult situations. For example, in the past, we have had non-statutory meetings and that line of the budget has not been there for some time now and that is where a lot of activities of Parliament and Committees actually took place. This is where you could meet specialists in certain areas, refine your reports, add a lot of value and enrich the debate in this House that would ultimately be useful also to the national Parliaments and all the countries we come from. This line has not been funded for a long a time and unless it is funded, we will keep having some of the problems, operational and otherwise, that we have seen here. These are the ones that Members have been complaining about. With that kind of a background, I hope we will try and do our best to make use of what we have.Secondly, the issue of the calendar of the AU in terms of submitting the budget, which has radically changed, has also inconvenienced this Committee a lot because we do not have the expenditures for 2011. Therefore, it is very difficult, under the very turbulent economic conditions, for this Committee to develop a reasonable draft budget to the AU.Finally, Mr. President, I wish the issue of the organisational structure of PAP would be sorted out like yesterday because any organisation must keep on changing to adapt to the changing environment. That change can only come when you change your organisational structure because we are working with an organisational structure that is redundant and does not address the needs of its institution and we cannot do that at this level. We can only make proposals which, sometimes, because of bureaucracies, as we have seen, we cannot manage to get finalised. I would like to urge our Members finally, to speak to their Foreign Ministers who are Members of the Executive Council to speak to their Ambassadors who are Members of the PRC in Addis Ababa so that they can reason with the demand or the request from PAP and consider it favourably. We can blame this Committee, the Secretariat, the Bureau and the others, but I can assure you, unless those resources are forthcoming, we will not make much progress.Finally, the other important issue is that of capacity building for the Members of Parliament. This matter must be taken very seriously because whether we get another time to come back here or not, the issue of capacity for Africa is very important. This also applies to those who leave here, like the Second Vice-President who is about to leave, because they are citizens of this continent and should play a significant role in ensuring that our continent moves forward. Therefore, that capacity remains within the continent and we should be proud of it.Indeed, I suggest that this Parliament should keep a register of Members of Parliament from the first one to date so that the references can be made to these registers. Some of these things are easily forgotten. Given that this institution has been there for some time now, that kind of register is very important. Should there be need for certain things to be done in the continent and we know there are MPs who have been Members at PAP, we know they can significantly contribute because the spirit of Pan-Africanism is still in them. This should be done as we continue with the rest of activities in our countries.Thank you very much, Mr. President.

HON. NKODO DANG ROGER [CAMEROON]:Merci, Monsieur le Président.Monsieur le Président,Je crois que, lorsqu’on pose une question, ici, et que c’est balayé d’un revers de main, ce n’est pas une attitude assez sérieuse.Si le problème ne se pose pas ailleurs, le problème de ces cinq ans commence déjà à se poser au niveau de mon Parlement. Parce que, quand les Contrôleurs d’Etat viennent, et ils se rendent compte que jusqu’aujourd’hui, le Parlement camerounais continue à payer les missions des députés au Parlement panafricain, sans qu’il y ait une autre décision qui est intervenue, entre temps, cela pose problème.Même le Président qui vous parle, il connait les difficultés que nous avons. Peut-être que ces problèmes ne se posent pas ailleurs. Si je vous pose cette question, c’est parce que je pars d’un concept, de quelque chose qui est réel. Ce n’est pas la réponse que je vais donner: qu’on attend la révision et on continue à sortir de l’argent. On ne peut pas, d’un côté, parler de la gouvernance et, de l’autre, permettre que les gens fassent des malversations sans justificatifs.Voilà, ce que je voulais dire!Et si ce Parlement n’est pas rempli, c’est justement à cause de ces problèmes financiers. Il ne faut pas balayer le problème d’un revers de main, parce que c’est un problème réel. Je vais, donc, aller dire au Président de mon Parlement que nous attendons la révision, il va nous dire de rester sur place.Je vous remercie, Monsieur le Président.

LE PRESIDENT:Merci beaucoup, honorable Roger Nkodo DANG.Je n’ai pas renvoyé d’un revers de main votre question. Votre question n’est pas de ma compétence; elle est plutôt liée à l’adoption du Protocole. Néanmoins, la question est soumise à la plénière, et la plénière peut répondre.Honorable GOYA,Vous avez la parole.

HON. MOISERAELE MASTER GOYA [BOTSWANA]:Thank you very much, Mr. President, for giving me the opportunity to also contribute to the Budget Report that has been presented by Hon. Mbuto, the Chairperson of the Monetary and Financial Affairs Committee.I would also like to thank my fellow colleagues, members of the Monetary and Financial Affairs Committee, for the trouble they took during the month of March to come here to work on Saturdays and Sundays to evaluate the PanAfrican Parliament Budget.Mr. President, the preparation of the 2012 Budget has proffered two things and these are:i. it is the first time in the history of PAP, that the African Union Budget will be examined during the July Summit and we are told, this is what will happen even in the coming years;ii. it is the first time in the history of PAP that a budget has had to be prepared and evaluated before the execution of the previous budget.This was highlighted by the Chairperson when he was presenting this report. I want to mention, Mr. President, in the most unequivocal terms that, these two phenomena were a thorn in the necks of the members of the Monetary and Financial Affairs Committee but, nevertheless, they did their work. They evaluated the budget on these kinds of conditions. However, I would like to go on to say that if you want to see the direction this organisation is heading, you must look at the way it increases its budget over the years.If you remember very well, last year, the AU instructed its organs to apply an incremental creep of 5 per cent in its organs’ budget and this affected all the operations of the organs, including PAP. As if that was not enough, again, this year, the African Union sent out yet another instruction to all its organs for a 0.5 per cent incremental ceiling. How do we expect these organs to operate when we are giving them only a small increment of their budgets?My suggestion is that it is time that we, as PAP, folded our sleeves and started marketing this institution to the international community. We should expand the network of partners of this institution. We should not cry like babies and say that the AU should give us a high increase in our budget. We know very well that our countries are not sending their subscription fees to the AU. How then do we expect a high increase in the budget? I think it is now time we looked outward and market this institution so that we have other institutions that we should partner with to assist us financially. That is the path we should take. We should now start to rigorously and vigorously market this institution.I do not want to talk much, Mr. President.I thank you for giving me this chance and support the Committee’s report.

HON. STEVEN OBEEGADOO [MAURITIUS]:Thank you, Mr. President, for giving me the Floor. I do not claim to have detailed knowledge of the budgetary procedures here, being relatively new. Therefore, I will just offer some general comments on the two documents that are before us, the Draft Budget and the Report of the Commission which I have read.There are two issues, one is to argue for more resources from the AU, but I do not propose to go into that debate. I do not see it being of much use here today.The second issue is how we can make judicious use of the resources available through reallocation or otherwise and that will be my main point today.Looking at the introduction to the Draft Budget, I fully agree with the emphasis that is proposed on transformation into a legislative body, visibility of PAP contribution to democracy, human rights and good governance. My point is that our ability to do so hinges on the credibility of PAP. It hinges on the external credibility to the AU and partners beyond this House. Now that pre-supposes that we would have done the basic analytical effort of identifying our comparative advantage over other institutions of the AU and looked at our strength as the opportunities of the present context and what value added we may bring. Credibility is not just a matter of being credible but, most importantly, of being seen or being perceived to be credible. Thus, my emphasis is on a communication strategy.The document "Introduction to the Budget and the report of the Commission" speak of visibility and rightly so. The Commission has made a very important recommendation which I fully support and it is that they must reach the PAP Committee. There must be a yearly activity that affirms to the visibility of PAP. I feel this is of fundamental importance and I fully support it. However, beyond that, I am very worried when I look at the problematic elements of the budget, for instance, paragraph 20 which speaks of sensitisation of the peoples’ of Africa, outreach to civil society. I do not believe that will take us very far. What we need is a communication strategy for PAP to exist outside Midrand which is not the case today, Mr President. We need a communication strategy that is innovative, imaginative, has specific goals, performance indicators and can be monitored and evaluated. Therefore, we need professional expert assistance for that purpose. I have many ideas. We could work with journalists, host special events or have special invitees that attract the media, report to national parliaments, produce publications and participate in major events in Africa, but time does not permit.My point is that this budget, if you look at the amounts budgeted under communication, does not provide for an effective communication strategy. The budget does not provide for communication even with fellow Members of Parliament here. I will not have time to go into the exact budgetary items. I will only invite colleagues to look at the recap of the proposed budget for the financial year 2012. There is no page indicated, but you will see that on communication, the amount is simply dismal and there is absolutely no increase for internal communication. Whereas this Parliament is being said to be part-time, we can be effective via enetwork. We can have effective electronic network in-between sessions.My second point although the time is running out, Mr President, is the staffing cost, equipment, vehicles which amount to about 60 per cent of our budget. This is the trend in international organisations and if we are not careful, it will increase. Is it not time, now that we have been in existence for seven or eight years, to have an eternal independent audit to look at how much the administration is costing us and how much of it answers to the objective of cost effectiveness and cost efficiency? If I had time, I would have talked about the item of preparation of documents. Again, we have been having problems every day here, and yet the budget does not provide for any increase...The Hon. Member’s time expired.

HON. JAIME BESSA AUGUSTO NETO [MOZAMBIQUE]:Muito obrigado, Senhor Presidente.Senhor Presidente, percorrendo os objectivos tragados neste Projecto de Ornamento para 2012, ve-se que nele estao reflectidos os interesses dos Povos Africanos, relativo a implementagao de políticas da Uniao Africana, promogao dos princípios, direitos humanos e democracia, promogao da paz, seguranga e estabilidade do continente, entre outros.A concepgao deste orgamento, Senhor Presidente, é perfeita; mas a sua implementagao suscita algumas dúvidas, olhando para a nossa situagao actual.O que nós estamos a verificar, é que o nosso Parlamento cinge as suas actividades, apenas áquelas relativas ao Plenário. As Comissoes - pelo menos aquela onde eu fago parte - baseiam as suas actividades apenas nas reunioes realizadas aqui, na sede do Parlamento.Senhor Presidente,O resultado desta situagao é a fraca participagao e empenho dos membros da Comissao, e grande parte das Comissoes quando reúnem nao possuem quórum suficiente.Esta situagao, Senhor Presidente, é deplorável e a nao participagao dos membros nos trabalhos das Comissoes é resultado da falta de cumprimento das actividades que as Comissoes acordam nas suas reunioes. Por isso, solicitamos que, de facto, o orgamento que é alocado ás Comissoes seja garantido para que elas funcionem em pleno. E neste tempo, em que se apresenta uma situagao política deplorável no continente, é importante que as Comissoes se envolvam activamente nos trabalhos do Parlamento, para que a monitoria das várias situagoes que afectam o nosso povo seja efectuada. Mais ainda, este Parlamento deve garantir a divulgagao das actividades que os vários órgaos estao a levar a cabo, nao só para tornar visível o trabalho que estamos a desenvolver no Parlamento, como também para informar aos contribuintes que garantem a nossa participagao aqui, na sede do Parlamento Africano.Senhor Presidente, queria aproveitar esta oportunidade, uma vez que o orgamento apresentado considera importante a actividade de paz e seguranga no continente, gostava de solicitar que fosse considerada a possibilidade, nesta mesma linha, de inclusao dos aspectos relativos aos refugiados resultantes desses conflitos.Penso que este assunto é bastante importante, porque como africanos devemos nos preocupar com as condigoes em que se encontram as nossas populagoes refugiadas nos países de acolhimento. Para terminar, Senhor Presidente, solicitamos que, de facto, haja interpretagao durante as missoes de observagao eleitoral.Tenho dito e obrigado!

HON. KPARKAR EUGENE [LIBERIA]:Mr. President, thank you for allowing me to add my voice on this very important topic. As you know, finances are a very integral component in the workings of Parliament and any institution. I believe that the budget of PAP is too minimal, to say the least, to tackle the myriad challenges that we have. In the introduction of this report, it says the budget has registered an important increase. However, I do not believe that this is an important increase because the 5-6 per cent is very minimal because it really does not capture most of the issues, problems and challenges that we anticipate.Beyond that, I would like to say that the attendance of this particular body and this particular session speaks to the poor financial situation that we find ourselves in. If we had the finances, PAP, being the continental Parliament would have borne some of the expenses, if not all, of Members attending sessions. I stand to be corrected, but if we follow the rules, I do not think the attendance constitutes a quorum. The reason for that, I believe, is that national parliaments are defaulting on the implementation of that Executive decision which obliges all the countries to get air tickets for their Members to come to this session.I would propose that in order for this Parliament to be very viable in the eyes of the international community and the Africans, themselves, there should be a budgetary allocation so that PAP can take this responsibility and not relegate it to national parliaments. In this way, it will be PAP to send tickets for Members to come. That will compel attendance, but because of this poor financial situation, I do not think we are going anywhere.In the case of ECOWAS, they have managed to succeed because of the ECOWAS free levy. As a result of the ECOWAS free levy, ECOWAS is the one that invites Members, that pays per diems for the Members and all our allowances like responsibility allowances, and all others. If African leaders will accept the introduction of an AU free levy, no matter how minimal, it would go a long way in addressing this problem. Maybe, we can start by a little fee and if all the African countries acceded to this idea, I believe, we will go somewhere.Besides that, I will also look at the incentives of staff of this Parliament. I believe as it is, it does not encourage any worker. Salaries, incentives and allowances are motivational factors. If these staff members received good incentives, it would motivate them.Likewise, there are no provisions for nonstatutory meetings. How do we meet before coming to the Plenary? Plenary discussions should be the last resort, but we are not meeting. There are no Committee meetings and no nonstatutory meetings. In my opinion, this is hampering the work of this body.I would like to raise a question on grants. Before there used to be grants, and I stand to be corrected, from the EU to this body. My question is: Is there any grant to this Parliament, if so, why is it not incorporated in the budget?Thank you very much, Sir, for giving me the Floor.

HON. NKODO DANG ROGER [CAMEROON]:Merci, Monsieur le Président, de me passer la parole.Monsieur le Président,J’ai deux petites préoccupations par rapport à notre budget; et ces préoccupations me ramènent à ce que j’ai posé comme question, tout à l’heure, puisque vous m’avez renvoyé à la plénière.La première préoccupation, c’est que, dans le rapport, - tout en félicitant, d’ailleurs, ce que les collègues ont pu faire - ils ont écrit que la Commission a décidé d’utiliser le délai réel du budget de 2010.Si je reviens sur cette préoccupation, c’est qu’en 2010, l’Afrique n’était pas confrontée à toutes les difficultés de l’heure. Donc, la situation actuelle devait nous permettre, au lieu de penser à une augmentation, de mettre les organes de l’UA (le Conseil des chefs de l’Etat et ceux qui doivent adopter notre Règlement intérieur) devant leurs responsabilités, parce que, de plus en plus, dans cet article de Jeune Afrique, il est mentionné: « le très discret Parlement panafricain de l’Union africaine ». Un parlement ne doit pas être discret, et si nous sommes discrets, c’est parce que nous n’avons pas de moyens.Je ne sais pas le nombre de pays, ici, présents, le Parlement où l’on annonce même les sessions, que telle chose s’est passée à Midrand. Il n’y a pas de moyens de communication. Il n’y a pas d’argent. Ce n’est pas de notre faute. Ce n’est pas de votre faute.Quand les journaux commencent déjà à titrer, sous la plume de Pierre BOSSOLE que « l’Union africaine est en difficulté, parce que son principal pourvoyeur de fonds, Mouammar KHADAFI a décidé d’imposer au PAP des mesures économiques temporaires ». C’est pour cela que je voulais juste savoir, Monsieur le Président, messieurs les membres de la Commission, si en faisant l’augmentation, on a tenu compte que les plus grands pourvoyeurs de fonds de l’Union africaine ont des difficultés, en ce moment, et que l’argent risque de ne pas être disponible.Ma deuxième préoccupation est que, compte tenu du fait que la modification de notre Règlement intérieur traine, on aurait pu mettre le COREP devant ses responsabilités, en disant: « (nous avons dit) que cinq ans après, le Parlement devait s’autofinancer ». Donc, les parlements nationaux devaient prendre en charge les députés, pendant cinq ans.La période de cinq ans étant dépassée, il faut mettre la prise en charge des parlementaires dans le budget, quitte à eux d’aller rejeter. C’est pour cela que j’ai insisté dessus, parce que, lorsque vous emmenez un budget comme ça, ils vont encore aller diminuer en pensant que c’est juste un budget de fonctionnement. Il faut quand même mettre des éléments réels et donner un réel délai qui permette à ceux qui vont aller défendre le budget d’avoir des marges de manœuvre. Mais, quand il est comme ça, je crois qu’il peut être diminué. Comme ils ont fait une augmentation de 5%, la diminution risque d’être de 20%, et je crois qu’on restera encore, en 2011, dans la même expectative; il n’y a pas d’argent, on ne fait pas ceci.Nous ne venons pas, ici, pour une partie de plaisir. C’est pour défendre les intérêts de l’Afrique. C’est pour faire connaitre l’Afrique à l’intérieur du continent et au monde.Il faut bien qu’on nous trouve les moyens pour faire cette politique.Voila, ce que je voulais dire, Monsieur le Président.Je vous remercie.

HON. DUMBUYA SHEKU B. [SIERRA LEONE]:Mr. President, from the outset, I would like to commend the members of the Committee for doing a very good job. I have been here for quite some time and I must say that this is one of the best budget preparations that I have seen. They have put a lot of work into it and the proposals are very good. I would like to submit here that the increase that they have suggested is quite legitimate and should be supported if the objectives that we have set, as a Parliament, are to be met.Mr. President, Hon. Master Goya raised a very important point. We are asking for an increase, but the member states are not paying their dues. Therefore, how do we expect to raise the money? That is critical. We want an increase of the budget, but some member states are not regular and some of them are not even up to date in their subscription. This is a very serious problem. In any case, the Chairperson, in his presentation, said, among other things, that we are expecting funds from other areas, but this has not been forthcoming and because of that, they have not been able to complete the budget preparations.Mr. President, it would go along to embrace the points raised by Hon. Eugene Kparkar that we emulate ECOWAS here, otherwise poor attendance will continue in this Parliament. When I first came to this Parliament the attendance was good. There were many people who came at that time, but all African countries are experiencing financial difficulties. This is an open secret. Due to that, we envy some of our colleagues who are Members of the ECOWAS Parliament. They do not have problems. Whenever there is a meeting, they go because everything is paid for by the ECOWAS Parliament. That has to be done here. That is why I was very happy with the comments made by Hon. Rodger Nkodo Dang, but regrettably, the explanation given for that was not explicit enough.Mr. President, you have said that is not your area of competence. I agree with you, but being the head of this Parliament requires you to do something, really. We were told that after five years, PAP would undertake to pay everything such as the payment of per diem and air tickets, but that has not been done. That is most regrettable.Mr. President, the other reason I would like to support this budget is that, for long, we have been yearning desperately for the transformation of this Assembly into a legislative body. Unless that is done, people think we are wasting time. There are some who are saying we are a near talking shop and that we do not do much. For all I know and as the Chairperson in his presentation said, we have to have the power to endorse the budget of the AU. In one of the documents that I read, some people are even asking for some legislative powers. Initially, we asked for full legislative powers. I wonder what the qualification to some legislative powers is. Do I take it that some of our leaders are afraid to give us the power to legislate? I do not know, but that might be one of the explanations. I think that if we want to be a body that actually bites, then we must have full legislative powers that have to be supported.Mr. President, there are other very important proposals that have been made regarding the increase of salaries of the workers here. That is a very important point because that is the only way of motivating them otherwise they will not be seen to be doing as much as we expect them to. We were also told in paragraph 13 that there are about fifty (50) staff members and twenty-three (23) vacant positions. If that is the case, we should not be expecting much from them. At the moment, we have been receiving some complaints from Members about certain things not having been done. Where an institution is not well-equipped and is exemplified by under-staffing, inefficiency will certainly set in. Therefore, the filling of the twenty-three (23) vacant positions is one matter that we should address very seriously and immediately for us to have satisfactory work.I thank you.

HON. KANTENGWA JULIANA [RWANDA]:Mr. President, thank you for giving me this opportunity to contribute to this afternoon’s debate. Allow me to commend the Chairperson of the Committee on Monetary and Financial Affairs and, through him, the entire Committee for a job well done.Mr. President, concerning the debate, itself, I would like to make reference to an item on page 8 on the expected outputs on the expansion of the space of engagement of the African people in the governance and attainment of priorities and critical issues of the continent. Taking this together with the missions of Parliament on page 6 that has dealt with election observation mission in member states, I have some concerns to raise. We know that we no longer have the PAP election observation mission, unless things have changed, I stand to be corrected. At the moment, we are having joint missions with the AU. When time comes for debates related to elections, Members will be bringing up specific issues which are election-related.Allow me to bring out an observation that I made while on a joint mission with AU ambassadors. The ambassadors come as representatives of their governments and observed as representatives of those governments. They do not want to observe what might jeopardise their diplomatic status and their relations with their governments. If that is the way we are going to observe elections, depending on the relationship you have with that country, what kind of observation missions are we carrying out and what are the expected outputs? Would we be expanding that space of engagement or are we actually constricting it?Mr. President, I also wish to get some clarification on page 6 under non-statutory meetings regarding the Committee on Rules and Privileges having more need to meet than the other Committees because of its oversight role. I need that to be clarified in light of our knowing that the entire PAP has a political objective of carrying out the oversight function. I wanted to find out that specific oversight role that is peculiar to this Committee. It is not clear to me.Mr. President, the other point I wanted to raise is that I was slightly taken aback by the apparent contradiction between the statement issued by the Chairperson of the Committee on Monetary and Financial Affairs and his Vice-Chairperson concerning the PAP relations with the AU. The Chairperson explicitly hailed the improved relations between PAP and the AU, while the Vice-Chairperson came out clearly to urge the Members to be sent to be both our permanent ambassadors to the AU and our Foreign Ministers with a view of having them soften their stance on how they view and allocate resources to PAP. I wanted to have a meeting point of these two points of views because they are contradictory, in my opinion.Mr. President, does the Protocol not empower us to scrutinise the AU Budget? I would like to know what became of it.I thank you, Sir.

HON. KEITA LANCENI BALLA [MALI]:Merci, Monsieur le Président.J’ai écouté, avec beaucoup d’intérêt, l’exposé relatif au budget 2012 du PAP, et je félicite la Commission pour la clarté de son rapport.Le point 3 parle des difficultés dans l’exécution du budget, au titre de l’année 2011. Mais, à l’analyse du rapport, je n’ai compris ni la nature ni la cause de ces difficultés. Alors, je voudrais savoir: en quoi consistaient ces difficultés et quel est le point d’exécution du budget 2011, surtout en pourcentage?Ensuite, le budget 2012 permettra-t-il de résoudre le manque de personnel, décrié au point 3, dans l’objectif d’augmenter la capacité opérationnelle du PAP?En mars 2011, la Commission permanente Transports, Energie et Communication a eu une séance de travail avec le premier responsable de la communication du PAP. Le constat est que les moyens manquent à ce service pour être efficace, pour faire connaître le PAP aux institutions internationales et aux peuples africains.Ce budget tient-il compte de cette difficulté?C’est un plaidoyer, en tant que membre de la Commission permanente Transport, Energie, Industrie, Science, Technologie et Communication.Ma dernière question est relative au fonds fiduciaire du PAP - le rapport n’en parle pas. Quel a été le sort réservé à ce fonds?Merci bien, Monsieur le Président.

HON. BOUDINA MOSTEFA [ALGERIA]:Merci, Monsieur le Président.Je ne voudrais pas être à la place du Président de la Commission des Finances, avec les difficultés que cette Commission rencontre, notamment les blocages et les incompréhensions.Dans son exposé, le Président de la Commission a soulevé un point qui a créé une confusion dans ma tête.Il a dit que les dépenses de 2011 sont assurées par le budget de 2010. La question que je me suis, tout de suite, posée est: est-ce que le budget de 2010 n’a pas été consommé? Ou, alors il en résulte un excédent?Je souhaiterais être éclairé sur ce point.Le budget de 2011 n’est pas encore définitivement validé au niveau de l’Union africaine, par conséquent, il ne commencera aussi à être appliqué qu’en 2012, puisque nous sommes déjà au mois de mai de l’année 2011.Cela dit, Monsieur le Président, le budget 2012, comme les budgets précédents que nous avons eus à examiner, avait deux chapitres essentiels: le chapitre de fonctionnement et le chapitre des investissements. Et, à chaque fois, le 3^ème chapitre, on ne réussit pas à l’annexer sur le chapitre des activités. Qui dit activités, dit les activités des Commissions.Les Commissions sont bloquées, sans activité, faute de moyens financiers, depuis des années. Si je prends l’exemple de la Commission des Transports, qui avait programmé des activités, à travers les sous-régions, comme l’organisation et la tenue des rencontres annuellement, il nous a été dit, lors de la rencontre de mars, par le Secrétariat, qu’il y avait un budget qui allait permettre à notre Commission d’organiser ces rencontres. Il y a deux ou trois jours, lors de la grande réunion, on nous a informés le contraire: il n’y a pas d’argent. Alors, la question qu’on tenterait de se poser est: est-ce que le chapitre des activités des Commissions est annexé au budget? Oui ou non? Sinon, est-ce que les partenaires, qui s’étaient engagés à financer les activités des Commissions, sont toujours engagés? Ou, est-ce qu’ils se sont dégagés de leur engagement?Il y a un dernier point que je souhaiterais poser; c’est un point qui continue à faire mal à l’honorabilité de notre institution: c’est la triste histoire du « fonds spécial ».Si on se rappelle tous, ici, le premier virement qui a été opéré au « fonds spécial », créé par le PAP, était un événement qui a été créé par MANDELA, suivi des virements que nous avons, nous-mêmes, faits. Chacun, selon ses moyens, a viré de l’argent dans ce fonds. Les partenaires que nous avons réussi, à l’époque, à sensibiliser ont fait des virements dans ce fonds. Malheureusement, l’argent de ce fonds a été détourné; le Secrétaire général me l’a confirmé, lors de la réunion du 17 mars.Qu’est ce que nous attendons pour prendre les mesures qui consistent à faire rembourser cet argent par ceux qui l’ont volé?On doit déposer officiellement une plainte contre ces responsables.Monsieur le Président,Si nous voulons servir et défendre l’honorabilité de notre Institution, il faut aussi et surtout moraliser la gestion financière de notre institution.Je vous remercie.

LE PRESIDENT:Merci beaucoup.Honorable Kadidiatou COULIBALY SAMAKE, vous avez la parole.

HON. COULIBALY KADIDIATOU SAMAKE [MALI]:Merci, Monsieur le Président.Je pense qu’à ce stade-là, tout a été dit.Monsieur le Président,Mon intervention va concerner seulement le commentaire du budget, parce que j’ai vu, sur le budget, que les différents chapitres sont en Anglais. Ne parlant pas anglais, je ne pourrais pas faire de commentaire là-dessus.Dans la conclusion du rapport, le montant du budget a été arrêté à quatorze (14) millions et quelques, sur lesquels onze (11) millions sont le budget de fonctionnement - onze millions et quelques - et le budget programme, c’est uniquement trois (3) millions et quelques.Ma question est de savoir: ce budget-là, c’est un budget de salaire ou bien c’est vraiment le budget du Parlement?Parce que je ne comprends pas, avec tout ce qu’on s’est assigné comme missions, qu’on puisse travailler avec 3 millions, qui ne représentent même pas 30 % du budget qui est là. Et, comme je l’ai dit, n’ayant pas pu lire correctement les différents chapitres du budget, j’ai quelques questions à poser à la Commission.Je pense certainement qu’on ne compte pas seulement sur l’argent de l’Union africaine, pour accomplir nos missions. Nous devons avoir des partenaires financiers, et je voudrais savoir: quels sont ces partenaires financiers? Combien y a-t-il de prévisions dans le budget pour ces partenaires financiers?Ma deuxième question: est-ce que le budget 2012 a pris en compte les activités des Commissions pour 2012?Une troisième question, c’est par rapport à la communication qui a été évoquée par certains.Je pense que l’activité fondamentale même du PAP, c’est la communication. Tout ce que nous faisons, ici, s’il n’est pas senti par nos populations, reste incomplet - je pense que nous sommes là, nous discutons entre nous - cela ne va nulle part. La preuve, cette Session même, il n’y a pas eu de couverture médiatique. C’est une préoccupation. Je voudrais savoir dans le budget: combien est prévu pour la communication?C’étaient là mes questions.Monsieur le Président, merci.

LE PRESIDENT:Merci, honorable COULIBALY.J’invite, à présent, l’honorable Njingum Musa à apporter des éléments de réponses.

HON. ALI BAHARI [KENYA]:On a point of information, Mr. President.

Mr President:Oui.

HON. ALI BAHARI [KENYA]:Mr. President, there was an issue raised by Hon. Juliana Kantengwa which is related to my statement. I thought I would be best placed to give some clarification on it. I will do it very briefly.I appreciate that she wanted that clarification. Basically, what I was saying is that what we have is not enough. We need more. In fact, if you had your way, Mr. President, you would be asking to double this figure or more. Thus, basically, I was asking Hon. Juliana Kantengwa to talk to her Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Ambassador to the AU to seriously look at the possibility of increasing the PAP Budget over and above what it is now.I thank you, Mr. President.

HON. NJINGUM MUOSA MBUTOH [CAMEROON]:Your Excellency, thank you very much for according me the Floor.I also wish to thank you for the opportunity given to Hon. Members to express their feelings. I say express their feelings because these are the feelings we expressed in the Committee on Monetary and Financial Affairs. I am so glad to have heard from all Hon. Members because all they have recommended and said seemed to reflect the feelings of the members of the Committee as well. I feel that if they were in the Committee, they would have presented the House with the same contributions which we have presented.One of the major concerns we have is the need for a budget. The budget is very constrained. We have to do our best to make sure that, gradually, we reach a level where the budget can have space. We know that we are having challenges in drafting the budget for it to be sent to Addis Ababa. We are saying until we have the independence to decide our own budget before there, we shall not succeed in our missions and shall fail to overcome the challenges we are facing in PAP.At the moment, we do not know what the situation will be in the AU because of the situation in the north. Libya is one of the greatest contributors and she is a member of the AU Heads of State and likewise, Egypt and Tunisia and many others. This poses a problem because no contributions will be given to the AU from these countries this time. We do not know what they will decide with the budget. I cannot tell you anything regarding their decision. I cannot deceive you that I know what they are going to decide on the budget that we have sent to them. We will still continue to lobby that they increase it. That is the problem we have now.You should really see the EU Budget that was sent to us through the AUC. They have even reduced it by 50 per cent. The AUC has said they should use stringent measures because it is difficult to acquire resources this year because of the problems that we have in other countries. This is the situation that we are facing. If they have reduced our budget this time, even the seminar we were to conduct here for members of staff on capacity building will have to have a reduced number because the situation is not good for us. That is the situation we are facing.If we completely depend on the AU, PAP will not go further. That is very clear. That is why I think the Secretariat has engaged a very serious move to get PAP out of the AU Budget and mobilise resources so that we can carry on with the PAP activities. We should encourage and applaud this because they have taken a very serious move now. I hope this will be a successful move and that we will support it so that the Secretariat can succeed in its resource mobilisation exercise which it has undertaken.All your contributions here are very good for us to implement our budget. That is what we are yearning for in the Budget Department, but what is our way forward? Where can we get the resources? I think the honourable way that we can make this happen is to create the credibility of PAP, as the Hon. Member from Mauritius said. Maybe, if we are funded, confidence can be given to PAP and it can get its own resources and other means to run its own activities. That is another alternative for us because I am doubtful that in July, the AU will give us what we have asked for. I do not know what they are going to allocate to us.My colleague, Hon Bahari, said something here, but having said the relationship has improved does not mean that the dialogue is complete. Therefore, if the relationship has improved, it means we have to work hard to make the relationship good with the PRC and other members of the AU. I think that to a certain degree, it has improved. We need more effort to be contributed by you, as my colleague has just said, by trying to talk to our ambassadors and our Minister of Foreign Affairs so that they could also look into the issues of PAP. That will be one way of creating the visibility of PAP because it cannot be only created by the Bureau or by us here. It will be created by individuals contacting their ambassadors, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Heads of State.Hon Master Goya has expressed his appreciation of what we have been doing in our Committee. I would like to appreciate, very sincerely, the contribution of the Hon. Member from Mauritius because his contribution has been to advise, educate and show us the way forward. I think that is one of the recommendations that we may use, funds permitting. The problem for us now is the means and the possibility of getting resources to carry on.On the communication issue, I know that is a very important issue. We have always been debating about that issue in our Committee, but we have always had the constraint of allocation for this particular line. Each time we communicate, we, at least, set a certain amount that we put on communication. When we go to the PRC, they cut it because they say it is not necessary. So, it is for us now to continue to make sure we let them understand the importance of the communication. We send a memorandum indicating to them the real need of PAP.We cannot depend on 5 per cent, it is not possible. It is too small to enable us to function. We should try to tell them that our budget should be, at least, above 5 per cent which means the Committee should raise it to, at least, 14 per cent. I know they will not accept it, but maintain us on the 5 per cent. If they can give us the 5 per cent increase, there is no problem. We will continue fighting with them, but I tell you, we cannot depend on the AU Budget. It is impossible to succeed in PAP. We must find other resources and all our new member Parliaments will assist us to get all these other resources.The Hon. Member from Mozambique talked of the implementation of the budget. The implementation of the budget is not strictly doubtful. If you look at the budget very well, you will know that we have some serious cases where we have surpluses, some have deficits and others are negligible. The deficits come about because we cannot operate within the budget they have allocated to us for a quarter year. They have been assisting us, budget wise, to make sure we survive in this environment. That is what PAP has been doing. If it were doubtful, I do not think we would have all these problems coming in.The situation of our communication issue really needs to be looked at. We will take better care of that issue. The key here is where is the money? That is the other issue we will have to take care of.Please, I want to make this point on Committee meetings very clearly. I have said this has been our main fight now with the PRC since last year, but we should allow, at least, a budget allocation for most of these activities. PAP cannot function without most of these activities, otherwise it cannot go anywhere. We have two statutory activities which are sponsored by our states. Each time these activities will have to be undertaken, we may not have a quorum because most of the countries find it difficult to sponsor their Members to come here.If we had non-statutory meetings and we knew that PAP will pay for the tickets and per diems, Members would come. Each time we have statutory meetings, Members do not come. If this Plenary Session was non-statutory and was sponsored by PAP, all Members would be here. I am telling you this so that all the parliaments can be represented here. That is why I am going to emphasise that the PRC does everything possible to give non-statutory allocations to our budget and permit us to function. Without this, we will all be relying on donors to assist us to carry on with our non-statutory activities.As for election monitoring, this is a problem which you, yourselves, know we have been going through every day. We presented this problem again, last year, to the PRC, according to our resolutions which we adopted last year on Election Observation. It was not an easy issue. All they could conclude was that the decision was taken by the Summit. So let us wait until the Summit can reach a conclusive decision and until then, the Bureau is doing something serious on the matter gradually. We cannot just sit back; we have to do something gradually because monitoring of elections is the prerogative of PAP and Members of Parliament. We all know that.After that, one of the commission members came out and said ‘you are asking for money to go and misuse it’. You see, there is suspicion that the African Union Commission is giving money to the PRC and all Africans at PAP. But that is not a problem. We must have these challenges before we go to Heaven. Before you go to Heaven, you must struggle and die first. Therefore, we are still on our way to Heaven and we shall go through these challenges. Then there we will see whose spirit of leadership we have.I was so grateful for the comments of the Hon. Member from Liberia on the significant increase. It is true that is a significant increase. If you are asked to increase the budget to 5 per cent and you increase it to 14 per cent, it is significant. We have tripled the percentage by which they are requesting you to increase the budget. We will have to defend and make sure that we have that one.On the ECOWAS system, that is true, but will the AU allow PAP to follow the ECOWAS system? That is the question. We will keep travelling because the ECOWAS system is good and maybe we will succeed, but can we successfully go through that game? If we try, we may or we may not succeed. Maybe, through the National Parliaments, or when the Speakers have their meetings here, we can appeal to them to see the PAP opinion. If they can accept our request, we can lobby our member states instead of depending on the AU. That is an issue. It is a very good point, but there is still a very long process to come as this is another expense. If they cannot sponsor you to come for a statutory meeting, will they be able to tell you they will pay USD$20 or USD$30 million for PAP? That depends on the visibility of PAP. Their decision will depend on the interest the Heads of State have in PAP, particularly the impression they have about it. All Hon. Members have a role to play to make sure this impression is created positively.As regards establishing of incentives, we are all interested in the establishment of incentives, but the problem is the ways and means. Well, with donors, as I have told you and as some of the Members know, the problem PAP has about the budget and statutory activities is that the donors have refused to continue to fund PAP. However, with this good relationship we have started developing between PAP, the donors and other development partners such as the European Community (EC), ACP, Association of European Parliaments With Africa (AWEPA) and Deutsche Geselleshcaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GTZ), the situation may improve. The relationship is mutual because they are also trying to come in to give us a little assistance. In the course of that, if they are happy with PAP and give us assistance, I think our duties will be undertaken perfectly. That is the problem we are facing now. A few of them such as the ACP, AWEPA and GTZ have already shown interest in assisting. Alongside some of the current Parliamentary programmes, it is indicated that they have been sponsored by our development partners and donors.I would like to make it very clear and explain the essence of using the 2010 instead of the 2011 Budget. We have never had that situation and this is the first time we have been asked to present the budget to the AU before it has been passed in Parliament. It is the first time they have changed their calendar of receiving the budget. They said they wanted the budget on 28^th February and we only came here in March. The administration was late in preparing the budget and I said the Committee needed to work on the budget. At least, the Committee should do that on behalf of the whole House. The Committee must, at least, go through the budget before we send it to them. They requested the budget on 28^th February when we were on recess.The calendar is not what it is now, but the AU is our master. What do we do? All we can do is complain so that it gets to their ears for them to know that what they are doing is not correct. Therefore, we should keep fighting on that point until finally we rest that issue. The 2010 balance was used because we did not have any room to maneuvre. The 2011 Budget had just come in, but we had not done anything in March. We had not even utilised 10 per cent or 5 per cent of our activities. It is normal to look at the previous budget when you are evaluating the budget in order to cross-check how it was implemented.You may look at how the budget was set before you can look at the budget for following year. Now we must use another basis on which to develop and take into consideration what difficulties we have had in 2011. We have to take that into account. These are the challenges which proved very difficult in going through this budget. However, we made intelligent contributions and managed to go through the budget and forwarded it as has finally been written.I have told you about the issue of Libya and the budget and I do not know what will come out of it. We will just cross our hearts and watch and see whether in Addis Ababa, they may fund our budget because they are complaining about the contribution.The Hon. Member from Sierra Leone talked about the ECOWAS system. That is normal. What all the other Members have said is a repetition of what I tried to bring out to you. I really do not need to go through it because of time. As Hon. Boudina has just said, it is an issue which the Committee on Monetary and Financial Affairs has already opened and forwarded in the form of a recommendation to the Evaluation Committee. Therefore, we will wait for the recommendations of the Evaluation Committee to give you a final conclusion on this issue of the reforms so that we can be satisfied. Otherwise we are not satisfied and are all waiting for the conclusion.I think the other issue my colleague from Mali has raised is similar to that one. Let me explain the programme budget to you very well. Regarding the budget, you may see USD$14 million or USD$3 million, but the operational budget is USD$11 million. The programme budget which is USD$3 point something million is tentative. I have used that word tentative. It is not yet in application because there is going to be a calendar for all the activities of the PAP Committees. These will be performed in relationship with the funds that we will get out of the donors or the AU. I told you that when we succeed in getting a more statutory allowance allocation in our budget, then that problem will be solved.The calendar of all the activities of the Committees will be brought out now and I told you that it is most likely all the Committees will perform their activities in different countries so as to ensure the visibility of PAP. We should not do all our Committee activities here at PAP and not know what PAP is all about.Thank you very much and I thank your Excellency for giving me time to explain all these issues. If, Hon. Members, I have not responded to a particular issue that you have raised, we are available to you for more clarifications. Let me not keep you waiting here for long.I thank you again.

LE PRESIDENT:Merci, honorable Njingum Musa MBUTOH, pour ces éléments de réponses et d’appréciation, d’une part, des contributions des parlementaires et d’autre part, des réponses à quelques interrogations des honorables membres du Parlement.Je voudrais apporter quelques informations par rapport à la révision du Protocole.Nous avons une mission des parlementaires et des membres de Secrétariat qui est partie sur Addis-Abeba.Vendredi 13 et samedi 14 mai, notre délégation va travailler avec les experts africains, sur la révision du Protocole au Traité constituant la Communauté Economique Africain relatif au Parlement panafricain.Une réunion des ministres de la Justice du continent était prévue du 18 au 19 de ce mois (mai). Il était question que notre délégation assistât également à la réunion des ministres de la Justice du continent.Avant-hier, on nous a informés que la réunion des ministres a été renvoyée pour après le Sommet. Et, il est probable que les experts prennent profit de l’annulation de la Conférence des ministres, pour continuer les travaux les 18, 19 et 20 mai. Par rapport au fonds fiduciaire, la Commission d’Evaluation de notre Institution (le CAFE) a, conformément à ces prérogatives, auditionné les comptes financiers et la gestion administrative de notre Parlement. Et, lors des échanges avec le Bureau du Parlement panafricain, qui a été également auditionné par rapport à l’évolution des recommandations et des Commission, d’une part, et de la plénière, d’autre part, il a été demandé - cela viendra dans le rapport de la Commission - au Bureau de procéder, sans plus tarder, à ester en justice les gestionnaires du fonds fiduciaire. Le Bureau du Parlement panafricain et la Commission CAFE ont convenu que c’est la seule arme qui nous reste, et le Bureau doit prendre ses responsabilités au plus tôt, pour que justice soit faite.Le département Communication du Parlement, c’est un des départements avec le plus de ressources.En 2010, le budget de ce département était de 9000 dollars. En 2011, ce budget a été augmenté à 50.000 dollars. La Commission Finances propose qu’on reconduise les 50.000 dollars. Je pense qu’avec les interventions des honorables parlementaires, je vais suggérer à la Commission Finance de revoir encore à la hausse le budget du département de la Communication, qui est de 50.000 dollars; ce qui est, en réalité, effectivement insignifiant et cela ne va pas contribuer à la visibilité du Parlement panafricain. Comme les collègues l’ont démontré, aujourd’hui, on n’a pas vu grande affluence des médias, entre autres. Mais, peut-être, qu’en augmentant ce budget, cela va changer. J’ai laissé, tout à l’heure, la parole au Président de la Commission pour faire une proposition avant qu’on adopte le budget.Voilà, honorables membres, les quelques points d’informations que j’ai voulu apporter et la suggestion que je fais par rapport au budget du département de la Communication.Mais, on peut adopter le principe d’augmentation et laisser la Commission apporter un plus à ce département et rattraper le budget comme, de toute façon, ils vont être présents à la réunion du CODEP.

AN HONORABLE MEMBER:Thank you, Mr. President. I have heard what you have said, but I think it is quite difficult for the Chairperson of the Committee to increase the allocation on communication without the activities that are going to be performed by the Communications Department having been specified.I thank you

LE PRESIDENT:Merci beaucoup.Merci pour cette contribution.Honorables membres,Sur ce, je demande à la plénière d’adopter le budget 2012 du Parlement panafricain, en confiant, bien sûr, le reste de la mission à la Commission qui va se réunir aussitôt que la séance est levée.On adopte le budget?(Acclamations).Merci beaucoup.Secrétariat général, pour des annonces...

THE CLERK:Mr. President, Hon. Members, I would like to make the following announcements:(i)The meeting of the Committee on Monetary and Financial Matters shall take place immediately after the sitting in Committee Room 1 as already indicated.(ii)The Women’s Caucus meeting that was scheduled for tomorrow has been postponed sine die and the Committee will be apprised about the exact time they will meet again.I thank you very much.

AN. HON. MEMBER:Mr. President, in that case, I recall that yesterday, some changes were made to tomorrow’s programme. I wonder whether they could be repeated for our information.

LE PRESIDENT:Ok! Le programme de la journée de demain.

THE CLERK:Mr. President, Hon. Members, yes, the programme for tomorrow has changed.Tomorrow morning, there will be presentation of the Pan-African Parliament (PAP) Activity Report by the President of PAP. In the afternoon, there will be a World Bank Training for the Committees that were identified. The Women’s Caucus has been postponed to a later date which will be communicated next week.I thank you.

LE PRESIDENT:Honorables membres,Nous sommes arrivés à la fin de nos travaux de ce jour.Par conséquent, la séance est levée jusqu’au vendredi 13 Mai 2011, à 09 heures.La séance est suspendue à 17H02 jusqu’au lendemain vendredi, 13 mai 2011.

Friday, 13 May, 2011

La séance est ouverte à neuf heures sept minutes.Prière et méditation

LE PRESIDENT:Monsieur le Secrétaire général,Veuillez présenter le point à l’ordre du jour!

THE CLERK:Mr President and Hon. Members, the next order is presentation and debate on the Activity Report of the Pan-African Parliament (PAP).(The Second Vice-President in the Chair)

THE PRESIDENT:Mr. President, Hon. Members, it is now time for presentation and debate on the Activity Report of the Pan-African Parliament (PAP).May I take the pleasure and honour to invite Mr President to present the Activity Report of our Parliament.

1 .0 – PRÉSENTATION ET DÉBATS SUR LE RAPPORT D’ACTIVITÉS DU PARLEMENT PANAFRICAIN (PAP)

HON. NDELE MOUSSA IDRISS [TCHAD]:Je vous remercie.Mesdames, messieurs les membres du Bureau, Honorables membres du Parlement,Conformément aux dispositions réglementaires, à chaque Session ordinaire, j’ai l’honneur de vous faire l’économie des activités parlementaires, durant la période d’intersession.Le présent rapport, que nous soumettons à votre bienveillante attention, présente les grandes lignes des activités entreprises, durant la période d’octobre 2010 à avril 2011.Il me plaît, à cette occasion, de vous rappeler que le bilan de nos activités est conforme aux objectifs du Parlement, comme énoncé dans le Protocole au Traité instituant la Communauté Economique Africaine, relatif au Parlement panafricain.Ledit rapport vous présente les activités parlementaires, administratives et financières.

A-ACTIVITES DU BUREAU

Réunion avec le Comité des Représentants Permanents (COREP)

A l’initiative du Bureau du Parlement panafricain, et dans le cadre du renforcement des relations entre les différents organes de l’Union africaine, une retraite entre le COREP et le Parlement panafricain a eu lieu les 15 et 16 octobre 2010 à Johannesburg, en Afrique du Sud.L’ordre du jour de cette retraite portait sur les points suivants:Les contributions relatives à la révision du Protocole instituant la Communauté Economique Africaine, relatif au PAP;Le nouveau statut et règlement du personnel;Le règlement financier;La structure administrative, etLes questions administratives et financières relatives au PAP.A l’issue de deux jours de travaux, le COREP et le Parlement Panafricain ont:i.pris note des contraintes financières générales qui entravent et portent atteinte à la mise en œuvre de certaines activités du PAP, et confirmé le besoin d’explorer d’autres sources de financements complémentaires ou alternatives, au profit du PAP;ii.Convenu de ce que tous les organes de l’Union possèdent des spécificités différentes, en termes de mandats et d’objectifs à atteindre. Le PAP a ainsi été invité à évaluer et à soumettre ses propositions sur les compensations, les structures organisationnelles, les besoins en personnel et en budget, en conformité avec le contenu du Plan stratégique approuvé;iii.Souligné le besoin impératif d’harmoniser l’échelle des salaires pour tous les organes de l’UA;iv.Rappelé les décisions de la Conférence de limiter l’augmentation du budget de l’Union à cinq pour cent (5%), en conformité avec la situation économique actuelle au niveau du continent, et le fait que quatre vingt pour cent (80%) du programme de l’Union proviennent des fonds des donateurs. Aussi, les membres du Parlement panafricain ont-ils été invités à examiner la possibilité d’approcher leurs gouvernements nationaux respectifs, afin de les persuader d’augmenter leurs contributions au profit de l’Union africaine;v.Reconnu les réalisations enregistrées dans le passé par le PAP, dans le cadre des missions d’observation des élections, tout en rappelant la Décision de la Conférence de centraliser au niveau de la Commission le budget destiné aux missions d’observation des élections;vi.Pris note des dispositions prises dans le Protocole stipulant que le budget de la Commission et des autres organes devrait être soumis au PAP, pour y répondre devant les parlementaires, et ont relevé le besoin d’une mise en œuvre progressive des étapes nécessaires pour parvenir à la réalisation du mandat du PAP;vii.Souligné la nécessité de la mise en place d’un mécanisme de suivi afin de contrôler la mise en œuvre des recommandations prises par ce séminaire.

La commémoration du Cinquantenaire de la République du Nigéria

La Parlement panafricain a été invité par l’Assemblée nationale du Nigéria et par le Parlement de la CEDEAO, à prendre part aux cérémonies marquant les 50 ans de l’indépendance de la République Fédérale du Nigéria, le 23 novembre 2010.A cet effet, une forte délégation du PAP, composée de membres du Bureau, de parlementaires et de fonctionnaires, a pris part à cette cérémonie.Cette occasion était le moment de rappeler l’engagement du Parlement panafricain et son attachement aux principes de la paix et de la sécurité des Etats sur le continent, et à la collaboration du Parlement avec les parlements nationaux.

Le point fort de cette commémoration a été l’installation et l’inauguration du point focal du PAP, au Nigéria.

L’ouverture de ce point focal, conformément à une recommandation de la dernière Conférence des Présidents des Assemblées nationales et des Sénats d’Afrique, permettra d’améliorer les relations institutionnelles entre le PAP et les Parlements nationaux et régionaux, en vue d’atteindre l’objectif d’intégration des peuples.

Pré-sommet parlementaire Parlement Européen - Parlement panafricain

Un pré-sommet parlementaire s’est réuni à Tripoli, en Grande Jamahiriya Arabe Libyenne Socialiste et Populaire, le 27 novembre 2010, à la veille du troisième Sommet Afrique - Europe.Les deux parlements continentaux se sont engagés à établir un partenariat solide, aux fins de mieux coordonner leurs efforts pour une mise en œuvre réussie de la stratégie commune entre les deux institutions continentales.L’éradication de la pauvreté et la réalisation des Objectifs du Millénaire pour le Développement (OMD) restent au cœur de la stratégie.Conscients des objectifs de la stratégie UE/UA, des points impératifs ont été mentionnés dans une déclaration au troisième sommet Afrique - Union européenne.Il s’agit, entre autres, des points suivants:Un mandat clair devrait être accordé aux groupes conjoints d’experts dans le prochain plan d’actions, avec définition des priorités, des échéances et des résultats;Un plan de financement de la stratégie conjointe Afrique - Europe devrait être élaboré pour la mise en œuvre effective;Une implication des Etats membres de l’Union africaine et de l’Union européenne, par la détermination d’une ligne budgétaire dans leur budget national, affectée exclusivement à la Stratégie Afrique - Europe.Une implication plus active des parlements nationaux des Etats membres de l’Union africaine et l’Union européenne dans le suivi et la supervision de l’application de la stratégie;Les deux parlements continentaux devraient approfondir les consultations et les concertations, en impliquant la Société civile et les secteurs public et privé dans le processus de mise en œuvre de la stratégie;Les organes ou structures de l’Union africaine travaillant sur la Stratégie devraient consolider leur coordination et relation avec le Parlement panafricain, aux fins de lui permettre d’assumer pleinement son rôle de supervision;L’Union européenne devrait fournir les ressources appropriées pour le renforcement des capacités des organes de l’Union africaine, et en particulier du Parlement panafricain, dans le cadre de son processus de transformation en un Organe législatif.

Sommet de l’Union Africaine (24-31 janvier 2011, Addis Abeba)

Nous avons pris part du 24 au 31 janvier 2011 aux travaux de la vingt et unième Session ordinaire du Comité des Représentants Permanents (COREP), de la dix-huitième session ordinaire du Conseil Exécutif et de la seizième Session ordinaire de la Conférence des chefs d’Etats et de Gouvernements.Pendant les travaux du COREP, il a été question, entre autres, de l’examen du budget de l’Union et de la présentation des activités du Parlement panafricain:

i. – Examen du projet de budget de l’Union pour 2011

Le Président du sous-comité consultatif sur les questions administratives, budgétaires et financières a présenté au COREP le projet de budget pour 2011, dont le montant initial soumis par la Commission s’élevait à 276 millions de dollars américains. La contribution des Etats membres dans ce montant global était de 135 millions de dollars américains.Le Président a signalé que, suite aux préoccupations émises par beaucoup de représentants membres du sous-comité, la Commission a revu à la baisse le montant proposé en le limitant à 5% d’augmentation par rapport aux crédits alloués en 2010. Par conséquent, le projet de budget de l’Union pour 2011 s’élève à 256 796, 178 dollars américains dont 122,6 millions de dollars américains, au titre des contributions des Etats membres et 134,2 millions de dollars américains, au titre de la contribution des partenaires au budget-programme.Cette révision a également affecté le projet de budget du Parlement panafricain qui, initialement, était de l’ordre de 13,624,851 dollars américains, pour le situer à un montant global de 11 872 223 dollars américains dont 9 586 223 dollars américains au titre du fonctionnement.

ii. – Présentation du rapport d’activités du Parlement

L’honorable Macdonald Joram GUMBO, quatrième Vice-président, a présenté devant le COREP le projet de rapport d’activités du Parlement panafricain couvrant la période de juillet à décembre 2010.Dans sa présentation, le quatrième Vice-président, a mis en exergue les importantes activités entreprises par les différents organes du Parlement.Il a également fait part des recommandations contenues dans le rapport et qui se rapportent pour l’essentiel à:La concertation entre tous les responsables des Organes sur les moyens d’améliorer la gestion du processus de budgétisation;La recherche de sources alternatives de financement de l’Union pour garantir l’autonomie de l’Afrique et l’intégrité du processus de prise de décisions;L’accélération du processus de révision du protocole régissant le Parlement;L’accélération de l’examen et de l’adoption par les organes compétents de l’organigramme administratif du Parlement;L’annulation de la décision de la Conférence relative à une mission conjointe pour l’observation des élections afin de permettre au Parlement d’assumer son mandat dans ce domaine de manière indépendante.Le débat qui a suivi cette présentation s’est articulé autour de la dernière recommandation du rapport d’activités relative à l’observation des élections.La majorité des intervenants a insisté sur le maintien d’une mission conjointe de l’Union, pour observer les élections en justifiant que les difficultés financières de l’Union ne permettent pas d’accorder deux budgets à deux organes pour mener la même mission.L’autre argument avancé est que l’observation des élections n’est pas spécifique au Parlement, et que le Protocole le régissant ne prévoit pas de prérogatives claires dans ce domaine.Toutefois, les membres ont salué l’initiative prise par le Parlement d’organiser des séminaires sur la ratification de la Charte africaine de la démocratie, des élections et de la gouvernance, et souhaité que le PAP fasse de même pour l’accélération de la ratification de tous les instruments juridiques de l’Union.Enfin, dans son rapport final, le COREP, après avoir pris note du rapport du Parlement, a fait les recommandations suivantes au Conseil exécutif:Se félicite des résultats de la retraite PAP/COREP organisée en Afrique du Sud en octobre 2010, et encourage les relations de travail étroites entre tous les Organes de l’Union africaine;Demande aux sous-comités compétents du COREP d’examiner la proposition du PAP sur la structure et les questions budgétaires, et de faire les recommandations appropriées pour examen, en tenant compte des ressources disponibles;Souligne la nécessité d’accélérer le processus de révision du Protocole régissant le Parlement.

Les travaux du Conseil Exécutif

Dans son rapport soumis au Conseil Exécutif, le Président de la Commission a rappelé les étapes franchies jusqu’ici, quant à la révision du Protocole régissant le Parlement panafricain, tout en soulignant que les amendements à ce texte seront examinés par un groupe d’experts juristes, puis par la conférence des ministres de la Justice et des Procureurs généraux, avant d’être soumis aux organes de décisions de l’Union.Il a enfin signalé que ce processus prendra fin, lors de la prochaine Session ordinaire des organes de décisions, prévue en juin et juillet 2011.Le rapport d’activités du Parlement panafricain a été présenté au Conseil Exécutif par l’honorable Mary MUGYENYI, deuxième Vice-président.Elle a fait mention, dans sa présentation, des activités importantes entreprises par le PAP, durant le deuxième semestre de l’année 2010; lequel rapport a été, par la suite, adopté par le Conseil Exécutif.

Recommandations du Conseil Exécutif

Le Conseil Exécutif a adopté le rapport du COREP, dans lequel figurent des recommandations reprises du rapport d’activités du Parlement panafricain.Il est recommandé ce qui suit:Concernant le processus de révision du Protocole,(i)Qu’un suivi permanent soit assuré entre le PAP et la Commission, pour que le Protocole révisé soit soumis au prochain Sommet de l’Union, tel que signalé par le Président de la Commission dans son rapport d’activités;(ii)Que le Bureau du PAP rencontre le Ministre des Affaires Etrangères de la Guinée Equatoriale, Président du Conseil Exécutif, pour le sensibiliser sur la nécessité d’examen du Protocole révisé lors du prochain Sommet;(iii)Que le Bureau du PAP s’assure auprès du Président de la Commission que la réunion du groupe d’experts juristes et la Conférence des ministres de la Justice et des Procureurs généraux soient organisées, le plus tôt possible;(iv)Qu’une invitation soit adressée à la Commission, pour qu’elle présente un rapport à la prochaine Session du PAP, sur l’état d’avancement du processus de révision;(v)Qu’une réunion de suivi, telle que recommandée par la retraite PAP/COREP, soit tenue pour examen des diverses questions soulevées, lors de la retraite, et sensibiliser le COREP sur l’accélération du processus de révision du Protocole;(vi)Que le représentant du Département des Affaires Politiques de la Commission informe la Commission permanente des Règlements du PAP, sur les actions à entreprendre pour l’aboutissement rapide du processus.

Concernant l’organigramme administratif

(i)La réunion de suivi de la retraite PAP/COREP a constitué une opportunité pour sensibiliser le COREP sur la nécessité d’accélérer l’examen de l’organigramme par le sous-comité, et de le soumettre au prochain Sommet;(ii)Le COREP devrait être également sensibilisé sur la nécessité de débloquer les fonds nécessaires au recrutement du personnel une fois la structure adoptée.

Concernant la réunion des chefs d’organes tel que recommandé dans le rapport d’activités du PAP:

Il est recommandé que cette réunion considère ce qui suit:(i)Soutien au PAP dans ses démarches visant à examiner le budget de l’Union conformément à l’article 11 du Protocole;(ii)Concertation et accord sur la nécessité d’octroyer aux organes les budgets qu’ils élaborent, conformément à leurs besoins réels pour leur permettre de fonctionner et de réaliser leurs objectifs;(iii)Soutien du processus de révision du Protocole et appel à son examen lors du prochain Sommet;(iv)Nécessité pour les chefs d’organes de soumettre aux Chefs d’Etat et de Gouvernement, à l’occasion de chaque Sommet, leurs rapports d’activités à l’instar du Président de la Commission;(v)Attirer l’attention des organes compétents ou des décideurs de l’organisation des Sommets sur l’inopportunité de présenter les rapports d’activités aussi bien au COREP qu’au Conseil Exécutif.

Réunion Conjointe du Bureau, des Bureaux des Commissions Permanentes, Des Groupes Régionaux et du Secrétariat du Parlement Panafricain.

Au cours de ses premières années de fonctionnement, le Parlement panafricain a identifié et priorisé les stratégies clés, les politiques institutionnelles et les programmes qui devaient être mis en œuvre par la nouvelle institution. Le plan stratégique 2006-2010 comprend des objectifs politiques et des objectifs de développement de l’Institution.Le plan stratégique 2006 - 2010 est arrivé à terme et, en l’absence d’un plan stratégique pour diriger les programmes du PAP, le Bureau a décidé qu’une planification stratégique annuelle soit élaborée pour permettre aux membres des bureaux des organes du PAP de s’impliquer plus amplement dans la gestion stratégique et l’élaboration du plan annuel de travail du Parlement panafricain.A cet effet, du 14 au 15 mars 2011, le Parlement panafricain a organisé une retraite conjointe du Bureau, des bureaux des Commissions permanentes, des Groupes régionaux et du secrétariat, dont l’objectif était de parler de:

La planification des activités parlementaires

Monsieur Herlu SMITH, fonctionnaire parlementaire en chef de l’Assemblée Législative de l’Eastern Cape, a fait une présentation sur la planification des activités parlementaires qui se résume par: les étapes de la planification, les principes de planification, les structures responsables de la planification, la fréquence de la distribution des programmes et les activités des autres institutions qui doivent faire partie du programme.Il a été également question:

Du processus d’élaboration du plan stratégique

Une équipe de fonctionnaires du Parlement de la République d’Afrique du sud a présenté un rapport sur le processus d’élaboration du plan stratégique pour les années 2011 - 2013. Nous attendons les conclusions des différentes réunions, qui se sont tenues pour la confection finale du plan stratégique.

Le processus de validation de la révision du Protocole du Parlement Panafricain.

Le Secrétaire général a fait remarquer aux participants à la retraite que les amendements du Parlement panafricain sont basés essentiellement sur les articles 24 et 25 du Protocole. Il a révélé que ce processus est en relation avec l’évolution de l’Union africaine, qui prévoit la mise en place d’une Autorité. Il a présenté certains points pour lesquels la révision du Protocole comporte des défis. Il s’agit notamment:a)Du mode de désignation des membres du Parlement panafricain, de la durée de leur mandat, de la représentation du genre;b)De la prise en charge des membres du Parlement panafricain;c)Des attributions et pouvoirs du Parlement panafricain;d)Du pouvoir législatif et de l’initiative législative;e)Des pouvoirs de supervision et de contrôle du Parlement panafricain;f)De la gouvernance au sein du Parlement panafricain, de la définition et la démarcation des rôles de supervision et d’exécution entre le leadership politique et l’administration.

La mobilisation des ressources pour les activités des commissions permanentes

Le Secrétaire général Adjoint en charge des Finances, de l’Administration et des Relations Internationales a fait ressortir l’impérieuse nécessité de mobiliser des ressources supplémentaires, aux fins de permettre la réalisation des activités non statutaires. Compte tenu du fait que le budget 2011 relatif aux activités non statutaire n’a pas été approuvé à cause des contraintes financières, liées aux ressources de l’Union africaine. A cet effet, le Secrétariat s’attèle à l’identification de nouveaux partenaires au développement.

ACTIVITÉS PARLEMENTAIRES

Crises en Afrique

Le Parlement panafricain reste très préoccupé par les crises auxquelles le continent est confronté et qui constituent une menace pour la paix et la stabilité de nos Etats.Nous joignons notre voix à celle de l’Union africaine, tout en soutenant ses initiatives, ainsi que celle de la Communauté internationale sur la situation en Libye.Le rôle de la Communauté internationale est d’aider le peuple libyen à surmonter cette phase délicate de son histoire et son engagement doit être fondé sur des bases claires.Nous sommes convaincus qu’en dernière instance, seule une solution politique permettra de promouvoir durablement la paix dans ces pays. Par ailleurs, le Bureau se réjouit de l’initiative pertinente des membres du Parlement qui ont proposé une déclaration sur la situation des conflits en Afrique, durant les travaux des commissions. Ils proposent d’envoyer des missions d’informations en Libye et en Côte d’Ivoire et une mission de bonne volonté en Tunisie et en Egypte.

Missions d’observation des Élections

Au cours de son premier mandat d'existence, le PAP ne devait exercer que des pouvoirs consultatifs, tel qu'énoncé à l'article 11 du Protocole du PAP.C'est dans le cadre de la réalisation de ses objectifs et de l’exercice de ses pouvoirs limités qu’en décembre 2007, le Parlement panafricain a décidé de déployer des missions pour observer des élections dans les États membres de l'Union africaine.Lors de la seizième Session ordinaire du Conseil exécutif de l'Union africaine, qui a eu lieu le 1^erfévrier 2010, la Décision N⁰ EX.C1/DEC.534 (XVI) a été adoptée et stipule que les missions d'observation des élections effectuées par tous les organes de l'Union africaine soientconduites sous un budget centralisé.Il a également été décidé que la coordination de ces missions d'observation soit conjointement organisée par la Commission de l’Union africaine, le Parlement panafricain et les autres organes de l'Union africaine concernés.À cette fin, plusieurs consultations ont eu lieu entre le Département des Affaires Politiques de la Commission de l’Union africaine et le Bureau du PAP, pour convenir de la base de ces missions conjointes. Il a été convenu que le PAP constitue jusqu'à 40% de la délégation de la mission et que le personnel du PAP fasse partie du Secrétariat des missions.La Commission de l’Union africaine dirige la coordination de ces missions. Le PAP n'a jamais été activement associé aux préparatifs de ces missions. Les missions d'évaluation préélectorales, la désignation des responsables des missions, la logistique, le plan de déploiement, etc., ont jusqu'ici été conduits par la Commission de l’Union africaine.Étant donné que le PAP a été, en partie, marginalisé pour ce qui concerne l'organisation et la coordination de ces missions, les frustrations vécues ont entrainé la faible participation des membres du Parlement aux différentes missions:Au regard des problèmes rencontrés, les missions conjointes d'observation des élections devraient être réexaminées.A cet effet, les recommandations suivantes sont formulées, en vue d’améliorer les conditions de travail, dans le cadre des missions conjointes d’observation des élections:a)participation effective et totale du PAP dans l’organisation et la coordination des missions;b)désignation des chefs de missions par rotation;c)réduction des longs itinéraires pour les députés et amélioration des conditions de leurs déplacements;d)traitement égal entre les députés du PAP et le personnel de la Commission de l’Union africaine, en ce qui concerne la classe dans laquelle ils voyagent;e)inclusion des députés du PAP dans l’équipe de rédaction de toutes les déclarations, c’est- à-dire les déclarations à l’arrivée et à la fin, respectivement, ainsi que le rapport final;f)mise à disposition, tout au moins, de la documentation dans toutes les langues de travail de l’Union africaine, en vue d’encourager l’intégration régionale entre les députés du PAP;g)compte tenu de leur expérience en matière d’élections, les députés du PAP devraient diriger les équipes, au cours de leur déploiement sur le terrain;h)les observateurs devraient être déployés au moins trois jours avant la date du scrutin pour leur permettre d’interagir avec tous les intervenants et évaluer le climat des élections.

ADMINISTRATION ET FINANCES

Organigramme et recrutement

A titre de rappel, la Conférence de l’Union africaine avait exigé du Parlement panafricain, en janvier 2009, de soumettre la structure administrative aux organes compétents pour examen et adoption.Un nouveau projet d’organigramme a été élaboré et soumis à la Commission de l’Union africaine en octobre 2009. Un début d’examen a été amorcé par un groupe de travail au niveau de la Commission et auquel le Parlement panafricain a pris part. Les conclusions de ce groupe de travail ont été soumises au sous-comité du COREP, chargé des structures, lequel s’est réuni en novembre 2010, sans pouvoir examiner la structure administrative du Parlement.Une deuxième réunion était programmée pour le mois d’avril et à laquelle le Parlement était invité pour défendre son projet d’organigramme; cette réunion a été annulée.Par conséquent, l’organigramme adopté par le Parlement, le 30 mars 2005, continue à être en vigueur, jusqu’à l’adoption par les organes compétents de l’Union de celui qui leur a été soumis depuis 2009.Par ailleurs, et faisant suite à l’engagement de la Commission européenne de financer le recrutement de personnel financier, un processus de sélection et d’interviews des candidats a été mené, au mois de mars dernier.Toutefois, nous avons été surpris d’apprendre que la Commission de l’Union africaine a décidé de réduire de deux tiers les fonds pourtant alloués par la Commission européenne au Parlement panafricain aux fins de concrétiser le recrutement. De ce fait, les candidats sélectionnés ne pourront pas être employés, pour le moment, et devront attendre les réponses de la Commission de l’Union africaine aux demandes de clarifications que nous lui avons envoyées.De plus, les postes de Responsable principal des finances et de Responsable de projets vont être pourvus très prochainement, vu que les candidats sont déjà connus et que les fonds sont disponibles dans le budget de fonctionnement du Parlement panafricain, pour le premier, et dans le budget de la Fondation Africaine de Renforcement des Capacités (ACBF), pour le deuxième.

Les Finances

Le budget du Parlement Panafricain, pour 2011, a été adopté par la Conférence de l’Union, lors de son dernier Sommet à Addis-Abeba, avec un montant de 9,7 millions de dollars américains, soit une augmentation de 5% par rapport à celui de 2010.Bien sûr, ce montant est destiné à couvrir les coûts des activités statutaires et ceux du personnel; les activités non statutaires continuent, quant à elles, à dépendre des fonds que le Parlement panafricain pourrait recevoir des partenaires.Par ailleurs, la situation qui prévaut dans certains pays d’Afrique du Nord, risque de peser lourdement sur l’Union africaine, au plan des contributions financières des États membres, et d’influer négativement sur le budget de l’Union africaine et, par conséquent, sur notre budget.A cet effet, le Président de la Commission de l’Union africaine a décidé des mesures d’austérité pour l’année en cours, se résumant à la nécessaire mise en œuvre d’une rationalité dans l’exécution du budget et à la réalisation des activités nécessaires.Sur un autre plan, il importe de vous informer que la Conférence de l’Union africaine a décidé, en janvier dernier, que dorénavant le budget annuel de l’Union sera examiné et adopté lors du Sommet de juillet de chaque année. Conformément à cette décision, notre session va examiner le projet de budget du Parlement pour 2012.Mesdames, messieurs les membres du Parlement, Tels sont les points importants qui ont marqué les activités du Parlement panafricain, durant la période précitée.Je vous remercie pour votre aimable attention.(Applaudissements)

THE PRESIDENT:Honorable Members, I think you will agree with me that this has been an exhaustive report of the Activities of the Pan-African Parliament for the last period. We, therefore, thank you, Mr. President for this thorough presentation and preparation of the report.Honourable Members, I will now allow the debate on the Activity Report of the Pan-African Parliament. I have a list of speakers and the first speaker on my list is Hon. Dr. Bernadette Lahai of Sierra Leone. Is Dr. Lahai around? She is out. Okay. The next speaker is Hon. Rashid of Ghana. I do not see him either. I think this is going to give us an early morning. The next speaker is Hon. Boudina Mostefa of Algeria. Yes, Hon. Boudina, please.

HON. BOUDINA MOSTEFA [ALGERIE]:Merci, honorable Présidente de séance.Une première remarque: vous avez sauté un premier nom sur la liste, c’est (...), à moins que la liste ne soit pas bien faite.Je voudrais, Monsieur le Président, relever que le rapport que vous venez de nous présenter est très riche en activités; ce que j’apprécie. Cependant, je remarque une discordance entre le cheminement et la hiérarchisation des paragraphes que vous nous avez lus, dans votre rapport, avec les rapports qui nous ont été distribués.Les rapports qui nous ont été distribués ne sont pas conformes avec celui que vous avez lu. Ce qui dénote qu’il y a un problème dans l’assistance technico-administrative des activités de votre Bureau, notamment les efforts du Président du Parlement. Il y a quelque chose qui ne va pas. Pourquoi le rapport qui a été distribué, n’est pas conforme à celui que vous venez de nous lire?Je voudrais également, Monsieur le Président, tout en appréciant les riches activités que vous venez de nous présenter comme rapport à débattre, relever que cette année 2011 a été marquée par des événements très graves, à travers certains pays d’Afrique. J’aurais souhaité personnellement qu’une Session extraordinaire soit consacrée à l’examen de la situation qui se développe et qui devient, de plus en plus, grave. Bien sûr, ce n’est peut-être pas possible, faute de moyens, mais je suggèrerais qu’à l’avenir, que nous puissions, nous aussi, Parlement Panafricain et représentants des peuples d’Afrique, utiliser Facebook, qui a révolutionné un peu certains pays d’Afrique. Alors, pourquoi pas, nous aussi parlementaires, sans bouger de nos pays, utiliser Facebook et soutenir les activités du Bureau ou les prises de position du Bureau?Vous avez fait un communiqué qui ne nous a été présenté qu’après la réunion de mars. Je pense qu’à l’avenir, on pourrait utiliser ce moyen d’information et aussi de mobilisation.Voila, Monsieur le Président, ce que je voulais tout simplement dire.Je soutiens les activités et je soutiens les efforts que vous avez déployés pendant cette période.Je vous remercie.

HON: CHIKITA-MOLOBEKA [ZAMBIA]:Madam Vice-President, thank you for giving me this opportunity to briefly contribute on this report which has comprehensively covered the activities PAP has undertaken since we last met last year. Madam Vice-President, the report is selfexplanatory and, therefore, I will confine myself to a few issues. Regarding the crisis in Africa, our decisions and resolutions, as a Parliament, would have carried a lot of weight if we were a legislative organ. However, as things stand today, we can only join our voice to that of the African Union (AU) as contained in the Report of the African Union in supporting its activities or initiatives. I hope that the delegation that has gone to Addis Ababa will be able to represent us on this important issue and that, one day, everything will be as we expect it to be.Madam Vice-President, the second issue is on the centralised arrangement where all election observations are now being carried out jointly with the AU. This arrangement has brought a lot of complications if not misery in as far as the PAP Members of Parliament are concerned. I will talk about the issue of interpretation when Members of PAP go on these missions.In the recent times, it has been very difficult for Members of Parliament to interact in any way when they go on these missions because they are not provided with interpreters. In the past, when PAP organised these missions, at least, there were interpreters who helped the Members of Parliament to take part in what was going on. However, of late, Members of Parliament go on these missions, but do completely nothing because they do not understand the language used and cannot participate in any way.Madam Vice-President, lastly, I would like to state that you have managed to accomplish much because you are working as a team with your Secretariat. This activity report is very detailed. It lists a number of issues that you have accomplished, while the other parts are recommendations that need to be followed up. You have a hardworking team in the name of the Clerk and his workers who are giving you a hand in making these accomplishments. Therefore, I would like to commend you and your Secretariat for the work that has been well-done.I thank you

THE PRESIDENT:Thank you very much, Hon. Elizabeth Chitika-Molobeka for being positive. I think that, once in a while, we need some positive thinking so that we can continue to work. I do appreciate that. The next speaker on the list is Hon...

HON. MAKGALEMELE DIKGANG PHILIP [BOTSWANA]:On a point of clarification, Madam President. Thank you, Madam President. I just wanted to know how much time is allocated to the speakers.

THE PRESIDENT:Ordinarily, it is three minutes, is it not? I am expecting the time keeper, as usual, to keep time. The fact that no one has been cut off, means that people are speaking within the allocated time. Therefore, we are doing fine. You should prepare yourself to speak within three minutes.The next speaker on the list is Hon. Moses Sesay of Sierra Leone. The hon. Member may take the Floor.

HON. MOSES SESAY [SIERRA LEONE]:Thank you very much, Madam President.I would like to congratulate the Bureau on the various activities that it has undertaken since October last year to April, this year. There are three points, I would like to raise.Firstly, I would like to sound a note of caution about the current activities on the African continent. The one that concerns me most is the activity in Ivory Coast. We saw that right at the beginning of this crisis, the Economic Community of West African Countries (ECOWAS) sent a mission there to see what it could do on behalf of the African continent. This was quickly followed by another delegation that was sent by the AU.My understanding is that this AU delegation completely negated what the original delegation from ECOWAS had stated. This, therefore, is a contradiction in as far as the African continent is concerned. It is, surely, why we wish PAP was a legislative body, as one of my colleagues has already stated. We would have been very strong and very forceful in condemning the activities which counteracted each other and we would have been more positive in bringing out solutions for the whole of the African continent. This is something which we have to think about very carefully when we come to debate the issue of the legislative activity for PAP because this type of voice is required. It should be very singular, strong, clear and its message should be such that it should be understood by the entire world.However, the myriad of contradictions that we had in the initial stages of the Ivorian crisis made it negative for the African continent. It showed that, in fact, we are incapable of very clear thought when a crisis occurs on the African continent. This is an indictment in a political thought and, of course, it is wrong because there are people who have very clear and profound ideas on what should happen in particular crises in Africa. This is the first concern.The second concern is about the supervision of elections on the African continent. The PanAfrican Parliament representation has been downplayed. By and large, we have been under the ambit of the AU. Therefore, when we go to these activities, we are given ordinary plane tickets and the allowances are not the same as those for people directly representing the AU. In fact, we are the...

THE VICE PRESIDENT:Honourable Member, your time is up. Thank you very much for your contribution.

HON. ERNESTO JOAQUIM MULATO [ANGOLA]:Obrigado, Senhora Presidente.Também vou me associar a todos os outros que apreciaram o Relatório apresentado, das actividades do PAP. Vou intervir no sentido do último orador, que falou sobre a observado eleitoral.É bem verdade que no passado, o Parlamento PanAfricano realizava as suas missoes independentemente da Uniao Africana, e agora sao missoes conjuntas.Temos que aceitar que é uma realidade presente, entretanto, encontramos, para além das dificuldades já aqui focadas, que o resultado dessas elei?oes, os deputados, depois, nao sabem. Nós estivemos no Djibouti, onde fizemos observado eleitoral, e até ao dia 12 de Abril, já tínhamos feito o Relatório da nossa observado, o qual assinámos.A minha pergunta é: será que este relatório já está na posse da Mesa, e se sim, podia ser posto a circular para que os Deputados soubessem quais foram os problemas ou os sucessos dessa observado? Este é o meu ponto de vista. Penso que devíamos, logo no princípio, ter o relatório. É possível que tenha sido enviado ou nao, porque nós o fizemos logo no dia 12 de Abril, dias após o fim das eleições.Muito obrigado!

THE PRESIDENT:Excuse me, Hon. Member, is there is no English and French interpretation? The interpretation system is not switched on. Could we get an answer from the Interpreters, please?I am informed that English and French are on the same Channel. That means Channel One. Spin Channel One for English. Is it Channel Two now? Yes, I can hear you in English. What about French? The French interpretation is on?

AN HON. MEMBER:Both English and French are coming through Channel 2.

THE PRESIDENT:English is on Channel One and I can still hear English on Channel One. French is on Channel 2. So, we can continue then, Hon. Member.

HON. ERNESTO JOAQUIM MULATO [ANGOLA]:Eu dizia que vou falar sobre o ponto da observado eleitoral.É bem verdade que no passado, o Parlamento PanAfricano realizava as suas missoes independentemente da Uniao Africana, e agora sao missoes conjuntas.Temos que aceitar que é uma realidade presente, entretanto, encontramos, para além das dificuldades já aqui focadas, que o resultado dessas elei?oes, os Deputados, depois, nao sabem. Nós estivemos no Djibouti, onde fizemos observado eleitoral, e até ao dia 12 de Abril, já tínhamos feito o Relatório da nossa observado, o qual assinámos.A minha pergunta é: será que este relatório já está na posse da Mesa, e se sim, podia ser posto a circular para que os Deputados soubessem quais foram os problemas ou os sucessos dessa observado? Este é o meu ponto de vista. Penso que devíamos, logo no princípio, ter o relatório. É possível que tenha sido enviado ou nao, porque nós o fizemos logo no dia 12 de Abril, dias após o fim das eleições.Muito obrigado!

HON. AMBROSE DERY [GHANA]:Madam Vice-President, thank you for giving me the opportunity to contribute on this debate. Let me start by commending the President for a good and exhaustive report of the activities of PAP for the year under review. I also would like to commend the President for initiating our consultation with the AU’s Permanent Representatives Committee (PRC) and other organs of the AU. I think that is a good initiative and it is a jaw-jaw situation which is better than a war-war situation. Having said that, we now have to deal with the outcome of the negotiations or consultations.Firstly, it is the issue of election observer missions. I would like to commend the President and those who were present at the meeting. Some concessions have been granted in terms of rotation of leadership and other things that would be done, but the fundamental challenge is that we only constitute 40 per cent of the mission. Therefore, we are a minority in the mission.Apart from the operational challenges raised by my colleague from Zambia, that also makes it difficult for the Members of Parliament to operate. What comes out will not be our act or deed and our independence will be compromised. I accept the budget constraints, but what I wish to humbly propose is that PAP should make proposals to international bodies for funding so that we can field, where we have funding, independent missions.The other problem is that as long as the AU subordinates us under its efforts, it loses us as a second opportunity to rectify situations when it is comatose. For example, regarding the crisis in Africa now, the AU is comatose. It should be possible for PAP to call a session so that we can come and issue statements. The issue of statements is not an act of legislation. Even though we do not have the power to legislate, it does not negate our contribution as an advisory body to issue vital statements.However, because of these budgetary constraints, we are now just carried by the AU, as it were, and this makes it impossible for us to perform. I believe that there are many international organisations that would be prepared to help us. In fact, I have been interviewed by some who appreciate our problem. Therefore, let us acknowledge the situation now, take our Motion and the position to appeal to independent sources for funding.Finally, it is unfortunate that the AU has slashed money for the recruitment of staff for PAP by two-thirds. I know the process is still going on in respect of a Project Officer and Finance Officer and we are dealing with international bodies. However, let me caution PAP that our credibility is at stake and we must conduct ourselves in a manner that the President is leading in terms of new reforms so that we...

THE SECOND VICE-PRESIDENT [UGANDA]:Hon. Member, I will give you a minute. Could you complete what you are saying?

HON. AMBROSE DERY [GHANA]:Thank you, Madam Vice-President.The President is leading us in a certain direction so as to make sure that our credibility outside helps us to survive as an organisation. Financial challenges are going to confront the AU, let us face it. Libya is in turmoil and Egypt is not in a good condition and these were the two major financiers of the AU. So, we would be deluding ourselves if we thought we can still continue depending on the AU. We must begin to make these proposals and I believe that if you lead us and all of us support you, Mr President, we will make some progress.Having said that, I thank you for this opportunity and hope that we will continue to improve on our performance.I thank you, Madam Vice-President.

HON. MATAMISA EDITOR ERIMENZIAH [ZIMBABWE]:Thank you, Madam President, for giving me this opportunity to take the Floor. I would like to thank the President for the comprehensive report that he has just given to this House.Madam President, after having adhered to the AU’s requirements on all matters affecting PAP, what have you to show as tangible results of the dialogue? I hear after the October meeting, the working relationship improved. However, improvement of relations should also include positive actions towards the PAP demands. A centralised budget of the Election Observer Mission does not work and must be stopped with immediate effect.Madam President, how do you feel about PAP Members being considered as a subsidiary and an appendage to the AU Commissioners who are mere political appointees? Power is not given, but taken. If we remain subservient to the other, we will always be considered as an appendage. Can we not demand our space as PAP? How long should we continue to suffer for the so-called mismanagement by a long gone Bureau? The decision is ours as PAP Members.Lastly, Madam President, let me say that the issue of PAP becoming a legislative body cannot be over-emphasised. One is made to think the status quo is intentional so that PAP does not challenge the AU’s decisions, and, therefore, remain a rubber-stamping body. There is a need for us to push our agenda of ensuring that PAP becomes a legislative body more vigourously than ever before.Madam President, I thank you.

HON. PROF. EL BADAOUI SUAD EL FATEH [SUDAN]:Thank you, Madam Vice-President, for the opportunity to take the Floor. I would like to start by congratulating our President on his overwhelming success in the election. I would like to also appreciate the activities of our Parliament under his leadership in various issues of Parliament.I have a very important point and one proposal. This point is on foreign aid. I am very concerned, Madam Vice-Presidentabout the dependence of our Parliament on aid, especially on the European Union (EU). I do not mind the mutual cooperation or exchange of views, but I would like PAP and the AU to depend primarily on Africa.Africa is rich. The Africans are rich, but why should we go and stretch our hands to other people for assistance? We know that whenever you stretch your hand to people outside, they will give you peanuts but, at the end of the day, you will suffer. This is so because if you do not control your meals, you will not control your decisions. I know that Europe depended on Africa in the past. It depended on Africa to generate money and also as its source of its raw materials.However, recently, things have changed and when we ask them to assist us and they exercise their free will to give us donations of money, we all know it is given on different terms. That is why I call for a very serious, well-planned campaign by PAP to source aid.

THE VICE_PRESIDENT:I will give a minute to our elder sister to complete.

HON. PROF. EL BADAOUI SUAD EL FATEH [SUDAN]:Alright, I thank you very much, Madam VicePresident.I think we should embark on this campaign all over the world and let us be free. African governments, the African businessmen and NGOs, among others, could finance us and give us a lot of money. Let us keep level heads and start the campaign. I am sure, gradually, we will reach a position where we will be able to finance ourselves and have an upper hand.I thank you.

THE VICE PRESIDENT:Thank you, Hon. Badaoui. I now give the opportunity to Hon. Sylvester Ndong of Gabon.

HON. SYLVESTRE NDONG ASSOUMOU [GABON]:Je vous remercie, Madame la Présidente.Je voudrais commencer par féliciter le Bureau, pour la richesse des activités du PAP pendant l’intersession 2011.Un adage commun dit que « le pouvoir se prend; il ne se donne pas ». Le pouvoir législatif que nous appelons, tous, de nos vœux, ne se prendra pas du jour au lendemain par une seule décision. Ce pouvoir doit se prendre graduellement par des décisions que nous prendrons dans cette auguste assemblée. Ces décisions doivent aller dans le sens d’une plus grande indépendance du PAP, pour assurer sa visibilité sur le continent et, audelà, pour promouvoir la paix, la démocratie, la bonne gouvernance et les droits humains sur le continent et renforcer la solidarité en Afrique, mais aussi devenir graduellement l’organe de surveillance de l’Union africaine; prérogatives qui sont d’ailleurs reconnues à l’article 3 du Protocole instituant le PAP.Le budget d’une institution est le reflet de sa politique. C’est pourquoi, au-delà des règles établies pour la confection des budgets des organes de l’Union, nous, émanation des peuples d’Afrique, devrons, à partir de la défense du budget 2012, indiquer clairement notre volonté à faire entendre la voix des sans-voix. Celle que nous portons à partir de nos mandats nationaux et panafricains pour que, désormais, le PAP puisse organiser des activités indépendantes des autres organes de l’Union - y compris des missions d’observation des élections - et puisse organiser toutes les activités-programmes 2012 - y compris celles relatives aux renforcements des capacités des parlementaires et d’éducation populaire dans les Etats membres.En revenant sur les missions d’observation des élections, Monsieur le Président, je dois dire que le PAP doit prendre une résolution pendant cette session, pour qu’il puisse organiser des missions indépendantes d’observation des élections. Les missions de l’Union africaine étant devenues, au fil des temps, des missions diplomatiques.C’est pourquoi je propose que nous obtenions, dès 2012, la libération des fonds de Transfund pour le financement des 3 200 000 dollars du budgetprogramme.Honorables députés,Le Parlement panafricain se trouve, aujourd’hui, à la croisée des chemins. Nous devons faire des choix responsables pour les peuples et, particulièrement, pour la jeunesse africaine qui nous regarde.L’avenir sera ce que nous déciderons qu’il soit, pour que vive l’Afrique qui parle d’une seule voix forte.Je vous remercie.

HON. NKODO DANG ROGER [CAMEROON]:Merci, Madame la Présidente, de me donner la parole.Chers collègues,Je vous adresse mon salut fraternel.Je voudrais rappeler à Madame la Présidente que, depuis longtemps, la pensée unique est morte et, qu’à chaque fois qu’il y aura à soumettre un rapport à la plénière, il y aura des regards critiques, négatifs, que vous pouvez considérez comme négatifs ou positifs, mais tout cela contribue à l’amélioration du rapport.Nous ne venons pas là pour applaudir, et je reviens sur cela, parce que je me rends également compte, comme le collègue BOUDINA, que nous avons une administration sans administrateurs, et c’est la conséquence de ce rapport, qui est très décousu. Et s’il fallait que je jette un regard critique, je n’en finirais point.Je voudrais y répondre sous l’angle positif, comme c’est ce que vous voulez, en reprenant la question d’un journaliste de « Jeune Afrique » au Président du Parlement.La question est: « Comment expliquez-vous les déficits de visibilité du PAP? » Et le Président de répondre: « le manque de ressources en est une. L’absence des compétences! »C’est ce que nous déplorons! Il y a une absence de compétences, pour que nos actions puissent être visibles. Et, ce rapport est l’émanation d’une seule pensée, parce que, si toutes les compétences étaient mises ensemble pour faire ce rapport, il n’y aurait pas beaucoup de redites, de non-dits, etc., comme je le vois dans ce rapport. Et puis, un rapport s’accompagne toujours par un bilan, des objectifs. Quels objectifs a-t-on atteint pendant l’intersession? Il devrait y avoir un bilan financier. Combien nous ont couté ces activités? Pour qu’on puisse se projeter dans l’avenir et comprendre que la situation de demain ne pourrait plus nous permettre de mener autant d’activités.Voilà un peu, Madame la Présidente, ce qui m’amène à poser une petite question au Président, tout en reconnaissant, à travers sa réponse, qu’il manque de compétences.Je continue à penser que ce problème est très grave, parce que lorsque l’on regarde, on reçoit des correspondances qui viennent du PAP. Je prends le cas de mon Parlement: le responsable n’attache plus d’importance, parce qu’on ne peut pas appeler un roi, empereur. Un roi, c’est un roi! Un empereur, c’est un empereur!Lorsqu’on envoie les correspondances, dans une administration qui est organisée, comme la nôtre, et qu’on ne sache pas à qui le courrier est envoyé, je dis: c’est très grave! On ne peut pas (...) au bureau d’un Secrétaire général, alors qu’on sait que c’est un Secrétaire général qui trône à la tête de ce Parlement.Le Président de l’Assemblée ne peut pas signer une correspondance et il reçoit la réponse d’une secrétaire. Donc, je vais dans le même sens que le Président pour affirmer qu’il nous manque des compétences. Pour que nous puissions avoir ce que nous cherchons, il faut d’abord qu’on règle les problèmes internes..(Interruptions)Permettez que je termine!

THE PRESIEDNT:Ok, you can take a minute!

HON. NKODO DANG ROGER [CAMEROON]:Vous ne pouvez pas aller en bandes dispersées devant le COREP ou le Sommet des Chefs d’Etat, pour demander quoi que ce soit, avec ce genre d’administration. Réglons d’abord les problèmes internes.Et puis, lorsque les collègues ont soulevé le problème des élections, j’ai lu, dans le rapport qui m’a été transmis - qui n’est pas le même que celui que le Président a lu - que l’observation des élections ne peut pas nous être accordée, parce qu’il y a eu beaucoup de recommandations qui allaient dans ce sens. Mais, ce que je voudrais dire, c’est: ces missions d’observation rapportent quoi au Parlement panafricain?Lorsque nous arrivons, le communiqué d’arrivée de la mission est déjà signé par les agents de l’Union africaine et, à la fin de la mission, le communiqué final est déjà rédigé à l’avance. Il y a un modèle passe-partout, et, aujourd’hui, les critiques s’élèvent pour dire que tous les rapports d’observation de missions, tous les rapports de fin de missions, c’est la même chose.Donc, il faut quand même qu’il y ait une indépendance, qu’il y ait une distance pour qu’on dise: non, il y a eu des voix qui se sont élevées contre un communiqué final qui s’est passé à tel ou tel endroit! Nous entendons toujours les mêmes choses: il n’y a pas eu d’éléments de nature à mettre en cause le scrutin. C’est le mot de passe, maintenant. Bein! Je crois que, comme quelqu’un l’a dit, il faudrait qu’on arrive, quand même, à être autonome pour avoir un regard critique dans les missions d’observation.Je vous remercie, Madame.

HON. MASTER GOYA [BOTSWANA]:Thank you very much, Madam President, for giving me this opportunity to also add my voice to the report that has been presented by the President this morning.Madam President, the report is quite detailed. At least, to some of us, who keep our ears on the ground regarding what is happening at PAP whether Parliament is sitting or not. It suffices for me to attest that, indeed, the report gives a true reflection of what is happening or what has been happening at PAP since the last sitting.Madam President, I think it is fair that I should also thank the Office of the Secretariat for their hard work and their effort in co-ordinating all these activities. Had it not been for them, we would not have received such a detailed report. They need to be commended for their efforts.Madam President, I must also appreciate that this time around, the report has been availed to Members of Parliament well in advance to enable them to critique it and cross check the facts that are inherent therein. I am one of the people who stood up in the last sitting to say that we be given the report well in time to enable us to read and digest it so that when we take the Floor, we do so from an informed position. I must thank the Secretariat for this.Madam President, the issue of PAP holding election observer missions separately from that of the AU has been deliberated. Here at PAP, a retreat was organised for PAP, the PRC and some organs of the AU, but it was to no avail. We must take cognisance of the fact that in the year 2008, the world was hit by a financial crisis and as it is at the moment, most of the countries, including my own country, are not yet out of the woods. We are still suffering from the effects of the financial crisis and my suggestion, Madam President,

THE VICE-PRESIDENT:I must say that this is the last time I am giving an opportunity for an extension because we now have come to the end of the original list with Master Goya’s presentation so take half a minute, please.

HON. MASTER GOYA [BOTSWANA]:I am suggesting, Madam President, that as regards the issue of election observations, let us allow the AU to take the decision that it has taken. However, let us request it, for now, in a situation where there are two elections in a year, to have the AU conduct elections on its own for a given country. Then, maybe, PAP can observe the elections in the other country as opposed to a combined one. This is being suggested in the perspective of the situation we find ourselves in at the moment.My last suggestion, again, Madam VicePresident, is that we need yet another retreat between PAP and the PRC so that we can discuss the issues of the PAP structure, the protocol and this issue of election observation. Following this retreat in October, a report should be availed to Members of Parliament on what...The hon. Member’s time expired.

THE PRESIDENT:Thank you very much. We have come to the end of the original list of speakers that had put down their names. Now, I have just received a new list and we have to be through by 1030 hours because there are other activities that are calling for our time. This means you now have to stick to the time that is allotted. Some Members have been given extra time because I thought that our list was short, but now I have a new one of about exactly ten names.I now call upon Hon. Augustin Iyamuremye of Rwanda to take the Floor. Debate for three minutes and no extension, please.

HON. IYAMUREMYE AUGUSTIN [RWANDA]:Je vous remercie, Madame la Présidente, de m’accorder la parole.Permettez-moi de remercier Monsieur le Président, les membres du Bureau et le personnel du Parlement panafricain, pour les efforts déployés, en vue d’améliorer le fonctionnement de notre Institution.La diversité des activités qui viennent de nous être présentée en est un témoignage éloquent.Cependant, je dois faire observer que ce rapport est incomplet, en ce qui concerne les activités des membres de ce Parlement.Monsieur le Président,Le travail des parlementaires se fait principalement à travers les Commissions. L’absence d’un chapitre, concernant les activités des Commissions, donne l’impression que les membres du Parlement, eux-mêmes, n’ont rien fait.Monsieur le Président,Lors de la retraite du Bureau et des membres présidents des Bureaux Commissions et Caucus, - que vous avez signalé dans votre rapport - nous avions planifié les activités minimales par Commission, pour améliorer la visibilité du Parlement. Nous ne pouvons pas être crédibles si nos Commissions restent inactives.Monsieur le Président,Je fais appel à votre clairvoyance et à votre sagesse, pour qu’on fasse tout pour que nos Commissions puissent fonctionner d’une façon minimale, au moins. Sinon notre Parlement ne sera pas crédible.Je sais qu’il y a un manque de fonds, mais je crois savoir aussi que nous n’utilisons pas au mieux les disponibilités qui sont les nôtres.Monsieur le Président,Je vous encourage, donc, à continuer dans la voie que vous vous êtes tracée, de recherche de consensus et de dialogue.Je vous félicite, encore une fois, pour votre travail, et je vous remercie.

HON. TAMBOURA ASCOFARE OULÉMATA [MALI]:Merci, Madame la Présidente.Je voudrais également saluer le rapport d’activités et féliciter le Président du Parlement et l’ensemble du Bureau, pour les efforts déployés pour faire progresser notre Parlement vers l’atteinte des objectifs qui lui sont assignés.Je voudrais particulièrement saluer la bonne collaboration qui s’instaure, de plus en plus, entre le PAP et l’Union africaine, à travers le COREP, et qui est également à mettre à l’actif du Président du Parlement et de l’ensemble du Bureau.Enfin, je voudrais rappeler que les Commissions permanentes sont les chevilles ouvrières de chaque Parlement et qu’il est nécessaire, voire indispensable, de leur accorder la place et l’attention qui siéent à leur rôle.Je rappelle cela pour déplorer, au nom de l’ensemble des membres de ma Commission de l’Egalité en Genre, de la Famille, de la Jeunesse et des Personnes handicapées, le glissement qui s’est produit dans le choix des parlementaires pour participer à la réunion du 1^er au 2 avril 2011, à Addis-Abeba, relative au développement de la jeunesse.Je pense que, s’il y a une Commission compétente qui devait participer à cette réunion, c’est la nôtre. Or, aucun membre de notre Commission n’a été invité à participer à cette réunion. Cela est, donc, incompréhensible.La Commission de l’Egalité en Genre joue son rôle, comme toutes les autres Commissions. Elle entend bénéficier des mêmes traitements que les autres. C’est pour cela que nous dénonçons cette dérive et nous attirons l’attention du Président du Parlement et l’ensemble du Bureau, pour que cela soit corrigé, à l’avenir, que de telles pratiques ne s’installent pas dans notre Parlement, dans l’intérêt de notre Institution.Je vous remercie.

THE PRESIDENT:Thank you very much, Hon. Member. Your point is taken and I must say that I support you on that point. I should not hide my sentiments. The Committee on Gender, Family, Youth and People with Disability needs to be given more prominence in the activities of PAP.I now have an opportunity to invite the Hon. Makgalemele Dikgang Phillip of Botswana to take the Floor.

HON. MAKGALEMELE DIKGANG PHILLIP [BOTSWANA]:I thank you, Madam Vice-President. Just like my other colleagues, I want to appreciate that the report is fairly comprehensive. I also would like to appreciate the efforts that have been made by the Bureau since our last sitting, especially the PRC Retreat, which was a very important initiative which I believe shall strengthen the visibility and resourcing for PAP work. However, as Hon. Goya indicated earlier on, if there still remains some unfinished business, we should take it forward and meet, again, to complete that business.Madam Vice-President, I would like to make the following proposals. We need to work on the issue of the visibility of PAP, including media coverage during and outside sittings. I think it is rather disappointing that when we open our sessions, there is no media coverage. There is no hype that PAP is actually sitting. I, therefore, humbly propose that we either develop or enhance our communication strategy.Secondly, Madam Vice-President, I would like to propose that we look at our protocol that needs to be strengthened; time keeping, respect to the President when he enters and leaves the House and attendance by Members of Parliament also need to be looked into. We need to revisit these issues and find ways through which we can improve them. A colleague spoke earlier on the issue of funding and I think we need to apply more effort into that. This is so because, as PAP, I still strongly feel that funding remains one of our weakest links.Having said that, Madam Vice-President, I fully support the report and want to associate myself with it. I would like to congratulate the staff of the Secretariat of PAP on a job well done in supporting the efforts of the Bureau.Finally, Madam Vice-President, I am informed that you will be retiring on Monday. Therefore, I would like to take this opportunity, if we will not have the opportunity to thank you; to humbly thank you for your invaluable contribution to the PAP work.I thank you.

HON. DUMBUYA SHEKU [SIERRA LEONNE]:Thank you very much, Madam Vice-President. I would first like to commend the President for this very good initiative. I want to make an observation here that since the President took over the leadership of this Parliament, in his capacity as President, he has been giving good direction to the affairs of PAP. He has to be commended on that. I would like to thank him very much for having this meeting with the officials of the AU. Madam President, I still do not understand why there is a delay in the ratification of the Protocol. This ratification has so much to do with the smooth operation of PAP. I do not know why there is the prolonged delay. Could it be that there is something amiss? If there is something amiss, any doubt, hesitation or apprehension, I would like to hear and humbly suggest that we engage officials of the AU to see how these doubts can be cleared or how fears can be allayed.Madam Vice-President, I do not support, in any way, the idea of combined forces in election observation. When we were doing it on our own, we were very successful. I, therefore, do not support the combined forces idea at all. I support the suggestion by Hon. Goya that where we have two or three countries that are having elections, let election observation missions be sent independently. PAP is sufficiently equipped to do anything on its own and I submit here that some of us are more qualified than the officials of the AU to conduct election observation.I also would like to support the suggestion made by a female Member of Parliament here that we, as Members of PAP, are elected officials. We should not only be seen to be given the same treatment, but also more priority than officials who are not elected and are merely appointed.Madam Vice-President, it has been said here that PAP is subordinate to the AU. Indeed, I agree with that, but subordination does not mean total submissiveness. When you are totally submissive, you lose your independence. Let us be seen to maintain our independence because we have sufficient expertise of people to do the work of PAP.Madam Vice-President, I understand that our President actually won the elections. Perhaps, a moment should have been assigned for us to congratulate him because he has been doing a good job. I must mention here that I feel sorry that you are leaving office on Monday.I thank you very much.

HON. COULIBALY KADIDIATOU SAMAKE [MALI]:Merci, Madame la Présidente.Je voudrais, à mon tour, féliciter le Président et l’ensemble du Bureau, pour les efforts qu’ils ont accomplis, pour pouvoir exécuter leurs missions, malgré les moyens limités.Madame la Présidente,Je voudrais profiter de cette occasion pour vous féliciter, pour tout ce que vous avez fait au niveau du Parlement. Et, comme quelqu’un vient de le dire, nous allons vraiment regretter votre absence, mais nous pensons que, malgré tout, vous restez africaine et que vous resterez à nos côtés.Monsieur le Président,Je pense que les relations avec les parlements nationaux sont importantes pour la promotion de notre Parlement. C’est pourquoi je fonde l’espoir que vous allez persévérer dans la recherche de financements pour garder le contact avec nos pays.Je voudrais aussi faire remarquer que, dans votre discours, à l’occasion de l’ouverture de la Session, vous avez annoncé qu’il y a eu l’organisation d’un forum sur la promotion de la ratification de la Charte africaine de la Démocratie, des Elections et de la Bonne Gouvernance dans trois régions, et qu’il reste la région de l’Afrique de l’Ouest. Normalement, il avait été annoncé qu’il y ait ce forum-là en Afrique de l’Ouest, en décembre 2017, et jusqu’à présent, il n’y a rien eu, il n’y a pas eu de date proposée non plus.Je voudrais savoir: quel est le blocage? Quel est le problème que vous avez, à ce niveau?Aussi, voudrais-je profiter de l’occasion pour annoncer qu’il y a une ONG qui est partie au Mali, qui a contacté le Bureau de l’Assemblée nationale du Mali sur le même sujet.Malheureusement, ils n’ont pas contacté les parlementaires du Parlement africain, qui sont au Mali. Ils ont même invité deux (02) députés à venir à participer à un forum, ici, en Afrique du Sud. Je ne sais pas si vous êtes au courant des activités des autres ONG.C’est pour dire tout simplement que, si c’est un problème de moyens, peut-être, il faudra voir auprès d’autres organisations, pour pouvoir organiser ce forum qui me semble important.Je complète en disant, comme Suad, que, vraiment, Monsieur le Président, vous devez prendre votre bâton de pèlerin, et nous serons à vos côtés, pour la recherche de financements de nos activités.Merci.

HON. ABDELMADJID AZZEDINE [ALGERIE]:Merci, Madame la Présidente.Tout d’abord, sur le plan formel, le rapport est plus rédigé sur le plan quantitatif que qualitatif; il est beaucoup plus descriptif qu’analytique.A mon avis, il faut que le rapport ait beaucoup plus d’appréciations, d’observations, de positions claires, de propositions et qu’il ouvre des perspectives. Ça, c’est le plan formel.Sur le plan du contenu, maintenant, je note qu’il y a une certaine timidité par rapport à un certain nombre de problèmes importants qu’a vécu le continent, ces derniers temps.Je rappelle la situation en Afrique du nord (Lybie, Tunisie, Egypte). A mon avis, il aurait fallu que notre Parlement exprimât, avec beaucoup plus d’honnêteté, notre engagement total et notre soutien aux changements intervenus dans ces pays et soutenir la volonté de ces peuples d’aller de l’avant, dans l’approfondissement et l’élargissement des espaces démocratiques.Je note également qu’il y a un apaisement avec les organes de l’Union africaine, notamment la Commission, mais je demande qu’il y ait beaucoup plus de respect du statut des uns et des autres, et que cet apaisement ne se fasse pas au détriment de notre Parlement.Je note également qu’il y a des absences, en ce qui concerne notamment les crises économiques et sociales.Notre continent vit encore des crises économiques et sociales très graves, dans toutes les régions. Il fallait en faire part à notre Parlement.Enfin, je note également qu’il y a une absence, concernant le développement des relations avec les parlements nationaux.Je pense, Monsieur le Président, que c’était l’une de vos priorités de développer les relations avec les parlements nationaux. Je souhaite, à l’avenir, que cette priorité soit inscrite dans votre agenda. Je vous remercie.

HON. PETER KATJAVIVI [NAMIBIA]:Madam Vice-President, I rise to thank the President for his report.While I fully understand and appreciate the financial situation of PAP, I do not think that many of us here will be successful in approaching our respective national governments with a view to raising the contributions. As we all know, this is not likely in view of the prevailing economic climate. I would, therefore, rather suggest that we urge those member countries that have not paid their contributions to do so, and do so, on a regular basis.Likewise, I would like to go along with many of the colleagues who spoke earlier to stress the need for us to diversify our efforts in terms of fundraising. That is, by working towards retaining the goodwill of the development partners and thereby securing the support for PAP. I feel we need to be actively involved in engaging development partners and others who are interested in supporting the work of PAP. Many of my colleagues who spoke before me stressed this important factor.I also share the view that at the opening of our Parliament, there are no journalists who cover and and transmit the work of this Parliament to our various member states. This is something that should draw the attention of the Bureau.I thank you.

HON. SHAMAKOKERA THARCISSE [RWANDA]:Merci, Madame la Vice-présidente, de me donner l’opportunité d’exprimer ma contribution.Madame la Vice-présidente,Chers collègues,J’ai suivi, avec attention, le rapport que nous a soumis le Président du PAP, et je l’apprécie à sa juste valeur. J’apprécie, en outre, la sagesse, la diligence avec lesquelles notre Président et tout le Bureau dirigent ce Parlement; qu’ils en soient félicités!

HON. SHAMAKOKERA THARCISSE [RWANDA]:I would like, Madam Vice-President, for more efficiency and credibility, as our colleague from Mauritius said yesterday, and I would like to make the following suggestions.Our Committee on Co-operation, International Relations and Conflict Resolution is focused on conflicts and there is already too much work in that area. There should be a team of two to three people in charge of the Parliamentary diplomacy to help you, Mr. President and the Second VicePresident to sell PAP, its vision and objectives. For that purpose, Mr. President, you should visit all the five regions, choose the most influential President in each region and approach him to seek his intervention with his colleagues, the Heads of State, for PAP to play its role of a full legislative body. You told us yesterday that the review of the protocol is being worked on by the PRC.I think there should be a strong parallel diplomatic activity. Concerning the joint election observer mission, I was elected by the President of the PRC to join the mission to observe the elections in Burkina Faso. I prepared, but kept waiting for the ticket which never came. Moreover, I never got any explanation, not even a word of apology. As my predecessors said, this shows us that those joint missions create more problems than give solutions. This should change in the sense of having the independence of PAP.I thank you.

THE PRESIDENT:Thank you very much. That is regrettable, Hon. Member. I must say I also went late to observe elections in Nigeria for the same reasons. Therefore, I agree with you.I now give the opportunity to Hon. Ilimi Farida

HON. ILIMI FARIDA [ALGERIE]:Merci, Madame la Présidente.Monsieur le Président,Honorables collègues, Bonjour.Merci Madame la Présidente de m’avoir donné cette opportunité d’intervenir.Je voudrais, tout d’abord, vous féliciter Monsieur le Président ainsi que le Bureau, pour les efforts déployés pendant cette période, afin d’atteindre les objectifs de notre Institution, même si c’est d’une façon progressive.Pour cela, j’ai quelques éléments à soulever qui n’ont pas été, peut-être, cités dans le rapport: c’est par rapport à la position politique du Parlement panafricain sur la situation actuelle dans notre continent. Même s’il est vrai que notre Parlement a participé avec un communiqué.Il a fait un communiqué que nous avons eu, lors des travaux de Commissions, en mars, mais qui n’a malheureusement pas eu ni de suite, ni de suivi, surtout par rapport aux propositions faites par la Commission de la Coopération, qui a été élargie à d’autres parlementaires, présents ce jourlà, à savoir dégager des missions d’informations dans les pays en crise.Je propose, à l’avenir, que le Parlement panafricain réagisse réellement, afin de jouer son rôle politique et au moment opportun, devant certaines situations, que notre Institution joue son véritable rôle et que cela ne se limite pas uniquement (...)J’ai l’impression que nous faisons, parfois, du surplace. A chaque fois qu’on vient ici, on discute du même problème. Donc, nous devons faire un plaidoyer auprès des instances concernées devant ce genre de situations. Pour cela, je propose, par exemple, de provoquer la réunion du Bureau, élargie à la Commission de Coopération, afin que le PAP se félicite par la suite de son véritable rôle. Le deuxième point, c’est par rapport à la relation entre le Parlement panafricain et l’Exécutif de l’Union africaine.Je vous félicite et je félicite l’ensemble du Bureau de l’amélioration des relations entre les deux organes. Mais, dans votre rapport à la page 09, nous soumettons le rapport d’activités au Conseil Exécutif pour informations. Moi, je suppose que c’est pour information, mais pas pour adoption.Par la même occasion, je voudrais soulever un problème: il serait préférable aussi d’avoir les rapports de l’Union africaine pour le Parlement panafricain, même si on n’est pas un organe législatif.Le troisième point, c’est un point technique: habituellement, nous avons des documents sur les missions d’observation mais, cette fois, aucun document concernant les missions faites par le PAP n’est distribué.Pour terminer, je suppose que nous ne sommes pas (...)(Temps de parole épuisé)

HON. AGNÈS MUKABARANGA [RWANDA]:Je vous remercie, Madame la Vice-présidente, de me donner la parole.Mon intervention est aussi un mot d’appréciation du rapport qui nous est soumis par le Président du PAP.Ce rapport, Madame la Vice-présidente, souligne les efforts que vous ne cessez, vous en tant que Bureau, de fournir pour faire avancer cette Institution importante.Je relève vos efforts d’innovation pour instaurer un esprit de dialogue: la campagne pour la ratification de la Charte africaine sur les Elections, la Démocratie et la Bonne Gouvernance restera, sans doute, un poids lourd dans votre bilan, Monsieur le Président et les honorables collègues du Bureau.En tant que Présidente d’une Commission, Monsieur le Président, je voudrais souligner et informer les collègues, ici, rassemblés, combien vous avez tendu la main au PRC (ou COREP, en Anglais), où nous avons été, au delà de la limite de l’invitation, à faire comprendre ce qu’est le PAP et sa mission et combien il est important d’avoir un budget pour faire fonctionner cette Institution, pour expliquer le statut d’un parlementaire dans nos parlements respectifs et combien il est important aussi d’avoir une mission d’observation des élections indépendante.Hélas! Nous constatons, Monsieur le Président, que ce budget n’a pas augmenté; il n’a augmenté que de 5 %. Nous constatons que même le budget qui nous est donné par l’Union européenne, pour le recrutement, est réduit.Nous constatons aussi, Monsieur le Président, l’absence du Président de la Commission de l’Union africaine, le premier jour et le deuxième jour de notre Session.Tout cela nous pousse à dire qu’il faut aller audelà de ce que nous avons fait, aller au-delà du formel pour utiliser aussi des occasions informelles. Il faut cibler aussi les chefs d’Etats, Monsieur le Président, aller au-delà du PRC (ou COREP, en Anglais).Il a été dit par un des collègues qu’il faut trouver des opportunités pour visiter nos parlements, vous exprimer encore plus à travers les médias, pour expliquer ce qu’est le PAP et son importance.Nous évoluons dans un contexte de crises, où l’Union africaine a manifesté ses limites. Il faut que le PAP élève la voix et effectivement fasse la différence là où l’Union africaine (...)(Temps de parole épuisé)

THE PRESIDENT:Thank you very much, Hon. Member.That brings us to the end of the list of speakers, as presented by the Secretariat and as the Hon. Members signed in. I would like to thank you very much for the contributions.

HON. MEMBER [LIBYA]:Sorry, Madam President, I sent my request to speak, but it seems that you did not receive it.

THE PRESIDENT:Oh, this is Libya. Okay, I will give you an opportunity because of the state in which Libya is. Maybe, we will have a chance to listen to you. You can take the Floor, but I do not have your name on the list, I want you to know this.

HON. EL-HOUDERI MOHAMED ELMADANI [LYBIA]:Madam Vice-President, thank you for giving me the Floor even though my name is not on the list. First of all, I would like to thank the President of PAP, the Bureau and the Administration of this Parliament for the good report that they have presented to us in this session. I also appreciate the efforts they have put into that report in spite of the poor working conditions. I also note that there are problems affecting the achievements of the goals of the AU and all its organs. These problems are many and major.For the last three years, the crises have increased instead of decreasing. Therefore, we have to find out why this institution or this African gathering cannot go out in full force to reduce the crisis.That does not only affect PAP, but also the African Union Commission (AUC). The AU body has been in a crisis for the last four or five years. We have to sit down and ask ourselves why we are in this situation and why it is getting from bad to worse. It is not a question of our own institution, but also the whole continent of Africa. Yes, we depend on our foreign partners, but that dependence is what is putting us in this very bad situation. Hence, we have to revise our policies in Africa to address these crises and make new free independent African policies that will make the African institutions work in an African manner and not depend on foreign partners.

THE PRESIDENT:Thank you very much, Hon. Member. It is a pleasure, indeed, to see our Hon. Members from Libya with us. I must say that we have been feeling with you and we are so happy to see that you could come and join us in this session.May I now call the President of the Pan-African Parliament, Hon. Dr Moussa Idriss Ndele, to respond to the Hon. Members’ issues.

HON. IDRISS MOUSSA NDELE [TCHAD]:Merci beaucoup, honorable Présidente de séance. Je voudrais, d’abord, remercier les honorables membres du Parlement pour les riches contributions qui, sans nul doute, vont améliorer la qualité du rapport.La première question, c’était la présentation du Président: est-elle conforme aux rapports distribués?La version française du rapport distribué comporte seize (16) pages. J’ai lu un rapport de neuf (09) pages qui est, à la virgule près, le même rapport, sauf que j’ai gardé, pour l’essentiel, des pages, les titres, les points saillants, et j’ai fait l’économie par rapport à la lecture seulement.La situation en Afrique est une préoccupation. Plusieurs collègues ont intervenu. J’ai bien dit dans le rapport que cet important sujet à fait l’objet, d’une part, d’un premier débat, et le mardi 10 mai, on va recevoir d’une part le Commissaire Paix et Sécurité de l’Union africaine et, d’autre part, le Vice-président de la Commission de l’Union africaine. A ces deux occasions, nous allons encore débattre de la crise en Afrique, ses aspects politiques et ses aspects financiers et, en tant que Bureau, nous nous attendons à des résolutions conséquentes du Parlement, et on ne peut mieux le dire qu’en présentant une résolution ou des recommandations de la plénière de notre Assemblée.Il y avait eu des propositions nouvelles. Nous prenons bonne note, pour l’interaction des parlementaires, par un support électronique. Nous allons voir la faisabilité.Sur les missions conjointes d’observation, comme nous l’avons dit, ce n’est pas sans avoir usé de toutes les possibilités pour convaincre la Commission d’une part, mais à travers la Commission, les COREP, le Conseil Exécutif et le Sommet des chefs d’Etats pour l’annulation de la décision de la Conférence.Le problème, c’est qu’on est face à une décision de la Conférence des chefs d’Etat et de gouvernements. Mais, nous allons ensemble continuer de faire le plaidoyer, pour l’annulation de cette décision, qui veut que l’ensemble des organes de l’Union fasse ensemble une mission conjointe d’observation.Nous avons relevé plus d’une fois les faiblesses des missions conjointes. Nous avons relevé également que le Parlement panafricain n’a pas l’opportunité de s’exprimer ou que les missions dirigées par l’Exécutif ne sont pas si efficaces, parce que souvent, les Ambassadeurs, les membres de l’Exécutif, à la tête des missions d’observation, ont des obligations politiques que les parlementaires n’ont pas.Ce sera un combat de longue haleine, mais nous allons combattre davantage, parce qu’aujourd’hui, la crise que connait l’Afrique nous donne plus d’arguments. Parce que si, aujourd’hui ou hier, en janvier, en février, au mois de mars, le Parlement était un Parlement législatif, de lui-même, il se serait saisi d’une Session extraordinaire et allait porter la voix du continent, pour que le monde entier sache ce que pensent les Africains.Donc, à posteriori, la situation difficile nous donne raison pour que, d’une part, le Parlement soit législatif et que pour, d’autre part, tous les Africains travaillent et veillent à la ratification de la Charte africaine de la Démocratie, des Elections et de la Bonne Gouvernance.L’Afrique a effectivement failli, que ce soit en Libye, en Tunisie, en Egypte ou en Coted’Ivoire. C’est vrai, j’avais dis que les chefs d’Etats et de gouvernements du continent, la CEDEAO, les Africains ont essayé d’apporter des solutions aux crises africaines, mais on a vu, au grand jour, malheureusement, que l’Afrique ne compte pas pour grand-chose dans le monde d’aujourd’hui. Et c’est pourquoi on doit encore répéter à l’Exécutif, aux chefs d’Etats et de gouvernements africains, que dans l’intérêt du continent, dans l’intérêt de l’Exécutif du continent, il faudra que le parlement ait une marge de manœuvre. Il faut que le Parlement ait un rôle législatif. Ce que les Chefs d’Etat ne peuvent pas dire, les parlementaires peuvent le dire.Vous avez apprécié le bon rapport avec le COREP. Ce n’est pas suffisant. Nous sommes tenus de faire davantage. Une deuxième rencontre doit être tenue, avant la fin de cette année; une retraite avec le COREP parce que, en amont et en aval, c’est le COREP qui tient les textes que nous cherchons, le Protocole, sa révision et également l’organigramme du Parlement.A propos de la recherche des financements, nous avons maintenant des partenaires qui financent certaines activités, même si la marge n’est pas suffisante. N’oubliez pas, quand même, que bien que nous ne soyons pas efficaces dans ces missions d’observation conjointes, nous avons des missions d’informations dans les pays en conflit ou en post-conflit.On a eu deux missions au Soudan. Nous allons avoir - c’est programmé pour les semaines avenir - quatre missions d’information en Egypte, en Tunisie, en Grande Jamahiriya et en Côted’Ivoire.Ces missions sont programmées et les financements obtenus. Cela compense, un tout petit peu, le fait qu’on ne peut pas avoir des rapports aux missions auxquelles nous participons.Maintenant, faut-il tendre la main aux partenaires au développement pour une recherche plus importante de financements? Oui.Pour beaucoup d’intervenants, que le partenaire finance les activités du PAP, est-il suffisant pour qu’on dise que cela va aliéner le continent, le Parlement?Les décisions du Parlement vont être entachées de la main qui est au dessus, parce que la main qui donne est toujours au dessus de celle qui reçoit. C’est une interrogation légitime, mais je pense qu’on peut se permettre de demander des financements aux partenaires et continuer d’être crédibles, aussi bien dans l’utilisation de ces fonds que pour les objectifs également.Nous avons des objectifs très nobles.Nous voulons contribuer, conformément au Protocole, à la paix, à la sécurité sur ce continent, et pour cela, il faut être sur le terrain pour observer les élections. Il faut être dans les pays en conflit, pour écouter les différentes parties. Il faut des rapports préparés par des parlementaires pour la plénière, pour en débattre et tirer les conclusions. C’est un objectif noble et je pense qu’on pourra continuer à chercher des financements, comme on a, aujourd’hui, quatre missions qui peuvent aller.Comment maintenant avoir suffisamment des financements pour que, en sus des missions conjointes pour lesquelles nous sommes tous d’accord, le Parlement soit efficace?Comment trouver des moyens pour que, en sus des missions d’informations, le Parlement puisse envoyer également ses propres observateurs dans les pays qui vont avoir des élections?Ce n’est pas en contradiction avec la décision de la Conférence. Ce qu’on peut demander, s’ils ne changent pas de formule, c’est de nous autoriser - si le cas échéant, nous pouvons obtenir des financements des partenaires - d’envoyer des missions d’observation comme les missions d’informations qui vont maintenant sur le terrain. Nous avons, en Afrique, une administration beaucoup trop lourde; ce qui handicape la sortie des dossiers qui sont au niveau de la Commission de l’Union africaine.Je vous disais, hier, qu’aujourd’hui et demain, une mission de haut rang du Parlement panafricain, conduit par un membre du Bureau, trois parlementaires et le Secrétariat, travaillent avec les experts pour la révision du Protocole.Le processus de révision du Protocole, qui est enclenché depuis maintenant deux ans, arrive à son terme, et pour vous montrer comment ce processus est complexe, il y a d’abord les experts de la Commission de l’Union africaine et un consultant de l’Union africaine qui ont travaillé sur le nouveau Protocole. Nous, parallèlement, nous avons produit notre rapport sur le Protocole, adopté en plénière, et nous avons eu le concours de deux consultants qui nous ont aidé à produire ces rapports, à les présenter et à les faire adopter par la plénière. Après ce premier exercice, le rapport est allé à un comité interne au COREP pour l’examen des textes statutaires de l’Union et, après ce passage, il est revenu au COREP. Et le COREP, après deux examens de ce dossier du Protocole nouveau, a demandé aux experts pays de se prononcer sur la dernière mouture. C’est ce qui se passe présentement.Il était programmé les 17, 18, et 19, d’une part, la réunion des Présidents des Conseils Supérieurs et/ou Cours Suprêmes des pays, d’autres part, la réunion des Ministres de la Justice des pays membres de l’Union africaine.La réunion ministérielle a été renvoyée pour après le Sommet, malheureusement. Mais, après la réunion des experts qui va finir - j’espère bien -, après les Présidents des Cours suprêmes des pays, après la Conférence des ministres de la Justice, qui va se tenir, ce mois-ci, malheureusement, ce document va revenir au COREP et le COREP va faire une proposition au Conseil exécutif, qui est maintenant habilité à présenter à une Conférence des chefs d’Etats et de gouvernements.Ce sont des mécanismes qui sont là, avant que le Parlement n’y vienne apporter sa contribution.Le résultat, malheureusement, c’est la lourdeur administrative. C’est un va-et-vient entre les experts, le COREP et ainsi de suite.Nous avons pris bonne note de la Commission permanente de l’Egalité, du Genre et de la Jeunesse.Il faut aussi se dire que, parfois, la Commission de l’Union africaine nous donne très peu de possibilités ou une très faible marge de manœuvre.Par exemple, au prochain Sommet de Malabo, il est donné au PAP, la participation à hauteur de quatre (04) parlementaires. Ce sommet est important. Il faudra un membre du Bureau. Le thème, c’est la Jeunesse. La Commission qui traite les questions de jeunesse, notamment la Commission Genre est intéressée. Le budget aussi va être examiné, lors de la prochaine Conférence. Le Président de la Commission Finances est intéressé.Nous faisons un plaidoyer, depuis deux ans, pour que le Parlement ait des prérogatives législatives et, à chaque Sommet, on essaye de - surtout à la réunion du COREP - continuer le plaidoyer avec la Commission des Règlements, Disciplines et Privilèges. Donc, quand on prend de cette façon verticale, on se rend compte que la participation du Parlement est très limitée et on est obligé de faire soit des gymnastiques, soit des concessions, pour qu’il y ait, par alternance, les membres du Bureau ou, par alternance, les membres des Commissions. Nous prenons, quand même, bonne note de la contribution de la Présidente de la Commission.Les réunions régionales pour la ratification de la Charte Africaine de la Démocratie, des Elections et de la Gouvernance pour l’Afrique de l’Ouest et pour l’Afrique du Nord vont bel et bien se tenir, cette année.Pour l’Afrique de l’Ouest, ce sera à Ouagadougou au Burkina-Faso, pour l’Afrique du Nord, se sera à Nouakchott, en Mauritanie. Nous travaillons avec les Présidents des Caucus régionaux pour arrêter des dates, avant la fin de cette Session, parce qu’en principe, le financement étant acquis, on est seulement sur un problème organisationnel. En ce qui concerne la qualité du rapport, c’est vrai; si le rapport est présenté à la plénière, c’est pour que la plénière apporte sa contribution pour l’améliorer et son examen critique par rapport au descriptif qui est peu analytique.Nous prenons bonne note mais, avec les contributions des uns et des autres, déjà, je pense qu’on a contribué à améliorer ce rapport.Les relations avec les parlements nationaux sont une de nos priorités.Nous avons eu des difficultés à inviter à temps les Présidents des Parlements nationaux et notre invité de marque a décliné, à la dernière minute, l’invitation. Mais, nous avons arrêté le principe qu’on reprenne les anciennes bonnes habitudes, qui consistaient à envoyer les invitations au plutôt. Maintenant qu’au mois de mars 2011, nous avons déjà arrêté le calendrier d’octobre 2011, on pourra, ce mois-ci déjà, inviter les Présidents des parlements: cinq; un par région des Parlements nationaux et également le Président en exercice de l’Union africaine et le Premier Ministre du Kenya, qui s’est excusé pour cette Session, mais qui est disponible à venir à la prochaine Session. En envoyant au plus tôt les invitations, avec également le concours des Présidents des Caucus pour le choix, chaque année, de la rotation entre les différent Présidents des Parlements nationaux. Ainsi, on va s’assurer qu’on aura nos partenaires privilégiés qui sont les Parlements nationaux qui financent la présence des parlementaires à la Session et nos partenaires régionaux.L’idée d’envoyer une équipe pour visiter les régions ou cibler un chef d’Etat par région, c’est une bonne initiative, couplée d’un groupe de parlementaires en diplomatie.On va voir les possibilités d’envoyer le Président, accompagné de quelques membres du parlement, visiter un pays par région pour que le chef d’Etat ciblé puisse apporter sa contribution, pour que le Parlement ait son autonomie, d’une part, et que le parlement voit son nouveau Protocole aboutir, d’autre part.La situation de crises que le continent connaît, c’est la priorité des priorités.C’est de manière exceptionnelle qu’on a changé l’ensemble du programme, pour que, le mardi 10 déjà, on fasse un premier débat en anticipant sur le débat qui va suivre.Quand l’Ambassadeur LAMAMRA viendra nous présenter son rapport « Paix et Sécurité » et, ensuite, le Vice président de la Commission de l’Union africaine qui, lui, va prendre les aspects administratifs et financiers de notre organisation, mais en tant que Vice-président, il ne va pas échapper aux questions des parlementaires et il va nous présenter également la situation du continent. Suite à ces débats, naturellement, on doit avoir des résolutions qui vont avoir une portée et on se fera le devoir de faire le maximum de diffusion de ces résolutions, même si on a noté la faible participation des médias, à l’ouverture de notre Session.Honorables membres,Je voudrais vous remercier pour la plupart de vos contributions qui vont dans le sens de l’amélioration de la qualité du rapport.Pour l’essentiel du débat sur la situation en Afrique, il est devant nous et sur ce, honorable Président de séance, j’ai essayé d’apporter, de manière ramassée, quelques éléments pour apprécier les contributions et pour éclairer, dans la mesure du possible.Je vous remercie.

THE PRESIDENT:Mr. President, thank you very much for the clarification that you have presented to the Hon. Members on the issues that were raised. I think that was thorough and exhaustive and we thank you once again. In the same breath, I would like to take this opportunity and thank the Hon. Members for the very rich contributions they have made. I am sure this will help the Bureau to act on different issues that you have raised, where possible, of course, bearing in mind that not all our wishes can be granted. Some of them can be done and achieved, but others cannot be done.I trust that the Bureau will always come back to you and inform you on what they have been able to achieve and what they have not been able to achieve. They will also give you reasons why this is so. Therefore, having heard the response of the President, may I now take this opportunity to put the Question.Question put and agreed to.(The Activity Report of the PAP was adopted.)

2.0 – ANNONCES

THE CLERK:Madam Vice-President, Hon. Members, we have the following announcements to make:1.a meeting of the chairpersons of regional caucuses will take place at 12.30 p.m.;2.a meeting of the Committee on Administration and Financial Valuation will also take place at 12.30 p.m.;3.a meeting of the Committee on Rules, Privileges and Discipline will meet with the Bureau in the Presidential Boardroom at 12.30 p.m.; and4.The World Bank Training to which three Committees have been invited will take place at 2.00 p.m. in Committee Room 3.I thank you.

THE PRESIDENT:Could you repeat the announcements, Mr. Clerk? It looks like it is not clear. Please, go ahead.

THE CLERK:Madam Vice-President, I have been reliably informed by my colleagues seated next to me that the three Committees have received a notice.

AN HON. MEMBER:Madam Vice-President, is it a secret?

THE PRESIDENT:Okay, how many people would like to speak on this issue?Hon. Boudina, you may take the Floor. Let us listen to each other.

HON. BOUDINA MOSTEFA [ALGERIE]:Merci, Madame la Présidente.Juste une question: c’est une réunion de formation qui est importante; pourquoi avoir limité cette réunion à deux ou trois Commissions? Et, ceux qui sont intéressés et qui veulent assister à cette réunion; est-ce qu’ils sont exclus?

THE PRESIDENT:We may ask the Clerk to answer that question, but I believe it could also be a logistical concern. Could the Clerk, please, respond to that?

THE CLERK:Thank you Hon. President, firstly, let me indicate that these Committees are:-a.The Finance Committee;b.CAFE; andc.AgricultureThe rationale behind the limited number of Committees for this important training is that the World Bank and PAP organised it for thirty (30) people and for the Committees mentioned above. That is all I can say.

THE PRESIDENT:I think I conclude that the funding by the World Bank has restricted the number of participants to thirty, in which case, we cannot have everyone attend. The other point is that this training looked at the relevance of the training to the particular Committees. The Committees were, therefore, chosen because of the relevance of the topic to their Committees.Honourable Boudina, I think, for now, please, take it as it is. Quite often, we do not involve all the Committees at the same time. If we had the funding, we would invite everyone to every activity that we undertake. Even you, yourself, has attended different meetings, to which not everybody has been invited. This must be taken as a given, honestly. That is the way of administering the different activities.

HON. KANE BOCAR SADIKH [SENEGAL]Merci, Madame la Présidente.Madame la Présidente,Je suis désolé de ne pas être d’accord avec la conclusion que vous avez tirée sur cette affaire.Nous avons des Commissions permanentes, dans lesquelles nous n’avons pas toujours les spécialistes des disciplines qui y sont traitées. Nous avons tenu compte des régions, des équilibres,...Qu’est-ce que cela veut dire? Cela veut dire qu’il peut arriver que des questions transversales soient traitées au sein de ce Parlement. Auquel cas, je pense que le premier reflexe consisterait à demander aux gens de s’inscrire ou bien de trouver un autre modus operandi, pour faire le choix. Puisque le constat que nous avons fait, c’est que, ce sont toujours les mêmes Commissions qui reviennent, quand il s’agit de traiter de certaines questions transversales.Donc, Madame la Présidente, je pense qu’il va falloir, à l’avenir, trouver d’autres moyens pour intéresser tous les membres du Parlement, quand il s’agit de traiter des questions transversales, comme celles-là.Je vous remercie.

THE PRESIDENT:Ok, I think the point is well taken and the Bureau is listening and the Administration...

HON. BOUDINA MOSTEFA [ALGERIE]:J’ai encore un point de protestation, Madame la Présidente.Un point de protestation, cette fois-ci!

THE PRESIDENT:Can I also say what I was going to say and finish so that you can also listen to me, because I have given you the Floor. Now, I have the Floor, Hon. Boudina. I was going to say that there is no Committee there are no people from all the regions. I think that is the assumption that, in every permanent Committee of our Parliament, there are Members from all the regions. Therefore, I do not know how the question of regions arises. I may not be adequately informed. Hon Boudina, would you really like to take the Floor again? The numbers have already been fixed. The World Bank is sponsoring the activity and although we may talk about it for a long time, it will not change the status quo. We can only note, as I have said, for the future but, at the moment, this workshop cannot take in new Members.

HON. BOUDINA MOSTEFA [ALGERIE]:Madame la Présidente,Je tiens à ce que le Bureau enregistre ma protestation!Il ne faut pas se cacher derrière la Banque mondiale. La liste des participants a été arrêtée par le Secrétariat.Je ne suis pas d’accord avec ces méthodes!Il fallait nous informer, en réunion de coordination des Bureaux de Commissions et des Présidents de Caucus avec le Bureau du Parlement, de l’arrêt de cette liste.Je demande à ce que ma protestation soit enregistrée dans le procès-verbal de cette plénière!Je vous remercie.

HON. MEMBER [...]:Thank you, Madam President.My point is slightly different. Hon. Boudina was making a point and he spoke loudly into the microphone to the extent that you could not hear the interpretation. I have not even heard what he said. I am saying this in this House so that Members may be cautious in their use of the microphone for now and in future.I thank you.

THE PRESIDENT:I will give an opportunity to Kenya and Rwanda and that will be all.

HON. BAHARI ALI [KENYA]:Madam Vice-President, my point is slightly different. Hon. Boudina was making a point, but he speaks so loudly into the microphone to the extent that you cannot hear the interpretation. So, I have not even heard what he has said. Doing so may affect what I am hearing in this House now and in future.

THE PRESIDENT:I have information from the Assistant Clerk (Madam Wawa) who is in charge of this activity. She has informed me that the Committees were consulted in March and they, themselves, designated ten members to each Committee. I think Hon. Members have been consulted adequately.Lastly, let us hear from Rwanda.

UN HONORABLE MEMBRE [...]:Je vous remercie, Madame la Vice-présidente.C’est juste pour confirmer ce que vous venez de dire: lors d’une réunion, au mois de mars, il nous a été demandé (je suis Président de la Commission Agriculture) de désigner dix (10) membres, pour participer à ce séminaire de formation.Donc, ce n’est pas un mensonge. Je pense aussi qu’il faut savoir être correct.C’était pour témoigner.Je vous remercie.

THE PRESIDENT:Thank you very much for that clarification.

AN HON. MEMBER:On a point of procedure.

THE VICE-PRESIDENT:No. Let us be orderly now. I just would like all the Hon. Members to know the theme of this training so that you can understand why certain Committees were selected. The Committees are Finance, Agriculture and CAFE, which is the audit committee that we put in place ourselves.Hon. Members, being the last time for me to chair a session, I would like to end the session in peace with everyone. Let us agree on what we can agree on very easily. I thank you, Hon. Members, for the privilege the House accorded to me.

3.0 SUSPENSION DE SÉANCE

THE VICE-PRESIDENT:The House now stands adjourned until Monday, 16 May, 2011 at 9 am.La séance est suspendue à 11H25 jusqu’au lundi, 16 mai 2011.

Monday, 16 May, 2011

La séance est ouverte à neuf heures sept minutes.Prière et méditation

PRESIDENT:Merci.Honorables membres,Conformément aux dispositions de l’article 38.1 alinéa g, j’invite Son Excellence l’Ambassadeur Ramtane LAMAMRA, Commissaire chargé des questions de Paix et de Sécurité de l’Union africaine, à entrer dans la Chambre.J’invite, à présent, le Secrétaire général à donner lecture du premier point inscrit à l’ordre du jour.

REFERENCE: 1605-090956E

THE CLERK:Thank you, Hon. President.Hon. President and Hon. Members, it is now time for presentation and debate on Peace and Security in Africa.

LE PRESIDENT:J’invite, à présent, l’Ambassadeur Ramtane LAMAMRA, Commissaire chargé des questions de Paix et de Sécurité, à faire sa présentation, tout en lui souhaitant la bienvenue au siège du Parlement panafricain.

1.0 – PRÉSENTATION ET DÉBAT SUR LA PAIX ET LA SÉCURITÉ EN AFRIQUE

H.E. AMBASSADOR RAMTANE LAMAMRA [AU COMMISSIONER FOR PEACE & SECURITY]:Hon. Dr. Moussa Idriss Ndele, President of the Pan-African Parliament, Hon. Members of the Pan-African Parliament, your Excellencies, Hon. Guests and Ladies and Gentlemen,On behalf of the African Union Commission and its Chairperson, Dr. Jean Ping, I am pleased to present to this august Assembly the report on the important matter of the status of democracy, peace and security in Africa. This session is being held at an opportune moment, as it is taking place against the background of encouraging developments in Côte d’Ivoire, Sudan and also the uprisings in North Africa, which have farreaching implications for the continent as a whole. These uprisings offer important lessons that we must seriously reflect upon and for which we need to devise appropriate responses.It must be stressed that the African Union’s vision is to build an integrated, prosperous and conflictfree Africa, which is a noble goal in itself. It is an achievable goal, as the continent is equipped with the requisite human and natural resources. In addition, there is sufficient political will for the drive required to realise that objective.The achievement of that noble goal, through the realisation of Africa’s vast potential is, nevertheless, severely hampered by the persistence of crises and conflicts on the continent. Instead of enjoying the fruits of higher levels of socio-economic development, too many African peoples continue to live in conditions of violence, poverty, misery and underdevelopment. These same conditions are largely responsible for the continuation of conflicts on our continent.The African Union has adopted a number of instruments on human rights, governance, democracy, disarmament, terrorism and good neighbourliness, which represent a consolidated framework of norms and principles, whose observance would considerably reduce the risk of conflict and violence on the continent. From the beginning, the AU has sought to create an environment that enables democracy and good governance to grow throughout the continent.Putting in place relevant instruments has enabled different societies to construct some of the greatest democratic frameworks in the world. In 2007, the African Union Heads of State and Government adopted an African Charter on Democracy, Governance and Elections. This Charter is the touchstone of the African Union’s endeavours in building an Africa defined by the existence of democratic values, norms and practices at every level of society. The Charter commits Member States to uphold the values of good governance and democracy, and stresses the critical role in the development of the continent. Democratisation and democratic consolidation are major components of Africa’s shared values. From a meta-level perspective of Africa’s progress, shared values will catalyse the progress of Africa’s integration. We hold good governance and democratic values as continental norms which are necessary for the continent’s progress, and we are working towards a common goal of a continent characterised by peace and security. A peaceful, stable and united Africa is a strong and prosperous Africa, with over one billion human beings freed from fear and from want.The upholding of these instruments will contribute towards creating conditions conducive for socio-economic development that the African people have been, and are yelling for. Unfortunately, the slow implementation of the provisions in the relevant African Union instruments, particularly those relating to the promotion of democracy, good governance, free and fair elections, human rights and justice, remain a major cause of concern.It is time we redoubled our efforts, and recognised that progress is never achieved through stagnation. Democratisation is not a single sociopolitical occurrence, nor does it bloom overnight. It is a process that requires patience, persistence and unwavering commitment to its ideals and practices. Furthermore, it cannot be achieved through the actions and decisions of a minority; it must be embraced and implemented by an entire society in order to take root.Indeed, we have made significant gains in the area of democratisation and democratic consolidation in Africa, and must applaud ourselves for the progress made. We have come a long way, yet the journey continues. Once again, critical events place our great continent at a crossroads. We have experienced popular political and social uprisings in some parts of the continent, most recently, in North Africa, impelled by dissatisfaction with existing levels of democracy, standards of living and high unemployment levels.We have been confronted by pivotal challenges that have exposed the consequences of placing democracy on the back burner of social and political progress. We have also seen what happens when governments are not responsive enough to the basic needs and aspirations of the people.Recent and current events in parts of North Africa have shown that there is a limit to how long a population is willing to wait for political and socio-economic progress. The turmoil in North Africa imparted to the entire continent the need for governments to be responsive to the needs of their people, and the critical role of building trust. Trust between those who govern and those who are governed generates partnerships and inspires confidence. Such confidence and partnerships, however, cannot be developed overnight.We are in a year characterised by an unprecedented number of elections in Africa, twenty-seven in total. What is worrying is that, instead of elections serving as the necessary and appropriate instruments for peaceful political transition, which is precisely what elections are meant to be, in some countries they have sparked deep crises and conflicts that have left their societies deeply fractured. One key lesson learned is that elections are not the panaceas for deficient democratic institutions and practices.To quote the 2011 World Development Report, recently released by the World Bank, it reads:"Democratisation does not start or end with elections."Indeed, these and other national, regional and continental challenges are harsh reminders that the path towards democratisation and democratic consolidation is strenuous. Any endeavour worth pursuing, however, is never without its challenges. The desire for good governance and democracy knows no boundaries and transcends superficial differences. The finality of Africa’s global marginalisation begins with the ending of the marginalisation of many from the political processes in their respective countries.We, as a continent, must take the lead to democratise within our own contexts and domesticate the process. For it to be sustainable, democracy must come from within and cannot be imposed from the outside, nor superficially embraced. However, we must go past erecting symbols of democracy and establish cultures of democracy. For democracy to flourish throughout Africa, leaders must commit themselves to its ideals, the building of democratic institutions, and the consolidation of democratic practices.Democracy is one of the most crucial elements of the human experience. Throughout history, it has defined the freedom sought by countless individuals and movements, led to the greatest human inventions, and increased the economic viability of many states. Its absence has been the catalyst for change, and its existence the essence of progress. It is a fact that an environment defined by democracy and good governance produces an environment conducive to socioeconomic development and many other dividends.A democratic environment better anticipates future needs and mobilises societies to meet them. Democracy invites new ideas and, indeed, provides a space for innovation that propels a country forward. The transformative power of citizens working in synergy with their governments to bring positive change and progress to a society they are invested in, is how the continent will progress. It is not just about empowering citizens with the necessary tools of democracy; but also about obliging every governmental official to respect democratic values. When the two converge, the possibilities for a country's success become immeasurable.Words of democratic promise no longer send our continent’s people a strong message. They cannot survive on words. They cannot thrive on words. They cannot progress on words. Africa and her people require action, and one act of democratic movement sends a stronger message than a thousand words of democratic commitment. Democratisation and democratic consolidation require political will, and all leaders present, here, today possess the necessary power to push forward the building and strengthening of democratic institutions and values.Democratisation is a promise to all Africans that their governments will strive to create environments conducive to the expression of each individual’s dream of economic, political and social security. Africa cannot reach its potential on the backs of broken promises; Africa cannot thrive on the foundations of broken dreams.Honourable President, Honourable Members, democracy, peace and security are inextricably linked. Accordingly, for democracy to thrive in Africa there is a need to create a safe and secure environment. It is on this basis that the African Union has embarked on various initiatives to enhance peace, security and stability on the continent.Indeed, we should salute the gains being made in the operationalisation of the African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA), which provides the continent with a guiding framework for preventing, managing and resolving conflicts, as well as for pursuing post-conflict reconstruction and development. However, additional efforts are urgently needed to ensure the development of African Peace and Security Architecture to its full capacity, especially with regard to the African Standby Force (ASF) and the Continental Early Although Côte d’Ivoire is now on the path towards peace and normalcy, there are still many challenges that lie ahead in the country’s quest for peace, security, stability and development. To ensure that the country puts an end to the vicious cycle of conflict from which it is emerging, these challenges must be addressed with urgency.Among the key challenges are the following:a.the formation of a Government of National Unity and Reconciliation;b.the implementation of the outstanding issues within the framework of the Ouagadougou Political Agreement and its Supplementary Agreements;c.the design, implementation and monitoring of post-conflict recovery programmes, such as:i.Disarmament, Demobilisation, and Reintegration (DDR); andii.Security Sector Reform (SSR);d.arresting the proliferation of small arms and light weapons;e.the management of the humanitarian situation, in order to reduce the suffering of refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs);f.the investigation of human rights violations.Hon. President, Hon. Members, Ladies and Gentlemen, one cannot overemphasise the fact that the epicentre of African conflicts has recently shifted to North Africa, with serious consequences for the region and for Africa as a whole. Anti-government protests first erupted in Tunisia in December, 2010, culminating in the departure of President Ben Ali in January, 2011, among other important effects. Subsequently, similar protests erupted in Egypt, also leading to the departure of President Hosni Mubarak in February, 2011. Both countries are now undergoing transitions, with initiatives aimed at fulfilling the aspirations of their peoples, against the backdrop of difficult circumstances and rigid constraints.Warning System (CEWS). Both components, within the overall framework of APSA, are meant to play a major role in the AU peace efforts. The need for African funding for this process cannot be overemphasised.Furthermore, achievements have been made in such countries as Burundi, the Comoros, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Liberia, Niger, Republic of Guinea and Sudan as far as the implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) is concerned. But these achievements remain incomplete as long as there are crises and conflicts that challenge the fabric of peace, security and stability elsewhere in Africa. Certainly, Côte d’Ivoire is now on the path towards peace and normalcy. After several months of a post-electoral crisis due to the refusal of the outgoing President, Laurent Gbagbo, to accept defeat at the second round of the presidential election held on 28 November, 2010, Côte d’Ivoire is now gradually returning back to a normal situation, with President Alassane Ouattara having assumed State power and the restoration of legality throughout the Ivorian territory. The African Union, in co-ordination with the Economic Community of West African Countries (ECOWAS), the United Nations (UN), and other international actors played an active role in the resolution of the Ivorian crisis.Throughout the post-election crisis, the African Union Peace and Security Council, through the High Level Panel of Heads of State and governments for the Resolution of the Crisis in Côte d’Ivoire, which was established by the PSC on 28 January 2011, deployed vigorous efforts to assist the Ivorian people to peacefully overcome the crisis. Unfortunately the then outgoing President, Mr. Laurent Gbagbo, did not cooperate. Hence, the not so unavoidable result to military action that brought about the current political dispensation in the country.Contrastingly, what began as a peaceful protest in eastern Libya in mid-February, 2011, quickly spread to the rest of the country, and evolved into an armed confrontation between the Government forces and armed protestors. Since then, fighting has been continuing in different parts of the country, especially in the cities along the coast. The fighting in Libya has far-reaching consequences, especially given the important role that the country has been playing in the implementation of the African agenda.The imposition of a no-fly zone over Libya and aerial bombardment by the coalition forces, and now by NATO, have not brought a solution to the crisis. In fact, the military situation on the ground seems to be sliding into a stalemate.From the beginning of the crisis, the AU has remained seized with the Libyan issue, with important initiatives underway. I wish to recall that the Peace and Security Council met on the 23^rd February, 2011, to consider the situation in Libya. On the 10^th March, 2011, it expressed its conviction that the situation in Libya called for an urgent African collective action for:(i)the immediate cessation of all hostilities;(ii)the co-operation of the competent Libyan authorities to facilitate the timely delivery of humanitarian assistance to the needy populations;(iii)the protection of foreign nationals, including the African migrants living in Libya; and(iv)the adoption and implementation of the political reforms which are necessary for the elimination of the causes of the current crisis and shall As for Somalia, it remains a challenge to the African Union, Inter-govenmental Authority on Development (IGAD) and to the rest of the international community. The African Union, through the African Union Mission for Somalia (AMISOM), be necessary to respond to the legitimate aspirations of the Libyan people.The Peace and Security Council further decided, at the level of Heads of State and Government on 10 March, 2011, among other things, to establish an African Union High-Level Ad Hoc Committee on Libya, comprising five Heads of State and Government, as well as the Chairperson of the Commission, with the mandate to:(i)engage with all parties in Libya and continuously assess the evolution of the situation on the ground;(ii)facilitate an inclusive dialogue among the Libyan parties on the appropriate reforms; and(iii)engage the African Union’s partners, in particular the League of Arab States (LAS), the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC), the European Union (EU) and the United Nations (UN), to facilitate co-ordination of efforts and seek their support for the early resolution of the crisis.I would like to point out that the pursuit of other agendas in Libya, by non-African actors, has had an impact on the implementation of the African Union Roadmap. Attempts have even been made to marginalise an African solution to the crisis, specifically to derail the timely implementation of the AU Roadmap in a way that is fully consistent with and complementary to UN Security Council Resolutions 1970 and 1973.In pursuit of its mandate, the African Union Ad Hoc Committee held meetings in Nouakchott on 19^th March, 2011 and in Addis Ababa on 25^thMarch, 2011, and again in Nouakchott on 9^thApril 2011. Furthermore, the Committee undertook a mission to Libya, to discuss the AU Roadmap. In this regard, it first held consultations with the Libyan authorities in Tripoli, on the 10^thApril 2011. Thereafter, the Committee travelled to Benghazi, where it held consultations with the Transitional National Council (TNC), on the 11^thApril, 2011.has made a significant contribution towards the peace and reconciliation process in Somalia. AMISOM has contributed to the stabilisation of Mogadishu, and also of some parts of central Somalia, among other gains.However, wrangling among the Transitional Federal Institutions (TFIs) remains a major impediment, more so as the country approaches the end of the transitional period in August, 2011. Note should also be taken of the problems of illegal fishing, dumping of toxic wastes and piracy off the coast of Somalia.I wish to recall that, when the African Union deployed its mission to Somalia in 2007, it was its hope that the United Nations would take over, given its responsibility under the United Nations Charter. The African Union has made and reiterated its request to the United Nations in this regard. In the same vein, the African Union has requested the UN Security Council to impose a no-fly zone and sea blockade on Somalia, to stop the illegal in-flow of weapons, most of which are falling into the hands of insurgent and extremist elements. Unfortunately, the United Nations Security Council has not yet taken concrete steps to meet the AU requests.In the Sudan, there have been positive strides in achieving peace and stability, particularly in view of the successful conduct of the Referendum in South Sudan, last January, in the implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement. However, less than two months to the independence of South Sudan, there are important CPA outstanding issues that need to be addressed by the Sudanese Parties, especially:i.the North-South Border demarcation;ii.the Referendum of the Abyei Region; andiii.the Popular consultations in the Blue Nile and Southern Kordofan States.Moreover, there are other Post-Referendum Arrangements (PRA) that are yet to be finalised, particularly those relating to citizenship, security, economic and natural resources, international treaties and legal issues. The African Union High Level Implementation Panel on Sudan (AUHIP) under the reliable chairmanship of former President Thabo Mbeki is facilitating discussions on these outstanding issues, as well as on PostReferendum Arrangement matters. It is most unlikely that discussions on all those issues will have been completed by the 9^th July, 2011, when the two Sudan states emerge. It is a good gesture that the Parties have agreed to continue discussions after the independence of South Sudan.It should be recalled that both the African Union Peace and Security Council (PSC) and the Sudan Consultative Forum endorsed the need for a threetrack strategy on Darfur, namely, the Doha peace talks, the Darfur Political Process (DPP) and the early recovery and development track. In this regard, the African Union Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID), together with the AU High Level Implementation Panel, have been preparing for the launch of the Darfur Political Process. A Darfur Political Process Secretariat, consisting of UNAMID and AU High Level Implementation Panel staff, has been established in El Fasher and has been working on an implementation plan and budget.The Government of Sudan has committed itself to securing an enabling environment that would allow all Darfurians to participate in the Darfur Political Process without fear. Efforts should be exerted to implement the decision of the Peace and Security Council to ensure that the Darfur Political Process is conducted and concluded on time in order to speedily address the Darfur conflict in a much more inclusive manner.Regarding the problem of unconstitutional changes of governments, it is worth noting that the Republics of Guinea and Niger have since returned to constitutional order. Let me remind you that Côte d’Ivoire has also returned to constitutional order. Inversely, Madagascar remains an outstanding case. The Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the African Union continue to deploy coordinated efforts to help resolve the crisis in Madagascar. Equally, outstanding cases are the Ethio-Eritrean dispute and the completion of the decolonisation of the Western Sahara.At this juncture, I wish to stress that the AU continues to work closely with its partners in addressing the myriad challenges facing the continent. It was in this context that on 11th May, 2011, in Addis Ababa, the African Union Peace and Security Council held its 4^th Annual Joint Consultative Meeting with the European Union Political and Security Committee (EU PSC) to exchange views on African crisis and conflict situations, with particular attention on the situations unfolding in North Africa, as well as in Cote d’Ivoire, Somalia and Sudan.In the same spirit of strengthening partnerships and resolving crises and conflicts, the African Union Peace and Security Council will hold its 5^thAnnual Joint Consultative Meeting with the United Nations Security Council on 21^st May, 2011 in Addis Ababa. In pursuing these partnerships, the African Union remains vigilant on the principle of ownership of peace efforts in Africa. The African Union constantly seeks to assert its leadership role in this respect.Mr. President, Honourable Members, Ladies and Gentlemen, that crises and conflicts persist on our continent is self-evident. Undoubtedly, this is a tragedy that we cannot pass on to subsequent generations. Accordingly, it is imperative that we make renewed efforts to address the root causes of conflict in a holistic manner. In doing so, we must scrupulously implement the existing instruments, particularly those relating to democracy, elections, governance, the rule of law, human rights and justice.At the same time, we must keep in mind that poverty, misery and underdevelopment, which affect most of our countries, lay at the taproot of the persistence of conflicts on the continent. Hence, the need to speed up and strengthen our socio-economic policies in order for them to produce outcomes that are responsive to the needs of the people.In addition, Africa’s population continues to grow fast and beyond the one billion reached in 2010, with the attendant pressure on limited resources and services, as well as cumulative demands for employment, more income and better living conditions. Thus, it is vital that African countries redouble their efforts in addressing the major socio-economic issues at hand, in order to avoid the risk of social unrest and uprisings.I cannot conclude my remarks without reiterating some key points for emphasis:a.firstly, regarding the deployment of AU peace efforts, wherever circumstances demand it on the continent, there is an imperative to inject more African funding. Africa needs to be assertive and to make its solutions work on the ground. This is one practical way of ensuring the effectiveness of African solutions to African problems. Recently, we have witnessed partners fatigue manifestations and even attempts by some to marginalise African efforts to resolve African conflicts, using their financial assistance leverage;b.secondly, regarding democratisation and the building of good governance, we need to spare no efforts at all, as failure to uphold democracy and good governance brings big dangers to our continent. The continent is witnessing an increase in election-related and governance-linked crises. This trend must be arrested before it reaches unmanageable proportions. The deepening of democracy and improving political and economic governance could significantly contribute to our efforts to prevent conflicts on the continent. In this regard, the PanAfrican Parliament has a critical role to play; andc.thirdly and last, but not least, it is urgent that we invest in employment-generating economic policies that would provide jobs and better incomes for the population, especially the youth, and contribute to elevating standards of living across the continent. Indeed, this is one way of preventing future uprisings, like those we are witnessing in North Africa. Again, in this regard, the Pan-African Parliament has an important role to play.Notably, at the end of the day, it is a fact that African peoples are striving for bread and butter, and for other basic needs. They also desire freedom and its opportunities, as well as justice and its protections. Among other courses of action, it is through the fruition of these principles that the African continent can achieve peace, security, stability and sustainable development. This is one of the strongest messages from the North African uprisings.It is my hope that this session of the Pan-African Parliament will go a long way in placing our continent on a track of renewed momentum and more vigorous initiatives aimed at democratisation and democratic consolidation, preventing, managing and resolving crises and conflicts. That would also add an additional push to the ongoing post-conflict reconstruction and development efforts in various parts of the African continent.It is my humble appeal that the Pan-African Parliament deploys the necessary efforts towards accelerating the signing, ratification and domestication by Member States that have not yet done so, of AU instruments relating to democracy, good governance, human and people’s rights, and peace and security on the continent.To succeed, Africa and its leadership cannot continue to be haunted by the ghosts of past failures or intimidated by the complexities of present challenges, and fearful of the future's unknowns. It is time we grabbed our own destiny. The African story is one that Africans must write, for we hold our future in our hands. The stakes are high. Not only do our nations rely on us, but also our future depends on us.I thank you for your kind attention.

LE PRESIDENT:Merci beaucoup, Son Excellence, Monsieur l’Ambassadeur LAMAMBRA, Commissaire chargé des questions de Paix et de Sécurité de l’Union africaine, pour cet important rapport, présenté à la plénière du Parlement panafricain.Les débats sont actuellement ouverts sur la paix et la sécurité.J’ai, devant moi, une liste d’orateurs. On va accorder trois minutes (03) à chaque orateur - je dis bien trois (03) minutes.Le premier de ma liste est l’honorable DUMBUYA SHEKU.

HON. DUMBUYA SHEKU B. [SIERRA LEONE]:Thank you very much, Mr. President. I would like to commend the presenter for what has been quite an illuminating presentation. Mr. President, there are many conflicts in Africa, but one thing that I am disappointed about is that we do not seem to be speaking with one voice. Africa does not seem to be speaking with one voice. There appears to be a lot of contradictions in Africa and Cote d’Ivoire crisis, we have been saying that we depend on elections. There were elections held and there was the declaration of who the winner was. Why did the incumbent refuse to accept the decision? But the complication arose, in my view, from the fact that they had two bodies to determine who the winner of an election should be; where you have the National Electoral Commission, particularly in the French-speaking countries in Africa as it is the case, they also have these constitutional courts. That is a complication. If there is a National Electoral Commission, let this be depended on for final results. But it would appear that after the National Electoral Commission has given the results, then the constitutional court also has to affirm whether that is correct or not. The constitutional court has no business in the conduct of an election. The body that conducts election is the National Electoral Commission and it should depend on that. This is the complication and we have to take heed of that, Mr. President.Mr. President, on the situation in Libya, what had Gaddafi done? Now, if you look at the statistics for the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), Gaddafi has been achieving much of this. The people have what they wanted, then what else do you need? If you have your bread and butter, what freedom are you seeking for? To me, if you have your bread and butter that is enough freedom. That is enough human rights; enough justice and what else are you asking for? In the case of Africa we try to offer solution to Libya. What is the West doing in Libya?What is the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) doing in Libya? Why put this no-fly zone on Libya? If Africa should be depended on to give away solution if we are addressing any problem, let these people keep out of our problem. We also have the capacity to solve our own problems. What has Gaddafi done? We know that Gaddafi has been contributing so much to Africa, particularly for the economy of Africa. Why default Gaddafi? I cannot seem to understand.Mr. President, on the situation in Morocco, it is our will...

HON. ARNOLD RANONGOUJE TJIHUIKO [NAMIBIA]:Mr. President, thank you for giving me the opportunity to deliver my maiden speech after a year of having listened to debates in this honourable House. It is, indeed, one good thing to talk about democracy and good governance in Africa. In order for democracy to flourish, we must accept the fact that national resources should be equitably distributed in the nation. Without that, you cannot expect hungry people to appreciate democracy and good governance. For them, democracy does not mean anything as long as they are not part of the benefits that democracy is providing. As long as the national resources of the nation are in the hands of a few, be it the white minority or the black elites, the masses out there will not appreciate what we are doing in this august House.Mr. President, it is, indeed, very important for us, as elected leaders, to lead by example. We must go beyond the small issues in the Pan-African Parliament (PAP), for instance, of grouping ourselves into regions, language groups and even tribal ones, while expecting the masses out there to appreciate what we are doing. The problems that we are talking about, and what the Hon. Member was referring to, in Africa are a result of wrong policies.A good example is what we, the leaders, are doing and because our people are seeing what we are doing, what we do filters down to them. Leaders must lead by example. If we want to see a serious situation and action to be taken into the area that is unfortunately today facing unrest, this august House needs to be seen to be speaking in one language. We must be seen to be standing together. We must be seen to be representing the interest of Africa for Africans and not individual countries and regions.As long as we are doing that, we are sending the wrong message and cannot be taken seriously that what we are saying here is really what we want to see in Africa. We, ourselves, have also become a contributing factor to these problems. For example, if I see myself as a southerner or a Namibian, what do you expect a northerner to expect from me when it comes to issues as critical as the situation that we have seen in North Africa? Mr. President, as a new boy in the game, I do not want to be long on the Floor. Let me conclude by saying that the situation that we are seeing in Africa today...The hon. Member’s time expired.

HON. COULIBALY KADIDIATOU SAMAKE [MALI]:Merci, Monsieur le Président.Je m’empresse de dire que je partage entièrement l’analyse faite par le représentant de l’Union africaine sur la démocratie et ses corollaires, en Afrique.Cependant, je voudrais commencer par lire un article de Madame Adama BA KONARE, historienne du Mali, à propos de la crise libyenne: « Ceux qui n’ont pas la liberté d’expression se battent pour l’obtenir, ceux qui l’ont, n’en usent pas ».Il me semble que c’est cela le paradoxe de l’Afrique. Alors qu’ils clament, urbi et orbi, l’unité de leur continent, qu’ils ont créé une organisation (l’Union africaine), pour affirmer leur volonté d’union et pour mieux faire entendre leurs voix compter davantage et s’imposer, les Africains, mystérieusement et incompréhensiblement, en ces temps graves, où quelque part se joue le sort de leur continent, restent silencieux.En effet, Monsieur le Commissaire de l’UA, ce qui se passe en Lybie nous interpelle. On nous assène solennellement que le seul objectif est de venir en aide à un peuple en danger de mort.« Au nom de la conscience universelle, qui ne peut tolérer de tels crimes, on ne fait que protéger la population civile de la folie meurtrière d’un régime qui, en assassinant son peuple, a perdu toute légitimité ». C’est de Sarkozy (Président de la France).Pendant ce temps, le mouroir palestinien est là, il ne suscite nulle compassion, de la part de notre fameuse Communauté internationale, et ne heurte nullement la conscience universelle.Un journaliste français disait: « Je ne comprends pas! En Lybie, des rebelles armés s’appellent des civils, et il faut les protéger. En Palestine, des gamins ramassent des pierres et on les assimile à des terroristes. Je ne comprends pas la différence de traitement! »Monsieur le représentant de l’Union africaine, Quelle est la différence entre le peuple libyen et les peuples de la Syrie, du Yémen, de la Palestine ou du Bahreïn, où le gouvernement est soutenu par mille (1000) soldats, envoyés par l’Arabie saoudite, alliée des Etats-Unis?Quelle différence de traitement!Il faut qu’on explique la politique de deux poids, deux mesures, non seulement, dans les pays cités, mais dans la situation des immigrés et bien d’autres situations dans le monde.Ne laissons pas le monopole de l’expression à nos chefs d’Etats. Prononçonsnous, en tant que représentants des peuples africains.Quant à l’Union africaine, jamais, cette organisation n’a subi autant de perte d’estime, au sein des opinions africaines.Absente, durant les évènements historiques en Tunisie et en Egypte, malgré les informations que nous avons reçues (...)(Temps de parole épuisé)

HON. FARHAT LUTFI MOHAMED [LIBYA]أشكرك سيدي الرئيس على منحي الفرصة للتحدث، ال أريد أن أخوض في تفاصيل ما جرى وما يجري اآلن في الجماهيرية ، وما يحاك ضدها من مؤامرات تستهدف ثروتها وتقسيم أرضها والحد من مواقفها .نحن مستعدون لتقديم الوثائق التي تعطي فكرةً واضحة عن الوضع في ليبيا واألحداث التي أدت إلى ظهور هذه األزمة حتى هذه اللحظة والتي كان ضحيتها األبرياء من الليبين وغيرهم ، وأريد أن أركز هنا على خمس نقاط أساسية وهي كاآلتي :أولا : تغيير النظام أو عدم تغييره قضية داخلية وال تعطي الحق ألية جهة كانت بالتدخل إال في اإلطار السلمي بين األطراف المتخاصمة، وبقصد دعم الحوار الذي يهدف إلى تحقيق المصالحة واإلتفاق بينها دون إنحياز إلى طر ٍف من األطراف.ثانياا: ليس من إختصاص مجلس األمن أومجلس التعاون الخليجي أو جامعة الدول العربية ،إصدار قرارات تتعلق بشأن داخلي لمصلحة طر ٍف وبخاص ٍة إذا كانت هذه القرارات تفرض وضعاً من االطراف دون الطرف اآلخر وبالمخالفة لميثاق األمم المتحدة كما هو الحال بالنسبة الى القرارين 1970 و1973.ثالثاا : إن العدوان الذي يقوم به حلف الناتو ضد الجماهيرية ومواطنيها وضد األهداف العسكرية والمدنية يخالف نص القرار 1973 الذي يقضي بفرض حظر ٍ جوي لحماية المدنيين والذي قبلته الجماهيرية العربية الليبية الشعبية اإلشتراكية العظمى لمجلس األمن، رغم عدم إقتناعها به .رابعاا : األهداف المعلنة لحلف الناتو ليست هي األهداف الحقيقية ، فالمؤامرة التي حاكتها الدول الغربية المتمثلة في ك ٍل من الواليات المتحدة وبريطانيا وفرنسا قبل وأثناء األحداث التي بدأت في ليبيا بتاريخ 17 فبراير 2011 وما تقوم به اآلن يؤكد ما وراء ذلك من أطماع للدول الغربية التي تسعى للسيطرة على النفط الليبي وتقسيم ليبيا في إطار إستراتيجية تستهدف الوطن العربي والقارة األفريقية حتي تتمكن من السيطرة على هذه المنطقة في سلسل ٍة لم تبدأ بليبيا ولن تنت ِه بها ، ألن الهدف النهائي هو تفتيت وحدة الوطن العربي والقارة األفريقية .خامساً:ًالقرارت التي يتخذها مجلس األمن بهذا األسلوب تؤكد لنا أن مجلس األمن ال يخدم األمن والسالم العالمين، بقدر ما يخدم األهداف اإلستعمارية لك ٍل من الواليات المتحدة والدول الغربية ، وقد أصبح مجلس األمن لعبة في أيدي الواليات المتحدة والدول الغربية وهو ما يؤكد ما أعلنه قائد ثورة الفاتح من سبتمبر العظيمة في األمم المتحدة الذي مزق ميثاقها لعدم جدواه ألنه ال يخدم إال مصلحة الدول اإلستعمارية التي خرجت منتصرةً بعد الحرب العالمية الثانية والتي أصبحت أكثر سيطرةً على االمم المتحدة ومجلس األمن بعد انهيار اإلتحاد السوفييتي ، وفي الوقت الذي أطلب فيه من البرلمان األفريقي أن يدين العدوان الغاشم على الجماهيرية العربية الليبية الشعبية اإلشتراكية العظمى بمخالفة ُ لقرارات مجلس األ حذرالقارة من وميثاق االمم المتحدة فإنني أ األفريقية وأطالبها بأن تتخذ كل اإلحتياطات حتى ال يتكرر هذا العدوان علي دول ٍة إفريقية أخرى ، ألن مايحاك من مؤامرات ضد القارة األفريقية ووحدتها أصبح واضحاً ، ألن الدول الغربية التي كانت تستعمر القارة االفريقية تريد أن تعود إليها من جديد إلمتصاص خيراتها والقضاء على كل إمكانية تحقيق وحدتها .ال يسعني في النهاية إال أن أؤكد ما توصل إليه اإلتحاد األفريقي بأن ال نعول على الحل العسكري ألنهاء األزمة في ليبيا ولذلك فال بد من وقف إطالق النار الذي يسبب كل يوٍم مزيدا ر .....

HON. CONIQUET RADEMBINO RENÉ [GABON]:Merci, Monsieur le Président.Monsieur le Commissaire,Je crois que, dans cette enceinte, nous devons essayer, si nous voulons régler nos problèmes, de rester très calmes pour réaliser les objectifs que nous nous sommes fixés.Je reconnais que l’année 2011 est une année difficile pour l’Afrique, et je félicite et remercie la Commission de l’Union africaine, pour le travail effectué, à l’issue des différents débats. Et, je persiste à dire que le travail qu’elle a fait, doit se poursuivre. Elle n’a, peut-être, pas assez de moyens, mais ce travail doit se poursuivre.J’ai noté que, pour l’Union africaine, le Commissaire a trouvé que le Parlement panafricain avait un rôle important à jouer.Alors, merci beaucoup, et je souhaite vivement, que ce que nous voulons faire, soit soutenu par la Commission de l’Union africaine, afin que le Parlement panafricain ait des pouvoirs législatifs. Parce que c’est seulement à ce prix que nos décisions peuvent être appliquées.D’autre part, parmi les causes qui font que ça ne va pas du tout en Afrique - d’autres l’ont dit - il y a aussi l’inégalité devant la justice.Si la justice ne joue pas son rôle pour régler certains problèmes, cela crée des dissentiments et peut même entraîner des problèmes, tels que ceux entrainés par le chômage, la mauvaise gouvernance, etc.Donc, je note que la justice est très importante, pour que nous puissions poursuivre nos objectifs de paix et de sécurité.J’ai noté également, pour ce qui s’est passé notamment en Côte d’Ivoire, que le rôle de l’armée paraît maintenant une affaire de Président en fonction, alors que l’armée doit être républicaine. Mais, qui doit prendre la décision pour que cela soit ainsi?Parce qu’on a bien remarqué qu’en Côte d’Ivoire, le Président, qui a refusé de reconnaître sa défaite, a envoyé l’armée pour défendre ses positions. C’est un problème, mais qui doit le résoudre?Je constate également que la Charte qui a été signée par les chefs d’Etats pour la bonne gouvernance, tarde à être ratifiée par les parlements. Cela veut dire que, si on est de mauvaise foi, on peut penser qu’au fond, on a juste signé pour le plaisir de signer, mais pas parce qu’on le veut. C’est très important de signer cela et de mettre en œuvre les dispositions qui sont prises à l’intérieur.Certes (...)(Temps de parole épuisé) (Applaudissements)

HON. LOUM NDOADOUMNGUE NELOUMSEI ELISE [TCHAD]:Merci, Monsieur le Président.Je voudrais, tout d’abord, saluer la clarté avec laquelle Monsieur l’Ambassadeur LAMAMRA a présenté son exposé; clarté qui a failli me faire retirer mes questions. Mais, il est, tout de même, important de revenir sur certaines situations qui prévalent, en ce moment, en Afrique.Monsieur l’Ambassadeur,Vous l’aviez dit, et il est reconnu, aujourd’hui, que les questions de paix et de sécurité posent un réel problème de stabilité sur notre continent. Pendant tout votre exposé, vous n’avez cessé de le rappeler et, en conclusion, vous avez fait quelques recommandations qui sont assez importantes.Je voudrais simplement, Monsieur le Président, avec votre permission, poser quelques petites questions à Monsieur l’Ambassadeur.Monsieur l’Ambassadeur,Qu’est-ce qui fait que la situation en Somalie persiste depuis des années? Pourquoi l’Ethiopie et l’Erythrée n’arrivent pas à s’accorder sur un certain nombre, ne serait-ce que, de principes de réconciliation?Monsieur l’Ambassadeur,Je voudrais également poser la question sur l’état des lieux, aujourd’hui, en Lybie et la position de l’Union africaine, face à l’OTAN.Monsieur l’Ambassadeur,Enfin, dans tout ce qui prévaut comme conflit et qui perturbe la stabilité de notre continent, à quoi est due la timidité de l’Union africaine dans ses interventions et, surtout, dans le cas précis de la Côte d’Ivoire, très récemment, qui, pour des changements constitutionnels, a duré des mois? Et celui du Sahara espagnol dont l’aboutissement n’est pas pour bientôt?Je vous remercie, Monsieur l’Ambassadeur.Telles sont, Monsieur le Président, les petites questions que je tenais à poser à Monsieur l’Ambassadeur.

HON. LUÍS REIS PAULO CUANGA [ANGOLA]:Muito obrigado, Senhor Presidente. Eu também queria felicitar o Embaixador Ramtane Lamamra, Comissário da Paz e Segurança da Uniâo Africana, pela comunicaçâo que fez, uma comunicaçâo muito profunda que retratou de forma muito clara, a situaçâo que prevalece em África. E da sua comunicaçâo, destaquei très pontos que vou passar a enumerar:Primeiro, para ser sustentável a democracia deve vir do interior, nâo podendo ser imposta do exterior.Segundo, queria também destacar que a pobreza, a miséria e o subdesenvolvimento que afectam a maioria dos países sâo a raiz da persistência dos conflitos no continente.Terceiro, deve-se injectar mais fundos para a Uniâo Africana, para que ela se torne mais firme e faça com que as suas soluçoes resultem no terreno.Recentemente, testemunhou-se a fadiga entre parceiros, inclusive as de marginalizaçâo de esforços africanos para a soluçâo de conflitos africanos, fazendo-se uso da influência da existência financeira. Daí que, com essas três notas, eu queria dizer que África encontra-se numa encruzilhada e, penso que África só poderá sair desta se, de facto, os seus níveis de desenvolvimento económico e social forem elevados para que África se torne sozinha forte, possa por esta via financiar a Uniâo Africana e a Uniâo Africana ter de facto, valores monetários para poder sustentar a sua acçâo.Se isso nâo acontecer, vai ser muito, muito difícil de facto, sentirmos o papel da Uniâo Africana, das suas instituiçoes, na soluçâo dos problemas africanos. De facto, os nossos países têm que adequar o seu desenvolvimento, nos nossos países a democracia deve ser construída paulatinamente em África; soluçoes externas, situaçoes de países que já se encontram independentes há mais de 200 anos, nao podem ser solu?oes para África!A nossa democracia deve, de facto, acompanhar o nosso...

HON. DJAMAL BENDIR KHATORI [SAHARAWI REPUBLIC]بسم هللا الرحمن الرحيمشكراً سيدي الرئيس ،الشكر للسيد العمامرةعلى هذه المداخلة الكاملة والشاملة والشافية ، لدي سؤال وتعليقأريد أن أؤكد و ادعم ما قاله من قبلي زميلي فرحات من ليبيا وأتبناه كامالً ، أريد من السيد العمامرة ، رغم أنني أعرفه أنه رجل تحرري أن يقول لنا القليل أو الكثير عن السبب الذي أطال أمد اإلستعمار المغربي للصحراء الغربية إذ وبعد مرور 35 سنة مايزال هذا الشعب يعاني )األمرين ( من جهة يعاني سطوة اإلستعمار المغربي من تعذيب وقتل وسجن ويعاني من جهة اخرى مرارة اللجوء بجميع مشاكله ، فعليه ، أرجو أن نسلط الضوء على حقوق اإلنسان في الصحراء الغربية و الوضع هناك ، والسبب أنني الذي يؤخر تصفية اإلستعمار من الصحراء الغربية علماً أعرف أن موقفه موقفاًمشرفاً وتحرري .وما يجري في ليبيا هو إستعمار جديد وتدخل أجنبي سافر ضد شعب بريء ودولة عضو في اإلتحاد األفريقي ويكفي ما قاله أخي من ليبيا االستاذ فرحات وقد شفا صدري هذا ما كنت أريد أن أقوله وشكرا.

HON. OUADDADI CHEIKH AHMED EL- HEIBA [SAHARAWI REPUBLIC]شكرا سيدي الرئيس ،وال وقبل كل شيء أريد أن أثني بدوري على التقرير الذي قدمه صاحب السعادة،السفير المفوض السيد العمامرة في شأن السلم واألمن في افريقيا . السيد الرئيس ، إنه لمن الضروري أن أذكر بهذا الواقع المر،الذي يعيشه شمال قارتناالفتية وعلى الخصوص إذا مانظرنا إلى الوضع في ليبيا في تونس ومصر وكذلك منجانب أخر في ساحل العاج والصحراء الغربية ، جيبوتي ، الصومال ، مدغشقر إلى غير ذلك ....سيدي الرئيس ، إنه لمثير للقلق التدخل األجنبي من قبل الناتو في القضية الليبية .سيدي الرئيس ، يجب أن تترك القضايا اإلفريقية إلفريقيا وأن تترك قضايا بلداننا لبلداننا ، فإننا في حقيقة األمر ال يهنأ لنا باال ونحن األن نرى الشعب الليبي يعيش قنبلة جوية عشوائية .سيدي الرئيس ، إن هذه المرحلة في قارتنا اإلفريقية التي تتخطى خطوات جد خطيرة وتتطلب منا اليقظة والحذر أمام هذه القالقل والتظاهرات الشعبية األنية .إن الشعوب اإلفريقية في حاجة إلى العيش بسالم وأمان ورفاهية واطمئنان ، هي في حاجة إلى التنمية المستدامة وإلى الحكم الراشد وبالتالي اإلستقرار وتعزيز الديمقراطية.سيدي الرئيس ، ال يفوتني هنا إال أن أذكر بمسألة الصحراء الغربية التي تعرف اليوم عرقلة مستمرة لألسف الشديد، نتيجة للتعنت المقصود األعمى من قبل المملكة المغربية والمتمثل في عدم انصياعها إلى الشرعية الدولية وتسهيل مسؤولية األمم المتحدة الرامية إلى تطبيق اإلستفتاء الحر العادل والنزيه، الذي يكفل للشعب الصحراوي التعبير عن حقه في تقرير المصير واإلستقالل .يعيش الشعب الصحراوي القاطن في األراضي المحتلة من الجمهورية الصحراوية في أصعب الحاالت في مختلف األنماط الحياتية من العيش، حيث الحد من حرية التعبير والتنقل إلى جانب الحد من حرية في التظاهر ، كما يعاني أيضا من اإلختطافات القسرية والسجون واإلعتقاالت بل أكثر من ذلك يتعرض إلى المحاكمات الصورية العسكرية .وعليه، فإن وجود ألية لحماية حقوق اإلنسان في ذلك الجزء من الصحراء، أصبح ضروريا أكثر من أي وقت مضى .ولهذا الغرض فإننا نطالب بتوسيع مهمة اليونوسو، البعثة التابعة لألمم المتحدة من أجل تطبيق اإلستفتاء في الصحراء الغربية، إلى أن تشمل مراقبة حقوق األنسان في األراضي المحتلة ، وعلى اإلتحاد اإلفريقي واألمم المتحدة أن يقوما بضغوط على المملكة المغربية من أجل التخلي عن مطلبها غير الشرعي في الصحراء الغربية، حتى يسهل على هذا الشعب ممارسة حقه في تقرير المصير ووضع حل نهائي لمسألة الصحراء الغربية .شـــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــكرا سيدي الرئيس .

HON. MOHAMED EL HOUDERI [LIBYA]شكرا السيد الرئيس ،ال أريد اإلطالة عليكم ،أوال ، أثمن العرض الذي قدمه أمامنا السفير السيد العمامرة حول وضع األمن في افريقيا والجهود التي يبذلها اإلتحاد اإلفريقي و أتمنى أن تتضاعف هذه الجهود إلى أن تثبت وجود اإلتحاد اإلفريقي كقوة فاعلة في المجتمع الدولي .ثانيا، مايجري في ليبيا هو شأن ليبي ال يقبل الليبين التدخل فيه من أي طرف وال يفوضون أحد إال اإلتحاد اإلفريقي ، ألن الليبين قرروا في مؤتمر القبائل الليبية الذي عقد يوم 5 مايو أن ال يقبلوا وسيط بينهم إال اإلتحاد اإلفريقي أما األمر الدخيل حول ما جرى هو التدخل السافر لحلف الناتو بقواته العسكرية بهدف تدمير البنية التحتية في ليبيا وترويع المواطنين الليبين بالقنابل التي تسقط كل يوم والذي يمنع الليبين من اللقاء والنقاش الحر المتزن لحل مشاكلهم اليمكن لشعب أن يحل مشاكله تحت القصف اإلستعماري لقوى عظمى ظالمة تريد أن تعيد أمجاد اإلستعمار القديم الذي تحررت افريقيا كلها منه ونأمل أن يستمر االفارقة في المحافظة على استقالل بلدانهم وتضامنهم من أجل ضمان الحرية .لذلك فإنني أطالب بشدة من هذا البرلمان الموقر أن يقرر توقف قوات الحلف األطلسي فورا وخروجها من األزمة الليبية وترك األمر للليبين ولإلتحاد اإلفريقي .وشـــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــكرا ، لكم .

HON. HASSABO MOHAMMED ABDUL RAHMAN [SUDAN]بسم هللا الرحمن الرحيم ،شكرا لسيد الرئيس ،اسمح لي أيضا أن أشكر السيد السفيرالسيد العمامرة مفوض السلم واألمن لإلتحاد اإلفريقي.و أشكر في هذه الفرصة هذا التقرير الهام الذي أرجو أن يدعم تعزيز الميثاق اإلفريقي للديمقراطية والحكم واإلنتخابات في افريقيا .السيد الرئيس ،ن الديمقراطية تعني حكم الشعب و إرادة الشعوب و الحكم الرشيد وحكم القانون والمحاسبية والشفافية ومحاربة الديكتاتورية والفساد وتعني أيضا التنميةو حقوق اإلنسان ومراعاة حقوق األقلية والتنوع الثقافي واإلجتماعي في افريقيا.الديمقراطية أيضا تعني التبادل السلمي والسلطة والعدالة والتنمية والخدمات خاصة و أن نسبة الشباب كبيرة في افريقيا فالبد من معالجة ظاهرة البطالة .سيدي الرئيس ،لتقوية اإلتحاد اإلفريقي حتى يقوم بدوره في الريادة والقيادة والمبادرة، البد لدول األعضاء أن تحترم مبادرة اإلتحاد اإلفريقي وقرراته رغم أن تدخل اإلتحاد اإلفريقي في شمال افريقيا كان متأخرا حيث كنا نتوقع دخوله مبكرا ومبادرته بتقوية ألية اإلنذار المبكر، ثم نطلب الدعم من المجتمع الدولي ،ولكن جاء اإلتحاد اإلفريقي متأخرا في ذلك.ونهرا لإلستقرار ولذلك يحتاج السودان دعما أكبر من اإلتحاد اإلفريقي حتى يحقق السالم الشامل في افريقيا وفي السودان وفي دارفور. كما أن هناك استراتيجية للسالم التي تضم خمسة عناصر هي : األمن والتنمية ومصالحات السالم اإلجتماعي والنازحين والعودة الطوعية والتعويضات والتفاوض مع حملة السالح .سيدي الرئيس ،هنا البد أن أؤكد بأن هذه االسراتيجية أعطت الحق لكل أهل دارفور في التشاور وفي التفاوض ، كما أشير و أقترح على اإلخوة في مفوضية السلم أنه البد من تقوية ألية اإلنذار المبكر في التدخل مبكرا، تقديم المبادرات وتعزيز الديمقراطية في افريقيا.وشـــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــكرا جزيال .

HON. DR. MOSES SESAY [SIERRA LIONNE]:Thank you very much, Mr. President, for giving me this opportunity.I would like to thank the AU Commissioner for Peace and Security for such a brilliant discussion. There are a few things I would like to bring out but, by far, the most important is what it takes to have a democratic State.We know that the problems we are having in Africa are purely a synthesis of what we interpret as democracy. The various States in Africa all have different interpretations of democracy and this is where we miss the point. We ought to go back to the drawing board and I will show you how this should be done. The first point is that if you look at the countries in Europe such as Britain where democracy has been practiced for centuries, you will notice that there are still struggles going on. There is the monarchy, the legislative House of Commons and the House of Lords. These are all discreet forms of practicing democracy.Across America, you have the Presidency, the Congress, and the Senate that are totally different. They are actually interpreted in different ways. In most of the African countries where Britain was the master or United States of America, to some extent, like in Liberia, we tend to half-copy some of these systems and they simply do not work in Africa at all. If we tried to copy them, we either did hook and sinker or we tried to modify them to suit the African context.In history, if you look at some countries such as the Soviet Union and China, they developed their own systems of government. The Soviet Union ran into trouble because of ideological reasons. Of course, we will not go into that. However, China is continuing with its own system and, to some extent, is succeeding. How do we measure success?It is a product of what the people want as a totality in the country. China is becoming one of the most important countries in the world today and they have not used the democracy that we are talking about here. They use another system which is working for them. So, what do we have to do? We have to devise our own form of democracy. We are free to do this in Africa. We are copying bits and pieces from everywhere and, in the end; nobody knows exactly what we are looking for.If you look at Libya in as far as Gaddafi is concerned, he has his own form of democracy and it is called Jamahiriya. He calls the elderly people in the country, discusses with them and proposes to them what should be done and they agree with him. Some do not, but this is one form of democracy. These are the things we have to consider.ApplauseThe Hon. Member’s time expired.

HON. AMBROSE DERY [GHANA]:Thank you, Mr. President, for the opportunity to contribute on this debate.May I commend His Excellency for a very good exposé on the conflict situation in Africa. It is a very good exposé, but in as far as it is an exposé, there is a lack of action. It does, however, confirm the three main causes of conflict I identified the other day when I talked about the root causes of the conflicts. Firstly, it is unfair world economic order, secondly, bad political leadership and bad governance and thirdly, the resultant lack of capacity on the AU to deal with conflict situations.At page 13, His Excellency rightly acknowledges that the taproot of the persistent conflicts is poverty and misery. How can we rectify the situation in a free market? We must insist on value addition in our production, industrialisation of strategic sectors and also, like we did in the case of health and agriculture, fix a percentage of our national budgets for research and development (R and D) to rectify the situation.Finally, to deal with distribution matters, we have to empower our women. With regard to leadership, yes, I want to encourage His Excellency to tell the members of the AU that most of them are not democratic because they do not have limited terms as heads of the Executive. As long as they do not have that, there is a problem. They also need to respect election results, unlike what we saw in the case of Mr. Gbagbo who did not win, but wasted our time going through what we went through.Finally, the AU has to consider PAP as an equal partner. The attitude of the AU towards PAP appears to be that of bullying and not of empowering it. His Excellency has rightly said that PAP has a role to play. The most important instrument going forward is the African Charter on Democratic Elections and Governance which this House, under your leadership, has done so rightly to popularise. However, the question is who are we talking to? We are talking to the members of the AU. They are the stumbling blocks.There is a problem of financing. Libya is in turmoil and Egypt is in trouble. We must go back and let our executives know that contributing to continental institutions is vital to ensuring that we rectify the world economic order and that, as individual countries, we cannot do it. We can only do it when we get our priorities right. Executive leaders are not prepared to contribute to PAP, but they have money for other wasteful ventures. We have to have our priorities right. When we have done that and we allow PAP to have some independence, we will have the AU out. The AU is sometimes comatose because it is a club of governments. The reaction to Libya was slow. Why was it slow? We could have come in to talk, but we do not have the money. Why did they want us to be under them for electoral missions when they know that, as 40 per cent, we have no authority to discuss the findings here so they...The hon. Member’s time expired.

HON. ABDELMADJID AZZEDINE [ALGERIE]:Merci.Je tiens à souligner combien ce rapport nous a éclairés sur un certain nombre de situations sécuritaires et de paix; situations qui nous préoccupent, évidemment, au plus haut point.On se félicite que ce rapport sur la sécurité et la paix ait été enrichi également par la dimension démocratique, tant il est vrai que la sécurité et la stabilité d’un pays dépendent étroitement de l’action conjuguée et interdépendante de la paix, de la démocratie et du développement.Nos préoccupations épousent évidemment les vôtres. Nous partageons, en même temps, les mêmes analyses et les mêmes positions. Il reste, cependant, quelques interrogations et quelques propositions:1) Comment accompagner le processus de réconciliation et de réalisation de réformes démocratiques, en Cote d’Ivoire?2) Est-ce que l’Union africaine a réfléchi et at-elle établi un programme dans ce sens, incluant évidemment tous les organes et les institutions de l’Union africaine, y compris, évidemment notre Institution?C’est le même accompagnement et la même démarche que je propose pour la Tunisie et l’Egypte.S’agissant de la Libye, qui est un cas particulier, comment l’Union africaine compte poursuivre sa mission - qui est difficile, on le conçoit, très complexe - pour que les différents acteurs en présence, les différentes bonnes volontés, les différents segments de la société puissent enfin établir un dialogue? Car le dialogue est le seul moyen salutaire concernant cette question.Je vous remercie.

HON. KANE BOCAR SADIKH [SENEGAL]:Merci, Monsieur le Président.Monsieur le Président,A l’instar de mes collègues, je salue la pertinence du rapport fait par la Commission Paix et Sécurité de l’Union africaine, en la personne de l’Ambassadeur Ramtane LAMAMRA.Monsieur le Président,Globalement, nous épousons toutes les idées qui sont développées dans ce rapport mais, à l’analyse de ce rapport, nous nous interrogeons sur les démarches globales entreprises par l’Union africaine, dans le cadre de la prévention, de la résolution et de l’accompagnement des pays après les conflits.A la réflexion, on se demande, aujourd’hui, s’il ne faut pas changer de paradigmes. Puisque si on observe ce qui s’est passé en Côte d’Ivoire, ce qui se passe présentement en Libye, on se rend compte que l’Union africaine a montré ses limites, quant à la puissance d’exercer ses prérogatives.La coalition et les Forces de l’OTAN sont en train de travailler, dans le cadre d’un agenda, qui n’a rien à voir avec l’agenda de l’Union africaine.Pour le cas de la Côte d’Ivoire également, malheureusement, nous nous sommes rendu compte que ce sont d’autres forces qui sont venues régler le problème.L’un comme dans l’autre cas, je me demande s’il ne faudrait pas que l’Union africaine change de paradigmes et recentre ses moyens, ses réflexions et ses interventions dans la prévention.Quand je parle de prévention, je pense plutôt à travailler pour l’instauration de l’Etat de droit dans nos différents pays.L’Etat de droit suppose la déclinaison d’une citoyenneté active, au niveau de nos pays, la prise en charge des demandes sociales, la distribution équitable des ressources du pays, puisque c’est cela qui est à l’origine de la plupart des frustrations dans nos pays.Si nous arrivons à mettre en place une bonne gouvernance, dans nos pays, si nous arrivons à établir une séparation réelle des pouvoirs entre l’Exécutif, le Législatif et le Judiciaire, si nous arrivons à mettre en place des organes de contrôle efficaces entre ces différents pouvoirs-là, je pense qu’on arrivera à trouver des régulateurs sociaux qui permettront à nos Etats d’avancer et d’éviter (...)(Temps de parole épuisé)

HON. KANAGBARO III BAI KURR [SIERRA LEONE]:Mr. President, I would like to thank the presenter for analysing the problems of Africa. The analysis was accurate and I am sure that nobody will really challenge his analysis.However, the reality of the matter regarding why we are here is quite clear. Africa is a divided and weak continent. It is weak in the sense that it is not united. The key issue that we have to address to the African Union (AU) and to our Heads of State is clear: they must unite Africa. They must come together and form one single government then nobody will intervene. All we are saying here will continue and our great grandchildren will continue to have the same discussions if we are divided.Which country in Africa can challenge the powers of the West? The leaders are so selfish and so greedy and everybody is sitting in his cocoon, hoping that he will not be destroyed. He can be destroyed in a second. Where is the leader who has a budget the size of the United States of America (USA)? Where is the leader who has the budget of the State of California? Where is the leader who has a budget of New York City alone? What we are doing here is expressing ourselves, debating and being friends, but the reality of the matter is that Africa ought to be a united continent.Who can go to Egypt or China and arrest the Head of State there? What happened in Tiananmen Square? Who challenged them? USA is not even a member of the International Criminal Court (ICC). They said that their citizens should not be charged by anybody, but they are trying the African Heads of State! We call ourselves Heads of State, but this is a ridiculous problem. It is funny when we begin to analyse issues. Let us look at Angola, Mozambique, Ghana, China and so on. Let us have one single government and we shall be a powerful nation in the world. We have all the resources and technology that money can buy. Today, China is a world power and the USA is confused. By 2040, China will be more productive and will be an economic super-power.

THE PRESIDENT:Merçi beaucoup, Chief.

HON. KANAGBARO III BAI KURR [SIERRA LEONE]:Mr. President, please, give me some more time.

THE PRESIDENT:Okay, one minute.

HON. KANAGBARO III BAI KURR [SIERRA LEONE]:Thank you.Please, we, as Members of PAP, should go back and talk to our people and the leaders of Africa and make them see reality. We talk of trade and value addition, but look at what they are doing. Today, they are inviting South Africa to be a member of Brazil, Russia, India and China (BRIC). They are dividing Africa. They argue that South Africa has a strong economy and so, it should join them. The rest of Africa is dying. There is always a competition. If Nigeria wants to be in the Security Council, Algeria and South Africa also want to be there and the West is taking advantage of that. Three African Heads of State voted for Resolution 1973. Had they abstained and not voted ...The Hon. Member’s time expired.

HON. NKODO DANG ROGER [CAMEROUN]:Merci, Monsieur le Président, de me donner la parole.Monsieur le Président,Une intervention comme celle de Monsieur l’Ambassadeur, n’eut été le problème de temps, aurait nécessité beaucoup de temps pour intervenir.Ceci étant, Monsieur le Président, je voudrais revenir sur les non-dits de l’intervention de Monsieur l’Ambassadeur.Il s’agit notamment de la mise en place des intérêts des occidentaux en Afrique. Si on prend l’Organisation de l’Unité Africaine (OUA), qui n’a pas pu prospérer à cause des intérêts forts des occidentaux, qui étaient derrière. A l’époque, il s’agissait de la guerre froide; des blocs se sont formés en Afrique, et on a évolué ainsi jusqu’à ce qu’en 1999 - dans les années 90 - on décide de faire tomber le mur de Berlin, et les intérêts se sont déplacés, parce qu’on nous a dit qu’il faut la démocratisation. C’est venu comme cela, et l’Afrique s’est lancée dedans.Aujourd’hui, il y a les conflits dans tout le continent africain mais, ces conflits, leur éclatement dépend des intérêts qu’on a d’un pays à un autre. C’est là où je me trouve dans une situation très inconfortable, et je voulais poser la question à Monsieur l’Ambassadeur: est-ce que dans les interventions entre les Occidentaux et l’Union africaine, il y a des réciprocités?Est-ce que l’Union africaine peut aller régler un problème de paix et de sécurité en Occident, comme cela se passe ici?Nous voyons de plus en plus que la gestion des conflits et leur résolution n’incombent pas toujours à l’Union africaine. Les solutions sont imposées de l’extérieur, et c’est ce que nous appliquons. Donc, je me rends compte, de plus en plus, Monsieur le Président - c’est mon opinion personnelle - que l’Union africaine, aujourd’hui, au lieu d’être la locomotive, est un wagon qu’on tire. Quand un conflit éclate, on dit qu’on va voir l’Union africaine et, justement, comme les collègues l’ont dit, l’Union africaine n’ayant pas de moyens, ils (les Occidentaux) viennent, donc, dire au nom des peuples (...); est-ce que ces gens nous aiment vraiment?Je ne pense pas que ce qu’ils font soit dans l’intérêt des peuples africains. Puisque, après, ce sont eux qui vont prendre la reconstruction. Ce sont eux qui vont prendre l’exploitation de nos matières premières. C’est pour cela que les conflits éclatent toujours en Afrique, et on a toutes les peines à les résoudre.Je voulais également, à la suite, poser une autre question: pourquoi peut-on demander à un parlement qui n’a pas de pouvoir législatif d’aller demander aux gouvernements de ratifier la Charte sur la démocratie et la gouvernance et les élections, alors que, chaque année il y a un sommet de chefs d’Etats?Ces chefs d’Etats, qui ont signé cette charte, au lieu de les mobiliser, est-ce qu’il n’y aurait pas un moyen de lobbying, au sein de l’Union africaine, pour leur demander d’aller faire ratifier la Charte de la démocratie, étant entendu que, dans nos pays, il y a séparation des pouvoirs?L’Exécutif signe les traités, le Législatif ordonne pour qu’on ratifie.Voilà, un peu, la dernière question que je voulais poser, parce que c’est très facile de venir, ici, au Parlement et de dire: il faut faire ceci, alors qu’on n’a même aucun pouvoir. Cela ne pourra jamais marcher.Je vous remercie, Monsieur le Président.

LE PRESIDENT:Merci beaucoup.Honorable KPARKAR Eugene.

HON. EUGENE KPARKAR [LIBERIA]:Mr. President, thank you very much for allowing me to add my voice to the thunderous voices that have spoken before me on this very intriguing topic which has to do with peace and security in Africa. I also wish to commend Ambassador Lamamra for his succinct analysis of the conflicts in Africa.Mr. President, I have two cogent issues to speak on. Firstly, we have to talk about the root causes of conflict and instability on the African continent. We tend to ignore it. We know that longevity in power; imperial rule and despotism are cardinal factors for conflicts in Africa. The sooner we know that these are the factors, the better it is for Africa.For example, regarding the Arab revolution, I believe the people acted the way they did because of the frustration they were experiencing. If you rule the country for twenty to thirty years, at the end of the day, the people feel frustrated. I believe that the Arab revolution should serve as a litmus test for many African countries, many African despots in the east, west, north and southern Africa, particularly those who have stayed in power for fifteen or more years. There is an adage that says, ‘If the dry leaves are falling, it is a warning to green leaves that one day, they will also get dry and fall’. Therefore, I believe that the major issue here is power. African leaders see power as their personal property. That is the issue.ApplauseThe next issue that I would like to speak on, Mr. President, has to do with the AU. Many people had thought that the shift of nomenclature from the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) to the AU would have changed the attitude of the system, but it has not changed at all. I believe that the old wine has been placed in new bottles. That is what is happening. What practical role has the AU played in Libya, for example? What practical role has the AU played in Somalia, in conflict zones? The AU is seen as a toothless bulldog and as an underdog as far as conflict resolution is concerned on the African continent. I believe the AU has to be more exertive.Thank you very much.Applause

HON. IBRAHIM HABEB NUR [SOMALIA]:Mr. President, the challenges of the African continent continue to be multiple. Establishing this equality and stability is the cornerstone of all the objectives of the African Union. This is especially the case in areas or countries where there is a lack of security and retrogression towards stability and peace, democracy, human rights and economic development.In this regard, the African Union has to play a very direct role in establishing peace and security on the continent and more so address the political unrest in Libya. Further, the African Union should also look into the root causes of the conflicts and put in place prevention mechanisms to avoid any violation.One of the causes of instability on the continent is the inability for countries to have a smooth transition from one leadership to the next. More recently, it was in Ivory Coast and other North African countries such as Egypt, Tunisia and now Libya. In this regard, the African Union should pass an urgent resolution, forcing all Member States to enforce a two-term limit of Presidency and that any country that violates this resolution be suspended from the Union. In the absence of this, we will always be in this crisis.Mr. President, there are around 8,000 African Union troops in Somalia. Their presence has helped to bring stability in most parts of Mogadishu with radical Al Shabaab fighters losing the grounds. There is great confidence that in the coming months, all Mogadishu will be in the hands of the Transitional Federal Government. However, the African Union and the United Nations (UN) needs to work more focused and resolves into the building and maintenance...The hon. Member’s time expired.

HON. KANTENGWA JULIANA [RWANDA]:Thank you, Mr. President, for giving me this opportunity to contribute to this very important debate regarding the status of peace and security on our continent.Allow me, Mr. President, to congratulate Ambassador Lamamra, like the others have done and applaud him for his very comprehensive, candid and conscious-awakening presentation. For the first time at PAP, Mr. President, I am happy to state, with satisfaction, that I have been able to attentively listen to the heart-beat or the pulse of the AU through its Peace and Security Council. I am also happy to state that this pulse actually resonates very well with the aspirations of the different Members of this august House as they have come and gone over the years since 2004.Mr. President, I would like to make a passionate plea to the Peace and Security Council that whenever important decisions of peace and security are being made on the continent, they should always bear in mind the sufferings of the children and their mothers in situations of raging conflict.Finally, Mr. President, permit me to express my displeasure and lament that the inability of the Fourth Ordinary Session of the PAP to table and discuss reports of Election Observation Missions has rendered PAP irrelevant in the debate and this has been at the hands of its very own mother, the AU. Mr. President, by the time we discuss these debates, we shall be dancing out of tune but, today, they are spot-on.I wish to thank you.

HON. BOUDINA MOSTEFA [ALGERIA]:Je vous remercie, M. le Président, de me donner la parole.Monsieur le Président,Chers collègues,Je voudrais, pour commencer, dire mon soutien, avec force, au rapport qui nous a été présenté par son Excellence Monsieur l’Ambassadeur, Responsable de la Paix et de la Sécurité au sein de l’Union africaine. Je soutiens également tous les intervenants qui m’ont précédé, quant à l’analyse de la situation, surtout en Lybie.Je voudrais poser une question à nous tous: estce que nous allons accepter les puissances occidentales, à la faveur d’une résolution vicieusement adoptée et interprétée dans la pratique, qui va à l’encontre des intérêts des peuples d’Afrique, notamment le peuple libyen? Le peuple libyen est en train d’être bombardé, des civils libyens sont en train de mourir, pendant qu’en Europe, on reçoit les membres du C.N.T.; un organisme fantoche, un organisme illégitime, un organisme composé de ramassis de gens, qui ont été exécutés en cours de route, pendant les quarante ans où ils ont eu à assumer des responsabilités au sein du pouvoir libyen. Ces gens-là sont incités, reconnus, soutenus, et on parle de légitimité; quelle légitimité? Qui les a élus, ces gens-là? Ce sont tout simplement des gens qui ont démissionné d’un côté pour passer de l’autre.Il faut qu’on prenne une position pour soutenir le peuple libyen. Les libyens sont en train de mourir, pendant qu’on bombarde les infrastructures libyennes.Qui profite de cette situation? Les commerçants des armes et les commerçants de pétrole. C’est la convoitise du pétrole qui a amené la Lybie dans cette situation.Je propose, Monsieur le Président, de passer à l’offensive. Même si nous soutenons les résolutions et la position de notre Union africaine, nous, nous sommes les représentants des peuples et, là, je propose, Monsieur le Président, à mes collègues que l’on décide, au cours de la motion qui va être adoptée, la tenue d’une Session extraordinaire en Lybie de tous les parlementaires (...)(Temps de parole épuisé)

HON. KOKERAI RUGARA [ZIMBABWE]:Mr. President, thank you for allowing me to take part in this very important discussion.Allow me to begin by giving the House an analogy. Christians and Muslims flock to churches and mosques every weekday. Why do they do that? I do not think they believe that they are sinners all the time, but they go to achieve an ideology that does not seem achievable. Likewise, put simply, democracy is an ideology. That is all. What I am trying to say is that this is an ideology that we have to keep on working at to attain rather than thinking that we have come to an end. Otherwise, if you want to go to Heaven, Christians, know that you should keep working for Heaven. If we want to attain democracy in Africa, ladies and gentlemen, let us keep working at it for a long time and for as long as it takes.We cannot sit back and say that we have achieved democracy when there are so many negative conditions that are the causes of undemocratic governments. First, there is hunger, and a number of people have mentioned that. There is also hunger, unemployment and poverty. These are the mainstay of our own lack of democratic governments. A hungry man is an angry man. All those masses who are hungry in the African nations, definitely, are angry. Why should they be happy?Mr. President, the next thing that we need to look at is another aspect that besets a number of African countries and this is unemployment. This is as a result of unstable economies. I think we can take hours talking about that, but without setting our economies on the right path, we cannot have democracy. We can never attain that.

HON. KOKERAI RUGARA [ZIMBABWE]:Please, allow me minute.

THE PRESIDENT:Okay, just one minute. Switch on the microphone.

HON. KOKERAI RUGARA [ZIMBABWE]:Thank you, Mr. President. Good governance is another tenet of all these. The African Union (AU) is either asleep or dreaming. Where were they when a no-fly zone was imposed on Libya? The following morning they said they did not understand it. That means they have no reason to be there as leaders.Finally, those who are more asleep are our leaders in the AU. They do not seem to know that it is now sunrise. They are still talking about power, nepotism and corruption. They are still talking about all those negative issues instead of leading Africa. As one of my colleagues said, Africa can never do much without being one Africa and one voice.Thank you, Mr. President.

HON. KEITA LANCENI BALLA [MALI]:Merci, Monsieur le Président.Nous apprécions fortement, dans le cadre de la stabilité de l’Afrique, les actions entreprises par l’Union africaine, à travers la Commission Paix et Sécurité.Monsieur le Président,Ce débat est un aspect très important de la présente Session. C’est pourquoi je parlerais du futur et du passé de l’Afrique, à travers deux cas. J’ai des craintes par rapport à un pays nommé RDC (République démocratique du Congo), où les risques d’un conflit latent existent réellement. En effet, la cause sera certainement le forcing fait par le Président Kabila, en obtenant de l’Assemblée nationale un scrutin présidentiel à un seul tour.Dans une démocratie plurielle, cette manière de faire est une source de conflits politique, social avec des conséquences graves, parce qu’elle exclut le plus grand nombre de la gestion des affaires publiques. Elle est en contradiction avec la Charte africaine de la Démocratie, des Elections et de la Bonne Gouvernance, parce que cette élection ne sera ni régulière, ni juste, permettant la mise en place d’un gouvernement représentatif et légitime. Encore que ce pays, depuis plus d’une décennie, n’est plus stable.Alors, la question que je pose, Monsieur le Commissaire:Qu’est-ce que votre Commission a prévu pour éviter encore le chaos dans ce vaste territoire d’Afrique?Concernant la situation en Côte d’Ivoire, je peux affirmer que l’Union africaine et la CEDEAO ont échoué dans la résolution de cette crise postélectorale. Car l’Afrique n’a pas parlé d’une seule voix: d’un côté, on avait l’Afrique du sud et l’Angola et de l’autre, le reste de l’Afrique, l’Amérique, les Nations-Unies, l’Europe, etc.Il a fallu que le Président sud-africain se rende en France, en visite officielle, pour qu’il change d’avis sur la situation en Côte d’Ivoire, et cela par le Président français.Ce sont, donc, les Forces rebelles, l’ONUCI et la Force Licorne qui ont réglé, par les armes, la situation. Alors, la question que je pose: quels enseignements, l’Union africaine peut-elle tirer de ce cas, que j’appelle « cas d’école »?Monsieur le Président,Avant de terminer, je profite de cette occasion pour remercier et même encourager tous les peuples africains qui luttent pour la démocratie.

HON. KASINGO L. LOIDE [NAMIBIA]:Mr. President, thank you for giving me the Floor. I also would like to thank the Ambassador because this is a very good paper. Yes, I agree that action speaks louder than words. I also agree that Africa, as a continent, has problems, but it is also very rich. It is against this background that I call upon the Ambassador to call upon the Heads of State at the African Union (AU) to discuss urgently and seriously the issue of coming up with a fund so that we can strengthen our peace and security arms and structure we have in place.Mr. President, although I agree that we have problems in Africa, I do not agree that the forces outside Africa should cross the Atlantic Ocean to come and attack one of our governments in Africa. I agree with those who are condemning the presence of NATO in Libya. The Resolution 1973 is ill-conceived, subjective and is aimed at getting oil from Libya. Hon. Members, you might think that this is a problem of Libya, but tomorrow it will be your problem. I also agree with the statement by the Paramount Chief who said that we should ensure that we are not undermined by outsiders. We must talk with one voice. Africa must be united because, as the saying goes; "United we stand, divided we fall."Finally, I would also like to call upon PAP to ensure that the Heads of State see to it that there is immediate ceasefire in Libya.Thank you, Mr. President.

HON. GLORIA SOMOLEKAE [BOTSWANA]:I thank you, Mr. President, for this opportunity to debate on this report. Excuse my voice, I have a terrible flu. Let me start by thanking the Ambassador for this very comprehensive and well-thought out report.I, like many people on this continent, am very concerned about these issues of lack of democracy in some parts of our continent and the impact that wars and conflicts have on, particularly, the women and children on the continent. As such I feel very impatient, sometimes, and wonder whether the AU has real effective monitoring instruments to ensure that Member States adhere to all the documents and instruments and values that it comes up with. I sometimes also wonder whether there are any sanctions. Are there any consequences for violating the principles of the AU, I wonder?Thirdly, when are we going to start having leadership in some of the countries that have committed unconditionally to ensuring that they build strong democratic institutions and adhere to the good principles of good governance? As you know, that is the only way that this continent can experience development and even move towards a united Africa.I believe in observing elections that are free and fair. We must, as a continent, commit to having no micky-mouse elections, but elections that are free, fair and credible and that can lead to legitimate governments. That is the only way we can reduce and even eliminate some of the conflicts on our continent.I thank you.

HON. ZROUG BRAHIM SALEH [SAHARAWI REPUBLIC]شكرا السيد الرئيس ،بداية أود أن أشكر السيد السفير، على هذا التقرير الذي استفاض فيه، لشرح ما أنجزه مجلس األمن والسلم خالل هذه الفترة وأشكره شكرا خاصا ،ولكن أريد أن أدلي ببعض المالحظات :أوال، كان فحوى التقرير العام جيد ولكنه لم يتطرق الى موضوع الصحراء الغربية التي تعاني منذ ما يزيد على 41 عاما من مكافحة اإلستعمار و36 عاما من مكافحة الغزو المغربي المعتدي ، الظالم والغاشم ،خصوصا وأننا ننتظر منذ مايقارب 21 سنة، إجراء استفتاء تقرير مصير الشعب الصحراوي، الذي كانت قاعدته هي لجنة الحكماء األفارقة التي جاءت في سنوات الثمانينات ومصدر مخطط التسوية هذا، هو القارة اإلفريقية .ثانيا، عندما تطرق التقرير إلى المظاهرات التي حدثت في دول شمال افريقيا، لم يذكر المظاهرات العارمة التي ظمت حوالي 7000 نسمة والذين خرجوا من مدينة العيون والمناطق المجاورة لها في كدنميزيك ، هذه المظاهرة التي جرت في شهر 9 و 10ثالثا ، لم يتطرق التقرير أيضا إلى الجهود التي يجب أن يبذلها مجلس حقوق األمن والسلم، للتحقيق في اإلنتهاكات التي تعاني منها المدن الصحراوية ، إنتهاكات جسيمة أتت على األخضر واليابس، لم يحترم فيها ال الكهل وال المرأة وال الطفل وال أي شخص مهما كان عمره .ذن هناك وضع متفجر في الساقية الحمراء ووادي الذهب ونحن ننتظر منذ 20 سنة إجراء هذا اإلستفتاء .إذن األوضاع تنذر بخطورة كبيرة والعودة إلى الحرب، وهذا ما ال نتمناه وال ينتظر منا أحد أن نوقف الحرب، إذا عادت مرة أخرى فنحن نعاني منذ أربعين عاما من اللجوء والتشرد واإلنتهاك واإلحتالل ، هناك أجزاء كبيرة من أراضي الساقية الحمراء ووادي الذهب محتلة منذ 36 عاما ، إننا نريد بذل جهود جبارة .وقبل أن أختم، أريد أن أذكر اإلخوة الحضور بضرورة تبني الموقف الذي قدمته ليبيا والذي كلنا ....

HON. MABILETSA ISAAC STEPHEN [BOTSWANA]:Thank you, Mr. President for giving me the Floor. Let me start with a question to the Ambassador. The question is: what is the view of the AU regarding the President of the Constitutional Court who proclaimed Laurent Gbagbo the winner of the Ivorian Presidential Elections after the second run-off, but has ultimately made a turnaround and said Alassane Ouattara is now the winner? To me, Mr. Ambassador, whoever the Head of the Constitutional Court is, instigated, through his proclamation that empowered Laurent Gbagbo to rise to try and defend his indefensible loss as a loser of the second round of elections. Therefore, the President of the Constitutional Court ought to be taken to The Hague to answer for crimes against humanity. That was the question to which I think I need your positive response.Otherwise, on your paper as a whole, I agree entirely with your observations, Mr. President, particularly page 5 where you talk about democracy. It reads:‘democracy promises dreams for economic, political and social security.’It further reads:"Africa is bedevilled with broken policies and dreams. This is because of political leadership that wishes to convert itself into kings, queens, and emperors who want to perpetuate their stay in power so that they continue to plunder and exploit their people."Mr. President, this is a very important observation that we should all note. This is particularly reinforced by the fact that, in his paper, the Ambassador is acknowledging on page 13, if I may quote with your permission, Mr. President. The Ambassador has this to say:"That crises and conflicts persist on our continent is self-evident. Undoubtedly, this is a tragedy that we cannot pass on to subsequent generations. Accordingly, it is imperative that we make renewed efforts to address the root causes of conflicts in a holistic manner. In doing so, we must scrupulously implement the existing instruments, particularly those relating to democracy, elections, governance, rule of law, human rights and justice."Mr. President, I am saying this is really where the problem lies. If we do not identify the causes of the problem - it is not in all African leaders but it is some few African leaders who upon wielding power, use it as Commanders-in-Chief to try and suppress dissenting voices. This cannot go on unchallenged, Mr. President. Democracy is about tolerance and allowing dissenting views.I thank you.

HON. ABDUL RASHID PELPUO [GHANA]:Mr. President, I also want to thank the presenter for demonstrating a close understanding of the African Peace and Security situation, but also for having given us the impression that AU does not have the right kind of commitment to solving the problems of Africa.Mr. President, I have taken note of the fact that democracy, as a choice for Africa, has a history. We have come from a situation where countries declared themselves oneparty state. Ghana declared itself a one-party state just a few years after Independence and we did not even know where to go next. We were a socialist country and it flopped.Tanzania and other countries did the same thing, through the practice of socialism, but they flopped. Even the proponents of socialism, like Cuba, have demonstrated now that they have to place a time limit and allow space for contribution by other citizens.Russia, through the Bolshevik Revolution, came up with the socialist democracy, socialist government or socialist choice of administration and failed. So, there is no question of Africa making a choice on whether to go democratic or not. We have come from experience. We have made a choice that is in our Charter and we have to go by it.Mr. President, I am very sad that Libya is coming to this sad end and Col. Gaddaffi is suffering this pain, but it is conclusive. It is a necessity. Change is occurring and Col. Gaddafi should have known that change was occurring in his country. He has no plans of transition from him to another person. For forty years, he ruled as President or as leader without any plans at all of transiting from him to another person.Just before I came here, somebody sent me an SOS message from Tunisia. He is a Libyan, I know him very well. I visited Libya two years ago and met him in Col. Gaddafi’s son’s office. He told me that he is now in Tunisia. He just escaped to Tunisia about a week ago. He said that when I come here, I should let the PAP people know that the only alternative for Libya, now, is to change administration. He is a very close friend of the Libyan Administration, but he has said that I should convey this message and that we should make a resolution to convince Col. Gaddaffi to give up power for a transition government to take place and ultimately for democracy to take place. Mr. President, through the leaders of Africa, we lose power and legitimacy for two reasons. First, it is when we can no longer hold power and allow chaos to slip in. Secondly, it is when we are unable to demonstrate effectively that we are in control of power. For these two reasons, if you cannot allow power to transit from you to another person, you have no reasons to continue to be in power. Lastly, I would like to call upon the AU to stand up, have a strong security plan like having a standing army, as was called for some time back and ensure that we take our own security in our own hands or else we will always have foreigners intervening and cannot complain about it. You cannot continue to have people dying and say France should not come into Côte D’Ivoire. You cannot have people dying in Libya and say people should not come in to stop it. We have to ensure that we, ourselves, take control of Africa so that we do not have foreigners coming to destroy Africa for us.Thank you, Mr. President.

HON. EDUARDO LADRIA [MOÇAMBIQUE]:Obrigado, Senhor Presidente. Senhor Presidente, quero saudar Sua Excelência o Embaixador Comissário da Paz e Segurança da Uniâo Africana, pelo relatório bastante ilustrativo que apresentou nesta magna Casa.Os esforços que esta Comissâo está a desenvolver no concernente à democratizaçâo do continente sâo bastante louváveis. Acompanhámos e divulgámos nos nossos países, instrumentos importantes adoptados pela Uniâo Africana. Entretanto, Senhor Presidente, apesar de passos importantes alcançados pela Uniâo Africana para a democratizaçâo do continente, os Africanos sentem-se feridos por estarem a verificar situaçoes de fragilizaçâo dos nossos povos, através de guerras que estâo a destruir o tecido social dos africanos nos países onde tal está a acontecer.A guerra nunca é meio próprio para resolver as nossas diferenças políticas. Nós estamos esperançados que a Uniâo Africana nâo continue a assistir as atrocidades que estâo a acontecer contra os nossos irmâos.Os esforços diplomáticos para parar com a agressâo ao povo Líbio sâo necessários e urgentes; a Uniâo Africana nâo deve marginalizar aquele povo, onde várias crianças, mulheres e jovens continuam a perder vidas; nâo devemos esperar até que o Estado Líbio colapse para agirmos.Como um povo que prima por uma só voz, vamos dizer em uma só voz: "Basta o sofrimento que está a ser imposto àquele povo irmâo". Quero saudar os esforços empreendidos para a restauraçâo da ordem constitucional em muitos países africanos. A terminar, Senhor Presidente, a Comissâo da Uniâo Africana deve monitorar toda a situaçâo política dos nossos países para evitar futuras intervençoes externas, à semelhança do que está a acontecer na Líbia.Tenho dito, muito obrigado!

HON. ILIMI FARIDA [ALGERIA]:Merci, Monsieur le Président, de me donner cette opportunité d’intervenir.Honorables collègues,Honorable assistance, Bonjour!Je félicite, à mon tour, son Excellence, Monsieur l’Ambassadeur LAMAMRA, Commissaire chargé des questions de Paix et de Sécurité de l’Union africaine, pour son rapport, à la fois quantitatif, qualitatif, mais aussi analytique, englobant la situation de l’Afrique et pour nous avoir aussi éclairés sur tous les instruments et mécanismes entrepris par l’Union africaine.Je tiens à remercier aussi l’Union africaine pour tous les efforts déployés dans les pays en postconflits, en conflits post-élections et pour ses interventions, à chaque fois qu’il y a crise, dans le seul objectif - qui est aussi notre objectif, ici, au Parlement panafricain - de mettre en pratique le processus démocratique, la bonne gouvernance, qui mènera notre continent à la paix, à la stabilité politique et, donc, au développement socio - économique de notre continent.Quant à la situation en Afrique du nord, des manifestations pacifiques ont éclaté et, malheureusement, ces mêmes manifestations se sont transformées en une véritable crise, avec des conséquences néfastes en Lybie, et ont rendu difficile l’application du consensus international qui n’a pas mené le pays à une solution. Bien au contraire, nous assistons à une impasse, à des violences contre les populations civiles et, donc, aux violations des droits de l’Homme.A mon sens, seule l’Union africaine pourrait continuer le dialogue et la concertation pour une issue pacifique à la crise qui prévaut en Lybie, sans aucune ingérence étrangère.Pour terminer, Monsieur le Président, je propose que la Commission d’informations du Parlement panafricain prévue, qui sera en Lybie, ait lieu dans les brefs délais, d’une part, et, d’autre part, qu’il y ait des plaidoyers, de notre part, en tant que parlementaires, pour le Sommet extraordinaire, afin de traiter des questions urgentes de notre continent, tels que la paix, la sécurité, les droits de l’homme, mais aussi trouver une stratégie urgente vis-à-vis de la jeunesse, qui constitue plus de 50% de la population africaine.Je vous remercie.

HON. OUADDADI CHEIKH AHMED EL- HEIBA [SAHARAWI REPUBLIC]شكرا سيدي الرئيس ،أوال وقبل كل شيء أريد أن أثني بدوري على التقرير الذي قدمه صاحب السعادة، السفير المفوض السيد العمامرة في شأن السلم واألمن في افريقيا . السيد الرئيس ، إنه لمن الضروري أن أذكر بهذا الواقع المر،الذي يعيشه شمال قارتنا الفتية وعلى الخصوص إذا مانظرنا إلى الوضع في ليبيا في تونس ومصر وكذلك من جانب أخر في ساحل العاج والصحراء الغربية ، جيبوتي ، الصومال ، مدغشقر إلى غير ذلك ....سيدي الرئيس ، إنه لمثير للقلق التدخل األجنبي من قبل الناتو في القضية الليبية .سيدي الرئيس ، يجب أن تترك القضايا اإلفريقية إلفريقيا وأن تترك قضايا بلداننا لبلداننا ، فإننا في حقيقة األمر ال يهنأ لنا باال ونحن األن نرى الشعب الليبي يعيش قنبلة جوية عشوائية .سيدي الرئيس ، إن هذه المرحلة في قارتنا اإلفريقية التي تتخطى خطوات جد خطيرة وتتطلب منا اليقظة والحذر أمام هذه القالقل والتظاهرات الشعبية األنية .إن الشعوب اإلفريقية في حاجة إلى العيش بسالم وأمان ورفاهية واطمئنان ، هي في حاجة إلى التنمية المستدامة وإلى الحكم الراشد وبالتالي اإلستقرار وتعزيز الديمقراطية.سيدي الرئيس ، ال يفوتني هنا إال أن أذكر بمسألة الصحراء الغربية التي تعرف اليوم عرقلة مستمرة لألسف الشديد، نتيجة للتعنت المقصود األعمى من قبل المملكة المغربية والمتمثل في عدم انصياعها إلى الشرعية الدولية وتسهيل مسؤولية األمم المتحدة الرامية إلى تطبيق اإلستفتاء الحر العادل والنزيه، الذي يكفل للشعب الصحراوي التعبير عن حقه في تقرير المصير واإلستقالل .يعيش الشعب الصحراوي القاطن في األراضي المحتلة من الجمهورية الصحراوية في أصعب الحاالت في مختلف األنماط الحياتية من العيش، حيث الحد من حرية التعبير والتنقل إلى جانب الحد من حرية في التظاهر ، كما يعاني أيضا من اإلختطافات القسرية والسجون واإلعتقاالت بل أكثر من ذلك يتعرض إلى المحاكمات الصورية العسكرية .وعليه، فإن وجود ألية لحماية حقوق اإلنسان في ذلك الجزء من الصحراء، أصبح ضروريا أكثر من أي وقت مضى .ولهذا الغرض فإننا نطالب بتوسيع مهمة المينورسو، البعثة التابعة لألمم المتحدة من أجل تطبيق اإلستفتاء في الصحراء الغربية، إلى أن تشمل مراقبة حقوق اإلنسان في األراضي المحتلة ، وعلى اإلتحاد اإلفريقي واألمم المتحدة أن يقوما بضغوط على المملكة المغربية من أجل التخلي عن مطلبها غير الشرعي في الصحراء الغربية، حتى يسهل على هذا الشعب ممارسة حقه في تقرير المصير ووضع حل نهائي لمسألة الصحراء الغربية .شـــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــكرا سيدي الرئيس .

HON. SYLVESTRE NDONG ASSOUMOU [GABON]:Je vous remercie, Monsieur le Président.Compte tenu de l’état du débat, dans cette auguste assemblée, pour tenir compte de la situation en Lybie, je propose une motion sur la Lybie dont la teneur est comme suit:« Le Parlement panafricain...»

LE PRESIDENT:Honorable ASSOUMOU,Attendez la fin du débat pour que je vous donne la parole pour votre motion.

HON. SYLVESTRE NDONG ASSOUMOU:Je vous remercie, Monsieur le Président.

LE PRESIDENT:Honorable CHARUMBIRA.

HON. CHARUMBIRA FORTUNE [ZIMBABWE]:Mr. President, I have been listening to the debate on this very complex subject of conflicts in the continent and I have just been thinking that the role of Pan-African Parliament (PAP) is that of advisory and consultative. So, Commissioner Lamamra is here to seek advice and consult PAP on what the African Union (AU) can do on the issues affecting the continent. But you will agree that the views in this House are so divergent...(Loud consultations)

HON. CHARUMBIRA FORTUNEExcuse me, I think there is a lot of noise behind me.As I was saying, the views in this House are so divergent, which is healthy, but if you are an advisory organ and you are being consulted, you should come up with clear advice. I am just wondering what Commissioner Lamamra will take back to Addis Ababa regarding what PAP said on the conflicts on the continent. I thought and still think that the divergent views are coming due to the fact that our sources of information on the conflict are varied. Some of them are from the media, gossip and everywhere. That is why we cannot have a common position, but we should respect the presence of the Commissioner this morning who should be to us an authority on conflicts, peace and security. We should try and analyse the paper that he has given us.Mr. President, in that paper, we should be guided by what he says on page 8 where he says that the fight in Libya has far-reaching consequences, especially given the important role that Libya has been playing in the implementation of the African agenda. I want to ask Commissioner Lamamra to explain more on what he means by the "African agenda."At this stage, I want to assume that it has to do with African unity as Libya has been in the forefront in advocating African unity. You will recall that two years ago, this House unanimously resolved to support the issue of African unity and we sent a delegation to the AU with a very big document in which we argued that we need a United States of Africa and wanted to transform to a legislative body. If the agenda that he is referring to is about African unity, then PAP should stand up and support it and say no to whoever is trying to defeat that agenda.Mr. President, the other issue is on page 10 where he refers to attempts by foreign forces to marginalise Africa in finding a solution for Libya, for example. Therefore, PAP cannot be seen to accept any country that would want to marginalise our continent. So, I think the debate should be informed by this information from the Peace and Security Council that despite the initiatives by the AU, there are forces outside the continent that are undermining us by coming up with their own solutions.We are also told in this document that the military solution is a non-starter in Libya. As a Parliament, we should support these views. We have been told that the Transitional National Council which is based in Benghazi has taken a document from the AU and that they want to study the proposals for peace. The question I want to ask Commissioner Lamamra is: how long are they going to take to study that document? We have been informed by two Hon. Members from Libya in this House that the agenda in Libya has to do with oil. If that is true, PAP, surely, cannot be seen by foreign forces to be divided on such an agenda. We shall be sending a team to Libya very soon, that is, a factfinding mission from PAP to find out the truth. But for now, if the crisis has to do with resources, PAP should stand up and say that it is not acceptable.Lastly, the Peace and Security Council has said, in this document, that PAP should assist or play a role. The real problem is that the Peace and Security Council does not involve PAP in all the work it does. They come mostly with repeated requests or sometimes some force where we say "Please, come and present to us." The AU is reluctant to share information with PAP. Therefore, maybe, we have started a new culture. Finally, I would like to inform Commissioner Lamamra that the AU has failed us, as a continent. So, may we, please, try and do something.Thank you.

AN HONORABLE MEMBER:Thank you, Mr. President.First and foremost, let me thank Ambassador Lamamra for his very informative report. Indeed, the report says it all about the conflict situations in Africa. Mr. President, I want to mention with total equanimity of mind and temper that I am very humbled and very impressed that the AU is now starting to realise that the Pan-African Parliament can a play a significant role in conflict resolution in Africa. This is very well illustrated in the Ambassador’s report. This is on page 14, Mr. President, if you will allow me to quote the second bullet of the very last sentence. The Ambassador said:"In this regard, the Pan-African Parliament has a critical role to play".He also goes on to say in the last sentence of the same page:"Again in this regard, the Pan-African Parliament has an important role to play."As if this were not enough, on page 15, the Ambassador, again, if you would allow me to quote, Mr. President, says:"It is my hope that this session of the PanAfrican Parliament will go a long way in placing out the continent on the track of renewed momentum and more vigorous initiatives aimed at democratisation and democratic consolidation, preventing, managing and resolving crises and conflicts."I want to say to the Ambassador that these statements he has articulated in his report are encouraging. I want to give him something that he should take with him to the African Union. Mr. Ambassador, we, as Pan-African Parliament, are very kin and have always been kin to play a role in conflict resolution in Africa, but the African Union has not been making it possible for us to play this role.Applause

AN HONORABLE MEMBER:What I want you to say to the AU is that they should create an environment that is conducive for us, as a Parliament, to conduct independent observer election missions. I know that the AU does not have money, but with the little that they have, they should make it a point that the Pan-African Parliament conducts elections independently from the African Union staff. That is what we are requesting from you, Mr. Ambassador. Most of the conflicts in Africa emanate from elections and if you are not...The Hon. Mmeber’s time expired.

THE PRESIDENT:Thank you.

LE PRESIDENT:L’interprétation en Arabe a été défaillante. Honorable NJINGUM Muosa

HON. NJINGUM MUOSA MBUTOH [CAMEROON]:Thank you, Mr. President, for recognising me. I am taking the Floor today because the topic on the Floor is an important issue that touches the lives of African people. I had twenty-one issues to put across to the Ambassador, but I thank my colleagues for having brought out all my preoccupations. I have just one or two questions that I want to ask the Ambassador.I would first of all like thank him for this very brilliant presentation. I would also like to thank the President and the Bureau for allowing this environment to listen to the AU on issues of peace and security and. It is because of your good leadership that this is happening.Mr. Ambassador, you are an African and know very well the sovereignty of Africa is at stake. The sovereignty of all the States of Africa is at stake. The dignity of Africa is at stake. I just want to know the answer to this simple question. What is the position of the AU on international military intervention and bombardment in Africa? It started peacefully in Côte d'Ivoire and soon after that all the parties had arms. It started very peacefully in Libya and then all the parties have arms. Where are these arms coming from? Do you know how the AU investigated for it to come to a realisation that Africa will soon be re-colonised?There is a process in that. We need to be very careful.I do not bother about democracy and all these other issues, but let us know what is behind this international intervention or bombardment, international military intervention and arresting of a Head of State by international military forces. That is an erosion of the dignity of Africa. We need to fight for it.My colleague has just pointed out something very important on the roles of Pan-African Parliament in conflict resolution and I am happy the AU recognises this. This is what we have been fighting for, but the other problem is that these roles to be played by the Pan-African Parliament require resources. What is the problem with the resources? I am a finance person and a budget man. I have seen the budget, but there is nothing there that can help the Pan-African Parliament to play this role to assist the AU.Applause

HON. NJINGUM MUOSA MBUTOH [CAMEROON]:Where would the resources come from when there is no Statutory Allowance which is important for the Committees to sit, work and deliberate on issues of peace and security? The Bureau has no financing to even hold meetings. Likewise Parliamentary Missions have no allowance for all this.Owing to the importance of this issue, I am begging for one more second because we cannot function without finances. It is impossible. As you have come in today, you are our messenger. Take this message to the AU and defend the interest of PAP for this financial aspect because the financing of PAP is always concentrated on staff. How can paying salary for staff help the PanAfrican Parliament? The important role of the Pan-African Parliament is the Members of Parliament you find here; the missions of Parliamentarians, Committee Meetings and meetings of Bureaus. The Members of PanAfrican Parliament are working without allowances. Nothing is provided for them.You are our messenger Ambassador. Take this to the AU. It is a very serious matter. We are ready to work. These Hon. Members are ready to work to serve Africa on this issue of peace and security, only give them the means to work.Thank you very much.

LE PRESIDENT:Merci, honorable NJINGUM Muosa, pour le plaidoyer.Honorable SOUEILMAN EL KAID.Elle est absente?Honorable PERIS CHEPCHUMBA.

HON. PERIS CHEPCHUMBA [KENYA]:Thank you, Mr. President, for giving me the opportunity to make my maiden speech and contribute to the debate.I also would like to thank the AU Commissioner for Peace and Security, Ambassador Lamamra, for a good presentation.It is, indeed, true that peace and security for all citizens in Africa is the cornerstone of development. I totally agree that conflicts in Africa can be tackled by addressing poverty, misery and under-development. Therefore, countries need to speed up and strengthen their socio-economic policies, for example, by trying to address unemployment of the youth who form over 60 per cent of the population.Mr. President, my question is: why do we have this situation or crisis in Libya? Is it not about the resources, for example, oil by some interested parties? Yet, Mr President, you will agree with me that in this crisis, children, women and men alike are being killed in Libya. Do they deserve this? What is the role of NATO and who is funding it? I agree that we should have an immediate ceasefire as the solution to the problem in Libya. The AU, Mr. President, should be protected and nurtured despite its shortcomings.Mr. President, we should not praise other people’s children and despise our own and only child, which is the AU. It is a big shame that African leaders and leadership do not agree to this. Let us have solutions to our own problems and not rely on foreigners for solutions. We are Africans and will remain Africans. Today, it is Libya, Mr. President, and tomorrow it may be Kenya or another country.I thank you, Mr. President.

HON. TRUSTY GINA [SWAZILAND]:Mr. President, we are grateful that we have heard first-hand information about what the African Union (AU) has done so far. Some of us thought that the AU was not doing enough. So, information is power.Mr. President, peace and security should prevail in our continent, but there are certain things that we should also take into consideration. How do we expect the youth to take up political positions and be leaders when even we, Members of Parliament, stay for a long time as leaders of our parties and leaders in our Parliament? We do not allow our youths to take up these positions, and yet we are the ones who complain about our Heads of State who stay for a long time in their position of leadership. We only pick what suits us. If they told us that we have to serve for only two terms, we would not accept it, but we want our Heads of State to accept serving for only two terms. We all take politics as our careers. We do not take it as something that is supposed to help those we are leading.Mr. President, in Africa, most leaders stay in power, but I think we should look up to Western countries. In those countries, we see young people becoming Prime Ministers. We see all those positions of leadership being occupied by the youths, but the question is: for how long are we going to stay in power as Members of Parliament? We are here today, but we shall go for elections and urge our electorate to bring us back to Parliament and back to PAP. At the same time, we complain about those who want this power. Power is something that we cannot give up easily.Thank you, Mr. President.

LE PRESIDENT:Merci, beaucoup.J’invite, à présent, Son Excellence l’Ambassadeur Ramtane LAMAMRA à répondre.

H.E. AMBASSADOR RAMATANE LAMAMRA [AU COMMISSIONER FOR PEACE & SECURITY]:Merci, Monsieur le Président.Monsieur le Président,Ce débat était particulièrement instructif pour moi. Je suis persuadé que les quelques trente-six (36) interventions qui ont suivi la mienne vont apporter plus que ce que j’ai pu donner dans mon rapport introductif. Je n’ai pas la prétention de pouvoir donner satisfaction à tout un chacun dans le laps de temps limité qui, forcément, m’est imparti.Je vais rassurer les uns et les autres que j’ai dûment pris note des observations qui ont été faites, des positions qui ont été exprimées, des critiques qui ont été formulées, des souhaits et aussi des déclarations de foi et de bonne volonté qui ont caractérisé les interventions, allant dans le sens de la recherche d’une efficacité plus que complémentarité de nos efforts.Vous permettez, donc, Monsieur le Président, avant de répondre à quelques points spécifiques, de faire d’abord une remarque générale pour clarifier le fait que, lorsque nous parlons de l’Union africaine, nous parlons de nous tous en même temps. Le PAP est une partie intégrante de l’Union africaine, tout autant que la Commission de l’Union africaine, tout autant qu’un certain nombre d’autres institutions.Nous sommes, donc, des composantes de cette ensemble qui est en train de grandir, de croître et de parvenir à mettre en équation les moyens avec les ambitions, les ressources avec les défis, et tout cela dans un contexte adverse, contrarié, où les grands projets que nous formulons et dans lesquels nous investissons une foi durable et forte, à l’image de celle de notre propre peuple. Ces grands projets, qui sont confrontés au quotidien à des pesanteurs, à des lourdeurs, à des inhibitions, à des facteurs qui nous tirent vers le bas, au moment où nous aspirons à réaliser, avec succès (...), pour devenir une organisation continentale d’intégration, portée par une vision et arrimée à des valeurs partagées, à des principes avec le souci d’aller de l’avant, même par réalisations imparfaites, si tel était notre lot, et par étapes incomplètes. Mais, ceci est le reflet de notre continent.Maintenant, comme observation adjacente, les faiblesses réelles de l’Union africaine, en tant que tout - pas seulement de la Commission de l’Union africaine - ne sont que le reflet des faiblesses de nos pays; les 53 Etats qui composent l’UA. L’Union africaine ne peut pas être plus forte que ces Etats membres. Elle peut s’employer à être pionnière, à se projeter dans l’avenir avec volontarisme mais, lorsqu’il s’agit de poser de tout son poids sur le cours des évènements, l’Union africaine ne peut représenter que la somme cumulée des forces et des faiblesses de notre continent.Je ne m’appesantirais pas sur les questions institutionnelles, de ressources, de moyens. Je crois savoir que mon collègue, Monsieur MWENCHA, le Vice-président de la Commission, dont le portefeuille inclut précisément ces prérogatives en matière de développement des capacités humaines, institutionnelles et des ressources, sera parmi vous, et je suis persuadé qu’il se prêtera, avec toute la bonne volonté nécessaire, à l’exploration de toutes ces questions-là.Pourtant, je ne peux manquer de relever que, pour les parlementaires nationaux que vous êtes, vous êtes titulaires d’une partie du processus de prise de décisions. A l’échelle nationale, vous pourrez aussi bien vouloir mettre à la disposition de notre action collective de persuasion et de mobilisation, afin que nous puissions, tous, aller de l’avant.Lorsque nous parlons de la ratification d’un certain nombre d’instruments, il est clair que, en tant que personnages publics, nos parlementaires peuvent travailler à l’échelle nationale dans ce sens, même s’il y a (...), c’est le régime de la séparation des pouvoirs qui prévaut dans chacun de nos pays. Mais, par la voie médiatique, par la voie des questions orales ou écrites, par la voie de tel ou tel autre moyen, nous pouvons, à tout moment, faire sentir aux autorités investies du pouvoir de signature de ratification, qu’il y a un courant de pensée en faveur du renforcement de cette instrumentation panafricaniste qui a, évidemment, des effets directs sur la trame des édifices démocratiques dans nos pays.Il en va de même pour nos ressources, même si je souhaite laisser cette question à Monsieur MWENCHA.Nous savons qu’il y a à l’ordre du jour de l’Union africaine, depuis des lustres, la question des sources alternatives de financements. Nous savons aussi qu’au moins deux (2) de nos communautés économiques régionales, la CEDEAO et la CEAC ont adopté le système du prélèvement communautaire, qui les met à l’aise, en ce qui concerne le financement de leurs besoins. On aurait souhaité que ce système soit adopté au niveau continental et qu’il y ait, de plus en plus, de soutien à cette idée.Ces remarques préliminaires ayant été faites, j’ajouterais une autre, qui consiste à dire que notre rapport est vraiment frappé du sceau de l’urgence. Nous n’avons pas souhaité faire un canevas de tous les problèmes du continent. Vous avez remarqué que je n’ai pas évoqué les régions extrêmement sensibles des Grands Lacs, soit par rapport au passé récent, soit par rapport aux perspectives prochaines.Je n’ai pas non plus parler d’un certain nombre de situations qui sont, effectivement, sur notre écran, en termes d’action préventive qui, par définition, pour être efficace doit être discrète. Un certain nombre de nos pays connaissent des changements de Constitutions, connaissent des reformes et les autorités supérieures de ces pays acceptent d’avoir un certain dialogue avec nous, mais le dialogue en question, de toute évidence, gagne à être discret.Donc, si un certain nombre d’honorables membres de cette auguste assemblée n’ont pas trouvé dans mon intervention suffisamment de développement sur un certain nombre de questions, qui leur tiennent à cœur, et qui nous tiennent à cœur et sur lesquelles nous travaillons au quotidien, je crois que cela n’est dû nullement à quelque négligence de notre part ou à quelques sous-estimations des enjeux et de l’importance de ces questions. Cela est simplement dû aux soucis de focaliser sur les urgences du moment, celleslà mêmes sur lesquelles nos opinions publiques nous attendent.J’ai entendu un certain nombre de critiques assez acerbes et, peut-être, aussi assez injustifiés de l’action de l’Union africaine. Lorsque certains des honorables membres de cet auguste assemblée indiquent que l’Union africaine a été absente en Côte d’Ivoire ou a été absente en Lybie, cela est loin de correspondre à la réalité.Permettez-moi de dire que, s’agissant, par exemple, de la Côte d’Ivoire, alors même que la ville d’Abidjan est divisée, que l’insécurité y régnait, pas moins de quatre (4) chefs d’Etats, membres du panel de l’Union africaine et du staff de la Commission (Président de la Commission, Commissaires et autres), se sont rendus, à plusieurs reprises, à Abidjan, capitale divisée, à l’époque, et également soumise à des incertitudes et à l’insécurité. Ces chefs d’Etats ont pris sur eux-mêmes, sur les budgets de leur pays, sur les maigres moyens - surtout lorsqu’il s’agit de chefs d’Etats de pays figurant parmi les moins avancés - d’y aller, de se dévouer à la cause du règlement des conflits, au nom de l’idéal panafricain que nous partageons. Aucun autre chef d’Etat, de quelque parti que ce soit du monde, ne s’est rendu en Côte d’Ivoire pendant la période difficile. Pas plus qu’il n’y a eu de ministre de pays du nord, ou des pays qui prétendent avoir joué un rôle dans le règlement de la crise ivoirienne, n’a été vu prendre de tel risque.De la même façon qu’en Libye, cinq (5) autres chefs d’Etats - certains sont même communs; les deux Comités étant présidés par le Président de la Mauritanie, auquel je voudrais rendre un hommage, tout à fait particulier - se sont rendus à Tripoli, malgré les bombes et à Benghazi également, malgré l’incompréhension et un certain accueil, disons, assez froid ou assez réservé.Donc, si l’Union africaine est parfois victime de la volonté des grands médias du monde contemporain et de ceux qui sont derrière eux, des milieux politiques ou des milieux d’argent, qui contrôlent ces grands médias, pour mettre sous les tiroirs l’action de l’Afrique, ne pas permettre la voix de l’Afrique d’être entendue, nous ne devons pas, même en Afrique, tomber victimes de ce piège qui nous est tendu.L’Union africaine est présente. L’Union africaine défend des principes. Elle les défend parfois seule, contre vents et marées, contre l’incompréhension des uns, le silence des autres, et la voix de l’Union africaine, encore une fois, ne vaut que ce que veut le soutien qui est témoigné à l’Union africaine par ces Etats membres.Dans le cas de la Lybie - je l’ai dit et je le souligne - la chronologie est là, les dates sont là: un Sommet du Conseil de Paix et de Sécurité a pris la décision d’adopter la feuille de route de l’Union africaine sur la Lybie, le 10 mars, la Ligue des Etats arabes a adopté sa résolution, demandant à l’ONU d’imposer une zone d’exclusion aérienne, le 12 mars, quarante-huit (48) heures après que l’Union africaine, elle, indiquait la voie du règlement pacifique, la voie du respect de la volonté souveraine du peuple Libyen, frère. Le Conseil de Sécurité des Nations-Unies a adopté sa résolution de 1973, le 17 mars, une semaine après la position de l’Union africaine, et le Sommet du Comité ad hoc, au niveau de l’Union africaine, se tenait le 19 mars à Nouakchott, pendant qu’une conférence internationale était convoquée à Paris; conférence à laquelle l’Union africaine a refusé de participer, parce qu’il s’agissait de lancer les opérations militaires qui, d’ailleurs, ont commencé dès la conclusion de ce Sommet de Paris, le 19 mars, dans l’après-midi.En aucune façon, l’Union africaine n’était absente ou n’était en retard. Le problème, c’est qu’on n’a pas voulu suivre l’Union africaine sur la voie du règlement pacifique et sur la voie de la sagesse, qui étaient de s’en remettre à la volonté souveraine du peuple libyen et non pas de chercher de lui imposer des contraintes de l’extérieur.(Applaudissements)Et nous continuons à agir dans cette voie, convaincus, comme je l’ai dit, qu’il ne peut pas y avoir de solution militaire.La solution militaire, aujourd’hui, cela signifierait davantage de victimes, davantage de destructions en Libye. Cela signifierait le danger de la division, ne serait-ce que, de facto, de ce pays frère et, donc, il n’y a pas d’alternative à la recherche d’une solution pacifique, et l’Union africaine est pleinement engagée dans cette voie.Je dirais, en passant, c’est vrai, que nous avons utilisé la formule du soutien particulier que la Libye apporte à l’agenda de l’Afrique, mais cela ne doit surprendre personne si, en termes simplement de statistiques, vous verrez combien de Sommets de l’Union africaine, de Sommets de nos chefs d’Etats (ordinaires et extraordinaires) se sont tenus, soit à Syrte ou à Tripoli.Vous verrez qu’il y a, véritablement, de la part de ce pays - qui, comme quelques autres, contribue à hauteur de quinze (15) pour cent au budget de l’Union africaine - qu’il y a effectivement un grand engagement de la Libye en faveur de l’agenda de paix, de l’agenda de développement, de l’agenda d’intégration du continent africain. Même si aucun de nos gouvernements n’est exempt d’erreurs ou exempt de positions particulières, qui peuvent ne pas recueillir le soutien ou le consensus des autres.Mais, lorsque tel ou tel de nos pays, tel ou tel de nos 53 Etats membres subit ce que la Libye subit, en ce moment, il est tout à fait naturel que les uns et les autres - dans le respect de nos attributions et en fonction de ce que nous croyons pouvoir devoir faire, afin de hâter la solution pacifique, respectueuse de la souveraineté et de l’intégrité de ce pays frère - réagissent. Nous ne devons pas hésiter à le faire - la situation étant exceptionnelle et appelant de notre part des réactions tout aussi exceptionnelles.Même si nous agissons avec une certaine diplomatie que dictent les convenances ou les pratiques internationales, même si notre voix apparait incertaine, inaudible - non pas naturellement inaudible, mais artificiellement inaudible - parce que cela correspond à la volonté de certains puissants milieux médiatiques et politiques non-continentaux, extracontinentaux, je voudrais vous rassurer sur le fait que nous gardons le cap sur le respect de nos objectifs, le respect des principes cardinaux qui fondent notre foi dans la grande organisation qui est la notre, celle qui capte les aspirations de nos peuples et œuvre quotidiennement à réaliser ce panafricanisme, qui est la voie du salut pour le continent africain.Je suis en parfait accord avec ceux d’entre vous qui ont décrit la contexture des relations internationales d’aujourd’hui, comme étant profondément marquée de la démarche de deux poids deux mesures. C’est une réalité de l’époque contemporaine.Nous le déplorons et nous devons continuer à agir jusqu’à ce que les choses parviennent à une étape qualitative meilleure pour changer. Nous ne changerons pas le monde tout seuls, mais nous pouvons nous changer, en tout cas, nous nous employons à changer graduellement les choses en multipliant les convergences avec tous ceux qui pourraient partager notre sentiment et nos principes sur ces questions-là. Etant entendu que nous devons toujours l’avoir à l’esprit que même nos partenaires les plus proches ont également leurs intérêts et qu’ils sont amenés à accepter un certain nombre de compromis sur la scène internationale.Nous acceptons, évidemment, les jugements de nos opinions publiques lorsqu’on nous dit que l’Union africaine perd de l’estime auprès de certaines franges, en tout cas, de nos opinions publiques, et nous devons ensemble travailler à y remédier.Je voudrais aussi, en ce qui concerne un point particulier qui a été évoqué sur la Côte d’Ivoire, m’arrêter pour vous proposer de voir les choses positivement.On a relevé que le Conseil constitutionnel de ce pays, qui avait entériné l’élection de Monsieur Laurent GBAGBO, alors que la Commission électorale indépendante ivoirienne, d’un côté, Monsieur Choi, le Certificateur international, Représentant spécial des Nations-Unis, désignait Monsieur Alassane Dramane OUATTARA, comme élu.Donc, le Conseil constitutionnel a été amené, au début du mois de mai, à reconnaitre l’élection de Monsieur Alassane Dramane OUATTARA. Il l’a fait - c’est un fait historique, il faut le relever - en évoquant la décision du Conseil de Paix et de Sécurité de l’Union africaine, proclamant justement Monsieur Alassane Dramane OUATTARA comme Président, comme étant une source de droit supérieur à la loi nationale ivoirienne. Ce faisant, le Conseil constitutionnel ivoirien nous aide à disposer d’un outil, en ce qui concerne les crises de gouvernance, à l’avenir, en considérant que les décisions qui sont issues de médiations et qui seront entérinées par le Conseil de Paix et de Sécurité, acquièrent une valeur supérieure à celle des institutions les plus hautes des pays africains concernés; ce qui n’est pas du tout à négliger.Et, donc, quelles que soit les motivations des uns et des autres, même lorsqu’il y a ce genre de développement, il faut savoir le reconnaitre, l’identifier comme un développement positif.Nous sommes déterminés à accompagner la Côte d’Ivoire.Le Président OUATTARA a repris, dans le discours qu’il a fait à la Nation, les paramètres les plus essentiels de la solution africaine, telle qu’elle a été retenue par le panel des chefs d’Etats et entérinée par le Sommet du Conseil de Paix et de Sécurité.Nous serons, donc, là, avec la CEDEAO, avec le reste de la Communauté internationale, au côté des Ivoiriens, à la fois, pour promouvoir la réunification du pays et de ses institutions, y compris les Forces armées, la réconciliation nationale et aussi la reconstruction, si nécessaire, du pays, après tant d’années de confrontation et de destruction. Et, nous le ferons donc avec les instruments qui existent, y compris le parachèvement de la mise en œuvre de l’Accord politique de Ouagadougou et de ses accords supplémentaires.Nous pensons que le phénomène de révolutions populaires en Tunisie et en Egypte - que je distingue personnellement des manifestations du peuple Saharawi, dans les territoires occupés, qui ont été violemment réprimées. Dans le cas du territoire Saharawi, il s’agit d’un acte de résistance populaire en occupation - il s’agit de manifestations pacifiques, aspirant à un changement dans l’ordre constitutionnel national. Donc, je fais la distinction entre les deux.Je fais la distinction également avec la Libye, où des manifestations pacifiques se sont rapidement transformées en rébellion armée. Et, donc, si on est en une situation de guerre civile et si nous ne le traitons pas dans le respect de nos principes, on risquerait de constituer des exemples, des précédents extrêmement dangereux, parce que cela peut se transposer ailleurs; considérant que, selon un postulat bien connu, les mêmes causes produisent les mêmes effets. Donc, les mêmes causes peuvent produire les mêmes effets ailleurs que dans cette partie de notre continent.Nous devons travailler davantage à tirer des enseignements de cette situation, à aller dans le sens de la prévention, une prévention structurelle, et en nous attaquant aux causes profondes, et en nous y attaquant suffisamment à l’avance. De ce point de vue-là, la manière dont le pouvoir d’Etat est organisé, est dévolue, la manière dont des segments importants de la population se sentent inclus ou exclus, y compris, en particulier, la jeunesse, constitue des paramètres extrêmement importants à vérifier.Mais, il y a également d’autres dimensions: les choix mêmes qui sont faits au niveau constitutionnel.Aujourd’hui, dans un certain nombre de nos pays, il y a débat: faut-il choisir le régime parlementaire, le régime présidentiel ou semiprésidentiel? Cela également est important et nous ne devrions pas avoir peur d’innover. Il faut innover.Si l’Afrique a eu un certain type de système, ces cinquante dernières années, et si ces systèmes de gouvernement n’ont pas été à la hauteur des défis ou n’ont pas toujours été des instruments idoines pour les règlements de nos problèmes et pour les projections vers le développement, il faut avoir le courage d’en changer. Et, cela également devrait pouvoir se faire avec la contribution de tous, y compris de votre auguste assemblée.Pour ne pas prendre trop de votre temps - même si ces occasions sont précieuses et mériteraient que le dialogue soit enrichi - je voudrais dire à ceux d’entre nous, ici, qui pensent que l’Union africaine ou la CEDEAO aurait échoué ici ou là, qu’il y a eu des divisions de l’Afrique qui ont dangereusement miné l’efficacité de l’Union africaine, que la vérité est toujours nuancée et que nous avons réussi, je crois, à préserver l’unité de l’Afrique, aussi bien sur la Côte d’Ivoire, sur la Libye ou sur d’autres questions extrêmement sensibles.Et, même si nous devions regarder ce paysage contrasté, par référence à la vision toujours subjective du verre à moitié plein ou à moitié vide, nous qui sommes engagés dans l’action, nous qui travaillons à cette destiné de notre continent et de nos peuples, nous essayons de voir que le verre est à moitié plein et travaillons, chaque jour que Dieu fait, à le remplir davantage. Même si c’est par de petites gouttes, continuons cet effort; il mérite d’être entrepris et d’être mené à bien.Je ne m’arrête pas, comme vous l’observez, à toutes ces remarques pertinentes qui ont été faites, et je m’excuse de ne pas apporter de réponses là où certains d’entre vous, sans doute, les attendent. J’ai pris des notes à profusion et je peux vous assurer que je les partagerai avec mes collègues de la Commission et également avec les membres du Conseil de Paix et de Sécurité, qui sont des Etats membres, et des Etats qui devraient être, peut-être, même plus sensibles que les autres sur les grandes problématiques que nous avons évoquées.Je voudrais dire combien je suis sensible au propos de l’un d’entre vous, qui a souligné la nécessité de protéger l’Union africaine, malgré ses faiblesses, ses imperfections qui, comme je le disais - je le souligne - ne font que refléter celles collectives de notre continent et celles individuelles de nos Etats membres.L’Union africaine est un précieux instrument, à la fois, pour des solutions africaines aux problèmes africains, et pour pousser de l’avant le processus d’intégration du continent, renforcer l’intégration, la coopération de développement, trouver en notre sein des déclencheurs et des accélérateurs de cette action collective et ne pas nous laisser dévier de cette trajectoire, malgré le fait que cet agenda africain heurte certainement des intérêts extracontinentaux et que des milieux extrêmement puissants s’emploient à nous détourner de la voie que notre acte constitutif a consacrée, mais surtout que les pères fondateurs de l’OUA déjà, en 1963, ont consacré comme raison d’être de notre solidarité, pour un avenir qualitativement meilleur pour tous nos peuples et pour notre continent dans son ensemble.Monsieur le Président,Honorables représentants,Voilà, les commentaires que je pouvais apporter à chaud à vos interventions extrêmement enrichissantes et extrêmement importantes.Nous restons à votre disposition, en ce qui nous concerne, pour continuer cette interaction, pour faire en sorte que, malgré les contraintes, les objectifs des uns et des autres, nous puissions fixer un regard lucide sur l’avenir et que nous puissions travailler à nous hisser au diapason des responsabilités historiques qui sont nôtres, les uns et les autres, quelle que soit la fonction à laquelle nous sommes présentement affectés.Encore une fois, je vous remercie de votre accueil. Je vous remercie de votre aimable attention.(Applaudissements)

LE PRESIDENT:Merci beaucoup Excellence Monsieur l’Ambassadeur LAMAMRA.Honorable KHUMALO Marwick Président de la Commission Coopération, Relations Internationales et Règlement des Conflits, deux (2) minutes.

HON. KHUMALO MARWICK [SWAZILAND]:Mr. President, let me take this opportunity to thank His Excellency the Ambassador for a well thought-out presentation that also touched on the issues that we also attended to in the earlier days of this session.I just want to touch on one critical issue which was highlighted by some of our colleagues regarding the issue of elections. I would actually like to apprise His Excellency that some of the issues which we discuss in Committees are related to post-election situations. In fact, last week, the Ambassador from Egypt made a presentation to our Committee. One of the things that an Hon. Member asked him was how it was that Egypt had just come out of elections and then immediately afterwards, there was a conflict. Does it mean that there were problems with the elections? The response of the Ambassador was that actually, the problem started with that election.So, the fact that the PAP is unable to have an objective and an independent report on elections as opposed to what used to happen in the past, is one of the problems that the AU needs like to attend to. You do find that those who are leading the missions are former Heads of State. Former Heads of State leading an observer mission on elections in a former colleague’s country! Obviously, you can almost predict the outcome of the report and that has not helped our Union.Over and above that, Mr. President, we, as a Committee, are happy with the report and thank His Excellency and the Bureau for inviting him. Thank you very much.

LE PRESIDENT:Merci beaucoup, Honorable KHUMALO.Ce sujet qui nous préoccupe beaucoup, par les observations et les réactions, fera également l’objet d’échanges que nous aurons demain avec le Vice-président de la Commission - le Commissaire ayant pris bonne note déjà, par avance, aussi bien pour lui-même que pour ses collègues de l’Union africaine.Honorable ASSOUMOU Sylvestre, Pour votre motion verbale.

2.0 – MOTION VERBALE SUR LA SITUATION EN LYBIE

HON. SYLVESTRE NDONG ASSOUMOU [GABON]:Je vous remercie, Monsieur le Président.Afin de tenir compte de l’état du débat, dans cet hémicycle, mais aussi et surtout, afin de rechercher une solution viable africaine, à la situation en Lybie, je propose la résolution dont la teneur est comme suit:

Projet de résolution sur la situation sécuritaire en Lybie

« Le Parlement panafricain, en conformité avec l’article 3, paragraphe 5 du Protocole portant création des Communautés économiques africaines du Parlement panafricain, puis ensemble avec les dispositions de l’article 60 du Règlement intérieur du Parlement panafricain:1.Suit avec intérêt et beaucoup de peine la situation sécuritaire et les opérations militaires en cours en Lybie, qui ont fait des milliers de morts parmi les citoyens libyens et la destruction massive des infrastructures du pays;2.Condamne fermement l’agression militaire des forces de l’Alliance atlantique et les bombardements massifs des installations et infrastructures publiques, des lieux résidentiels et l’assassinat des dirigeants politiques du pays et demande à la Communauté internationale de cesser ses hostilités dans l’immédiat et de permettre ainsi au peuple libyen de régler ses différends par la voie du dialogue et de la réconciliation;3.Appelle à la solidarité avec la Libye, face au dépassement et aux violations par les forces de l’Alliance atlantique des résolutions du Conseil de sécurité des Nations Unies n°1970 et 1973-2011, par l’imposition d’un embargo économique et l’exclusion aérienne contre la Libye;4.Salue l’initiative africaine dans sa quête pour une solution pacifique à la crise libyenne, au lieu des tergiversations, et appuie la solution africaine à la crise libyenne;5.Réaffirme son soutien à la convocation d’un Sommet extraordinaire de l’Union africaine, les 25 et 26 mai 2011, pour débattre de la situation sécuritaire en Afrique, notamment de la situation en Libye;6.Encourage la tenue d’une Session de l’Assemblée générale des Nations-Unies, en vue de l’examen des dépassements, par l’Alliance atlantique, des résolutions du Conseil de sécurité concernant la Lybie;7.Condamne également la campagne de désinformation menée contre la Libye et invite, donc, les médias du continent africain et du monde à mieux assumer leur rôle dans le rétablissement de la vérité, en ce qui concerne la réalité des évènements en cours en Libye;8.Décide de déléguer une Commission d’enquête parlementaire à la fin de la présente Session en Lybie, qui aura à soumettre son rapport au Bureau du Parlement, puis au Parlement panafricain qui se réunira en Session extraordinaire.Je présente cette motion, et elle est secondée par l’Honorable Boudina d’Algérie.

LE PRESIDENT:Merci, Hon ASSOUMOU.La motion verbale est soutenue.(Applaudissements)La motion verbale de l’honorable ASSOUMOU est soutenue par l’honorable BOUDINA en plénière, conformément à l’article 61 au règlement intérieur, et vu l’importance du sujet et que le sujet étant d’actualité, nous l’inscrivons pour débat pour le jeudi 19 mai 2011.Honorables membres,Avant de fermer ce premier point, en votre nom à tous, encore une fois, je vais féliciter et remercier S.E. Monsieur l’Ambassadeur LAMAMRA pour sa contribution à cette plénière et pour son rapport.(Applaudissements)De part les (36) trente-six interventions, nous avons montré que c’est un sujet de préoccupation important, encore que ce sujet a fait l’objet de nos débats, mardi dernier.Excellence,Je vais retenir de vous deux principes que vous avez énoncés, tout à l’heure, dans vos réponses.La première, la vérité est nuancée et le second votre optimisme, qui est illustré par le verre à moitié plein.Au nom du Parlement panafricain,Je vous remercie, et nous espérons continuer à faire chemin ensemble dans votre domaine de paix et de sécurité si important pour le continent, ces jours-ci.Je vous remercie beaucoup.

THE CLERK:Thank you, Hon. President.The next item is the briefing on the Evaluation of the Clerk and Deputy Clerks.

LE PRESIDENT:Honorable MUGYENYI, 2^e Vice-président du Parlement,Faites le compte-rendu de l’évaluation du Secrétaire Général et des Secrétaires généraux adjoints.

3.0 – COMPTE RENDU DE L’ÉVALUATION DU SECRÉATIRE GÉNÉRAL ET DES SECRÉTAIRES GÉNÉRAUX ADJOINTS

HON. MUGYENYI MARY RUTAMWEBWA [UGANDA]:Mr. President, Hon. Members and the Secretariat, this is an Evaluation Report of the Bureau regarding the Clerk and the Deputy Clerks. The Bureau of the Pan-African Parliament (PAP) carried out an evaluation of the Clerk and the two Deputy Clerks as provided for in Rule 36 of the African Union (AU) Staff Rules and Regulations which states:"(a)Staff performance appraisalStaff members shall be evaluated annually by their immediate supervisors for their efficiency, competency and integrity through performance appraisal mechanisms that shall assess the staff members compliance with the deliverable standards set out in the Staff Regulations and Rules for purposes of accountability and continuity in the service of the union."(b)Performance reports shall be prepared regularly for all staff members."The deliverable standards in this case were:-(a)Judgement;(b)aptitude in crafting the working language;(c)faculty of expression in the working language;(d)quality of work;(e)output;(f)sense of responsibility;(g)initiative;(h)punctuality;(i)relations with others;(j)effectiveness in supervising staff; and, (k) general organisation of work.

Confirmations

The Clerk of the PAP Advocate, Zwelethu Madasa, and the Deputy Clerk - Legislative Business were appointed in accordance with Rule 33.1 of the AU staff rules and Rule 17(f) of the Rules of Procedure. The AU staff rules state that a person appointed on a regular appointment shall be granted on first appointment a three year fixed term contract on an established structure post; the first twelve months of which shall be a probational period. The two officers have now served the first twelve months of their probational period and the Bureau has assessed their performance during this period to determine whether they should be confirmed in their appointment or not. The Bureau is hereby briefing the Hon. Members of the PAP as follows:

THE CLERKWe find him to be a transparent person with integrity and has ensured the PAP is run in compliance with both the financial and administrative rules and regulations of the AU and the PAP.During these twelve months, the Clerk has endeavoured to establish a good relationship of PAP and other organs of the AU. He organised the PAP-PRC retreat under difficult circumstances.The Clerk has given sound advice to the Bureau to ensure that it does not make decisions that are not in line with the Protocol and AU Rules and Regulations.The Clerk has worked hard to re-establish the PAP relationship with the donor community. He has endeavoured to ensure that the concerns of partners are addressed in a bid to attract funding for PAP in light of the financial austerity measures that have been put in place by the AU on all its organs.He has also ensured that PAP maintains a good relationship with the establishments in the host country, the Republic of South Africa.The Bureau has found that in the months that he has been here, Advocate Madasa has been a very hard-working man.Lastly, he has carried out the duties that the Bureau directed him to carry out, including ensuring that a draft strategic plan of the PAP is produced.The Bureau also noted that there are areas which the Clerk needs to improve on and these have been brought to his attention. The significant one is that he needs to improve on his interpersonal relationship with both the Members of Parliament and staff. The Bureau is aware that the Clerk’s background is that of a politician and practicing lawyer and, therefore, needs to improve his administrative skills to enable him to handle people with different personalities and predispositions.The Bureau is aware that the Clerk has tried to bring about co-operation and team spirit by calling regular meetings with staff and encouraging the formal formation of a PAP Staff Association. These gestures, although commendable, need to be buttressed by good public relations.

THE DEPUTY CLERK - LEGISLATIVE BUSINESSThe Bureau found Ms. Helen Dingani to be hardworking. Her hands-on approach has ensured smooth running of meetings that she organised.Under her management, the provisions of documents in meetings have improved.She has ensured the involvement of chairpersons at every level of planning for their Committees.She hascultivated a good team spirit with the staff in the Legislative Business Department by holding regular meetings with all of them.Her many years of experience has assisted the Bureau and staff working under her, through appropriate advice.Her inter-personal skills are good with both Members of Parliament and staff.The Bureau, however, noted that she needs to reach out to those who might have been opposed to her appointment in order to build a stronger team.

CONCLUSION

The Bureau noted that at the assumption of duty by these two officers, the administrative standards of PAP had deteriorated. Various audit reports attest to this fact. Things can, therefore, not be expected to change dramatically in one year. The Bureau has also taken cognizance of the fact that both the Clerk and the Deputy Clerk, Legislative Business, started working in a negative working environment from sections of some Members and staff. The negative feelings are being displayed thus making their work difficult. The Bureau concluded that the two officers have, however, performed their duties well and that they be confirmed to serve their remaining two years of their contract.

RENEWAL OF CONTRACT

DEPUTY CLERK - FINANCE, ADMINISTRATION AND INTERNATIONAL RELATIONSThe contract of the Deputy Clerk (FAIR), Mr. Morad Boularaf is expiring in June and, therefore, needs to be renewed. The Bureau assessed him to determine whether the renewal can be made or not. The Bureau found Mr. Morad to be a hardworking man.Secondly, he has been acting Clerk for over one year. Thirdly, he has a good rapport with the Hon. Members and staff that he manages. The Bureau noted that during the time of his assessment PAP has received negative audit reports relating to finance and administration in particular, and the Bureau took note in the observation in the Ernst and Young Report relating to his lack of high level qualifications both in finance and administration. The Bureau was satisfied though that his accumulated experience will enable him to manage those functions. The Bureau noted that there was need for Mr. Morad to support the Clerk by giving sound advice as the person responsible for administration to ensure team work among the staff.Mr. President, the Bureau then concluded that Mr. Morad’s contract be renewed for a further two years in accordance with the AU Staff Rules Signed at Midrand by the five Members of the Bureau.That is the end of the presentation, Mr President. Applause!

LE PRESIDENT:Merci beaucoup, Honorables membres.Merci de prendre acte de cette évaluation. Merci également, en prenant acte de l’évaluation faite par le Bureau, de renouveler votre confiance à votre Bureau.Je vous remercie beaucoup.Monsieur le Secrétaire général,Le troisième et dernier point inscrit à l’ordre du jour!

HON. DERY AMBROSE [GHANA]:Mr. President, I rise on a point of procedure because the Rules of Procedure starting with 12(6) on the Protocol does give this Parliament, not the Bureau or any other organ, the authority to appoint the Clerk and Deputy Clerk and other support staff. The same is reiterated in Rule 23 which also states the point. It, however, gives the Bureau, that is elected by us, by Rule 17F, the right to propose appointments to us among others. An appointment is not one act, but a process and if what we have here is what we approved and you have come to report to us after the probation, it should be open for some comment.I do know that I filled a form to contribute to this evaluation, but I do not know why we were not given copies of the report because there is nothing damaging about this report. However, the report itself raises issues. First of all, the Second VicePresident talked about the fact that the Clerk has problems of interpersonal skills; attributed to the fact that one is a politician and a lawyer. I want to say that I am both, but I do not suffer from that difficulty.I think we should be given time to comment. I do think that the way it has been lumped, if we accept the report, we have considered the three people. I do not think it gives us any good opportunity to do a critic of this matter. We need to correct certain impressions. If there are shortcomings, at least, we should give the officer sometime to address them. I think this is a dangerous precedence we are setting up here. We make the dictators ourselves. That is the point of procedure we should deal with.The Second Vice-President has finished her last act, but I would plead that we do this in a better manner to allow us to make an assessment of this. She said there was a problem in the administration before the Clerk came in and then that Mr. Morad was part of the system. To what extent was he or was he not part of it? I am just throwing things in the air. We just do not need to appear to rubberstamp what we are doing here. I have no problem with anybody, as a person, but I think that democratic processes must be carefully followed, lest we create our own problems.Mr. President, I think you are leading this House along the right path, but I want, for the sanity of this House, to raise some issues. There are allegations and, as a lawyer, I think allegations need to be investigated. However, if you do not give the time for us to discuss this matter, we will invite on ourselves unnecessary opposition which is not necessary.Therefore, I think this whole business of reading to us and having everybody clapping, I am sorry is not what we do to represent the grassroots of Africa. I will, therefore, plead that this matter be discussed and if we cannot discuss it in this session, let us put it off for the next session so that we do the right thing. Let us point out issues to the officers and let them understand what we expect of them. Let us have a good Parliament rather than a rubber-stamping Parliament.Thank you.

HON. ALI BAHARI [KENYA]:On a point of order, Mr. President.I want to request that you look at Rule 45 on the Interruption of Debate and Rule 45(3) which stipulates that where a point of procedure or point of order has been raised, no other Hon. Member shall rise until the Presiding Officer, and in this case, it is you, Mr. President, has decided upon the matter.Therefore, I think it would be unprocedural for the Hon. Member to speak until you have made a decision on this matter.Thank you.

LE PRESIDENT:Merci beaucoup.Je considère l’intervention de l’honorable Ambroise DERY comme une contribution.Il ne s’oppose pas aux principes édictés, mais il apporte sa contribution, pour une meilleure gestion, dans la collégialité, de notre plénière.Cela dit, nous sommes déjà en dépassement de l’horaire habituel; nous avons un point encore important, qui est l’élection du 2^ème Viceprésident de notre Parlement.Je vais vous donner la parole, mais en une (01) minute, s’il vous plait, pour vos contributions. Honorable NKODO.

HON.NKODO DANG ROGER [CAMEROON]:Monsieur le Président,Pour moi, ce n’était pas une contribution, c’était vraiment une motion d’ordre. Je voudrais qu’on présente cette motion d’ordre, avant de continuer. Monsieur le Président,Vous ne pouvez pas, parce que, là, vous risquez de créer un précédent.On a vu le Secrétaire général et le Secrétaire général-adjoint qui sont partis d’ici; cela n’avait pas été soumis en plénière.Maintenant, si vous avez pris sur vous de présenter cette question en plénière, il faut qu’on la débatte.Voilà ma motion d’ordre, Monsieur le Président.

LE PRESIDENT:Honorable BOUDINA!

HON. BOUDINA MOSTEFA [ALGERIA]:Merci, Monsieur le Président.Vous savez très bien que j’ai conclu un compromis au compromis que vous venez de présenter, ici.Mais, vu la façon dont le compromis a été présenté, je me désolidarise, au nom de mon pays et de notre groupe parlementaire, parce qu’on a évalué positivement les deux Secrétaires, et arrivé à MORAD qui a donné le meilleur de luimême, on lui glisse un contenu négatif dans son évaluation.Je me désolidarise de ce compromis, s’il n’est pas rectifié.

HON. SAWADOGO YAMBA MALICK [BURKINA FASO]:Merci, Monsieur le Président.Vous avez reçu un document dont, à votre demande, ce rapport de la Commission Règlement.Ce rapport a conclu, au Point 22, la question sur laquelle il nous a été demandé de prendre une décision et de savoir si le Bureau a l’obligation de présenter le rapport d’évaluation à la Chambre, pour examen et adoption.Point 23, vu que l’article 17 (i) du Règlement intérieur est clair sur ce point, notre réponse est positive.Si la Chambre adopte une résolution dans ce sens, le Bureau peut présenter le rapport et attendre les instructions du Parlement sur la question.Je veux savoir quelle interprétation vous donnez à ce document que vous avez commandité, Monsieur le Président.

LE PRESIDENT:Oui! L’interprétation que vous donnez vousmême. C’est-à-dire, la plénière est souveraine.Comme il n’y a pas eu d’objection de la plénière, nous considérons que vous avez donné quitus à l’évaluation du Secrétaire général et des Secrétaires généraux adjoints.

UN HONORABLE:Monsieur le Président,Vous pouvez me donner la parole?

LE PRESIDENT:On peut avancer? Vous avez eu la parole. On peut avancer?(Applaudissements)Merci beaucoup.Honorables,On va passer au dernier point à l’ordre du jour.Secrétaire général,Donnez lecture du dernier point.

HON. NKODO DANG ROGER [CAMEROUN]:Non! Ça, c’est l’Afrique, tout le temps en train d’acclamer et on veut que ça aille bien!

THE CLERK:Thank you, Mr. President.The next item is the election of the Second VicePresident of the Pan-African Parliament.

LE PRESIDENT:Honorables parlementaires,La journée est exceptionnelle, elle est longue, mais je vous prie d’accepter qu’on procède au troisième point.Avant de venir à ce point, je vais laisser la parole à l’honorable Mary MUGYENYI, qui a demandé la parole.

4.0 – ADIEUX DE LA DEUXIÈME VICEPRSIDENTE SORTANTE

HON. MUGYENYI MARY RUTAMWEBWA [UGANDA]:Mr. President, Hon. Members of the Pan-African Parliament (PAP), the Secretariat, Ladies and Gentlemen.First and foremost, thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to give this brief statement before this election. Colleagues, today, I come to the end my career, as a Parliamentarian both at home in Uganda and as a representative of my country at PAP. I also hand over my seat on the PAP Bureau, representing my region, East Africa. Sentimentally, I will miss Parliament and all that goes with getting off the stage. I appreciate why Parliamentarians hardly retire voluntarily world over and why, in most countries, they do not legislate to put a term limit for the Legislature, but only for the Executive.I think one of the colleagues talked about the issue this morning. On the other hand, I feel a sense of ideological accomplishment because I have been an advocate for a peaceful power handover. I strongly believe that our continent is in dire need of building a culture of serving and letting go and letting others serve. This will reduce political tensions and enhance peace. It is a good feeling to leave a political office voluntarily as opposed to leaving only after losing an election because you plan your exist, save your resources as opposed to wasting it in elections and you leave with a good heart. You are not angry and frustrated. Change must not be allowed to come as an accident wherever possible, but rather planned. Most importantly, we must not just talk the talk about peaceful handover of power, but walk the talk. We need to lead by example.Colleagues, my experience at PAP will always be a dear one to my heart. It is a great institution that brings Africans together. It is a mirror image of the continent. You get to know the different peoples of Africa, their culture and history, their views, expectations as well as continental contemporary politics. Where else would you get all this African experience and exposure other than at PAP? We have travelled the continent and made friends. We have also debated issues regarding our people and made contacts all over Africa. PAP brings Africa together and closer. This is a rare opportunity that I will always cherish. I also discovered that we have a lot in common and very few superficial differences like speaking French, English, Arabic, Portuguese or Swahili.These are official languages most of which are not even ours. That is the more reason why we need to enhance and harmonise our common destiny and minimise our petty differences. The internalisation of our commonalities by those in leadership of Africa will help the continent to achieve our historical dream of our integrated African State.The PAP provides us with a chance to build that continental harmony. I, therefore, urge you to nurture this great institution to greater heights and continue to push for a legislative African Parliament. It is, I know, by the grace of God that we hold positions of power and make decisions that affect millions of Africans. It is not because we are more intelligent or more talented than others. Therefore, we must graciously use the positions we hold to the benefit of others who are less powerful or less fortunate than we are.I am aware that the game of power is tricky and dirty and, at times, indeed but the ultimate goal should always be to make the world a better place for others. Do what you can, Hon. Colleagues, within your powers to make Africa a better place for us. Speak for the voiceless internally and resist foreign invasion and unfair influence like what is happening in Libya today.Hon. Members of PAP, I thank you for the trust and honour that you gave me to serve you in the Bureau of PAP. I thank my colleagues, Members of the Bureau, for the brotherly treatment, sense of humour, respect and care I enjoyed while working with them, even when I was hopelessly outnumbered as the only woman versus four men. I know, sometimes, I would be outnumbered on the issues of gender, but that was done with utmost care and respect.Mr. President, I thank you for your good leadership and harmony within our Bureau. I wish to reassure you that, as Members of your team, we have done what it takes to support you in your leadership and together, we have made some significant achievements in a short period of two years.My heartfelt gratitude goes to members of the Secretariat, the Clerk and your staff who have always facilitated our work even under difficult circumstances.Lastly and very importantly, I pay tribute to this great country, the Republic of South Africa, the Government and its people for hosting this Parliament most ably. The comfort of our space, the hospitality of the people of South Africa, your willingness to share your scarce resources, that I know are scarce and competed for by even internal interests, with the rest of Africa is commendable.To our development partners, whom I have closely worked with as the Vice-President in charge of International Relations, indeed, I thank you.To my successor, whom I am going to pretend I do not know, I congratulate you and wish you all the best in this great office.I thank you all and God bless you. Long live PAP and long live Africa.Thank you.

LE PRESIDENT:Merci, honorable Mary.Je ne vais pas faire de commentaire à ce spectacle, ni sur vos mots, ni sur votre voix. L’émotion qu’on a entendue, à travers votre voix, et l’hommage que les parlementaires vous ont rendu, en vous acclamant debout, en disent long.Honorable EL DADAOUI, doyenne d’âge du Caucus d’Afrique de l’Est et doyenne d’âge du Caucus du Genre, Caucus des femmes.

HON. PROF. EL BADAOUI SUAD EL FATEH [SUDAN]:اإلخوة واألخوات ،نحن اآلن في معية إمرأة من أفريقيا ، هادئة ومنطلقة األسارير وراجحة الرأي .عرفناها )وخاصةً شخصي ( منذ فترة طويلة ، وسعدنا بمعرفتها وصحبتها ، عرفناها إمرأة قوية في قضايا أفريقيا ، ويحزننا اليوم أن نفارقها متمنين لها كريم العيش ، ونتمنى لخليفتها النجاح ، ونتمنى للبرلمان القوة والسؤدد وقد قررنا ) نحن وفد السودان ( التعبير عن محبتنا لها بتحي ٍة متواضعة نأمل أن تقبلها كذكرى لصداقتنا ومحبتنا ، لها الصحة والعافية وإمتداد العطاء دائماً ، وشكراً.

HON. PROF. EL BADAOUI SUAD EL FATEH [SUDAN]:Thank you, Mr. President. Again, I want to speak in Arabic because I can express myself better in this language.

5.0 – ÉLECTION DU DEUXIÈME VICE-PRÉSIDENT DU PAP

LE PRESIDENT:Merci beaucoup honorable, Souad El Badaoui.Honorables membres,Suite à l’annonce de vacance de poste de 2^èmeVice-président, le 9 mai 2011, la région Afrique de l’Est a soumis deux désignations au Secrétariat général, le mardi 10 mai 2011.Les candidats sont: l’honorable Marie Noëlle Françoise LABELLE et l’honorable Stephen Julius MASELE.Les désignations sont conformes aux dispositions de l’article 15 alinéa 1, puisque les deux candidats sont de genre différent.Le Secrétaire général a préparé les bulletins de vote et affiché la liste de désignation, le 16 mai, ce matin, donc, à 8 heures, conformément à l’article 15 alinéa 4.Je vais actuellement procéder à l’élection, conformément aux dispositions de l’article 16 alinéa 4. L’élection va se dérouler au scrutin secret.En attendant la mise en place de l’urne, je vais donner l’opportunité aux deux candidats de se présenter très brièvement.Honorable Marie Noëlle Françoise LABELLE. Oui, Honorable Kebzabo.

HON. KEBZABO SALEH [TCHAD]:Nous, nous avions pensé, Monsieur le Président, qu’on devait passer la parole à un membre du Parlement, pour présenter la candidature des deux personnes désignées.Je vous remercie de me donner la parole et de me donner l’opportunité de me livrer à ce exercice dont je pensais, au début, qu’il était facile, mais je me suis rendu compte, avec les propos tenus par Mary, tout à l’heure, que c’est un exercice difficile voire périlleux, pour moi, parce que, Monsieur le Président, chers collègues, il s’agit de désigner la personne qui va succéder à Mary.Je vous rappelle l’ambiance, il y a un an, quand on a procédé à l’élection du Bureau.Avec quelle ferveur - j’allais dire - presque unanime, notre Assemblée a porté son choix sur Mary! Et, c’est, donc, avec une grande émotion (je partage celle qui a suscité son discours) que je vais maintenant prendre la parole, pour demander à nos amis de rendre un hommage très appuyé à Mary.Ma grande-sœur, Suad, vient de parler. Elle a évoquée son calme, sa sérénité et sa forte détermination dans tout ce qu’elle fait. J’ajouterais à cela la modération, qui caractérise tout ce qu’elle fait, et la détermination dans l’engagement qu’elle a toujours démontré, ici, avec nous.C’est donc à elle qu’il faut maintenant trouver un remplaçant. C’est là où la tâche devient compliquée. Mais, ma tâche va être facilitée, parce que je vais soutenir la candidature de notre amie Françoise; honorable Françoise Marie Noëlle LABELLE, que tout le monde connaît ici. Tout le monde a vu sa silhouette - j’allais dire - sa frêle silhouette, arpenter les allées de notre Parlement, de gauche à droite, répondant par ci, répondant par là, étant au four et au moulin, travaillant constamment et de façon assidue et engagée.C’est ainsi que, moi, en tout cas, je la vois depuis un peu plus de trois ans, que je suis ici.Françoise est parlementaire à l’Ile Maurice, depuis maintenant onze ans. C’est depuis 2000 qu’elle est entrée à l’Assemblée de l’Ile Maurice. Elle est parmi nous, ici, depuis 2004 - c'est-à-dire depuis sept (07) anselle est, donc, aujourd’hui, l’une des rares mémoires du Parlement panafricain.Elle est membre de la Commission des Affaires Monétaires et Financières, avec le brio et l’engagement qui sont les siens. Elle a apporté le meilleur d’elle-même dans cette Commission, et les membres de cette Commission peuvent en témoigner.Personnellement, j’ai eu à la connaître l’année dernière, lorsque nous avions procédé aux élections générales de renouvellement de Bureau, puisqu’elle était la représentante de l’Afrique de l’Est dans le Comité ad hoc.Donc, vous vous rappelez qu’elle a fait un travail colossal, non seulement en nous amenant un nouveau Bureau, mais aussi ce même Comité a été reconduit pour faire l’évaluation du Parlement.Vous vous rappelez comment ce travail aussi a été conduit, et au sein de cette Commission, Madame LABELLE a fait un travail remarquable.C’est pour cela que je dis que le travail, pour moi, est facilité en présentant sa candidature, parce que c’est vraiment le profil qui me convient.C’est une dame de consensus, de fort caractère, c’est une dame engagée, c’est une dame qui travaille et qui sait travailler, quand on lui confie une mission. C’est pour cela que je suis sûr qu’en l’élisant, aujourd’hui, comme deuxième Viceprésidente, en remplacement de Mary, nous restons tout droit non seulement pour des questions régionales, mais aussi pour des questions d’engagement et de convictions personnelles.Avec Françoise LABELLE, je vous prie de faire en sorte que le travail commencé continue, mais surtout qu’il s’améliore, parce qu’avec elle, c’est de la qualité que nous allons mettre au sein du Bureau, c’est une autre connotation que nous allons mettre dans le Bureau.Elle est, certes, francophone - d’un pays, Maurice que nous connaissons pour sa rigueur, un pays qui est réputé mondialement - mais aussi elle est anglophone. Elle pratique les deux langues avec une aisance bien connue, et je pense que là aussi, le Bureau en a besoin.Je n’ai pas besoin de faire ses itinéraires personnel, professionnel et autre universitaire. Je crois que les qualités que je viens de souligner suffisent amplement, pour que le moment venu, lorsque nous allons faire le dépouillement, on se rende compte que, à l’unanimité, le Parlement a porté son choix sur Françoise LABELLE.Je vous remercie.

UN HONORABLE MEMBRE:Motion de procédure, Monsieur le Président!

LE PRESIDENT:Vous avez quelque chose sur la procédure?

UN HONORABLE MEMBRE:Oui.

LE PRESIDENT:Oui, allez-y!

UN HONORABLE MEMBRE:Je vous remercie, Monsieur le Président.Les dispositions du Règlement indiquent que le Bureau doit être composé, au moins, d’une femme.Le Bureau était composé d’une seule femme. Il y a deux candidats; j’estime que le candidat de la Tanzanie doit laisser la place à la candidate, pour que le vote soit fait par acclamation.Je vous remercie.

LE PRESIDENT:Merci.Comme c’est(...). Nous continuons d’observer le Règlement intérieur.Maintenant, la présentation de l’Honorable Stephen Julius MASELE. Il le fait lui-même ou bien un parlementaire le fait pour lui?Honorable Stephen Julius MASELE, Présentez-vous!

HON. STEPHEN JULIUS MASELE [TANZANIA]:Hon. President, Hon. Members of PAP, it is a great honour for me to be recommended by my Eastern Caucus to be one of the candidates to contest for the position of Vice-President. However, with respect to gender balance, I would like to agree with my colleagues to support Hon. Labelle.Applause

HON. STEPHEN JULIUS MASELE [TANZANIA]:However, Mr. President, allow me to express myself in the House because this is a great opportunity for me, as a young Parliamentarian from Tanzania.Applause

HON. STEPHEN JULIUS MASELE [TANZANIA]:This is a very significant moment and very important time in Africa when many issues need to be addressed in depth. Mr. President, a storm is sweeping through Africa. It has started in North Africa and is coming to our places.Mr. President, it is a crucial time for PAP now to provide a sound legislative framework in order to prevent electoral violence, improve election monitoring and ensure smooth and peaceful transition of political power.Applause

HON. STEPHEN JULIUS MASELE [TANZANIA]:Mr. President, this year has seen a lot of public outbursts, mainly popular uprising in North Africa, where protestors gathered out and toppled some autocratic regimes in North Africa. This is sending a very important message to us, as Parliamentarians, on how institutions that govern these countries can be made to be more democratic not less. This is giving us a message on how the national constitution can be forged to encapsulate the new realities. Also, this gives us a message on how we can learn from other regions of the world, how they dealt with this kind of tidal waves when they hit their shores.Mr. President, I call upon greater co-operation between PAP and the AU to improve our efforts to deal and supervise our internal matters. It is very disappointing to me when some important decisions of our continent are made outside our continent and without the involvement of institutions of our continent.Applause

HON. STEPHEN JULIUS MASELE [TANZANIA]:Mr. President, again, I call upon PAP to promote the respect of International Humanitarian Law that was made to protect the stateless people, refugees, and vulnerable children. This will help our continent to be a better place to live.Mr. President, I am so proud to be the son of this continent and call upon all my people from the east, north, and south to support Hon. Labelle in attempting to respond to this challenge and new realities. At the moment, we are seeing the international law not responding to the challenges of the 21^st century. Mr. President, I am proud of being a candidate, but now I give my vote to Hon. Labelle and wish her all the best in the new challenges.Applause

HON. STEPHEN JULIUS MASELE [TANZANIA]:I am preparing for the next election and probably I will be the first male Vice-President in this House.Thank you.Applause

LE PRESIDENT:Merci, Honorable Stephen Julius MASELE.J’ai écouté, vous avez apporté votre soutien à l’Honorable LABELLE. Je ne vous ai pas entendu dire que vous retirez votre candidature; ce qui est une autre chose.On procède à l’élection?

HON. STEPHEN JULIUS MASELE [TANZANIA]:I withdraw my name

LE PRESIDENT:Merci, honorable MASELE.Maintenant que vous avez retiré votre candidature, honorables membres, nous avons l’honorable Marie Noëlle Françoise LABELLE, unique candidate. Nous pouvons la proclamer deuxième Vice-présidente, à l’unanimité des membres présents.

HON. KPARKAR EUGENE [LIBERIA]:Mr. President, for the purpose of the record and symbolism, I would like a white ballot paper as it is done conventionally to be dropped in the ballot box so that she can win by acclamation. The white ballot signifies acclamation.

LE PRESIDENT:Honorable KPARKAR Eugene,Vous vous opposez à l’unanimité, si je comprends? Si c’est le cas, on va passer au vote! (Interruption)

UN HONORABLE MEMBRE:Monsieur le Président, je (...)

LE PRESIDENT:Honorable KPARKAR EUGENE,Vous vous opposez à l’unanimité?

HON. KPARKAR EUGENE [LIBERIA]:No, no, no! I am not opposed.

LE PRESIDENT:Sinon, constatons que la plénière, à l’unanimité des présents, a élu l’honorable Marie Noëlle Françoise LABELLE comme deuxième Viceprésidente.(Applaudissements nourris)Merci beaucoup.En attendant que l’honorable LABELLE puisse prendre fonction et prêter serment, demain matin, je vais quand même lui laisser la parole pour deux (02) minutes.

HON. LABELLE MARIE NOËLLE FRANÇOISE [MAURITIUS]:Merci beaucoup, honorable Président, de m’accorder la parole, de m’offrir l’opportunité de remercier tous mes collègues de cette assemblée.Je suis vraiment très touchée par la confiance que vous placez en moi. Et, si j’ai choisi de le dire en Français, ce n’est pas que j’oublie mes amis anglophones.To my dear colleagues of this Assembly, I wish to express to you my deepest gratitude. Of course, I will talk to you later on, tomorrow, after the swearing in ceremony.Thank you and best of luck to Hon. MARY. Long live the Pan-African Parliament! Long live Africa!Thank you.

THE CLERK:Mr President, we have the following announcements to make:i.the Women’s Caucus meeting is in Committee Room 3 at 3.00 p.m.; andii.the meeting of the Inter-Parliamentary Delegation of the Africa-European Union Joint Strategy will be in the Presidential Board Room at 3.00 p.m.iii.

LE PRESIDENT:Merci beaucoup.Honorables membres,Nous sommes arrivés à la fin de cette longue journée.Je voudrais, une fois de plus, en votre nom, féliciter l’honorable Mary MUGYENYI, notre 2^eVice-président sortant, et lui souhaiter bon vent dans ses futures activités.Mais, je vais la rassurer, dès à présent, que le Parlement continuera certainement à faire appel à elle pour ses futures activités.Honorables membres,Nous sommes à la fin des travaux de ce jour, par conséquent, la séance est levée jusqu’à mardi 17 mai 2011, à 09 heures.La séance est suspendue à 13H23 jusqu’au lendemain mardi 17 mai 2011.

Tuesday, 17 May, 2011

LE PRESIDENT.Honorables membres,La séance est ouverte.Conformément aux dispositions de l’article 38.1G, j’invite Son Excellence MWENCHA, Vice-président de la Commission de l’Union africaine à entrer à la Chambre.

1.0 – PRESTATION DE SERMENT

Honorables membres,Conformément à la pratique dans cette Chambre, j’ai l’honneur d’inviter l’honorable Marie-Noëlle Françoise LABELLE, Deuxième Vice-présidente du Parlement Panafricain à prêter serment.The Second Vice-président, Hon. Labelle Marie Noëlle Françoise, was sworn in.Je ne vous ai pas encore donné la parole, Madame la deuxième Vice-présidente.Honorables membres,J’ai le plaisir de donner la parole à notre nouvelle deuxième Vice-présidente.Honorable LABELLE, Vous avez la parole.

HON. LABELLE MARIE NOËLLE FRANÇOISE [2ND VICE-PRESIDENT OF PAP]:Mr. President, the Vice-Presidents, Hon. Members, distinguished guests, it is with a feeling of gratitude and deep sense of duty that I address you as the new Second Vice-President of the PanAfrican Parliament (PAP). My gratitude first goes to the Hon. Members of the Eastern Caucus for having placed their confidence in me. My gratitude also goes to many Hon. Members and friends from other regions for their support and encouragement. My gratitude also goes to each single Member who was present in the House yesterday.Mr. President, I am also thankful to Hon. Paul Rémond Bérenger, Leader of the Opposition and former Prime Minister of my country for his continued support to my political career during the past decade. I am also grateful to the Rt. Hon. Prime Minister of my country, Dr. Navin Ramgoolam, for his personal support and encouragement.Mr. President, may I be allowed to say a special and big thank you to all Members of the Mauritian delegation both from the Government and opposition side and, particularly, to our young sister Hon. Marie Genevieve Stephanie Anquetil, who happened to be my opponent during the last general elections. Hon. Marie Genevieve Stephanie Anquetil and I are from the same constituency, but we were candidates from different parties. That is democracy. We can be political opponents and also friends who give support to each other when need be.Applause

HON. LABELLE MARIE NOËLLE FRANÇOISE [2ND VICE PRESIDENT OF PAP]:Mr. President, last but not least, my thoughts go to members of my family, who are present today; my dear daughter and your friend I thank you for being here.Applause

HON. LABELLE MARIE NOËLLE FRANÇOISE [2ND VICE PRESIDENT OF PAP]:Mr. President, I mentioned a deep sense of duty. In fact, I am aware of the task awaiting me and the expectations of my Hon. Colleagues. I do not have the right to fail them. I can assure them that I shall do my utmost best not to make them regret the confidence placed in me. Having said so, I must confess that having one year to bring my contribution to the work you, yourself, Mr President, and the Vice-Presidents started some two years ago in very difficult situations presents a challenge to me.It is with great humility that I wish to assure you, Mr President, and the Vice-Presidents of my support. My commitment to our organisation dates back to 2004. I believe that PAP can and should play a major role in the affairs of Africa for the benefit of our continent, Mother Africa.Mr. President, may I thank Hon. Mary Mugyenyi for the work she did and the devotion thereto during her stay at PAP. I am confident that the Hon. Members of this Parliament will keep her memory of a humble, capable, calm and committed lady as a souvenir. I wish Hon. Mary Mugyenyi well in her new endeavours and I know that her country, Uganda, and the continent will continue benefitting from her expertise and commitment in one way or the other.(French follows 09.15.23 - 09.16.20)Monsieur le Président,Permettez-moi de terminer mon discours en Français, pour mes honorables collègues francophones.Comment ne pas m’assurer que mes collègues entendent dans la langue qui leur est familière l’expression de ma profonde gratitude pour leur support et leurs encouragements et aussi leur assurer de mon support; le support que ma nouvelle fonction me permettra de leur accorder. Merci à vous mes amis francophones! A mes amis arabophones choukran! Et muchas gracias! pour ceux dont l’expression est familière.Vive le Parlement panafricain!Vive le continent africain!Merci, Monsieur le Président.

LE PRESIDENT:Merci honorable LABELLE, 2ème Viceprésidente du Parlement panafricain, pour ces propos émouvants à l’endroit de la Chambre.Je vais demander au Secrétaire général de donner lecture du point inscrit à l’ordre du jour.

THE CLERK:Thank you, Hon. President; the next order is the presentation and debate on the Report on Financial and Administrative Matters of the African Union Commission.

LE PRESIDENT:J’invite à présent, Son Excellence MWENCHA, Vice-président de la Commission de l’Union africaine à faire sa présentation.

2.0 – REPORT ON FINANCIAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE MATTERS OF THE AFRICAN UNION COMMISSION

H.E. ERASTUS J.O MWENCHA [DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON OF THE AUC]:Hon. President, Hon. Vice-Presidents and Hon. Members, I am deeply honoured to be in your midst this morning. I bring you greetings from the Chairperson of the African Union (AU), His Excellency Jean Ping, and the Commission at large. I wish to thank you for this opportunity to share matters of mutual concern and interest for the African continent as a whole and our two institutions in particular.Let me from the outset say how grateful we are at the Commission for the good working relationship that exists between PAP and the African Union Commission (AUC). We owe this to you, Mr. President, Members of your Bureau and other Members. We all know that a few years ago, this relationship was not that good and, therefore, we cherish very much that you have worked tirelessly to turn around and ensure that we have a flourishing and very supportive relationship to each other.As I come before you this morning, I am aware that yesterday you received my colleague, the Commissioner for Peace and Security. This makes my presentation much easier because I am sure, in his presentation; he was also able to touch a number of other areas of the Commission. Before I talk about the administrative and financial matters, I think it is important for us to look at the environment that forms our financial situations and which, of course, impacts on what we do. The recent events that have taken place in North Africa and elsewhere on the continent continue to remind us not only of our economic fragility, but also the need for our democracies to continue to consolidate and embrace the peoples’ aspirations. Of course, Africa is not working in a vacuum; it is greatly impacted with what is happening globally, especially on the economic front. The global economic crisis that gripped the world some twoand-half years to three years ago is still fresh in our minds. Mr. President, you know that that crisis led to a slow down of economic growth globally. In the case of Africa, unlike many parts of the world, the recovery was strong and swift and especially in the last year, Africa started posting very strong figures. This year, Africa is expected to be growing at 5.4 per cent which is stronger than any other region in the world. However, it is not just the global economic crisis for which finance was at the epicentre. We have an enduring and growing challenge to our globe which is affecting Africa in a more serious way than other regions of the world and that is climate change. Climate change on its own affects Africa, at the moment, to the magnitude of losing, at least, one per cent Gross Domestic Product (GDP). That is huge if you consider that Africa’s GDP is now estimated at 1 trillion. It means we are losing billions because of climate change. That is why we look forward to Africa putting its best show during the Conference on Climate Change (CCOC) 17 which will take place here in Durban, South Africa. As a continent, we should do everything possible to let the world know that Africa only contributes less than 4 per cent of the problem, and yet Africa is taking a bigger chunk of the challenge coming out of climate change as it is more seriously affected.As if this was not enough, we have another challenge, now very associated with climate change and that is the soaring food prices. Again, it is affecting our security, in general, and the ability for us to address the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Most of our people derive their livelihood from agriculture, and yet we continue to see huge fluctuations, particularly in the area of droughts and floods that are affecting the continent just as it is elsewhere. Compounding this situation is, of course, the rising energy prices. All these factors impact negatively on our economies and that is the environment that we are dealing with.Whilst Africa’s recovery is fast, estimated this year at 5.4 per cent and next year, perhaps, at 6 per cent, back to the trajectory of the early 1980s, we still continue to be vulnerable. This is because our economies are largely dependent on exports of commodities that continue to face huge fluctuations of prices on the world market.Mr. President, this is a sharp reminder to us that we need to look at the structure of our economies which depend largely on foreign aid, a number of them, on minerals and primary products, in general, and change them to more resilient economies. Africa can do it.In the next 15 months, Africa’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is expected to double and that will mean Africa growing a rich/middle class that should be a basis for our development. The consumption of food worldwide is also expected to grow as we continue to see this growing middle class. The potential for growing this food, first and foremost, will have to be realised in Africa. Africa is home to more than 50 per cent of the world’s arable land. This is where we should start to look at the comparable advantage of the continent in addition to the fact that, with a population of now 1 billion, in 15 years, it is expected to be, at least, 1.4/1.5 billion. However, to realise that potential, we need, first of all, to ensure that we can integrate our continent. We also need to look at factors that are not difficult for us to trade with each other and ensure that we can benefit from the resource endowments and the huge population. Our population factor is both a blessing and a challenge.It is a blessing in the sense that, today, we are looking at over 60 per cent of our population being below thirty (30). However, most of this population is unemployed or underemployed. Unless we address these challenges, this will be a source of instability of the continent down the road. Hence, this is the time for us, Mr. President, to address Africa’s potential in order for us to avert the crisis that is in the horizon, given the demographic scenario of the continent.Our continued dependence on development partners for our development resources is, indeed, a worrisome factor and as I will be indicating, Mr. President, the situation of our finance is an area that the Hon. Members can assist for us to develop strong institutions. It is in strong institutions that we can also develop integration in the continent and sustainable growth as our ultimate objective. The role of PAP cannot be overemphasised. Your role as an advisory, advocacy and legislative body at continental and national levels, is critical to achieving our objectives. You know some of these elements such as the legislative power are still in the making. The Protocol that established the Parliament is now being revised to give Parliament even more responsibilities. We hope that, in the coming years and not far down the road, this Parliament will be truly a Parliament for Africa; an institution that will be the voice of the 1 billion Africans.Of course, this will mean at national level, we cede part of our sovereignty to allow for this PAP to assume that front seat. The challenge that faces you at national level is to bring this message and convince our population, national Parliaments and other institutions that, together as a continent, we will be strong. As one voice, as your motto says ‘One Africa, One voice’, people will take us more seriously than it is today. This is especially so in the area of climate change where Africa is speaking with one voice. Africa is setting the trend and everybody is looking to Africa, wondering how fifty-three nations are able to speak with one voice on this matter. If we can speak on climate change and we do have the same problems, we can speak with one voice on many other areas.Mr. President, we are not implementing the 2011 Budget that was approved in January this year. I do not want to go into detail on that except to underscore a few elements of the budget. The total budget for 2011 is USD$256.7 million. This budget is split as follows: USD$ 112.4 (48 per cent) is for operational costs. The rest, which is USD$144.3 million (42 per cent), is for programmes. The distribution of this budget among the organs of the AU, namely, the Commission, PAP, the Court, Commission for Human and People’s Rights, Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), African Council, Commission on International Law, the Advisory Board on Corruption and the Peace and Security Council.Of these institutions, the African Union Commission (AUC) is a beneficiary to 86.2 per cent whereas PAP, which of course on the list is second, receives around 5 per cent of the annual budget. The others are the Court and the Commission that receive an average of 3.7 and 3 per cent respectively.In terms of sectoral allocations of this budget, the biggest percentage of the amount that I have just specified and that is around 42 per cent goes to Peace and Security. The rest is spread among four sub-sectors, which is Integration; Development; and Underdevelopment. There are a number of sectors such as Agriculture, Transport, Social and Partnership. That is one sector. Then the other one is on Shared Values and Institutional Capacity Building.At the moment, our budget is only allowed to grow at 5 per cent per annum. If you subject the current level of the budget of PAP, which is USD$11.9 million to 5 per cent, it will tell you the story that it will take quite a long time for us to address the core and key issues that are of concern to us. Mr. President, part of the reason for us to consult this morning is to see how we address these challenges.Mr President, going back to the spread of these resources to the various pillars on Peace and Security, Development and Shared Values and Institutional Capacity Building, what I have just outlined is not the entire story of how much we spend in the sector of Peace and Security. We have a separate fund for Peace and Security which is known as the African Peace Fund. This Fund has a number of contributors from our development partners. The greatest being the European Union (EU), through the European Commission (EC).Just to give you an illustration of how much we are spending in the area of Peace and Security, in Somalia alone, it is close to USD$12 million a month. As you know; we now have over 10,000 troops on the ground. Of course, these troops are paid allowances of around USD$1000 a month each. That is only on troops’ allowance, let alone resources that we need for logistical and other supportive services for these troops to perform and function in their environment.The message that I would like to bring home here is that we have huge nets in the midst of our needs, Mr. President, that are being supplied by our development partners. Of course, in the area of Peace and Security, our countries also contribute, especially the states that have given us troops and logistical support for the troops. The story still is that we depend on our development partners for our peacekeeping operations.Our budget, in total, and particularly in terms of the sources of financing to our budget, is, indeed, a very delicate and worrisome aspect too. As you know, five Members carry the inequitable burden of contributing 75 per cent of the AU Budget annually. Should any one of these five Members be unable or delay to contribute to the budget, you can imagine the impact it can have on our budget. At the moment, the risks to our budget are big because the events that have occurred in some of our member states have put them in a position where they may not contribute on time. That is part of the fragile situation of our budget. Of course, as I said earlier, out of our USD$144 million which is for development, 92 per cent is contributed by development partners and that is not a healthy situation at all.The two factors, especially when our development partners for one reason or the other delay in fulfilling their pledges, there is a huge impact on our capacity to implement programmes at continental level. It is because of this scenario that I have just pointed out that our leaders, Mr. President, have decided that we look for alternative sources of funding. For that, a Panel of Eminent Persons headed by former President, Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria, has been put in place to consult and find ways of us moving out of this very precarious situation. We have Members that are resourceful, for instance, Morocco has written to us to inform us to develop other sources of funding. President Obasanjo and his team have the task to consult and come up with the arrangements that can take us out of this situation. The role that you can play in this is extremely important and we plead to you, Mr. President and Hon. Members, to look at these issues.Mr President, given this financial situation, as a Commissioner in the last three years, we have embarked on a number of reforms. Firstly, it was to ensure predictable income, but also efficient use of the resources that we have. In the aspect of efficient use of the resources, starting particularly with development partners, we now have a framework of a consultative forum for the strategic partners to ensure that we institutionalise what we call Aid and Development Effectiveness. That is because as we worked into all these three years, one of the challenges that we found was a huge backlog of reports, including Audit Reports for development partners.Secondly, we found that most of these funds by development partners are earmarked which makes it very difficult for us and we started persuading them to do otherwise. For us to achieve aid effectiveness, we have to move away from managing projects, managing specific programmes to a contribution aspect, which means contributing to the budget and giving ourselves the flexibility to spread resources.As you can see, most of the resources, again, are in the area of Peace and Security and that is the greatest and major challenge that we have in the continent. It is now well-known and established that development and peace and security are on two sides of the same coin. Without peace and security, you cannot achieve development and likewise, you cannot embark on serious development without peace and security.At the moment, our resources are skewed towards peace and security which makes it very difficult for us to implement programmes in the area of development, and yet it is out of development that we can have lasting peace and security.The other aspect of the reforms that we have introduced is medium term planning. Firstly, through our Strategic Plan, Mr. President, we now have a clear linkage to our Strategic Plan of the annual budgets. This is one aspect that we find a little bit easy and I am happy to inform you that it is part of our primary reforms that we have put in place.Going beyond linking our annual budget to our Strategic Plan is bringing in an element of accountability, management and efficient use of the resources. Some of the aspects are to introduce the medium term expenditure framework and ensure that our operations are results based. That is to say, at the end of the day, we can indicate, from our expenditure, the results that we have achieved.Mr President, part of the challenge has also been for us to have a capacity to implement the budget efficiently and our capacity for budget implementation was rather low for a long time. For the first time this year, our budget will be approved, hopefully in June. The reason for us to embark on approving the budget in June is to ensure that we can implement this budget effectively.Previously, our budget was sometimes approved beginning of February and by the time we made the necessary preparatory arrangements for the budget implementation, it would be April/May and had to start closing by October/November. In the process, quite some time was lost. Therefore, approving the budget early enough is, indeed, necessary for us to put in place mechanisms for its implementation such that come January, we can start implementing and have longer period to do that.I must say the reason for doing it in June is that our Summit, Mr. President, only meets twice in a year and, that is, end of June or July and in January and our budget has to be approved by the Assembly. Of course in the future, we are looking forward to having this budget approved by Parliament so that this process can be done around October/November and implementation can start in January. This is part of the ongoing reforms that we hope we can see down the road.Mr President, part of our reforms are focused on our capacity building for financial management at the Commission and also some of our institutions, including Parliament by ensuring that we have adequate well-trained staff to implement the budget. I am happy to say that this is one area in which the Commission is working closely with you, Mr President, and Members of Bureau to support Parliament to also have the capacity to implement. It is imperative for us to continue to work together, especially in the days of financial scarcity. Our Members are very sensitive to any aspects of financial mismanagement. Even at the Commission, we have decided on zero tolerance when it comes to budget issues or any mismanagement in this area.On administrative matters, I am also happy to inform the Hon. Members that, last year, we managed to get in place new Staff Rules and Regulations. We are now in the process of working on the financial implications of these Staff Rules and Regulations. As you know, our Staff Rules and Regulations that we were using up to last year, were formerly approved in 1992. Of course, there were various pieces of decisions of the Assembly and the Executive Council that were outside these Staff Rules and Regulations.It was so cumbersome to implement them because they were not in one document. We are, at the moment, also developing policy instruments for implementing the Staff Rules and Regulations. This will also impact on PAP because there is a trend for us to have common rules to regulate our operations. Of course, there will be some aspects that will be peculiar to PAP and other organs, but by and large, we will be governed by this common body of Rules and Regulations.Mr President, we are aware of some of the challenges that you face, particularly in the area of travel arrangements and we share your concerns, especially when it comes to Election Observations when your Members are sometimes not accorded the status that is due to our officers. We hope that the Assembly and the Executive Council will put some of these elements in place sooner than later.The other aspect, Mr. President, is on our structure. We have been working with the Permanent Representative Committee (PRC) and we are now almost finalising the structure for the Commission. It is our hope that after finalising the structure of the Commission, we will also look at the structure of Parliament because we do not have the structure, especially the administrative part of it. Whereas we had hoped that we would have embarked on this early this year, the Permanent Representative Committee felt that given the fact that the Protocol is being revised, it was inappropriate for us to start discussing the structure because this will also be informed by the mandate that will be given to Parliament. As you know, this Protocol will be submitted to the policy organs next month and, hopefully, beginning July, we can start looking at the new structure of Parliament.Mr. President, as I come to the end of my presentation on Administrative and Budgetary Matters, I gather that, as Members, you are also keen to receive some information in order to get an appreciation of what we do in the area of governance and shared values. As I mentioned earlier, the work of the Commission and the Union, for that matter, focuses on four pillars. That is, Peace and Security, Development, Integration and Strategic Partnership, Shared Values and Institutional Capacity Building.Shared Values, which is our pillar number three, looks at three key areas and, that is, governance, democracy, and human rights. This is what has been encapsulated on Shared Values. Of course, many have asked what shared values mean. We all appreciate that there are two aspects of shared values namely, global and continental. The continental ones are peculiar to our African culture. Globally, the aspects of the human rights, the rights of individuals to enjoy those basic freedoms of information and expression are well embraced at continental level.That is why the January Summit, this year, was held under the theme of "Shared Values". In coming up with this theme, as a continent, we looked at the trend of what is happening in the continent. We looked at some of the developments that are taking place in the continent. You know that even in the area of peace and security, if you look at sources of conflict in our continent, they mutated a lot. Today, we see some of the conflicts coming out of electioneering and many of you who have been observing this, I am sure, have a story to tell.Mr President, leaders were asking themselves why elections were becoming a source of conflict in our states on our continent. The deliberations were quite extensive and out of that, the Summit came up with what we now called the African Governance Architecture, which is more or less like the Peace and Security. Yesterday, the Commissioner for Peace and Security informed the House how our Peace and Security Council operates. We are now in the process of developing the African Governance Architecture that can be proactive, can look at what is happening at the national level and intervene. There are a number of instruments that have been developed towards this purpose. One of them, which you are aware of, is the Protocol on Democracy and Elections that has been on the table for the last four or six years and which, as Hon. Members, we hope that you can also support in its ratification for it to come into force. On the African aspect, as Africa, we have a place for the elderly, youth and for sensitivity to gender which we believe should also be part of our shared values, the African culture.I was looking at a report on why the Japanese have longer life and healthy status. It was amazing to see in that report that part of the Japanese secret or miracle is the fact that, as a society, the elderly have a place and are esteemed, respected and cherished. This gives them mental satisfaction, hence the better health. These are some of the values in the African context and culture we should not lose as we embrace some aspects of the western culture. Yes, there are all those that we can continue to borrow such as the area of democracy. However, even in democracy, we have to look at the context of the African culture and ensure that we develop them in line with some of our cultures.This aspect of shared values also extends beyond the aspect of elections to harmonisation of service delivery, particularly public service. This will enable us to see an efficient and effective public service and other aspects of governance, which also calls on the private sector to embrace good principles of governance. We all know that the epicentre of the last global financial and economic crisis was bad governance in the private sector itself.This governance, therefore, is not just restricted to the public sector, but also the private sector. Governance or, in general, shared values is quite broad and is an area that one could say is still inthe-making, but we are ready to put in place the foundation which will be the African Governance Architecture. The elements remain to be put in place as we put block after block down the road. Mr. President, in our discourse this morning, we have shared the global environment that is forming our integration, co-operation and development on the continent. These challenges are within our grasp. Through integration, we can achieve a lot. It is through integration that Africa can be competitive, achieve economies of scale and transform our economies. I worked out the figures of how much we are spending on integration this morning and it turned out to be less than USD$0.14. This is just less than 2 cents per capita on integration.If you look at similar expenditure elsewhere, particularly in Europe where this expenditure is well over USD$20 per capita on the integration aspect, the question that begs here is: where is our priority? It is in Africa that we have, for lack of a better word, unviable national economies in modern terms. Our national base is so small that we cannot engage on meaningful industrialisation. We have a number of countries on the continent that are landlocked. We have various constraints that make it difficult for us to be competitive globally, pointing to integration as one means through which Africa can address the challenges of development.However, look at how much we are spending? On the other hand, when you look at these economies, for example, a small country such as Belgium with 20 million people has a GDP that equals that of, maybe, fifteen of our member states. I am happy we can go for integration. And so, Hon. Members, individually and collectively, our future is in us working together, developing together and developing Africa together because we have common challenges. We are in the same boat and our salvation is in our working together. That is why I feel so honoured to be before you this morning and I know as you go to various parts of this continent your voice will resonate for the continent to unite for us to claim Africa as the frontier for development in the 21^st century because we have what it takes for Africa to develop. You are our hope in this regard.Mr. President, thank you very much for this opportunity.Applause

LE PRESIDENT:Merci beaucoup, Excellence MWENCHA, Viceprésident de la Commission de l’Union africaine, pour cette présentation sur les questions financières et administratives de la Commission de l’Union africaine.Honorables membres,Les débats sont maintenant ouverts sur le rapport relatif aux questions financières et administratives de la Commission de l’Union africaine.Le premier de ma liste, c’est l’Honorable Dr Moses SESAY.

UN HONORABLE MEMBRE:Motion, Monsieur le Président!

LE PRESIDENT:Oui. Quelle nature?

UN HONORABLE MEMBRE:De procédure.

LE PRESIDENT:Allez-y!

UN HONORABLE MEMBRE:Conformément à l’ordre du jour qui nous a été distribué, dans la salle ici, le sous-point 2 du grand point III ne prévoit pas de débats. C’est, peut-être, d’ailleurs, pour cela que ce rapport-là n’a pas été distribué à la plénière.

HON. SESAY MOSES [SIERRA LEONE]:Thank you very much, Mr. President for this opportunity to make a few remarks.I would like to thank the Hon. Deputy Chairperson of the AUC for delivering such a very succinct, yet detailed account of what is going on in the administration and finances of the AU.Mr. President, the problems about finances in the AU are very clear. There is this business of getting money into the coffers of the AU. There is the process of keeping that money intact, saving it and also the third process of disbursing it. These are the areas we have to consider and the Chairperson has dealt with two of them, at least.What I would like to add is that we should find more means of attracting people to give more money to the AU. We have had successes in certain cases such as the Department for International Development (DFID) and African Development Bank (ADB), among others. I would like to add here that, perhaps, within the African continent, itself, we should find clear means of getting more money.I would like to suggest here, Mr. President, that we should look at the longevity of the Presidency in the various countries in Africa. Those who have stayed longer should pay more and this applies to most of them. It is very clear they have had more time to play with money and, therefore, some of it will rub off them. They should, therefore, use it for the development of the African continent. This is very important though we have never thought about it. It is something we should be thinking of. We should go round the continent and check from state to state how long the incumbent Presidents have stayed in office. If a person has been in office for a certain number of years, he should pay a certain amount. I think that will do two things; it will help the coffers of the AU and make people think twice before they stay too long in office because sooner or later, they will have to cough up that money back into the African continent where it belongs.The other point I would like to make is that the lack of total commitment or total involvement of the PAP is another factor we will have to consider. Much of what is happening here is happening behind our backs and we are lumbered with a fait accompli. This is unacceptable. We should start the process from the beginning; go through the middle as well as the end because, in fact, we are the authentic representatives of the people of Africa.Therefore, we should be in the forefront in whatever happens on the continent. We should not be last in this process. I will ask the ViceChairperson, who is here representing the AU, to take the message that PAP is not very pleased with the process as far as its involvement is concerned. We should be in the forefront. We should be made to be seen to lead in this process and not following. Also, whenever there is a process about money collection, keeping or disbursement, PAP should be represented very seriously.The third point I wanted to make is the administrative aspect of this. We know that after the money has been collected, the use of the monies is very important. Most of the money that has been due to PAP for the last two or three years that I have been here has been cut-down to a certain percentage. That is also not fair because it means most of the work of PAP cannot be carried out very seriously. Here, we have Members of PAP travelling third class in planes, accommodation and so on. That is very unsatisfactory; they are clamped up instead of travelling in business class. This matter should be looked into because the money has been used for purposes for which it was not intended. This error should be corrected.There is the question of the Trust Fund in PAP. We have seen the reports that emanated lasted year regarding the misuse or misplacement of funds that were given to the Trust Fund. This has to be looked into very carefully and I hope this will not be repeated because much of the money has been lost in that process. We are going to look into this very carefully from now on and we will not, in this Parliament, allow such a serious misuse of funds.Finally, Mr. President, the question of recruitment of staff is very important because much of the money goes to the payment of staff in PAP. The system of recruitment should be looked into very carefully and only appropriately qualified people engaged at PAP. Very often, the people who are brought in are not equipped intellectually or in their manner of working for them to work in this Parliament and that is a lot of misuse of funds spent on them.There are people who have been here for very long, they have worked very hard, and yet they have had no promotion. They have been stagnant in their salary scales and people who have just arrived are given higher sums of money. This type of thing is unacceptable and we should not allow it to go on. I hope, in future, the recruitment will be looked into.Mr. President, I would like to also suggest that when the recruitment phase starts anywhere and anytime in this Parliament, all Members of Parliament will be informed immediately so that there can be constructive engagements of their people in their various countries and Parliaments to make sure that the people who are duly qualified for such duties are engaged.I thank you very much, Mr. President.

LE PRESIDENT:Merci.Le temps est toujours de trois (03) minutes. La machine n’est pas encore réglée, et l’honorable SESAY Moses a eu l’opportunité d’aller en dehors du sujet.Honorable TAMBOURA Ascofaré Oulématou, Vous avez trois (03) minutes.

HON. TAMBOURA ASCOFARE OULÉMATOU [MALI]:Merci, Monsieur le Président.Je voudrais féliciter Monsieur Erastus, pour sa présentation de qualité. Je me réjouis de l’opportunité qu’on nous offre pour parler de cette question importante - j’allais dire - vitale pour notre organisation.Le PAP a un rôle important à jouer dans l’intégration du continent. Il est crucial qu’il puisse bénéficier de moyens à hauteur de sa mission. Moins de 05% du budget de l’Union africaine alloué au PAP me paraît extrêmement faible.Le fait que l’Union africaine soit financièrement dépendante des partenaires au développement extérieur est une situation aussi préoccupante.L’Union africaine, en tant qu’instrument de souveraineté de l’ensemble du peuple africain, doit être soutenue d’abord par les africains. Ne dit-on pas que la main qui reçoit est toujours audessous de celle qui donne?Le PAP est disposé à jouer son rôle, comme le conférencier l’a demandé, mais il a aussi besoin du soutien de l’Union africaine et, là, j’en appelle au premier Vice-président, pour qu’au niveau de la Commission, une attention plus particulière soit retenue et soit accordée au financement du Parlement panafricain.Nous devons rester vigilants afin que le continent ne soit pas divisé et que nous assistions, impuissants, à la déstabilisation des pays capables de faire avancer notre organisation et capables d’aider le continent à avancer, telles la Lybie, l’Egypte et l’Algérie, qui sont dans des situations que tout le monde connait.J’ai deux questions à l’attention du conférencier: où en sommes-nous avec la création du Fonds Monétaire Africain (FMA)? Et, à quand la monnaie continentale?Je vous remercie.

LE PRESIDENT:Merci.Honorable Serifo BALDE.

HON. SERIFO BALDÉ [GUINÉ- BISSAU]:-Obrigado, Presidente.Quero felicitar o apresentador do Relatório da Comissâo Financeira. Quero referir-me ao ponto da relaçâo entre o Parlamento Pan-Africano e os Parlamentos Nacionais, no que concerne ao apoio à participaçâo dos Deputados nas reunioes Plenárias ou sessoes especiais do Parlamento PanAfricano. Eu gostaria que esses contactos fossem extensivos aos Chefes de Governo, e nos nossos países em concreto, quem decide sobre as viagens - per diem - dos Deputados é o Governo.Nós já estamos no segundo problema, porque desde a nossa primeira participaçâo tivemos problemas financeiros. O Governo nâo pôde darnos o necessário para podermos vir e, fomos obrigados a participar com os nossos fundos pessoais.E, desta vez, o Governo fez todas as manobras para nâo podermos vir e participar nesta reuniâo magna, o que fez com que chegássemos atrasados, após quase uma semana de trabalhos.Portanto, sugeria que esses contactos fossem extensivos nâo só aos presidentes dos Parlamentos Nacionais, mas sim aos Chefes de Governo ou entâo Ministros das Finanças dos nossos países, para estarem sensíveis à execuçâo do Orçamento Geral do Estado, porque as nossas viagens, para participarmos nas reunioes plenárias do PAP sâo previstas no Orçamento Geral do Estado. O que nós exigimos, é só o cumprimento do que está no Orçamento Geral do Estado.Obrigado, Presidente!

HON. KANAGBARO III BAI KURR [SIERRA LEONE]:Thank you, Mr. President.I would like to thank the Deputy Chairperson of the AUC for this very thorough report he has given us this morning and in which he has posed some key questions. He said, we have what it takes for Africa to develop. That is a very good statement coming from the AU and he also talked about integration. He gave us some advice on the need to reform Parliament.In doing so, I think the AU Commission must come out very strongly to recommend to the AU, that is, the General Assembly, that what we need is a totally united countries of Africa. He talked about integration. He came close to begging the question, but the issue there is unity. We have to be a united continent for us to be a powerful nation in this global setting. He mentioned key issues of the budget that 75 per cent of the budget of the AU is from five member states. I may guess those five member states, I stand to be corrected. I will guess that South Africa, Nigeria, Libya, Algeria and Egypt are the five member states; I stand to be corrected on that.Now that Libya and Egypt are going through a transformation, going through wars and inconsistence, where are we going to get the money? That is why you said you have set up a Committee headed by former President Obasanjo to look into this matter. I, therefore, also advise the Bureau here and all of us to begin to see where we can source funding so that we might be in a position to run Parliament in accordance with the Charter and Protocol of the AU.He talked of the employment issue, peace, security, development, shared values, integration...The Hon. Member’s time expired.

HON. FARHAT LUTFI MOHAMED [LIBYA]السيد الرئيس ، شكرا لمنحي الكلمة ،أنتهز هذه الفرصة، ألعبر عن تقديري للجهود التي تبذلها مفوضية اإلتحاد اإلفريقي وأثمن التقرير الذي قدم لنا في هذه الجلسة ، وأريد أن أضع أمام اإلتحاد اإلفريقي من خالل المفوضية، بعض المالحظات التي أراها ضرورية لعمل البرلمان اإلفريقي :أوال ، البرلمان اإلفريقي أحد أجهزة اإلتحاد اإلفريقي وهو الجهاز الذي يمثل جماهير القارة اإلفريقية وحتى يتمكن هذا الجهاز من تأدية وظائفه، البد من إعطائه اإلمكانيات المالية والمادية الالزمة لتأدية دوره بإستقاللية وكفاءة . ثانيا، يجب أن يمكن البرلمان اإلفريقي من القيام بدوره في مراقبة اإلنتخابات بشكل مستقل، ذلك ألن دور البرلمان يختلف عن غيره من األجهزة األخرى وال ينبغي أن يكون رأي البرلمان فيما يتعلق بتقييم نتائج اإلنتخابات متداخال، مع تلك األجهزة.ثالثا ، فيما يتعلق باألمن والسلم، فإن دور البرلمان في غاية األهمية، ألنه يعبر عن رأي الجماهير، ولذلك البد أن يمكن من خالل تشكيل فرق تهتم بجمع المعلومات من مصادرها في المناطق التي تتعرض لإلختالل األمني والسلم واإلستقرار فيها، حتى يتمكن من إبداء رأيه في كيفية معالجة األمور والبد أن تدعم ميزانيته باألموال الالزمة لتحقيق هذا الهدف .وأخيرا، فإنني أتمنى مزيدا من التعاون بين المفوضية والبرلمان اإلفريقي، خاصة في ما يتعلق بإعداد ميزانية اإلتحاد ومناقشتها .

HON. MOISERAELE MASTER GOYA [BOTSWANA]:Thank you, Mr. President, for giving me the Floor.I think you will agree with me that it is, indeed, gratifying that within a space of two days, we have received two representatives from the AUC, both of them talking with one voice, reading from the same book and not necessarily from the same book, but the same page about the role that PAP should play in matters affecting the continent.Deputy Chairperson, you have, indeed, said a mouthful about matters pertaining to the financial and administrative affairs of the AUC. You have mentioned so many things, ranging from the micro-economic factors that are affecting the continent and we are grateful to hear all those things.However, what is important is to ensure that the AU makes a point that all these micro-economic factors, for instance, the growth of the African economy by 5.4 per cent in 2011 improves the lives of the African people. Let us not just talk about the good goals in the economy which do not result in improving the lives of the African people. Mr. Chairperson, I would like you to know that we, as PAP, embrace the idea of approving the AU Budget in the July Summit that will take place this year. We believe that this will actually go a long way in improving the implementation capacity of the budget, not only of the AU, but also of PAP. Deputy Chairperson, through you, Mr. President, I wish to say that it seems the AU does not take PAP seriously, more especially when it comes to the issue of the AU Budget.The issue of procedure, Mr. President, as stipulated in Rule 4 (g) reads:"The Pan-African Parliament must examine and debate the budget of the AU and make recommendations thereon prior to its approval by the Assembly."This has not taken place and it does not augur well with us, Deputy Chairperson, that every time the budget of the AU is being discussed, it is only discussed by the Executive. We take the AU as the Executive and we, as Parliament, to be the Legislature, even though our role is only subjected to advisory and consultative. I believe we should have a say in advising the AU in terms of how it allocates its resources...The Hon. Member’s time expired.

HON. BABOU ABDOULAYE [SENEGAL]:Je vous remercie, Monsieur le Président.Je voudrais aussi, à mon tour, remercier le Viceprésident de la Commission de l’Union africaine, pour son exposé.A l’entendre, on comprend parfaitement que le PAP ne trouve pas un rôle important dans les questions financières de l’UA; 5% du budget, ça ne représente pas grand-chose! Par contre, l’essentiel du budget de l’Union africaine est consacré aux problèmes de sécurité et de maintien de la paix, particulièrement dans les pays en conflits.Pour le PAP, il faut maintenant reconsidérer son rôle.Le PAP représente les populations et sera le futur organe législatif. Alors, comment le PAP pourrat-il évoluer avec 5% de budget, pour accomplir ses missions? Ceci est parfaitement intenable. Par conséquent, il faudra revoir tout le chronogramme.Pour le reste, dans la pratique, nous l’avons vécu sur le terrain: certains parmi nous ont été observateurs d’élections à l’Ile Maurice et, qu’estce qui s’est passé?D’abord, nous avons voyagé en classe économique. Une fois, à Maurice, nous avons vu que les per diem étaient divisés par deux. Nous avons remarqué qu’il y avait une nette différence de traitement entre ceux qui venaient de l’Union africaine et ceux du PAP. Ceci est tout à fait inadmissible!Je pense que le PAP doit se battre pour avoir en son sein tout (...)Donc, ce qui concerne les élections doit être régi par le PAP. Dans tous les pays du monde, c’est l’organe législatif qui s’occupe des élections et non l’organe exécutif.Je voudrais, tout juste, poser une question à l’intervenant: la Libye est un grand contributeur dans le budget de l’Union africaine. Aujourd’hui que la Libye est en conflit, vous attendez-vous à une démission de son rôle? Ou bien y a-t-il des alternatives?Je vous remercie.

LE PRESIDENT:Merci.

HON. MATAMISA ERIMENZIAH EDITOR [ZIMBABWE]:Mr. President, let me add my voice to this debate before the House. To start with, I would like to really appreciate the fact that even His Excellency acknowledges the good working relationship that now exists between PAP and the AUC. I also understand the global financial crisis which was referred to by His Excellency ..

UN HONORABLE MEMBRE:Il n’y a pas d’interprétation!

LE PRESIDENT:Traduction! Interprétation! Français.

HON. MATAMISA ERIMENZIAH EDITOR [ZIMBABWE]:Mr. President, I said that I would like to thank His Excellency for acknowledging that .

THE PRESIDENT:Hold on, Hon. Member.Okay, you can now go on.

HON. MATAMISA ERIMENZIAH EDITOR [ZIMBABWE]:Mr. President, I would like to thank His Excellency for acknowledging that, currently, there is a good working relationship between PAP and the AUC. I also understand the global financial crisis which he made reference to, but I also hope that he understands the place and role of PAP in relation to the AU. PAP, as a Parliament, depends on Committee activities just like national parliaments. My question would be: how does he envisage PAP’s performance without nonstatutory Committee business due to lack of substantial funding?Mr. President, considering the issue of the revision of the Protocol establishing the African Economic Community (AEC) relating to PAP, we also understand, as Parliamentarians, that the issue will only be brought to the AUC after the AU Assembly Summit. If so and if I am correctly informed, does it make sense and how long are we going to wait before PAP is given full legislative powers?Mr. President, I have been looking at the budget that has been given to us by His Excellency for peace keeping and as I looked at it, I found the situation deplorable. There is a saying that says that prevention is better than cure, but the AU feels that it is better to wait until situations explode and then start fire fighting. Crisis management has become the norm, but it is a big sign of failure. The AU must deal decisively with non-performing governments to curb crises in Africa.May I also bring to the attention of His Excellency the fact that, currently, as an organ, you have put in place PAP to create jobs for the African nationals only and not as an essential organ of the AU. This is so because workers are getting their salaries, while the Parliamentarians are being denied a platform on which they could be useful to Africa. Give it a consideration, Sir. The people’s voice must be heard and be heard now.I thank you.

HON. ENGOHANG OBIANG GASTON [GABON]:Merci, Monsieur le Président.J’ai bien suivi le rapport du Vice-président de la Commission de l’Union africaine. Je voudrais rappeler ce qu’il a dit: « [il] ne comprend pas pourquoi les élections sont source de conflits en Afrique ».Il est évident que, dans les pays africains, quand nous organisons des élections, nous nous appuyons généralement sur le code national électoral. Mais, ces différents codes ne sont pas parfaits et, le plus souvent, à la fin de chaque élection, il y a toujours des problèmes et des conflits qui naissent.C’est pourquoi je voulais dire au Vice-président de la Commission de l’Union africaine, que le PAP a un rôle important à jouer dans cette affaire. Parce que si le PAP, aujourd’hui, était un organe législatif, son premier travail serait, donc, de rédiger le code électoral africain, qui sera supérieur aux différents codes nationaux que nous utilisons.Je crois que cela éviterait certains conflits postélectoraux que nous vivons régulièrement.Pour ce faire, je voudrais que le Vice-président soit notre interprète pour que, très prochainement, à la Conférence des Présidents, on transforme le PAP en un organe législatif.Voilà, un peu, l’intervention que je voulais faire, Monsieur le Président.Merci.

LE PRESIDENT:Merci beaucoup, honorable OBIANG.Honorable KANE Bocar Sadikh.

HON. KANE BOCAR SADIKH [SENEGAL]:Merci, Monsieur le PrésidentMonsieur le Président,Tout d’abord, je félicite le Vice-président de la Commission de l’Union africaine, Monsieur Erastus J.O. MWENCHA, pour son intervention brillante qui rejoint celle de son collègue, le Commissaire à la Sécurité et à la Paix, que nous avons écouté également, hier, avec beaucoup d’attention.Cela m’amène également à féliciter le Président du PAP qui, depuis son avènement à la tête de notre Institution, nous a permis, quand même, de partager beaucoup de choses avec l’Union africaine.On a parlé, tout à l’heure, de valeurs partagées. Je pense que cela doit être, d’abord, à l’interne, et nous constatons que les problèmes, nous les vivons avec eux, nous les partageons. Il n’y a pas de dialogue de sourds, comme c’était le cas, il y a quelques années. Je pense que, ne serait-ce que pour ce cas-là, nous avons fait des pas en avant, puisque c’est dans le cadre du dialogue et du partage qu’ensemble, nous allons trouver des solutions pour l’intérêt de notre continent.Ceci étant dit, Monsieur le Président, les ressources de l’Union africaine - au regard du budget qui tourne autour de 256 millions de dollars - sont extrêmement faibles. Et, si ces ressources doivent être partagées entre les différents organes de l’Union africaine, cela va sans dire que chaque organe va recevoir une portion congrue; ce qui est effectivement le cas. Mais, je pense que - mes prédécesseurs l’ont dit, tout à l’heure - il est bon que l’on essaie de voir, au niveau de l’Union africaine, de sensibiliser ses membres, pour qu’ils comprennent que le troisième organe de l’Union, que nous sommes, devra être l’élément déclencheur des valeurs partagées, évoquées et, donc, la prise en charge à 90% au niveau de la Commission de l’Union africaine.Les problèmes de la démocratie, de la bonne gouvernance, le développement de la citoyenneté, je pense que tous ces éléments-là doivent partir de ceux-là qui représentent les populations africaines. Je pense qu’en cela, il sera important de continuer les négociations, pour que certains programmes légers, au niveau de la Commission de l’Union africaine, soient transférés au niveau du Parlement Panafricain.Je suis d’accord avec Monsieur le Vice-président, quand il a pris l’exemple de la CEDEAO, où le fonctionnement des organes est fait sur la base d’un prélèvement communautaire et, donc, il n’y a pas de problèmes de financement.Je pense également qu’il va falloir, au niveau de notre Parlement, qu’on les accompagne dans la réflexion, pour que les fonds destinés au fonctionnement de l’Union africaine ne dépendent pas (...)(Temps de parole épuisé)

LE PRESIDENT:Merci beaucoup honorable KANE Bocar Sadikh. Honorable COULIBALY Kadidiatou Samaké.

HON. COULIBALY KADIDIATOU SAMAKE [MALI]:Merci, Monsieur le Président.A mon tour, je voudrais féliciter le Président de la Commission de l’Union africaine, pour toutes les informations qu’il nous a communiquées, ce matin.Monsieur le Président,Je voudrais exprimer ma préoccupation quant à l’avenir de l’Union africaine. L’Union traverse une période difficile avec les différentes crises en Lybie, en Egypte et dans d’autres pays du Maghreb.Je pense que, pour le financement, il faut trouver d’autres alternatives. A mon avis, malgré les difficultés financières de nos pays, les premiers efforts doivent venir de nos pays.A travers tous les débats que nous avons eus, ici, hier, nous avons fustigé l’intervention de la Communauté internationale dans nos Etats. Nous avons souhaité que l’Union africaine gère les problèmes, les conflits en Afrique, plutôt que la Communauté internationale.Si nous voulons vraiment asseoir notre suprématie dans ce domaine, il faudra que nous soyons indépendants, en même temps, financièrement et politiquement. C’est pour cela que j’insiste sur l’apport des pays.Il a été proposé ou bien fait allusion au fonctionnement financier de la CEDEAO. Je pense que c’est un exemple concret. C’est vrai que nos pays sont pauvres, mais nos chefs d’Etats sont riches, et je crois qu’il y a, effectivement, des ressources dans nos pays; le reste est une question d’organisation.Donc, mon intervention se situait dans ce sens-là, que le premier effort ce n’est pas d’aller chercher l’argent, ailleurs. L’argent qui vient d’ailleurs doit venir en complément de ce que nous arrivons à économiser au niveau de nos pays.En dernier point, Monsieur le Président, je suis resté sur ma faim, concernant le point sur les valeurs partagées.C’est pourquoi je souhaiterais que l’exposé qui a été fait, ce matin, nous soit transmis, avant notre départ dans nos pays, pour que les débats puissent continuer au niveau de nos parlements nationaux. Je vous remercie.

HON. CHARUMBIRA FORTUNE [ZIMBABWE]:Thank you, Mr. President. I also would like to thank Commissioner Mwencha for the presentation.Commissioner Mwencha mentioned the good relationship that has developed between PAP and the AUC and thanked the Bureau and the President for that good effort. We also expect the AUC to reward PAP for being good after a bad relationship.May you enlighten us on why the monies given to PAP by development partners, through the AUC, have been cut by half. The money was given to PAP, but the AUC has cut it by half and we have lost a lot.The other issue is the class of travel by Hon. Members. Others have touched on it. The AUC, I want to say has not been very honest. Over the past six years, you have not wanted to include PAP and its various levels such as Members of Parliament and staff into your Staff Regulations. You amended the regulations only last year and this was after PAP had been in existence for more than five years, but surprisingly PAP was omitted. Therefore, when we travel business class, you say the rules do not provide for that, but then when we are in economy, you say, ours is economy. What I have said is that the rules are silent, but you want us to go the inferior way. You do not want to give us what we deserve which is the superior class and as a result, we believe we are being short-changed because we do not participate in the drafting of these rules. You do it on your own in Addis Ababa.In our absence, you exclude us and then when we do the wrong thing, you quote the rules. You say there is nothing like that in the rules. When a right thing is done, then you say no, rule so and so says this. I want to refer to the sitting allowance and other allowances, in particular. For two years now, these are not indicated in our budget. Previously, you said what we did was irregular so we removed them so that we can regularise. Now for two years, the AUC is silent. You are not rewarding us even for the good behaviour which you have mentioned.The last point is on the Protocol. As you know, the AUC Budget should be presented to the disciplinary PAP Plenary.However, that has never happened. Can you comment on these issues?I thank you.

HON. KPARKAR EUGENE [LIBERIA]:Mr. President, thank you very much for giving me the opportunity to get a tick on this very intriguing topic which has to do with the Financial Report of the African Union Commission.Mr. President, I would like to thank the Deputy Chairperson for his exposé to this august body. As I indicated last week, Mr. President, everyone here knows that the AU is in financial tatters at the moment because of the financial problems that we are faced with. How do we rectify the situation? I think we have to proffer ways and suggestions of how we can come out of this serious problem.Last time, I said that it would be but best to replicate the example of the ECOWAS Parliament. I think that was re-emphasised yesterday when the Commissioner met us in this Chamber. I believe the imposition of the AU Trade Levy will make the AU financially viable, instead of incessantly begging for arms from the EU and other institutions the world over.At this moment in time, we understand and know what is happening in Africa. I believe most of the big donor countries are gradually pulling out because of the problems that they are faced with. These are Egypt, Libya and many other countries that have been contributing to the AU. This, therefore, makes it a very serious problem. I believe, now is the time for us to start thinking about the issue of this trade levy so that we do not have this problem of funding year in and year out. As I indicated to you last time, this Chamber is completely empty because of the financial difficulties that this Parliament has.If this Parliament was financially viable, I believe, it should have been incumbent on Parliament to send air tickets for Members and that would compel attendance. However, once you leave it in the hands of the national Parliaments, many national Parliaments will not assist their Members to attend...The Hon. Member’s time expired.

HON. IYAMUREMYE AUGUSTIN [RWANDA]:Je vous remercie, Monsieur le Président, de m’accorder la parole.Monsieur le Président,J’ai bien apprécié la présentation de Son Excellence, Monsieur le Vice-président de la Commission de l’Union africaine. Il a souligné, notamment, le rôle du Parlement panafricain et s’est félicité des bonnes relations de travail avec la Commission de l’Union africaine.Je suis de son avis mais, Monsieur le Président, j’ai le regret de constater que cette collaboration n’est pas toujours facile, surtout en ce qui concerne le travail avec certains Commissaires de l’Union africaine.Monsieur le Président,Nous avons deux sessions par an. Comme dans tous nos pays, le Parlement travaille avec l’Exécutif. Nous devrions, au cours de chaque session, nous pencher sur les rapports de toutes les Commissions.Les Commissions du Parlement panafricain sont calquées sur celles de l’Union africaine. Donc, chaque fois que nous venons ici, notre travail devrait consister d’abord à l’examen des rapports de ces Commissions, entendre les différents Commissaires sur les défis qui sont des leurs, dans la mise en œuvre de la politique de l’Union africaine.Monsieur le Président,Nous avons régulièrement un ou deux Commissaires uniquement. C’est surtout le problème de paix et de sécurité en Afrique, qui semble être le monopole des débats.Je voudrais rappeler, Monsieur le Président, que si nous n’avons ni la paix, ni la sécurité en Afrique, c’est lié aux conséquences de la pauvreté, de la famine, de la mauvaise gestion des ressources et de la mal gouvernance. Si nous ne nous débarrassons pas de ces problèmes, nous allons éternellement parler du manque de paix et de sécurité.Monsieur le Président,Un jour, j’étais en visite en Chine avec un Président qui a dit à son homologue de la Chine: « Nous sommes étonnés. Comment pouvez-vous gouverner un milliard et demi de personnes et vous n’avez pas de conflits? » Et le Président de la Chine de répondre: « Notre secret, c’est que nous sommes parvenus à nourrir ce milliard et demi de Chinois. Si, en Afrique, vous nourrissez vos populations, vous aurez la paix, vous aurez la sécurité ».Monsieur le Président,Je voudrais faire appel au Vice-président de la Commission de l’Union africaine, pour qu’il soit l’interprète, que (...)(Temps de parole épuisé) (Applaudissements)

HON. ALI BAHARI [KENYA]:Thank you, Mr. President, for this opportunity. I will try to be as brief as is possible. I want to thank the Vice-Chairperson of the Commission of the AUC because I realise that we are reading from the same page on a lot of issues. On the microeconomic issues, I do realise there are a lot of issues that Members here have raised with the Commission and I hope they will be able to handle them.Mr. President, from the presentation, it is quite clear that we understand that the issue in Africa is about leadership. The pillars that the ViceChairperson has are integration, development, partnership, shared values, efficiency, capacity building and the others. If our leadership is up to a certain level and the summit is committed thereto, then I have no doubt that our problems will be sorted out.It is quite clear that we are given lip-service because, as you can see, when revolutions are coming in, like now, we end up finding a lot of resources that have been stashed away by the Heads of State. I think it will not help to praise you, Vice-Chairperson. We must say exactly where the problem lies. If the issue is financial, then we share the same values and if we share the same values of integration, good governance and efficiency, why are we stashing away all these funds out of our states? We are preaching one thing and doing completely the opposite. Let us be honest with each other and we will serve the people of Africa.Secondly, Mr. President, on the issue that the Hon. Chief has raised regarding legislation, there are a lot of things that we will not necessarily need for PAP to be a legislative body and for the Protocol to be approved. There are a lot of administrative issues that can be sorted out at present. Please, let us sort out these issues.Regarding the issue of the economy class, allowances and responsibility allowances, this Parliament is just operating at minimum. Indeed, it is almost going below the bare minimum and it is not fair because you expect us to carry out some responsibilities, but if we are not funded, we cannot do that. It is all a dream so far.Mr. President, I think inadequate resources also destabilise this institution which is already very weak because Members will feel that it is the Bureau which is not doing its job. Yet I can see everything is in the court of the AU and, therefore,...The hon. Member’s time expired.

HON. MAKGALEMELE DIKGANG PHILLIP [BOTSWANA]:Mr. President, just like my other colleagues, I want to start by thanking Commissioner Mwencha for a very informative, balanced and objective presentation.Mr. President, the budget and other associated financial instruments are very important documents. They must adequately respond to challenges of any organisation and not be static. It is against that background that I want to agree with the AU as regards their following the principle of allocating the bulk of the budget to peace and security, given the current challenges facing Africa.Mr. President, as my other colleagues who have already contributed said, the issue of financial sustainability is very important both to the AU and PAP. I want to thank the AU for having taken a deliberate decision to look at this matter much more seriously by putting together a Committee of Eminent Persons led by the former President Hon. Obasanjo. I want to appeal that, as this Committee undertakes its assignment, it consults PAP as much as possible. It must come to the PAP Assembly and share its observations and allow us to come up with proposals.In conclusion, I want to pose three questions to the Commissioner. Firstly, I want to know the five member states that contribute 70 per cent of the total contributions. Secondly, I want to know the level of membership fees that have been paid and not paid by member organisations. Lastly, I would like to find out how the AU Budget compares to the budget of the European Union (EU).I thank you, Mr. President.

HON. CONIQUET RADEMBINO RENE [GABON]:Merci, Monsieur le Président.Merci, Monsieur le 1er Vice-président de l’Union africaine.Je suis heureux, ce jour, parce que c’est la première fois que l’Union africaine vient nous parler de problèmes budgétaires et d’organisation administrative. Soyez-en félicités.Le problème préoccupant, ce sont les recettes, pour que l’Union africaine, notamment le Parlement panafricain devienne autonome et ait des moyens. Et, pour avoir des recettes, qu’est-ce qu’on fait? On fait une programmation d’abord dans l’ensemble des dépenses qui sont obligatoires et, à partir de là, on essaye de trouver les recettes correspondantes.Quelqu’un l’a déjà dit: c’est très facile, il suffit d’un prélèvement collectif communautaire. Par exemple, tous les Etats ont la TVA, on peut décider, connaissant l’obligation de nos dépenses, de prendre un prélèvement évidemment proportionnel à la valeur pour pouvoir financer d’une manière régulière notre organisation et permettre ainsi à tous les organes de bien fonctionner. Ça, c’est sur le plan budgétaire et sur le plan des financements.Sur le plan des ressources humaines, j’aimerais savoir: quels sont les critères utilisés pour recruter en dehors des personnels politiques?Parce qu’il semblerait qu’il y a des Etats qui ne sont pas du tout représentés, j’aimerais savoir ce qui se fait.Pour ce qui la bonne gouvernance, je crois qu’elle est une chose qui peut se faire facilement.Le principe est que les lois et les règlements sont fixés; ceux qui exécutent appliquent, et s’ils n’appliquent pas, ils sont sanctionnés. Donc, s’il y a des principes, on les applique. Si les principes ne sont pas appliqués, on sanctionne. C’est cela la bonne gouvernance, je crois. Or, il se trouve que, dans la plupart de nos pays, ces principes ne sont pas du tout appliqués.Tout ce qui a été dit avant moi, c’est dans le bon sens, et j’aimerais que ce qui est fait aujourd’hui, puisse se poursuivre à l’avenir, et que notamment en revenant aux principes de la bonne gouvernance, il n’y a que le Parlement panafricain par les lois dans les domaines qui lui sont assignés qui seront appliquées et qui prévoiront évidemment des sanctions. La bonne gouvernance peut aussi se mettre en pratique.Maintenant, le temps est très court, je m’arrête sur ce point-là.Je vous remercie, Monsieur le Président.

HON. MUKABARANGA AGNÈS [RWANDA]:Merci, Monsieur le Président.Je joins ma voix à celle des collègues qui ont parlé auparavant, pour féliciter le Vice-président de l’Union africaine, pour avoir fait l’effort de venir nous entretenir de cette question importante.Monsieur le Président,L’Union africaine évolue dans un moment de crises, mais il faut continuer à parler d’intégration; cette vision si chère et si importante, c’est la seule voie, Monsieur le Président, parce que l’union fait la force. Même l’Union européenne est entrain de se réunir maintenant. Ensemble, nous serons plus compétitifs. Ensemble, notre voix sera plus entendue.Monsieur le président,Quant au budget de l’Union africaine, je voudrais dire que, dans l’immédiat, on n’a pas d’autres choix. Il faut mettre de la force dans la collecte des cotisations. L’Acte constitutif de l’Union africaine est clair; l’article 23 impose des sanctions à l’encontre de ceux qui ne payent pas. Il va jusqu’à dire qu’il leur sera nié le droit de parler, le droit de voter, de présenter des candidats, pour n’importe quelle position de l’Union africaine et d’autres avantages qu’ils vont perdre. Cela veut dire qu’ils ne devraient même pas « donner » des députés au Parlement panafricain. Et je vous assure que cela fait mal, quand on n’est pas membre de l’Union africaine. Il faut que l’on applique ces sanctions.Monsieur le Président,J’ai beaucoup apprécié que, dans la nouvelle vision de l’Union africaine, il y ait quatre piliers qui sont inter-liés: la paix et la sécurité, le développement, les valeurs partagées et le renforcement des capacités.Monsieur le Président,Pour ces valeurs partagées, cela veut dire, pour le PAP, que la bonne gouvernance et la démocratie, même les droits de l’Homme, la Commission africaine des droits de l’Homme, la Cour africaine des droits de l’Homme et des peuples, devraient être plus proactifs.Je constate qu’on ne leur donne que respectivement 5%, 3%, 3.7%.Qu’est-ce que ces Institutions peuvent faire?Et, pourtant c’est le moment, Monsieur le Président, que ces Institutions contribuent et épaulent l’Union africaine. L’Union africaine ne peut faire seule tout le travail qui leur incombe. C’est le principe de la séparation des pouvoirs.J’invite le Vice-président à revoir ce budget, parce que la démocratie, les droits de l’Homme et tous les suppléments de ces valeurs chères, quand elles ne fonctionnent pas effectivement (...) (Temps de parole épuisé)

HON. LAHAI BERNADETTE [SIERRA LEONE]:Thank you, Mr. President for giving me the Floor. Let me start with the premise that peace and security is the end which every African country should strive to achieve. To achieve peace and security, we must invest in the other identified pillars of integration, development, partnership, shared values and institutional capacity.I think what we are doing in Africa or the AU is putting the cart before the horse because whatever we do, if we get our integration right, if we get our development and partnership right, we contribute effectively to peace, security and stability in the continent. For example, we cannot have a peaceful continent where its population goes to bed hungry, the infrastructure is not developed and the human capacity and institutional capacities are not right. I am not surprised that because we are not putting our priorities right, we continue to spend more money on peace and security.We are told that 42 per cent of the budget allocated to the AUC is spent on peace and security. It is even appalling to know that USD$12 million is spent monthly in addressing the issue in Somalia which is even more than what is being spent annually on PAP. This actually begs the question; are we getting our priorities right? I think we are not. We should see peace and security as the apex of the triangle and the base being all the other pillars.In addition, whatever we do should be building up to peace and security. In this view, maybe, we should go back and look at what we are doing and try to allocate our budgets according to the needs of Africa which are development and integration. When we do all this, then we are sure to have peace. It is like seeking the Kingdom of Heaven. Peace is in the Kingdom of Heaven. Once we seek the Kingdom of Heaven, everything is alright. That is what I have to say.Thank you, Mr. President.

HON. PRITHVIRAJSING ROOPUN [MAURITIUS]:Mr. President, I did not mean to comment on the report of the Deputy Chairperson or the Report of the Committee on Administration and Financial Evaluation (CAFE), but since I have been given the Floor, may I simply ask him a question.From what I gathered from the intervention he spelled out today and the interventions cited by the speaker from the AUC, it seems there is a lot of mistrust about the way the PAP is being administered. What does the Deputy Chairperson expect PAP to do to clear the mistrust? What should PAP, the Bureau and all the Hon. Members do to have the trust which existed at the time PAP was formed?I thank you.

LE PRESIDENT:Merci beaucoup.J’invite, à présent, Son Excellence MWENCHA, Vice-président de la Commission de l’Union africaine, à apprécier les contributions des parlementaires et à répondre.

H.E. ERASTUS J. O MWENCHA [DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON OF AUC]:Mr. President, let me, first of all, thank the Hon. Members who have contributed to the presentation for their valuable comments and observations that have enriched our understanding of the subject that is before us. I would also like to thank the Hon. Members for their suggestions that I believe will also help us to develop this mutual co-operation as we move forward.I need to deal with quite a number of principal issues that have been raised which touch on the role of PAP, on matters pertaining to finance and administration, alternative sources of financing which have been suggested and the five Member States, among others. I need not elaborate the topics, but deal with each and every question on its own. I hope in so doing, I will also be able to respond to specific points that have been raised by Hon. Members.Mr. President, first of all, let me talk about the role of PAP as an oversight body as envisaged in the Constitutive Act and practice and also the conflict that exists between the Rules of Procedure of PAP and how we, as a Commission, operate. It has been rightly mentioned that, according to Rules of Procedure, the budget should be submitted to Parliament before it is considered by policy organs.If you read the Financial Rules and Regulations that guide the Commission, they are in opposite direction. Our Financial Rules and Procedure require that we submit the budget to the subcommittee of the Permanent Representatives which is known as the Sub-Committee on the Budgetary and Administrative Matters. In fact, they also give us a timeframe within which the budget must be submitted which is beginning of November/December. It is then considered, submitted to the Executive Council in January and presented to the Assembly end of January.Mr. President, as the Hon. Members mentioned, this House has two sessions; one which is in May, like this current session and another one in October. Both are outside the Financial Rules and Regulations. These are the matters which we should harmonise and try to see the contradiction that exists in terms of procedures that we, as a commission, operate under and which are also given to us by the Permanent Representative Committee which is a Committee that prepares for the agenda of the Executive Council.As a commission, we have no problem presenting the budget before Parliament. We believe that ownership of the integration of the continent, better understanding of the systems of the continent and what we are all doing can only be enhanced if we work together. We also believe that, on this issue, we are on the same page. This is a matter that we hope can be addressed in the current revision of the Protocol that is before the Permanent Representative and which will belong to the Executive Council.Mr. President, related to that are questions concerning what I would call terms and conditions of service of Members of Parliament. This is an issue that is contained in the current Constitutive Act which sees the current Parliament, as currently constituted, as advisory. During the first phase of PAP, the national parliaments were requested to bear the burden of participation at these sittings. It is envisaged that only after the revision will the AU assume more responsibility of the conditions and terms of participation of PAP. This, again, is a matter that we believe and hope will be dealt with in the Protocol. If not, I hope that we can find a forum for consultations and discussions on these matters.Let me reiterate here that, as a commission, we find ourselves in the same boat as yourselves. Although you say that you believe that we form part of the Executive, we also appear before the Executive, just as you do, to plead our case and that is why we believe our talking from one page and with one voice, as we are, is a good beginning for us to secure more of our interests.In that regard, there was a question that was asked concerning the relationship and why that relationship cannot be restored to what was initially envisaged as the function of PAP and how it is performing now. I am not privy to what evolved ever since this Parliament was put in place, but I know that when I assumed office three years ago; we encountered a somewhat hostile relationship between the Permanent Representative Committee and PAP. However, I must say what I said in the introductory remarks that this has improved significantly and I leave it to you to judge what has happened because many of you have been here long enough and may appreciate what the genesis of that challenge was and how it has changed.I would also like to mention here that the AUC, as many of you have rightly underscored, believes that Africa cannot be developed by strong women and men, but through strong institutions. We believe that of those institutions, PAP should be one of them if, indeed, we are to walk down the road of integration. It would be a contradiction on our part to see a weak Parliament while thinking about integration. That integration, in essence, entails having a strong Parliament as a foundation and basis.In fact, as it is envisaged, we need a Parliament that would have direct representation in the sense that you are directly elected by the people and can speak for and on behalf of the people of the continent. Of course, we also would like to see this Parliament enjoy those aspects that are there at the national level such as the Parliament, the Judiciary and the Executive operating as equal and parallel institutions for balance and assuming the role of checks and balances. This is the vision we have together and that we can realise together by our working together and speaking with one voice. What I listened to this morning is that desire that we walk together along that path.Mr. President, a question was asked concerning the five member states that contributed 75 per cent of the budget. One Hon. Member mentioned that these members are South Africa, Nigeria, Libya, Algeria and Egypt. However, I must quickly add that we are not yet in a crisis as such. Both Algeria and Egypt are not in any crisis at the moment. They are in transition, have talked to us, assured us that they will continue to meet their obligations and that they remain in good standing.This is also a path that I should also use to respond to one question raised by an Hon. Member on whether we have serious arrears. I would say no. The five members who pay 75 per cent have been very regular in their commitments plus the other members who meet the other 25 per cent of the budget have also met their obligations. Therefore, the institution has been in a healthy situation in terms of contributions. The only battle that we have is that of delays. Part of that, as I mentioned, is a result of the fact that we had our budget approved end of January and had to submit to member states the share that they are supposed to contribute to the budget for that calendar year.Of course, you know the bureaucracies that are in our member states and the challenges that we face. If we send these allocations to member states beginning of February, by the time we send the capitals, the financial year may not be necessarily the same. It takes time for them to incorporate it in their national budgets and get the necessary allocations and contribute to the commission. By the time we receive these resources, sometimes it is June/July, hence the delay and the low level of budget execution. That is why we are now bringing the budget for approval so that we can give the member states adequate information for them to internalise it in their budgets so that they may also be able to contribute in time.Mr. President, a question was raised concerning issues of class of travel and the role of the commission in this, among others. The commission does not make rules. We implement them. The rules are made by the Executive Council, through the Committee of Permanent Representatives. I believe that working together through the Bureau and facing the Permanent Representative Committee, we can change some of these elements which, as I said in the presentation, do not place you in the status where you belong. We believe that this is an area, again, on which we can work together.A question was also raised concerning the slow disbursement, but also very significant reduction of the resources that are due to PAP. I believe here you were referring to specific resources that we get from the Trust Fund but, specifically, the resources from European Union Commission (EUC). The resources that have been earmarked and approved nominally in the budget were significantly reduced by the EUC by 60 per cent. It was not our reduction; but a reduction that was initiated by the EUC itself.Yesterday, I had an opportunity to explain this to you, Mr. President, that initially, when we budgeted for the EUC, we had hoped to get in excess of USD$34 million for the budget 2011. However, at the last minute, the EUC indicated that it would only be able to give us USD$15 million and yet this is the figure that we had put in the budget. That necessitated a reduction which affected Parliament and all the AU organs across the board by 60 per cent. It was not only Parliament that was affected but everybody.Mr. President, a question was raised concerning recruitment. I believe I will not touch on the recruitment at PAP. I do not know what happens, but I know what happens at the commission. One Hon. Member asked whether all the countries are represented. I can assure you that we try as much as possible to ensure that every member state participates in the management and also in the running of the institution. We have what we call allocation ceilings that each member state is entitled to. That ceiling is firstly based on the contribution to the budget by each member except for those that pay 15 per cent where we have capped the maximum. That ratio informs the recruitment.As we recruit, once a member state has, for instance, filled its allocation which could be, maybe, ten or seven positions, we do not shortlist from such a member. There are some countries from which we have not been able to get individuals to serve and there are about three or four countries in this category, but definitely not more than five. We are doing everything possible, first of all, to go for direct recruitment from those countries and request them to encourage their nationals to be interested and participate in the affairs of their continental body.Mr President, on some of the questions, I may have to go back and forth, but I believe that is dictated by the nature of the statements that were made. There was a question regarding some of the institutions that we should be having in our continent such as the African Monetary Fund, the African Central Bank and the state they are in and what we are doing to have them in place.Simply said, there is the African Finance Development Institution (AFDI), which is supposed to have its headquarters in Libya, the African Central Bank which is supposed to have its headquarters in Abuja and the African Monetary Fund which is supposed to be headquartered in Yaounde. All these institutions are still at the developmental stage. Their protocols are ready and will be going for ratification. Thereafter, they will be implemented but, in the meantime, all the aspects concerning their implementation are being developed together with the member states. This is a programme that is being managed by our Ministers of Finance.Mr. President, many Hon. Members have spoken on the point that we are spending a lot on peace and security. Whereas this is understood and appreciated, we all know, as mentioned in our statement, that peace and security and development are two sides of the same coin. I think we are speaking on the same issue here. Yes, much as we are spending on peace and security, we also need to spend on development. What we do at the continent level does not tell the entire story of what is happening in development. What we do at the continental level is only an aspect of co-ordination.We believe that a lot that is happening at the national level contributes to what we are doing regarding development. In this vein, I see your role as Members of Parliament in your respective member states as that of emphasising the point that without development, we cannot have sustainable peace. This is a message that we all cherish in the same manner. Having said that, the aspect of peace and security at continental level vis-à-vis the expenditures we incur, illustrates that our development partners have a better appetite for peace and security than development.This is why, as I said at the beginning, we have a forum where we talk with them to have development or aid effectiveness because even if they give us aid and it is only in areas where we are treating symptoms and not the cause, we will remain in that vulnerable situation that permits them to continue to intervene.Mr. President, some of the support that we get is half serving, but we appreciate the fact that, at the moment, our resources and capacity does not enable us to undertake this huge expenditure that we incur, for instance, on Somalia. There is an expenditure of well over US$10 million per month in Somalia. We appreciate their support, but also continue to point out that we need to balance the equation.As rightly mentioned by some Hon. Members, these countries are undergoing challenges, they are reducing their help here. Africa should really start looking inside and I think we have. Some of you have suggested that alternative sources like trade levy and others could be a way we could generate the resources. We are thinking in the same line. A suggestion was made that when we have this Obasanjo Committee in place, they should come and consult with you. We hope that time will allow them and resources will permit for them to come and consult with you.As you mentioned, prevention is better than cure, we believe that the best cure for prevention is for us to embark on serious development for the continent. As very clearly mentioned by some Hon. Members, growth must be inclusive. Part of the challenges that we have on the continent is that if that development is not inclusive, some segments such as youth and employment, gender, women that are being ignored and the rest, we will have problems.For instance, last year in July our summit focused on how we can think of those vulnerable segments in the society such as women and children who suffer when there is a crisis and some of them who are not able to access medical assistance and die needlessly. They die while giving birth because they cannot reach a doctor to help them deliver and many children also die in the process. These are some of the things that we will continue to emphasise. As we grow as a continent, we must think about growth with distribution to reach all segments of society.Some Hon. Members suggested that our rich Presidents who stay long in office should also contribute to the coffers of the AU. Well that is one innovation and I believe you can share that with former President Obasanjo when and if he manages to come here.Mr. President, to summarise it all, I must say I feel much richer with your comments this morning, much more encouraged that we have the same vision. Although we do have contradictions in our midst, for example, on whether it is in our terms and conditions of service or in our priorities as many of you have mentioned. That is why we have to wake up every morning to come and confront these challenges. This is an opportunity for us to make right and strengthen our institutions and also put in place programmes that will enable Africa to develop faster and an Africa that can also take more and more of its own responsibilities.It is, of course, very difficult, that at the moment, the bulk of our resources come from our development partners, and yet this is a continent that has a lot of privileges, as you said. Resources are taken abroad and if they stayed in the continent, they would go a long way in developing the continent. Let us think of the opportunities that we lose in investment and then we go begging from the people who give us the same resources that we have kept abroad. That is what they give us in the name of Official Development Assistance (ODA).Mr. President, it is a question of us putting our house in order. This is the message that we are all echoing and Africa is changing. I want to end on a positive note by saying that I believe Africa of the second decade, of the new millennium is not the Africa of the 1970s, 1980s and the 1990s. The writing is on the wall and those who cannot see the wind of change will be swept away by that Tsunami. I believe, from what I gathered, as I listened to what the Hon. Members were saying, we can only survive if we prepare ourselves to get into the boat, otherwise, we will be swept away by the Tsunami.I thank you, Mr. President.

LE PRESIDENT:Excellence, Monsieur le Vice-président de la Commission de l’Union africaine,Je voudrais, au nom des parlementaires, vous féliciter et vous remercier pour cette prestation, et je suis sûr qu’on va se donner rendez-vous, avec cette plénière, d’une part, et, à travers les réunions de notre Institution avec les membres du Bureau, d’autre part, continuer à travailler avec l’Union africaine, pour que le Parlement panafricain progresse dans l’intérêt de notre union.Secrétaire général,Des annonces?

THE CLERK:Thank you very much, Mr. President.Mr. President, Hon. Members of the Pan-African Parliament, this afternoon the following activities will take place:1.A tea party in Committee Room Number 2; and2.A meeting of the Committee on Cooperation, International Relations and Conflict Resolution.

LE PRESIDENT:Honorables membres,Nous allons, à présent, suspendre notre séance pour la reprendre, cet après-midi, à 14h 30mn.La séance, suspendue à 11H35, est reprise à 14H39.

LE PRESIDENT:Prenez place, je vous prie!Honorables membres,La séance est reprise.Je vais demander au Secrétariat de donner le point inscrit à l’ordre du jour.

THE CLERK:Mr. President, Hon. Members of Parliament, the third Order of the day is presentation and debate on the Interim Evaluation Report of the Committee on Administration and Financial Evaluation.

LE PRESIDENT:Je vais demander au Vice-président de la Commission d’Evaluation administrative et financière, l’honorable Chief Fortune CHARUMBIRA, de présenter son rapport.

3.0 – PRESENTATION AND DEBATE ON THE INTERIM EVALUATION REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON ADMINISTRATION AND FINANCIAL EVALUATION

HON. CHARUMBIRA FORTUNE [ZIMBABWE]:Mr. President, I would like to submit this report on behalf of the Chairperson of the Committee on Administration and Financial Evaluation (CAFE), Hon. Jatta Fabakary Tombong, from Gambia. I am acting on his behalf because he has since gone back to attend to an urgent business in Gambia. Therefore, I am standing in for him, but I am currently the Acting Deputy Chairperson.The report, as you have seen, is entitled "The Interim Report on the Committee on Administration and Financial Evaluation for the Period October, 2010 to May, 2011."As you are all aware, CAFE was established by the Plenary of PAP and its composition includes two Members from each regional caucus. The report is fairly long, it has 25 pages, but I will simply talk to the report because I cannot read every paragraph.In compiling this report, we interacted with the administration of PAP and the Bureau whose names are listed there. The report is attempting to follow up on the recommendations which, as you will recall, CAFE made in its report of October, 2010. The recommendations, as on page 6 of the English text are written in bold. The bold letters mean that this is a previous recommendation and the Committee was simply following up to see how far the Bureau and the management of PAP had gone in implementing them.The first one on the institutional domain, which is written as (a) in bold, has to do with the requirement on the recommendation that PAP develops a policy framework that will guide its interaction with donors or development partners in conformity with the objectives of PAP.With regard to this recommendation, we are happy to report that a policy document is being developed and measures are being taken to implement the recommendations. In the meantime, PAP is making sure that it adheres to the Paris Declarations and Accra Agenda for Aid Effectiveness. These are the two instruments that define the working relationship with donor agencies. This issue of aid effectiveness was mentioned this morning by the Deputy Commissioner from the AUC.In addition, meetings have been held between donors and PAP, although we are a bit disappointed that most meetings take place in the absence of the Bureau. The Bureau, being a parttime organ of Parliament, most of the time, when the staff meets with the donors, the members of the Bureau are away. We have impressed upon staff to make sure that each time they meet the donor community or development partners, at least, the Bureau and the CAFE are represented because those are very serious discussions. At the next meeting, that is, the donor-round conference meeting which we believe will be held in June, the Bureau and CAFE will attend.Mr. President, another recommendation was on the concern that was expressed this morning that some Members of PAP do not attend sessions. This is clear even from the attendance this afternoon; it can be seen that it is partly due to shopping, while others have gone back because the little monies that their Parliaments gave them cannot enable them to stay here and sustain them for two weeks.Therefore, this recommendation is saying let us engage the national parliaments, as PAP, and not leave it to individual Members of that Parliament. Let us, as a Parliament, through the Bureau and other structures, approach national parliaments. Let us take note of those parliaments whose Members either fail to attend because they do not have the resources or maybe leave early because the resources they have cannot enable them to be here for two weeks. Let us approach those national parliaments and also use the Forum of the Speakers’ Conference which has now become a very important annual event to make sure that we persuade the Speakers of national parliaments to support Members.This issue is not new because it was also raised this morning to the AU and other options, as you know, are being explored.Mr. President, the next issue is on page 8, in the English text, it is in bold letters. This is on the class of travel for Members of Parliament (MPs). This issue was discussed this morning so I need not belabour it once more. We impressed upon the Deputy Commissioner from the AUC, Addis Ababa, that the MPs in their national parliaments and PAP are in a high level status and should enjoy business class or better. An economy ticket is, indeed, an insult to an MP.I believe that you heard the discussions with the AU officials on this matter. That means the Bureau has to keep pushing the AU so that the issue is formalised. In this report, we are saying that, from last week, any travel which is caused by PAP, itself, and paid for by PAP, shall not be in economy class. If the ticket is paid for by PAP, itself, it will be in business class, but if it is paid by the AU, again, PAP has no control. The AU may buy that ticket which you may not want. That is why we are saying we need to keep fighting so that the spirit displayed by Commissioner Mwencha this morning can be further cultivated and the AU starts giving us business class tickets. There are instances where a ticket is issued by a donor or a development partner. Most of these organisations have their own rules. Sometimes, they also say that, according to their regulations, they only buy economy tickets. In those cases, sometimes, PAP may not be able to issue business class, although it would have been good if we could top up, as a Parliament.Mr. President, page 9 talks about the availability of documents to Members, that is, when we are in session. Again, this issue has been topical since we arrived. The requirement is that all the documents presented in this House should be made available to Members of Parliament in good time to enable them to read and carry out some research before they can debate them in the House. That issue has been confronting us over the past six years. I believe that now the staff, including the Clerk and his subordinates will work hard to make sure that next time, all documents are made available not on the day that we debate the document, but earlier. This is a familiar issue and the staff of PAP has undertaken to seriously look into it.Sometimes, there are cases where the presenter lands in the morning at the airport to present a report on that same day. Sometimes, that presenter may not even have been sent the document electronically to enable him or her to prepare. There are those limitations. There are also cases where the Committees, themselves, cause the delays because of lack of quorums. Even CAFE has been affected by that problem. Sometimes, the Committee is unable to transact business because of the absence of some Members. Whereas we want documents to be available, let us also make sure that we also play our part in our Committees so that we produce documents timely.Mr. President, on page 10 under part (f), there is the issue of election observation. I feel that I need not belabour this issue. It has been discussed and debated adequately. Even this morning, it came up and we are all aware of the issues surrounding election observation. I think the Bureau, all the staff and the AU are very familiar with the issue. Therefore, we need not spend much time on it.Mr. President, let me move to page 11 (g). This recommendation has to do with the fact that recommendations are made in this House then we leave. For example, on Friday, we shall adjourn and go back home. Those recommendations need to be followed up. This recommendation was basically meant to impress upon the Clerk that after we have left, he should extract those recommendations and make sure that they are apportioned properly to the various responsible persons and departments for action so that they do not remain in our documents in an isolated fashion. That was the recommendation.Mr. President, on page 11, regarding the financial domain, there is the issue of the Audit Committee. This has to do with the observations which have been made by our auditors. These are external auditors who come to PAP. They have always said that PAP should have an Audit Committee. When CAFE was established, it was done as a Committee on Administrative and Financial Evaluation. The issue of Audit Committee is something different. We have agreed with the Bureau to look at the typical terms of reference for the Audit Committee and see whether those are currently fully covered by CAFE and if there are gaps that need to be filled in, then a decision can be made whether to have another committee called Audit Committee in addition to CAFE. The recommendation here is that CAFE should undertake the audit functions because, after all, their terms of reference cover financial audit aspects.Mr. President, on page 12, and I am using the English text, there is the issue of PAP and the Department for International Development (DFID). DFID withdrew from funding PAP two years ago. We are saying let us try and talk to it and see whether it can resume funding.On the same page, there is the issue of the Trust Fund. This issue came up several times. Even this morning, the Deputy Commissioner was made to respond to the issue of the Trust Fund. As CAFE, we just want to remind you that the Trust Fund issue has to do with good governance and transparency. Monies were put into an account by several people who support PAP, but those monies, as you know, were then irregularly withdrawn. The account is about dry now. Millions of Rand were withdrawn without proper authority by individuals, and not for the benefit of PAP and the account is now dry.When we attempted, as you may recall, to talk to the trustees and the signatories to the account, our initial attempts were met with a lot of resistance. None of the signatories wanted to give evidence or give information on what had really happened. To date, they are still at large. The AUC wanted to take up that issue and move on. We are aware that they have been preoccupied with that issue for more than a year now and have since reverted it to PAP to proceed.The AUC has confirmed that monies were withdrawn irregularly and without lawful authority or proper procedure and put in pockets of individuals. On this recommendation, we recommend to the Bureau that it is now time that PAP sought legal recourse on this matter because if we sweep it under the carpet, it will be an indictment on this Parliament which is known to speak very eloquently against corruption and embezzlement of public funds. We are the last institution to condone embezzlement of public funds. We, therefore, implore the Bureau to, henceforth, make sure that the culprits meet justice and our monies are recovered.Mr. President, on page 13, there is the issue of whistle-blower protection policy. The Committee thought that because of the nature of the operation of this institution, there are many things that go on, some irregular and some proper, the staff should have channels through which they can present information in good faith and which is true but, at the same time, be protected so that they are not victimised.When the PAP staff received this recommendation from us, they moved to establish a Staff Association. Now there is a Staff Association which, to a large extent, is a good forum for staff to vent their views, emotions and anything that may be subject of gossip in the corridors. Also, the Clerk now chairs a staff meeting once every month which did not exist before. We believe this will improve much in terms of the culture and management of PAP.Let me move to page 14 part (e) which talks about travel agencies. We are saying that PAP must come up with more cost-effective and transparent means of sourcing tickets. The method that is presently used to get tickets makes PAP vulnerable to abuse. Let me address the issue of cost-effectiveness. I think there are two elements here.Those Hon. Members who have had the experience of buying their own tickets and then reimbursed when they arrive at PAP will confirm that the cost of the ticket elsewhere on the continent is half what it would cost if PAP bought it. A number of Members here can attest to that. Buying an air ticket here is more expensive mainly because there are many other costs that the local travel agency puts on the cost of the ticket. For example, PAP is made to pay a fee to the travel agency for giving it business. You give them business and pay them for having given them that business. So, this afternoon, all Members of our Committee who represent all the regions of the continent have expressed shock over that practice. If anything, the travel agency should be grateful that you are giving it business, but we pay it for giving it business. That is why we are talking about coming up with better methods of purchasing tickets. As a result of these recommendations, when the contract with the previous travel agent ended, PAP advertised a tender to find a cheaper travel agent.However, we were told that all those who bid from South Africa, charge that fee. All travel agencies charge fees if they do business for you. There is now a new travel agency, but it still charges fees although there is one improvement. The previous travel agency did not refund any unused tickets. Due to the nature of Parliamentarians, there are a number of tickets that are bought for travel but, sometimes, the Member of Parliament is not available. This is very common. The previous travel agency would refuse to refund when a Member did not travel, but the current one, at least, does refund, but still charges this strange fee.We came across a strange issue in respect of the contract itself. The contract, since October last year to date, has not been signed by both parties. This is information which we need to share with you. Although this company has been doing business with PAP since October, we found that there is no contract. Although PAP had signed its part, the service provider had not signed.Upon investigation, we established that the service provider was refusing to sign because PAP had put a clause in the contract requiring the service provider to submit quarterly financial statements in respect of monies paid by PAP to the service provider. PAP wants to know how much has been paid to the travel agency quarterly.This information will be used by PAP to claim Value Added Tax (VAT) from the South African Revenue Service (SARS). It is for the benefit of PAP, but the travel agency did not want that provision in the contract which requires them to disclose the monies paid to them quarterly. It has been a struggle. I cannot confirm this, but I am told that, by the end of the day yesterday, the travel agent had finally signed the contract. We are yet to establish the authenticity of that information.Mr. President, page 16 part (g) has to do with other financial domains. It is procurement manual. If you recall, we have always raised issues regarding the procurement manual and the procurement procedures in PAP. Also, there is no procurement officer. As a result, some of the procurement that has been done does not pass the standards of the segregation of roles in procurement which is intended to avoid corruption. We are told now that committees have been set up to ensure that no one person sits on two committees from the tendering to adjudication process. We are told that although there are no procurement officers yet, the systems have developed so well and are being strengthened to try and avoid irregular conduct in the procurement of services.Page 17, part (h) talks about the issue of code of conduct for Members of Parliament. This issue here is obvious, especially if you compare the number of MPs in this Chamber to the number of those who are currently in Midrand for business. I would not like to go into those details. I think we need some in-house rules regarding the conduct of MPs. It would be premature for me to mention any details because the issue has been referred to the Committee on Rules, Privileges and Discipline. The Committee will come up with recommendations.On the same page, there is the issue of medical insurance, which is a familiar issue. We have had problems when MPs have had emergencies due to ill-health. Arrangements have been made that MPs see a local doctor who can certify that they need to go to a hospital. It is called Carstenhof, but in the absence of the doctor, we are told that if you go to Carstenhof at any time of day, produce proof that you are an MP from PAP, you will be attended to without having to pay from your pocket. The system is debatable and you will have an opportunity to debate it. That is why we are arranging it. It is not quite a robust medical insurance scheme that can ensure security to MPs. Let me move to page 18 which has to do with medical insurance again. The AU also needs to play a part. Ultimately, all issues to do with benefits end up with the AU in terms of regulations and procedures.In part (k) in the internal auditor’s report, the Bureau should make sure that staff or the Secretariat of PAP is pushed to make sure that the recommendations and issues arising from auditors’ reports are addressed or attended to timeously.On page 19 part (a), under the administrative domain, effort is being made to institutionalise the separation of powers. Here, I would like to say that I am a bit shocked because the first sentence which talks about separation of powers was discussed in our Committee and we told the clerk of our Committee that it should not be separation of powers, but segregation of roles or responsibilities. We are surprised that the document has come back without the correction having been made.Therefore, on that language of separation of powers, please, do not over-debate it. There can be no separation of powers between the Secretariat and the Bureau. That is wrong. It should be segregation of roles. We want the Bureau to be happy with their role with clear boundaries and the Clerk and the staff should also be happy so that there are no unnecessary overlaps which cause conflicts. From our experience of the first five years of PAP, we have had a serious problem with respect to this issue. Therefore, we are simply saying we should be more proactive and make sure we address it.Mr. President, on page 20, there is a reminder of an old recommendation which, I believe, is now almost expiring naturally. That is the issue of the previous Clerk and Deputy Clerk, among others. Those issues are now almost resolved, but the previous recommendation was that the tribunal of the AU should finalise. I have been informed that the former Clerk and others have also withdrawn their matters from the tribunal, but we do not have anything concrete on that, but are simply saying this is something we had in our records previously.On page 21, again, the issue of acting appointments is an old recommendation because there are now no acting positions, save to say if we had an organogram, we would have many vacant positions. Promotions and staff recruitment, in a Parliament which is continental always attracts attention.Firstly, we want to make sure that we consider people who are already in the system and are suitable for the positions. These people should be given first preference. There is also the issue of regional balance. As much as possible, we should make sure there is equitable distribution of positions.Thereafter, I would like to move to page 23 which is on recommendations. I will read these recommendations, so that they are emphasised. They read as follows:regarding staff recruitment, given that the AU has unilaterally decided to reduce the funds of the European Commission designated to PAP for the recruitment of seven staff members for the Department of Finance and Administration, CAFE recommends that the Recruitment Committee proceeds with the immediate employment of three or four staff members on the basis of the available funds and the staff funded by the ACBF. CAFE insists that the Recruitment Committee give priority to the in-house staff who have successfully passed the recruitment process examination while adhering to the issue of geographic distribution and regional quota principles of the AU;the Committee is of the view that the total respect by the PAP Secretariat be according to the provisions laid down in the AU Statutes and Rules and Regulations;Mr. President, on the PAP Trust Fund, the Committee strongly recommends that the Bureau of PAP immediately initiates appropriate legal action that will ensure that those who managed the PAP Trust Fund account are held accountable;on the travel agency, the Committee recommends that the Secretariat finds out whether it is usual practice in South Africa for travel agencies to be paid fees by their clients. At the time of the meeting, there were conflicting views about this issue. Members of the Committee expressed their concern since it is not the practice in their respective countries. The Committee recommends that PAP investigates with the offices of the airline companies to find out whether there is a possibility of dealing directly with them. CAFE recommends that the Internal Auditor investigates this matter and writes a report on assessment of the procurement and actual awarding of the tender;regarding the issue of the whistleblowers policy, despite the measures taken by the Secretariat, CAFE notes that the recommendation for the establishment of a whistle-blower policy has not been implemented. CAFE hereby reiterates its request for the establishment of this policy;with regard to defining the roles of the Bureau and the Secretariat, CAFE recommends that the roles of the officers be clearly defined to avoid conflicting situations;on evaluation of staff members, CAFE recommends that the evaluation of high ranked officers be carried out by a professional body or a Committee set up by the Plenary, which will include members of the Bureau, PAP Members and a Human Resources consultant;further, CAFE has taken good note of the request of the Bureau for regular meetings and recommends that CAFE should have a working session with the Bureau every two months; andas regards meeting with donors, the Committee recommends that when meeting with donors, the PAP delegation should include the Secretariat, the officer in charge of International Affairs, the Bureau and CAFE.Mr. President, before I conclude, I would like to say that we now have three vacancies from three regions in our Committee. It is very urgent that Central Africa makes sure that we have a Member from that region to CAFE. For East Africa, upon the elevation of the Second Vice-President, who was the Rapporteur of this Committee, this region also needs to nominate a person urgently.From North Africa, there was Hon. Ahmed Mohammed Ragab from Egypt. The three Members to fill the three vacancies should come from North Africa, East Africa and Central Africa. Due to this, it has been difficult for us to form a quorum in most of our meetings.Mr. President, I beg to submit this report to the kind approval of the plenary.I thank you very much.

LE PRESIDENT:Merci, Honorable Chief CHARUMBIRA, pour la présentation du rapport de la Commission.Les débats sont maintenant ouverts sur le rapport de la Commission d’Evaluation administrative et financière.Le premier orateur, c’est l’honorable Master GOYA.

HON. MOISERAELE MASTER GOYA [BOTSWANA]:I thank you, Mr. President, for giving me the Floor.Mr. President, let me hasten to thank Hon. Charumbira for his presentation and also thank the CAFE for their report. It appears they have taken heed of my advice and sentiments which I made in this Honourable House in the last sitting of Parliament where I challenged their report which was methodically and ethically flawed. This time around, I have realised that their report has been prepared perfectly.However, Mr. President, I just want to make comments on some few things in their report. Starting on page 7, where the Committee says that the Speakers must encourage MPs to attend the PAP meetings and sit throughout the whole sessions, I think this is very, very important. We can see the situation as it is this afternoon. People are not here, but some are in Midrand and have decided to go shopping and others have decided to just stay in their hotels and yet every day, when we come here, there is a register that is being moved around for us to append our signatures to indicate that we are present here.I have realised that some of the Members, after appending their signatures to that register, they disappear. But again, I think the same register, Mr. President, should be used to make a report to our respective Parliaments in case there is someone who has come to Parliament, but does not attend the sessions. All Parliaments need to know about this, but besides that, I would want to believe that each and every country has a leader of delegation. Therefore, I think the Bureau should talk to leaders of delegations of respective countries to make sure that Members of Parliament who have come to Parliament do attend the Parliament sessions accordingly. That is my comment, Mr. President.On page 9, Mr. President, there is this issue of Members of Parliament getting directives from the donors as regard the class of travel. I think, if donors are serious about assisting PAP, they should abide by our rules. If our rules say that Members of Parliament should travel business class, donors should be told that and follow suit. They must make sure that they should foot the bill for Members of Parliament to travel business class and again if they are not in a position to do that, I think what PAP needs to do is beef up those tickets that have been availed to us by donor partners. That is one of my recommendations, Mr. President.Mr. President on page 12, there is this issue where the Committee talks about the terms of reference for the Audit Committee and that PAP it is not known who should craft these. Mr. Acting Chairperson, through you, Mr. President, I believe we are supposed to craft or create these terms of reference because the way this issue appears here, it has been left hanging. You need to tell us who is supposed to craft or create the terms of reference for that Audit Committee when you respond, Mr. Chairperson.Again, on the same page under the Trust Fund, is your Committee not mandated to carry out its own investigation because there you tell us that there are some reports which have not been concluded by the Audit Report and this basically is on interviewing some of the people who are involved in the management of the Trust Fund? Is your Committee not mandated to carry out its own investigations? I think something should be done in that regard, Mr. Chairperson.Again, on the same issue of the Trust Fund, you mention that some transactions were effected until all monies were drained from the account, but you do not go further to tell us where these funds went to. Funds were withdrawn, but the Parliament does not know where these funds were transferred to. We need to know that, Mr. Chairperson, when you respond.As regards the issue of the whistle-blower protection policy, I think this is a welcome development, but I do not think we should be in a hurry or that the Secretariat should be in a hurry to establish this whistle-blower protection policy. Given that the Clerk has already adopted an open door policy and he has also put in place a Staff Association and these mechanisms are available for staff to channel their grievances, if they have any, they can use these mechanisms which have already been put before them.Again, Mr. President, funds permitting, I think over and above the internal staff meetings which are held for staff every month, I think the staff should also be sent out on a retreat outside the precincts of PAP. I think sometimes it helps for staff to open up when they have meetings of which are conducted outside the precincts of Parliament. I think that is another suggestion I think should be considered, Mr. President.

LE PRESIDENT:Merci, Honorable Master GOYA.La machine n’a pas eu de limitation, vous avez été trop long.Je demande à la cabine de chronométrer sur trois (03) minutes.Thank You Hon. MASTER GOYA.Hon. Dr MOSES SESAY.

HON. MOISERAELE MASTER GOYA [BOTSWANA]:Thank you, Mr President. Let me also conclude my remarks on page 15, where the Committee says that there is this contract which was not signed by the other party. I cannot agree more with the Committee that there is no valid contract and even if there is no valid contract, I think tenders should be floated for other travel agencies to bid for this job. Let us just straight away terminate that show called a contract. It is not a contract, in fact.I thank you, Mr. President.

LE PRESIDENT:Honorable Dr Moses SESAY.

HON. SESAY MOSES [SIERRA LEONE]:Thank you very much, Mr. President, for giving me this opportunity to debate this report. I would like to thank the Ad hoc Committee for such a brilliant exposé, especially the way it has been delivered by Hon. Chief Charumbira. There are three points that I would like to raise here.The first one concerns the formation of the Audit ommittee. In fact, the Chief was a bit hesitant on the significance of the Audit Committee. However, I would like to say that, as far as I am concerned, that is a very welcome idea because we know the Audit Committee can step in when things start going wrong.Most of the problems we have in PAP are due to misuse of funds in recent years. I think the Audit Department would not be amiss in its duties if it carried out these significant interventions in a timely manner. I, therefore, recommend very strongly, Mr. President, that the Committee continues with its audit work.The second point I would like to make is on the travel agency. There is a recommendation that Members of Parliament pay their travel fares when they are leaving their countries to come here because of the relative cost-effectiveness of such an idea. We know that the tickets that come from here cost far more than what we would expect because of the various reasons that the Chief has given.An alternative to this is that money be sent from PAP directly to the various Members’ Parliaments. This is a very reasonable proposition because if some Members of Parliament are not able to afford the fares to come here and you give it to them, I am sure, half of these people here would not be able to attend.Therefore, if the fares here are higher than in our countries, then it is incumbent on the PAP Secretariat to send the tickets to the Parliaments of the various countries for the attention of the Members so that when the Members receive these monies, through their Parliaments, they are able to travel. The money, of course, should not be sent directly to Members because it is conceivable that, when Members receive this money, some may not come for various reasons. That is why I think the money should be sent to the Parliaments that will record these monies and pass them on to the Members of Parliament for their travel.The third point I would like to make is with regard to staff promotions. I am very pleased with the recommendation made by the Committee because...The Hon. Member’s time expired.

HON. TAMBOURA ASCOFARE OULÉMATOU [MALI]:Merci, Monsieur le Président.Je voudrais, à mon tour, également féliciter l’honorable Chief, pour sa brillante présentation, et la Commission CAFE, pour la qualité du rapport qui fait un large tour d’horizon des différentes questions importantes, que connait le Parlement aux plans administratif et financier.Le rapport prend en compte toutes mes préoccupations.Aussi, vais-je juste insister sur le recrutement du personnel, surtout quant au principe de la répartition géographique et du quota par pays.Nous avons remarqué, surtout par rapport au groupe de l’Afrique de l’Ouest, que non seulement très souvent, quand il y a des vacances de postes, les informations ne nous parviennent pas et, au niveau du Parlement aussi, il y a un déséquilibre, à ce niveau.Voilà! C’étaient, là, mes préoccupations, Monsieur le Président.Merci beaucoup.

LE PRESIDENT:Merci beaucoup.Honorable Docteur Bernadette LAHAI.

HON. LAHAI BERNADETTE [SIERRA LEONE]:Thank you, Mr. President, for giving me the Floor.My first reaction will be on the issue of Members of Parliament being encouraged to attend Parliament and also the role of the Speaker’s Conference in assisting Members of Parliament as reflected on page 7.I also would like to go beyond this recommendation by also encouraging our Speakers to set up PAP Liaison Desks in each of our Parliaments. I say this because, sometimes, when Members come to Parliament unaccompanied by clerks, it is sometimes difficult for those Members of Parliament to write a report of the activities of PAP for the attention of Members in their respective countries.However, if we have a Liaison Desk and a clerk in charge of that desk also facilitating his or her attendance at these meetings, then that clerk will also ensure that activities are properly and promptly reported in Parliaments. That clerk can also help, especially with the media, so that most of the materials that are generated in this Parliament are also sent to our Parliaments and disseminated.In fact, in our Committee on Transport, Industry, Communications, Energy, Science and Technology, when we had a meeting with the ICT Head last sitting, he made a plea that we have this desk. Having such a desk is one way through which the ICT Section here can liaise with our Parliaments. A lot of the materials that have been generated since the life of this Parliament can also be sent to our Parliaments so that our people know exactly what PAP is all about. I would also like this to be on the agenda when the Speakers are here so that they encourage the setting up of Liaison Desks in each of our Parliaments to help us in the dissemination of information on our activities.I do not know whether I have enough time, but let me also say that the Whistle Blower Protection Policy, to me, is very important and cannot be substituted by a Staff Association. A Staff Association has its own aims and objectives. An organisation such as this one that handles between USD$11 to USD$13 million a year is prone to corruption. We are talking about judicious use of our resources. We must, therefore, have an institutional policy that should blow the whistle when our funds are being misappropriated, particularly in the area of procurement.In addition to that, Mr. President, I do not know whether in the employment policy here, we have a gender policy. This is a big organisation that has men and women. In places like this, it is easy to have gender-based workplace violence where women are not given the correct...The Hon. Member’s time expired.

HON. OYO EBULE EVANGELINA - FILOMENA [EQUATORIAL GUINEA]Gracias Sr. Presidente por concederme la palabra. Muchas de las cosas ya se han dicho. Voy a empezar felicitando a la Comisión CAFÉ por el trabajo realizado, porque ha puesto de relieve todos los problemas que hay aquí en el Parlamento Panafricano y también ha propuesto soluciones para resolver esos problemas. Muchas de las cosas ya se han dicho por mis predecesores.En cuanto al tema de la asistencia a las sesiones, vemos que la sala esta vacía y tal, el hemiciclo esta vacio, como bien se ha dicho hay muchos honorables aquí en Midrand, pero no asisten a las sesiones. Entonces yo sugiero que las próximas sesiones se advierta, se notifique, que se informara a los parlamentos nacionales sobre la asistencia, porque todos sabemos el problema económico que hay, muchos no asisten porque sus parlamentos no tienen dinero para financiarlos, a unos se les financia pocos días, es algo que estamos sufriendo todos, por eso se estaba proponiendo que el PAP vea la posibilidad de pagarles los billetes y la asistencia, porque en lo sucesivo, quizás sea menos la asistencia por falta de financiación de los parlamentos nacionales. A tal efecto tengo una propuesta, que es la siguiente: A ver si el PAP puede sugerir o presentar a la unión Africana la posibilidad de que se negocia con la AIATA o con las agencias, no sé cómo hacerlo, en el sentido en que todos los vuelos que se hagan en África se pueda disponer una tasa, aunque sea de un Dólar a favor de la Unión Africana para que puedan financiar nuestras actividades, porque cada vez vemos que hay menos financiación y quizás nos veamos en la necesidad de que no tengamos proveedores para financiar las actividades de este parlamento.Por otra parte responder al CHEEF que ha presentado el informe, que en cuanto al CUCUS de África Central, el miembro del CAFÉ que falta hemos decido que sea sustituido por el Honorable Quesabo, en breve ya mandaremos el escrito para que tengan conocimiento de ello.Muchas Gracias.

HON. PRITHVIRAJSING ROOPUN [MAURITIUS]:Thank you, Mr. President, for giving me the Floor. Firstly, I would like I join the other Members in commending the members of CAFE for this well-prepared, very elaborate and thorough report.I will not beat about the bush, Mr. President, but come straight to a specific point, namely, the issue of understaffing at PAP. We all know that the PAP activities are only for about two months every year. I wish to be convinced about the real need for additional permanent staff.As a matter of comparison, Mr. President, in Mauritius, for example, we have more or less the same number of permanent staff, and yet we have sessions for about eight months a year. I wish to add, however, that I have nothing against the staff members. From my personal experience, they are doing their best, are very helpful and dedicated, but my question is whether a proper study has been carried out on the actual organisational weaknesses of PAP, its real needs in terms of staffing, whether the staff are given the means to be efficient and whether they are carrying out their duties in a good working environment, among others.I am of the view that a complete audit of the whole administrative structure and procedure should be carried out to determine the exact role, duties and functions of one and all, establish clear guidelines, set up precise deadlines and avoid duplication and conflicts. Even if there is a need for a complete overhaul, we should do it. A profound study, Mr. President, is also vital because we know that additional funds are not forthcoming, at least, in the near future.We should develop a different mindset, stop lamenting and develop all the means to make optimal use of the given arrangements and other resources and become more cost-efficient. On this aspect, Mr. President, may I also suggest that we explore fully the various ICT tools and also give serious thought to transforming PAP into an eparliament and consider approaching donors, specifically, on establishing an e-parliament.If I may just conclude, Mr. President, we are given a very short period during which we, Hon. Members, are called upon to be present here at Midrand.I thank you, Mr. President.

HON. MUKABARANGA AGNÈS [RWANDA]:Merci, Monsieur le Président.L’aspect sur lequel je voulais intervenir vient d’être abordé par l’orateur précédent; je n’y reviens pas.Je voudrais féliciter la Commission pour le travail bien accompli, qui va certainement aider le bureau à ajuster là où il le faut, surtout qu’il y a des recommandations importantes.Pour l’aspect de l’Administration, je voudrais conclure, Monsieur le Président, en recommandant que, vraiment, il soit accordé une attention particulière dans vos efforts de négociation avec les organismes partenaires, parce que vous avez besoin des résultats; nous aussi, nous en avons besoin. Et, sans le personnel qualifié et le personnel dont on a besoin en nombre, Monsieur le Président, on ne pourra pas atteindre les objectifs que le peuple africain est en droit d’attendre de nous.Je vous remercie, Monsieur le Président.

LE PRESIDENT:Honorable ARNOLD TJIHUIKO de la Namibie.

HON. ARNOLD TJIHUIKO [NAMIBIA]:Thank you very much, Mr. President, for allowing me to take the Floor. Let me start by thanking the Committee for the report presented by Hon. Chief Fortune Charumbira.Mr President, there are two or three issues that I want clarified. I am quite taken aback by the fact that PAP, at the present moment, does not have an Internal Auditor. I have said this because when you are looking at a financial report, there are two basic principles that guide and these are honesty and transparency. Those are the first things that you look at. Now, if you do not have...

HON. MOISERAELE MASTER GOYA [BOTSWANA]:On a point of clarification, Mr. President.Mr President:Oui

HON. MOISERAELE MASTER GOYA [BOTSWANA]:I think we need to put the record straight, Mr. President. We have an Internal Auditor. We understand that he is new, but there is an Internal Auditor.

THE PRESIDENT:(French)

HON. ARNOLD TJIHUIKO [NAMIBIA]:Thank you very much for that information. I was saying the basic principles that make one feel comfortable about any financial report are honesty and transparency. If you have a situation where the report that has been submitted is basically irregular, then you have reason to worry. If you look the Trust Fund, you are given the impression that the people who were doing these things were not making mistakes. This was a wellcalculated strategy to defraud the institution. The recommendation should have been, Mr. President, that fraud cases be referred to the institution that deals with fraud cases. We must create confidence in what we are doing at PAP so that those who are prepared to contribute money to PAP have that assurance that the money will be used for the purpose for which the money has been given.However, if you have a situation where a 4^th VicePresident has been given a responsibility to deal with an issue and he or she does not know the process and people continue to do things fraudulently as they were doing before, what is the recommendation that we have put in place to counteract that? Whatever we are saying will not solve the problem. The only thing that we need to do is refer the cases to the rightful institutions. Fraud cases cannot be dealt with at the level of PAP. This case must go to the institution that needs to deal with these issues.I thank you, Mr. President.

HON SYLVIA MASEBO [ZAMBIA]:I am sorry, Mr. President, I did indicate that I would like to make some comments, but my name is not on the list. I do not know whether you received it.

LE PRESIDENT:Vous vous êtes inscrite ou c’est maintenant que vous voulez vous inscrire?

HON SYLVIA MASEBO [ZAMBIA]:I did register in the morning today.

MR. PRESIDENT:Ok.

HON SYLVIA MASEBO [ZAMBIA]:Thank you very much, Mr. President, for giving me the opportunity to debate this report. I will be very brief.I just want to comment on two issues. The first one is on the issue that the Chairperson raised regarding the separation of powers between the Bureau and the Secretariat. I noticed that he made a correction that it is the segregation of powers. However, I still want to make this comment that whilst it is appreciated that the Secretariat must be given the mandate to recruit junior staff, we should be careful that this mandate is not abused. The process of recruitment of junior staff should be transparent and the Bureau of PAP should sanction the appointments. In that vein, the review of the PAP Protocol must, therefore, be done with caution so that the role of the PAP Bureau to supervise the Secretariat is not eroded.The second point is on the Audit Committee. I was going to ask whether the Committee on Administrative and Financial Evaluation does not have a sub-committee that audits its work as is the case normally in some other jurisdictions. Sometimes, we can have the CAFE constituting a sub-committee within itself to carry out the function of auditing. I would have no problem with the CAFE undertaking the function of auditing because the work they have done is quite impressive and the presentation was also good.The last point, Mr. President, was the issue of the code of conduct for MPs. I do not think the conduct of MPs can be dealt with by writing letters of complaint to our Speakers or our governments. I think that we, as an institution, must come up with the code of conduct for MPs, adopt it and then implement it. If there is a need for discipline, we must be able to discipline ourselves because we will have set our own standards as opposed to writing letters.I thank you, Mr. President.Applause

AN HONORABLE MEMBER [...]:Thank you, Hon. President, for giving me this opportunity to make a few remarks. I also wish to thank the Chairperson and the Committee, in totality, for their good report.Mr. President, on page 16, under PAP’s procurement manual, it has been indicated that now we have a committee which is responsible for opening the tenders and short-listing candidates. We also have a committee which is responsible for evaluation of tenders, but it is not indicated whether there is a committee which is responsible for awarding tenders.The report has remained silent on this matter, begging the question: is this Committee made of PAP’s MPs or the Secretariat? The manual has just indicated that it will be a committee which will deal with opening and evaluation of tenders, but who will constitute this committee? Is it the Members of Parliament of the Secretariat?Mr. President, on page 19, on the matter of whether the responsibility of running Parliament on a day-to-day basis is to be left with the Bureau or transferred to the Clerk, the report says that, at the last validation meeting, the PAP delegation differed on this subject and then the report has remained silent on this matter. What are the further steps that have been taken?If the matter was not concluded by the relevant committee, it is not easy for the plenary to now come up with a proper solution. My advice is that the committee should now carefully carry out a study, get experience from other units and organisations, go through best practice and set standards before the new draft Protocol is presented and debated in the plenary. That will enable the plenary to come up with a good decision on this matter.I thank you, Mr. President.Applause

HON. ALI BAHARI [KENYA]:Thank you, Mr. President, for permitting me to take the Floor. I will be very brief because we are doing this on borrowed time.As it stands now, the Members of this Committee are Members of other Committees and, therefore, the timing of the meetings sometimes coincides with that of other Committee meetings to which they also belong. Therefore, it is important that the Secretariat co-operates and allows it to meet outside the normal Committee meeting times. If not, the plenary should probably decide that once one is a member of this Committee, he or she should not become a member of another Committee.Secondly, on the issue of unused tickets; I think it is important that a clear system be set up to trace unused tickets. We could be losing a lot on time. It is very important for the Bureau to take note of this so that a clear procedure is in place for these unused tickets to be tracked down.On page 25, it was proposed in the report that this Committee meets with the Bureau every two months. My suggestion, which I want to move by way of an amendment, is that it meets, at least, every quarter and not every quarter. I am saying this because I have in mind that audit reports, which this Committee is going to rely on, to a large extent, come out every quarter. The Bureau will have looked at it and then the Committee will pick it up from there and use it so that it becomes, at least, every quarter. This, however, does not stop the Committee from meeting within that quarter.Finally, I would like to encourage this Committee to proceed as they have done because it has shown that power is devolved. We know that the problem in Africa is concentration of power. This Committee has the power, on behalf of the House, to interview the Bureau, the Secretariat and everybody else so that nobody in this institution is above the law.I thank you very much, Mr. President.

HON. CHARUMBIRA FORTUNE [ZIMBABWE]:Thank you, Mr. President for giving me this opportunity to comment on the issues that were raised by Hon. Members. If you allow me, then I can respond from my seat here.

THE PRESIDENT:Yes, you can.

HON. CHARUMBIRA FORTUNE [ZIMBABWE]:So many questions have been raised, but I will try to respond to them.Hon. Goya, thank you for the compliments that the report has improved. We can only agree with you that the attendance by Members of Parliament has been very poor and that we should all work together, through our parliaments and Speakers, to make sure that people attend the sessions of this Parliament.Various other views were expressed here. Some talked about writing to national parliaments to report on attendance. Other views were that we do not need to do that and I think that was Hon. Masebo. I thought that was a very popular view because everybody seemed to bang their tables to show approval that we should not write, but in our own way, have a way of sanctioning our own Members for non-attendance.Regarding the issue of donors not dictating the class of travel, I can only say that the Bureau and staff are listening. I think you have spoken so loudly that we should not allow this and we do agree with you. The issue of the Audit Committee has been touched on by various Members. The issue of medical doctors was also raised by Hon. Sesay who felt that CAFE should take on the old Committee functions. The issue of terms of reference and who should write them is also a question that the Bureau has asked us to do, that is, prepare a draft and present it to them. Therefore, we will try and do something and give it to the Bureau and share it with staff.Regarding the Trust Fund and whether CAFE is mandated to investigate malpractices, the answer is no. CAFE cannot go beyond telling you what things are like. In so doing, it can interview people and that has been done, but they got to a point where there was no more co-operation. The persons who are responsible for withdrawing the funds are known. We know who did it and it is on record. Our efforts to try and interview them have failed because they have just refused to be available. Even the AU failed. That is why we are now saying to the Bureau, and I agree with Hon. Members, that we should simply hand over the matter to the police. That is the law that we meant. The Whistle Blower Protection Policy, again, received mixed feelings. One said it is good, the others said no, we do not need it, but thanks for your comments.I hope Hon. Dr. Sesay is still around. He may have misinterpreted what we said. We said that Hon. Members should buy their own tickets and get refunds from PAP. We know that a number of Members may not afford to do that. We are simply saying there are Hon. Members who have, because of situations, bought their own tickets. The experience is that those tickets are cheaper than what they would have cost if PAP had purchased them from South Africa. We are not saying that, in future, because it is cheaper elsewhere, please, buy from there. No, that can never be our recommendation.The issue of staff promotions was raised and we may have made recommendations on that. All we can say is that the Committee is aware of the sensitive nature of recruitment vis-à-vis regional representation or balance. Maybe, in the next report, we will try to give you a picture of who is employed at PAP and from which region and country.Hon. Ascofare Tamboura feels that vacancies at PAP are not advertised adequately. I think it is an issue that we need to discuss with the Bureau and staff. In the last session, information on the finance positions was given to all the regional caucuses and that they could encourage people to apply. That was done, but from the comments, it appears it was inadequate. Maybe, more should be done. Your point is accepted and more will be done.Mr. President, on the issue of liaison desks, I think there is already a policy within PAP that each national Parliament should have a PAP Liaison Desk. If there are countries that are having problems with that, they should approach either the Bureau to direct them on how they can manage it, but I am aware that a number of liaison desks have already been established in various countries.Regarding the issue of a gender policy, I have neither seen a copy nor heard it talked about at PAP. Thank you very much, Hon. Bernadette Lahai, for bringing up the important issue of gender. I hope the staff of PAP are also taking note.Regarding the issue raised by Hon. Evangelina-Filomena about payment of tickets and Members not attending the sittings in the Chamber, this, again, is a repeat so I will not spend much time on it. She also raised the issue of PAP paying for tickets. These are views being expressed. We are also trying to raise issues for debate.As for the issue that PAP should recommend to the International Air Transport Association (IATA) to have all flights in Africa give some preferential rates to PAP, I am not privy to the operations of the IATA. However, the proposal sounds very good. I do not know about its acceptability and practicability, but I hope the staff are taking note of these issues. We are told that Central Africa has already recommended somebody to the CAFE. I would appreciate if we could get the name urgently so that we invite him or her to our meetings.Hon. Prithvirajsing Roopun from Mauritius raised a very professional and technical issue. He wondered whether all these requirements of additional staff at PAP are justified. You are right and I think CAFE will agree with you that we have not conducted any staff audit or organisational or institutional diagnosis or analysis which would inform us of the staffing and organisational issues. I think if that could be done, I would personally support it. There is also the issue of e-Parliament. I remember a year or two ago, there was a big conference on the e-Parliament. So you are raising an issue which is very important. Initiatives have been made, but I am aware that we have not gone too far. Through the staff, again, we should be reminded of what became of that e-Parliament Conference and how far we have gone in implementing it.Hon. Agnes Mukabaranga emphasised the issue of personnel, but let us link it to the issue of staff audit. Hon. Arnold Tjihuiko from Namibia was corrected by Hon. Goya. I do not know whether he is around. He has left so I do not need to emphasise that point. We do have an Internal Auditor. He recommended that we hand over the Trust Fund misuse to the police.Hon. Masebo talked about, segregation of powers and recruitment of staff which should be sanctioned by the Bureau. You are right. There is nothing that the staff or Secretariat of PAP should do without informing the Bureau in their periodical meetings and interactions. They are not two separate institutions, but the point still remains that there needs to be clear boundaries so that, like in any Parliament, there is an Accounting Officer and the Board of Directors.In this case, the Bureau is the Board of Directors. The issue that they can recruit without the knowledge of the Bureau and not report would be very wrong. They recruit, but they should report to the Bureau on the activities of what they intend to do, what they have done, both work in progress and what has been accomplished. I think you will agree with that.As regards the issue of CAFE having a subcommittee on audit, I think in International Finance practice, the Finance Committee can never be the Audit Committee because that will be a clear lack of segregation of responsibilities. I am technically aware that it does not happen anywhere in the world. If you are the one responsible for budget and expenditure, you can then not be the one responsible for audit. That is tried in finance unless it is done wrongly elsewhere.The Honourable Member from Tanzania talked about the issue of procurement. In the report, we are simply saying that the staff have tried their best within the constraints of staff limitations to set up separate committees to go through the various procurement processes so that no one person belongs to more than one committee.What we are saying is that this should be strengthened even more. The fact that there is no procurement officer is an area that needs to be followed up all the time. I see you talked of the new Protocol to be debated in the plenary on the issue of the day-to-day running of Parliament. I am aware that you are new, but the Protocol has been debated already in this Parliament and has already gone beyond this Parliament. Thus, these issues are now elsewhere at the AU.On the issues raised by Hon. Bahari, who is a Member of our Committee, I think whatever he said was helping me. Therefore, I do not need to comment on what he said because he is a Member of our Committee.I thank you, Mr. President.

LE PRESIDENT:Merci beaucoup, honorable Chief CHIRUMBIRA.Honorables membres,Je soumets l’adoption du rapport de la Commission d’Evaluation Administrative et Financière, à la plénière.Merci beaucoup.Le rapport engage d’abord la Commission CAFE, ensuite le Bureau et les staffs. J’espère que nous allons faire de notre mieux pour être à la hauteur.Secrétaire général, Annonces? Non!Honorables membres,Nous sommes arrivés à la fin des travaux de ce jour.Par conséquent, la séance est levée jusqu’au jeudi 19 mai 2011, à 09h 00.La séance est suspendue à 16H06 jusqu’au Jeudi 19 mai 2011.

Thursday, 19 May, 2011

LE PRESIDENT:Merci. Veuillez prendre place.La séance est ouverte.Monsieur le Secrétaire général,Donnez-nous lecture du premier point inscrit à l’ordre du jour, s’il vous plaît!

THE CLERK:شكرا السيد الرئيس،يقتضي جدول أعمال هذه الجلسة ، دراسة الالئحة حول الوضع األمني في ليبيا.شكــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــرا.

LE PRESIDENT:Merci.J’invite l’honorable Sylvestre Ndong ASSOUMOU à introduire sa motion.Honorable ASSOUMOU.

1.0 – MOTION SUR LA CRISE LIBYENNE

UN HONORABLE MEMBRE:Monsieur le Président,Je pense que l’honorable ASSOUMOU est rentré, hier, au Gabon. C’est certain, d’ailleurs, il est parti. Merci.

LE PRESIDENT:Ah! Il est rentré au Gabon?

UN HONORABLE MEMBRE:Oui, honorable Président.

LE PRESIDENT:Ok! Un Honorable qui soutient cette motion et qui veut bien le représenter.L’honorable ASSOUMOU est absent; l’honorable BOUDINA aussi. Aucun parlementaire présent dans la salle ne se propose?

UN HONORABLE MEMBRE:Monsieur le Président,Je soutiens la motion.

LE PRESIDENT:Oui, je ne vous vois pas. Honorable OULEMATOU.

HONORABLE OULEMATOU:Projet de motion sur la situation sécuritaire en Libye.Conformément à l’article 3, paragraphe 5 du Protocole au Traité instituant la Communauté économique africaine...

LE PRESIDENT:Je ne demande pas la lecture.

HON. TAMBOURA ASCOFARE OULEMATOU [MALI]:Oui.

LE PRESIDENT:Je demande la présentation, la motivation de la motion.

HON. TAMBOURA ASCOFARE OULEMATOU [MALI]:Je n’ai pas bien compris, Monsieur le Président.

LE PRESIDENT:Je vous demande, si vous soutenez la motion, de la motiver. Pourquoi, selon vous, on doit voter cette motion?La lecture, c’est moi qui vais la faire, après le débat.

HON. TAMBOURA ASCOFARE OULEMATOU [MALI]:D’accord!Conformément à la situation que tout le monde connaît en Libye et, en vue de préserver les vies humaines des citoyens innocents en Libye et aussi pour permettre à notre région de se développer, conformément aux principes de l’Union africaine, je soutiens cette motion.

LE PRESIDENT:Merci.Qui voulait? Oui, honorable COULIBALY.

HON. COULIBALY KADIDIATOU SAMAKE:C’est pour appuyer la motion.

LE PRESIDENT:Allez-y!

HON. COULIBALY KADIDIATOU SAMAKE:Merci, Monsieur le Président.Je soutiens cette motion, parce que j’estime que ce qui se passe en Libye n’est pas normal.Il y a des conflits dans presque toute la région arabe, aujourd’hui, et, dans beaucoup de pays, on assiste aux mêmes mouvements.En Syrie, il y en a eu. En Egypte, en Algérie, en Palestine, il y a des mouvements, depuis des années, mais on n’a jamais vu ce qui se passe actuellement en Libye.La communauté internationale est en train d’agresser la Libye, sous prétexte de sauver le peuple libyen, et ce sont les mêmes actes qui se passent dans d’autres pays, comme en Syrie ou en Bahreïn et la Communauté internationale n’est pas intervenue.J’estime que ce n’est pas normal que l’on donne des armes aux civils, pour aller combattre et après, on ne saura pas ce qui adviendra de ces armes. On donne des armes aux civils qui n’ont jamais eu l’habitude de combattre.Je trouve que c’est exagéré, ce qui se passe en Libye.C’est pourquoi je soutiens cette motion et j’estime qu’on doit arrêter immédiatement les frappes en Libye.Merci, Monsieur le Président.

LE PRESIDENT:Merci.Ainsi donc, la motion de l’honorable ASSOUMOU, soutenue en plénière par les honorables ASCOFARE et COULIBALY, est mise aux débats.Le premier de ma liste (...). Ce sera trois (03) minutes par intervenant.

AN HONORABLE MEMBER:On a point of clarification, Mr. President.Mr President:Oui, clarification.

AN HONORABLE MEMBER:I would like to seek clarification on the Motion on the Table. Firstly, the issue of Libya has been debated on two separate days. Secondly, when our Committee presented its report, it indicated that it had resolved to send a delegation to Libya and is now working on the logistics for the travel of this mission, having been given approval by the Bureau. I am, therefore, trying to ascertain the relevance of this debate. Basically, we can talk so much about Libya, but what is required, at the end of day, is what is already happening and what has happened. Unless we are just talking about Libya, again, it would seem to me that this matter calls for the dispatch of a fact-finding mission. At the moment, we are basically working on logistics for that mission. Otherwise, it is all-systems-go. I am, therefore, trying to ascertain, with your indulgency, Mr. President, whether it is relevant to continue to debate this Motion.Thank you.

LE PRESIDENT:Notre procédure ne souffre d’aucune ambiguïté. Si une motion est régulièrement introduite, une motion verbale, conformément à l’article 61, je l’ai inscrite pour ce matin.Maintenant, nous avons un débat d’une heure maximum sur ce sujet et on va conclure. Donc, on ne va pas revenir sur la procédure; la procédure est régulière.Est-ce qu’il est opportun de prendre une motion, aujourd’hui?C’est à la plénière de se prononcer. Faut-il attendre que la mission propose son rapport et qu’on débatte de cette motion en octobre? C’est à la plénière de se prononcer.Maintenant, on a une heure. On a déjà épuisé huit (08) minutes, il nous reste vingt-deux (22) minutes pour finir les débats et de se prononcer sur cette motion.Honorable Prithvirajsing ROOPUN, trois (03) minutes!

HON. PRITHVIRAJSING ROOPUN [MAURITIUS]:Thank you, Mr. President, for permitting me to debate this Motion.I would like to also express my uneasiness regarding this Motion which, ultimately, we will adopt. Reading through the Motion, I fear that the PAP will be taking sides on this issue. The neutrality of PAP may be seriously undermined. The gist of this Motion, it would seem to me, is supporting the present leadership of Libya. At the same time, there are certain issues regarding the involvement of NATO. However, we are not looking at the core problem which is the problem of the people of Libya who started with a nonviolent demonstration which ultimately became violent and led to a civil war more or less.I am asking myself whether this particular Motion is in line with the previous stance taken by PAP, itself, and the AU. We should be consistent and try not to contradict ourselves or other organs of PAP. Our main concern, Mr. President, should be to find ways and means to stop the violence, try to see how dialogue can be restored and also how we can push forward the involvement of the AU as the main spokesperson to find a solution to that problem.I am also uneasy by the word ‘aggression’ which has been in referring to the action of the NATO forces. I would have preferred us to have used the word ‘transgression’ because there has been a resolution at the level of the United Nations (UN). What this resolution demands is dialogue, but basically we know that there is a problem in Libya and the solution should be found through peaceful talks. We should push forward to firstly have all violence against the people of Libya should brought to a halt and also seek other means of dialogue.I would end my presentation, Mr. President, by urging all the Members to give our Committee on Co-operation, International Relations and Conflict Resolution full latitude to come up with something. First of all, there should be more balance. We should not just jump and try to resolve this problem with passion. We should have a dispassionate view of the situation and try to find means by which we can move forward without being partisan.Mr. President, thank you.

HON. SERIFO BALDÉ [GUINÉ-BISSAU]:-Obrigado, Presidente.É da minha opiniao que seria melhor, de facto, esperarmos um pouco a mo$ao, para depois da conclusao dos trabalhos da Comissao, fazermos uma mo$ao única. Mas nao deixaria, de facto, de condenar a agressao de outros países á Libia e á soberania Africana, porque em nenhuma parte do mundo ninguém arma a rebeliao para lutar contra o poder democraticamente instaurado.Portanto, apoio a resoluçâo mas, esperando, sobretudo a conclusâo dos trabalhos da Comissâo. Obrigado!

HON. STEPHEN JULIUS MASELE [TANZANIA]:Thank you, Mr. President. I will contribute on the next order.Thank you.

HON. KEITA LANCENI BALLA [MALI]:Merci, Monsieur le Président.Je suis un peu gêné par rapport à ce que je vais dire, parce que mes deux collègues du Mali ont soutenu la motion.Je sais que la Libye est un pays qui contribue beaucoup au développement de l’Afrique, particulièrement à travers l’Union africaine et beaucoup de pays en Afrique, avec des investissements très importants.Mais, nonobstant cela, la Libye est un pays sans parti politique, où tout est dirigé par la seule personne, le Guide, depuis quarante deux ans, sans démocratie conventionnelle, sans liberté d’expression.La Libye, c’est aussi le poste de commandement de toutes les rebellions dans la bande Sahélosahélienne.La Libye, c’est le pays commanditaire de l’attentat de Lockerbie.La Libye, c’est aussi le seul pays, où la pensée unique existe.La Libye, c’est le pays où le peuple est considéré toujours comme non majeur.La Libye, c’est le pays où il n’y a pas de Président. La Libye, c’est le pays où le peuple a besoin de libertés individuelles et collectives.La Libye, c’est aussi le pays où le peuple a envie de connaître une autre voie de développement, en dehors de celle du Guide de la Révolution.La Libye, c’est le pays où le peuple veut s’émanciper. Cette révolution entamée, apparemment, est irréversible.Monsieur le Président,Il faut aider le peuple Libyen à se libérer du joug colonial en adoptant une motion contraire à celle qui est débattue actuellement.Je vous remercie.

HON. HIGIRO PROSPER [RWANDA]:Merci Monsieur le Président, mon opinion ne sera pas très différente de celle de ceux qui m’ont précédé.Monsieur le Président, je crois que la motion telle qu’elle a été rédigée et nous a été présentée comporte des faiblesses, car elle n’est pas représentative des débats que nous avons suivis ici dans ce parlement depuis le début de la session.Je pense que la motion a tendance à traiter des conséquences de la situation en Lybie, sans se soucier également des causes qui ont amené à une telle situation. Je crois personnellement qu’en Lybie il y a eu un soulèvement populaire mais l’intervention du Gouvernement et des forces armées est assez différente de ce qui s’est passé en Tunisie ou en Egypte. Et par conséquent, le Parlement panafricain devrait traiter cette question en profondeur.A mon avis la Commission compétente de ce parlement devrait se prononcer là-dessus, car à mon avis elle est mieux outillée pour ça. C’est pourquoi j’ai des réserves sur cette motion. Je vous remercie Monsieur le Président.English follows

HON MEMBER:Thank you, Mr. President, I will contribute on the next order.Thank you.

HON. CISSE MOUSSA [SENEGAL]:Merci, Monsieur le Président.Monsieur le Président,Je voudrais joindre ma voix à celle de mes collègues qui m’ont déjà précédé et qui soutiennent cette résolution.Pourquoi je soutiens cette résolution?Ce n’est certainement pas pour défendre le Colonel Kadhafi ou son gouvernement. C’est tout simplement pour dénoncer cet acharnement sur un peuple africain: le peuple frère libyen.Les forces de l’OTAN sont en train d’outrepasser le mandat que leur avaient donné les Nations-Unies. Elles sont en train de bombarder et de tuer des civils, beaucoup plus qu’en a tué l’armée du Colonel Kadhafi. Elles sont en train de bombarder des infrastructures de la Libye et elles sont en train de viser des personnalités libyennes, qu’elles veulent tout simplement assassiner. Et, cela sous les yeux de l’Union africaine, sous les yeux du peuple africain, qui ne peut pas réagir, parce qu’il n’a pas les moyens de réagir.On parle de soulèvements populaires. Mais, on sait comment les médias ont manipulé ces mouvements, ces manifestations.Quand, dans un pays, nous avons dix millions d’habitants, et que 3 à 4000 personnes sortent dans la rue, on parle de soulèvement populaire. On ne tient pas compte de la position de l’écrasante majorité, qui ne s’est pas exprimée à travers ces manifestations. Cela me paraît injuste; la démocratie ne se mesure pas à travers des manifestations dans la rue.Et, il se dit qu’après la Libye, après la Tunisie et l’Algérie, d’autres pays africains ont commencé à réagir de la sorte, en pensant que maintenant la voie de la démocratie, c’est l’expression de la rue. Cela est un précédent extrêmement dangereux. Je pense que l’Afrique ne doit pas laisser faire cela. Nous devons arrêter ces bombardements en Libye. Nous devons protéger les populations libyennes.L’OTAN n’est pas en train de protéger ces populations; au contraire, elle est en train de contribuer à leur extermination.Monsieur le Président,Je pense que quand de pareilles situations se passent (...)(Temps de parole épuisé)

LE PRESIDENT:Merci, honorable CISSE Moussa.

HON. OSSAGOU GUY CHRISTIAN [GABON]:Merci, honorable Président.Je voudrais, relativement à cette motion, dire qu’elle est inopportune.Elle l’est pour une raison simple: rien qu’à regarder le dispositif, c'est-à-dire le point 8, sur la décision qui décide d’envoyer une mission d’informations parlementaire, telle que prévue déjà par la Commission présidée par le collègue du Swaziland.De mon point de vue, il serait plutôt important d’attendre que la mission décidée par la Commission des Relations Internationales puisse se rendre en Libye, pour enquêter et s’informer de la situation. Pourquoi, alors, une motion maintenant, alors que cette Commission a déjà planché là-dessus et débattu longuement dans cette Chambre?Merci, Monsieur le Président.

HON. LAHAI BERNADETTE [SIERRA LEONE]:Thank you very much, Mr. President, for giving me the Floor.I want to follow suit in saying that this Motion is not required at this moment. The drafting of the Motion, itself, to me is very one-sided. It puts all the blame on the North Atlantic Treaty Orgranisation (NATO) and United Nations (UN) and actually tries to exonerate the leadership, as it were. I think we need a more balanced and objective evaluation of the whole situation with regard to what is happening in Libya. Also, through that evaluation or fact-finding mission, we want to know what has been the leadership’s role in and out of the continent with regard to either working for peace or against it.I can say, definitely, that, for decades, Libya has provided a safe haven for a lot of dissidents in Africa, from Sierra Leone in particular. Libya actually assisted and abated the eleven-year old war that we had in Sierra Leone and that spilledover to Liberia and other countries in the subcontinent. At the same time, you cannot give human rights piecemeal. Human rights are indivisible. You cannot give people economic and social rights, but hold on to their political and civil rights. That is not right. We may assume that Libya has been enjoying all those things, but the fact that the leadership has been in governance for over forty years and not given the people the choice to actually exercise their political and civil rights by going through periodic, free and fair elections may be some of the causes there is this uprising.Let us be patient and let us not be one-sided. Let the fact-finding mission go and objectively look at the situation and come back to this House and tell us exactly what their findings are. Based on these findings this House can come up with a resolution, either to uphold or reject them.I thank you.

THE DEPUTY CLERK [FAIR]:شكرا سيدي الرئيس ،إن االمر يتعلق بعرض تقرير اآللية األفريقية لتقييم النظراء والتدوال فيه، شكراً .

HON. KANTENGWA JULIANA [RWANDA]:Mr. President, I would want to imagine that the authors of this Motion could have been wellintentioned, but the content seems not to be in tandem with the current position of the African Union Roadmap that we were given the other day by the Commissioner of Peace and Security Council. Certainly, it is not in logical coherence with the debates that we have heard here in this August House. We have been informed by the Committee on Co-operation International Relations and Conflict Resolution that PAP is about to send a fact-finding mission to Libya and is already at an advanced stage of dispatching the mission. Therefore, I just want to appeal to your good office that we should not allow ourselves to act incoherently. I also want to request the mover of the Motion to withdraw it because we are already doing the same thing.Furthermore, the content of the Motion, like my colleagues who have talked before me said, seems to be overly over-emphasising the destructive efforts of NATO, but is not looking on the other side. We, as Members of PAP, represent all the peoples of Africa. We are aware that, at one point, Africa supported Resolution 1973, thereby welcoming NATO. Whether what NATO is progressively doing is good or not, we are responsible for having invited it. Therefore, the most important point is to ensure that NATO does the right thing because what it is doing is contained in the AU Roadmap that we were given. That is my position, Mr. President.

HON. KASINGO L. LOIDE [NAMIBIA]:Mr. President, thank you very much for giving me the Floor.In supporting the Motion, allow me to say the following: Rome is burning and I agree with the statement by the Hon. Member from Libya who told us that while we are debating this Motion, Libya is burning. I am not saying that the current regime of Col. Muammar Gaddafi is democratic, but I am asking whether the so-called "popular uprising" used the democratic mechanisms that are in Libya? All of us here are politicians and, mind you, PAP is the voice of the whole continent. It is one thing to send a delegation, and yet another to come up with a Motion regardless of whether we reviewed it or improved it. I am saying that, currently, Libya is in need of our African support. I am going to repeat what I have already said. The NATO bombardment in Libya is uncalled for.Mr. President, I take note of the United Nations Resolution 1973. I also take note that some of the African countries supported that resolution, but there are many grey areas in that resolution. We cannot just say anything from the UN is Heaven on earth. We are representing the African people and even if we send a delegation there, without saying anything, do you think Libya will accept it? While some people are saying the Motion could be improved, we have to say something. We have been deliberating these issues for two weeks and when we go home the people will ask what PAP came up with. Colleagues, Rome is burning. One day you may become a president and how would you feel if a certain group of people organised itself and undemocratically made an uprising against your government?We are saying that NATO must go and the African Union (AU) must get in.Thank you.

HON. MABILETSA ISAAC STEPHEN [BOTSWANA]:Thank you, Mr. President, for this opportunity to add my voice on this Motion.I think we all agree that there is a serious problem in Libya. The current conflict calls for an urgent and immediate cessation of hostilities. However, when a Motion has been sponsored such as this one, which I am not saying is wrong, in the wake of a delegated committee by PAP that has already started to prepare to go, like the Hon Members have said, to extinguish the fire that is in Libya, debating this Motion appears redundant. We should not talk, again, when we already had an opportunity to do so when the Committee presented its report earlier on and it was actually the first report to be debated. We have already deliberated the position of PAP on the conflict in Libya. Debating this Motion would be repeating our earlier discussions and is not cost effective. I also find it counterproductive.I think we ought to follow the line that has been suggested by Hon. Khumalo, the Chairman of the Committee on Co-operation, International Relations and Conflict Resolution that we let the delegation go because we have already touched base with our colleagues. Here we have Members of PAP from Libya. Some of the logistics that have been put in place are done in consultation with the Members that are here present. Therefore, to say that PAP is not doing anything because there is a fire going on within Africa I think is to misrepresent this august body.Mr. President, I thought when the Chairman was making his first intervention he should have come up with a rule maybe to hold the debate in (inaudible) until the committee comes back and reports to the House. Otherwise, by debating here and coming up with a resolution is no guarantee the resolution will extinguish the fire in Libya. I doubt it. However, going there and meeting those parties to the conflict and calling for a cessation of hostilities, I think is the right way to go, Mr. President.I want to crave the indulgence of my colleagues that we understand the situation. I am not really supporting or opposing the Motion one way or the other, but I believe the right way to go is what the Committee on Co-operation, International Relations and Conflict Resolution has taken. Otherwise, we will just be expending our energy when we know the results are not going to be good.

HON. FARHAT LUTFI MOHAMED [LIBYA]شكرا السيد الرئيس ،أريد توضيح بعض األمور المتعلقة بمشروع هذا القرار . لقد اسمعت بعض المتحدثين يقولون بأن هذا القرار ينتقد األمم المتحدة ، وأنا ال أجد في هذا القرار انتقادا لألمم المتحدة، إنما اإلنتقاد لحلف الناتو الذي طبق قرار األمم المتحدة 1973 بطريقة تخالف قرار األمم النتحدة ، ألن هذا األخير يفرض حظرا جويا على ليبيا، ولكن حلف الناتو خالف على هذا القرار ، حيث بدأ يقصف مناطق مدنية وعسكرية، مما يعرض حياة الليبين للخطر .ونحن ندين هذا التدخل الذي ال نعتبره تدخال دوليا، بل هو تدخال أجنبيا في أمور داخلية تخص ليبيا ، وفي الوقت نفسه، يؤكد هذا القرار ما توصل إليه اإلتحاد اإلفريقي بخصوص المقترح الذي قدمه والذي وافقت عليه ليبيا،إننا نعتقد أن الديمقراطية شيء البد منه والبد أن يحدث في كل منطقة في افريقيا ونحن ال نعارض ذلك .ولكن الديمقراطية تعني أن يكون للشعب كلمة والشعب ال يمكن أن يكون له كلمة في ظل ظروف الال أمن والالإستقرار، لذلك البد من أن نؤكد أوال على ضرورة وقف إطالق النار من جانب حلف الناتو، ثم بعد ذلك نعطي فرصة للشعب بأن يقول كلمته النهائية في هذا األمر .كما ان القرار يؤكد على إرسال بعثة من البرلمان - وقد قررتم ذلك بالفعل - ال يتناقض مع ذلك ،حيث ستتناول البعثة أمورا أخرى ونحن سنركز في مضمون هذا القرار، على إدانة حلف الناتو أثناء تطبيقه لقرار األمم المتحدة، تطبيقا غير شرعي، ويتعارض مع قرار األمم المتحدة نفسه .لذلك أؤكد على ضرورة اتخاذ مثل هذا القرار وأدعو كل أعضاء البرلمان أن يدعموا هذا القرار بكل قوة ، ألن التدخل األجنبي ال يخدم القارة اإلفريقية وال الديمقراطية وال السالم، ونحن في أمس الحاجة الى السالم واألمن والديمقراطية .شكـــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــرا، سيدي الرئيس .

HON. OUADDADI CHEIKH AHMED EL- HEIBA [SAHARAWI REPUBLIC]Muchas Gracias Sr. Presidente.Sr. Presidente hay una situación en Libia muy difícil, una situación muy dramática. TRADUCCION HAY?.Sr. Presidente,Digo que hay una situación completamente dramática que vive el pueblo de Libia, en que vive Libia como País de África, como país Árabe viviendo en el norte de este continente.Sr. Presidente,Yo creo que, ya la Unión Africana ha enviado una delegación y ha llevado con ella una solución, una solución de compromiso que se puede adoptar y que yo la considero una solución consecuente.Sr. Presidente,Podemos hacer las dos cosas. Quiere decir, adoptar esta misión como primer paso de solidaridad de Nuestro Parlamento con el Pueblo Libio y de otra parte podemos enviar una delegación de investigación debido también a la situación dramática en que vive el Pueblo Libio, para poder llegar a un alto el fuego inmediato y para que también crear un ambiente de dialogo entre las dos partes.Sr. PresidenteTenemos que imponer, tenemos que imponer una solución al NATO, a la Alianza Atlántica para que pueda ayudarnos a crear un ambiente de dialogo entre el Estado Libio y los llamados la Parte Revolucionaria. Yo Creo que estoy por...

HON. BENDIR KHATARI DJAMEL [SAHARAWI REPUBLIC]بســـــــــــم هللا الرحمان الرحيم،شكرا سيدي الرئيس ،أنا أؤيد هذا المشروع و سترتكز مداخلتي على خمس نقاط أساسية:أوال ، يجب أن ال نجهل بأن ليبيا تحترق تحت وقع القنابل و االطماع اإلستعمارية التي الهم لها سوى الثروات الليبية وليست الديمقراطية، كما يقولون ألن الديمقراطية في العراق - كما ترون- أتت على ظهور الدبابات، وانظروا ماذا يقع في العراق شعب كان مستقال و هواالن يعاني الفتن والحروب. اذن ،اليجب أن نفهم الديمقراطية على أنها تأتي مع األجانب وعلى ظهور الدبابات .ثانيا ، ال يمكن أن نتجاهل تقتيل شعب شقيق ساهم في بناء اإلتحاد اإلفريقي وساهم في النهوض بشعوب افريقية كانت في أمس الحاجة، تحت ذريعة عدم وجود الديمقراطية ، فالديمقراطية ال تأتي من بيوت األجانب وال تأتي على ظهور الدبابات.ثالثا ، المشروع يؤطر في اختيار اإلتحاد اإلفريقي ،في معالجة ما يقع لشعبنا الشقيق في ليبيا ، فهو ال يخرج عن اإلطار اإلفريقي .رابعا ، البعثة التي سنرسلها إلى ليبيا ربما قد ال تصل إال بعد فوات األوان ، بمعنى بعدما يحترق البيت الليبي ال قدر هللا .خامسا ، يجب أن ال نتجاهل أن ما يقوله الغرب ليس بالضرورة أنه صحيح ، كالتدخل األجنبي في ليبيا فاألمم المتحدة لم تؤمن بالطريقة التي تبناها الناتو، كما ذكر اإلخوة الليبين وكما تنص عليه قرارت األمم المتحدة ، فحلف الناتو عليه أن يحمي السكان كحظر الطيران الجوي وليس ضرب المنشأت الليبية والشعب الليبي، الذي ينزف دما األن.وعليه أؤيد المشروع ، والمشروع يؤطره موقف اإلتحاد اإلفريقي وعلينا أننصوت عليه جميعا ، وشكـــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــرا .

HON. TAMBOURA ASCOFARE OULÉMATOU [MALI]:Merci, Monsieur le Président.J’ai entendu les différentes réactions, mais je demeure convaincue que la motion est opportune et que nous devons aller vers des solutions africaines pour toutes ces questions de sécurité et de démocratie dans nos différents pays.A l’instar de certains collègues, je suis convaincue que l’OTAN est en train d’aller au-delà de ce qui était censé être une solution et qu’il est important, en tant qu’africains, que nous puissions avoir des solutions africaines aux conflits qui se posent, au niveau de notre continent.Je pense qu’il y a une volonté délibérée, certainement, de mettre en dehors de la ligne de développement de notre continent, tous ces pays qui sont en mesure d’apporter des contributions importantes.Dans ce sens, je pense que cette motion n’est pas contraire à la motion qui est prévue; au contraire, elle appuie cette motion qui est programmée par la Commission Coopération.Je vous remercie.

HON. COULIBALY KADIDIATOU SAMAKE [MALI]:Merci, Monsieur le Président.Je pense que cette motion n’est pas du tout en contradiction avec ce qui nous a été exposé, ici, par le représentant de l’Union africaine.Si vous prenez les points évoqués dans la motion et que vous lisez le rapport du représentant de la Commission de l’Union africaine, vous trouverez, à part le point 7, tous les points dans son rapport. J’ai le rapport en face de moi.L’Union africaine a demandé la cessation immédiate de toutes les hostilités. Moi, je pense que le plus important, aujourd’hui, c’est cela.On ne peut pas venir en session et repartir dans nos pays, sans rien faire, pour dire qu’on attend la session d’octobre, pendant que ce pays - la Libye - est en train de brûler, que les libyens sont en train de mourir par centaines, à la fois, par les frappes de l’OTAN, les frappes des civils et les frappes du gouvernement.Ce n’est pas un problème Kadhafi; je pense qu’on a fini avec ce débat. Aujourd’hui, il s’agit de prendre une décision.Nous sommes des parlementaires; nous ne sommes pas des porte-paroles des chefs d’Etats. Je pense qu’en tant que représentants des peuples, on ne peut pas laisser un peuple souffrir. C’est pour cela que je pense que cette motion est opportune.Il faut que les frappes s’arrêtent immédiatement, pour permettre à l’Union africaine de jouer son rôle. Et, c’est ce que nous avons demandé à l’Union africaine, ici.Nous avons demandé, désormais, pour les conflits en Afrique, que les solutions soient des solutions africaines, que l’Union africaine soit au devant. Mais, aujourd’hui, ce n’est pas l’Union africaine qui est au devant - c’est écrit dans le rapport qui nous a été présenté.Donc, je maintiens que cette motion n’est pas inopportune.J’aurais accepté, si la Commission, après son rapport, avait présenté une motion. Elle aurait pu le faire: demander l’arrêt des hostilités et aller en négociations ou faire des propositions. Mais, malheureusement, notre Commission n’a fait aucune motion.Donc, je maintiens ce que j’ai dit: je soutiens la motion.Merci, Monsieur le Président.

LE PRESIDENT:Honorables membres,Je vous fais lecture de la motion qui va être incessamment soumise à votre appréciation.« Ayant suivi avec intérêt et tristesse la situation sécuritaire et les opérations militaires en cours, en Libye, qui ont provoqué un grand nombre de morts et de blessés parmi les citoyens libyens et la destruction massive des infrastructures du pays, (que) par conséquent cette Chambre:Condamne l’agression militaire des forces de l’OTAN par le bombardement des installations et infrastructures publiques et des lieux résidentiels ainsi que l’assassinat ciblé des dirigeants du pays;Demande à la Communauté internationale de mettre immédiatement fin à cette agression pour permettre au peuple libyen de régler ses différends par la voie du dialogue;Appelle à la solidarité avec la Libye face aux dépassements et aux violations par les forces de l’OTAN des résolutions du Conseil de sécurité des Nations Unies n° 1970 et 1973 (de 2011) par l’imposition d’un embargo économique et des frappes aériennes contre la Lybie;Salue l’initiative africaine dans la recherche d’une solution pacifique à la crise en Libye, au lieu des tergiversations, et appuie la solution africaine au problème libyen;Réaffirme son soutien à la convocation d’un Sommet extraordinaire de l’Union africaine du 25 au 26 mai 2011, pour débattre de la situation de la paix et de la sécurité en Afrique, notamment de la situation en Libye;Encourage la convocation d’une Session de l’Assemblée générale des Nations-Unies, pour examiner les dépassements par l’OTAN de toutes les limites des résolutions du Conseil de sécurité concernant la Libye;Condamne la campagne de désinformation menée contre la Lybie par les médias et invite les médias du continent africain et du monde entier à jouer leur rôle dans la couverture de la réalité des évènements en Libye;Décide de l’envoi d’une mission d’information parlementaire à la fin de la présente Session et qui soumettra son rapport au Bureau du Parlement panafricain et puis au PAP, qui convoquera une Session extraordinaire ».Secrétariat,Prenez le dispositif pour recueillir le vote des honorables parlementaires.Secrétariat,Préparez-vous à prendre le vote des parlementaires.Honorables membres,La question a trois volets: Pour, Contre, Abstention.Honorables membres,Quels sont ceux qui sont pour la motion?Quels sont ceux qui sont contre la motion?Quels sont ceux qui s’abstiennent? Abstention? Honorables membres,La sanction de la plénière est la suivante:Pour = 43Contre = 18Abstention = 09.La motion est adoptée.Honorables membres,Conformément aux dispositions de l’article 38.1 g, j’invite Assefa SHIFA, Directeur exécutif du Secrétariat du Mécanisme Africain d’Evaluation par les Pairs, à entrer dans la Chambre.Secrétaire général,Donnez lecture du deuxième point inscrit à l’ordre du jour.

THE CLERKشكراً سيدي الرئيس ،إن االمر يتعلق بعرض تقرير اآللية األفريقية لتقييم النظراء والتدوال فيه، شكراً .

LE PRESIDENT:J’invite Monsieur Assefa SHIFA, Secrétaire exécutif du Mécanisme africain d’Evaluation par les Pairs, à faire sa présentation.

2.0 – PRÉSENTATION MAEP

MR. ASSEFA SHIFA [CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER OF APRM]:Your Excellency, the President of PAP, Hon. Members, Ambassadors representing the African Diplomatic Corps, distinguished participants, ladies and gentlemen, it is, indeed, a great honour and an immense pleasure to be invited to make a contribution at this 4^th Ordinary Session of the Pan-African Parliament (PAP). I am also particularly pleased that I have this opportunity to share with you the resolve that member states commit themselves to, the objectives and principles of protecting and promoting good political governments, human rights and the rule of law in the pursuit of building a new Africa. Allow me to present an up date on the progress of the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) process and provide a synopsis of putting PAP at the centre of the APRM process.Your Excellencies, as you are aware, the APRM was adopted by the African Heads of State and Government as a systematic peer learning and self-assessment mechanism originating from the New Partnership for Africa Development (NEPAD) foundational documents; the declaration on democracy, political, economic and corporate governance adopted in Durban South Africa in July, 2002.The APRM is a mutually agreed instrument voluntarily acceded to by the African Union (AU) member states as an African self-monitoring mechanism. The APRM is often described as Africa’s unique and innovative approach to governance with the objective of improving governance dynamics at the local, national and continental level. The APRM constitutes one of the most ambitious and innovative governance exercises undertaken in Africa which provides important opportunities for public policy dialogue. This approach is unique in both scope and breadth. The initiative is the first of its kind in Africa and marks a paradigm shift. The APRM has practically demonstrated its mettle as an instrument for advancing good governance on the continent. The experiences emerging out of the APRM implementation exercise demonstrate its remarkable gains and potential to serve as a collective self-governance tool. The achievements notwithstanding, as a result of its novelty, the mechanism is fraught with challenges pertaining to the slow pace of implementation both at the national and continental levels.Your Excellencies, let me underline here that the governance architecture of the APRM comprises a set of organisational components that support and co-ordinate the implementation of the review process both at the national and continental levels. At the continent level, the APRM structure includes a Committee of Participating Heads of States and Government or the APRM Forum, the Panel of Eminent Persons or the APRM Panel and the APRM Secretariat.The overall responsibility of the APRM is vested with the Committee of Committee of Participating Heads of State and Government who voluntarily acceded to the APRM process. The APR Forum is the ultimate authority for the oversight of the APRM organisation and processes and also for exercising the constructive peer dialogue and persuasion required to effect the changes in country practice as recommended in the review exercise. The Panel of Eminent Persons or the APR Panel comprises Africans of high moral stature who are committed to the ideals of PanAfricanism and who have distinguished themselves in areas relevant to the work of APRM such as political governance, micro-economic managements, public finance management and corporate governance. They are nominated by participating countries and appointed by the APRM Forum. They also reflect regional, gender and cultural balance. It is the APRM Panel that leads and oversees the country review process and submits its country review reports to the APRM Forum with its recommendations on measures that needs to be taken to assist the country in the improvement of its governance and socioeconomic development performance. The Panel is supported in its operation by a secretariat which provides secretarial, technical, co-ordinating as well as administrative support services to the mechanism.Mr. President, regarding the APRM national structures at country level, each country is required to establish a national co-ordinating structure as well as a national focal point which ensures the smooth co-ordination between the various APRM institutions. The national focal point persons who are high level officials and report directly to the Heads of State and Government with all access to the national stakeholders, serve as a liaison between the national and continental structures of the mechanism.Each country is also required to set up a national co-ordinating structure often in the form of National Governing Council in which key stakeholders and groups are represented, including the government, civil society and the private sector. This body is responsible for conducting the country’s self-assessment through a broad-based and all-inclusive consultation of key national stakeholders.Your Excellencies, permit me to elaborate on the APRM progress which has come a long way since its inception when the first few pioneer countries decided to embark on this unchartered course. Since inception, the APRM has made considerable progress in terms of the number of countries acceding, the rolling out of its structures, institutions and deepening of the review process as well as in the level of active participation and engagement of stakeholders both nationally and internationally.Membership of the mechanism has also grown steadily since 2003. Accession is marked by the signing of the a memorandum of understanding which entails a commitment by the country to submit to peer reviews, operationalisation of agreed parameters for good governance and the implementation of national programmes of actions emanating from the review exercise. Currently, thirty countries have voluntarily acceded to the APRM. The pace of implementation of mechanism is also gradually advancing as a result of the awareness being created in more countries and stakeholders concerning the value of APRM. Todate, the APRM has initiated reviews in eighteen countries. The reviews have been finalised for fifteen countries and the country review reports of fourteen countries have been peer reviewed by member Heads of State and Government. The most recently peer reviewed country is Ethiopia and this was done in January, 2011. The country review mission to Zambia was fielded last February, 2011. Sierra Leone will receive a country review mission this May, 2011. Kenya and Ghana are also poised for a second cycle review pending confirmation of dates this year. The rest of the countries are at various stages of the review process.The pace of the implementation of mechanism which has been slow will undoubtedly improve under the leadership of the newly re-invigorated Panel which is also endeavoring to identify those practices that are worthy of emulation by other African countries and have well introduced new dimensions into the mechanism. Efforts are also underway by the panel to bring in more countries and sensitisation missions are being undertaken with a view to inculcating the understanding that the APRM is not a punitive measure, but an instrument for advancing good governance and people-centred socio-economic development.The country review reports produced, thus far, also brought highlights which are referred to in the APRM Parlance as cross-cutting and over-arching issues. These issues areas of deficiency that are of recurring and cross-cutting in nature and have been identified in more than one thematic area also require a holistic approach in the search for solutions. It is in this context that the Heads of State and Government deliberated on some of the cross-cutting issues relating to the management of diversity and xenophobia, elections in Africa, resource control and land management as well as corruption in a focused extraordinary summit.In order to enhance its dynamism, the newly appointed panel has embarked on a project to streamline and fast track the APRM Process which will culminate in the revision of the existing master questionnaire. A stakeholders’ validation workshop exercise was recently undertaken in mid-March, 2011 in order to validate and finalise the draft master questionnaire which is poised for submission to the consideration of the member Heads of State and Government at the next summit in June in Equatorial Guinea. Enhancing the participation of the civil society in the APRM process is also another project by the APRM which is underway and the Panel is also in the process of reviewing each with introspection and self-assessment in order to bring in new dimensions into the mechanism.The implementation of the national programme of action is very central to the APRM. The primary purpose of this national programme of action is to guide and mobilise country’s efforts in implementing the necessary changes in order to improve the status of governance. The programme of action presents countries with priorities and activities to be undertaken and also responsibilities shared amongst various stakeholders, including the government, civil society, community based organisations and the private sector. Every reviewed country is statutorily obligated to submit bi-annual and annual progress reports on the implementation of this programme of action to the APRM Panel as well as the Forum. It is worth noting that the APRM is implemented with resources coming predominantly from Africa. This is aimed at ensuring African ownership of the mechanism and its process. In this regard, participating member countries have demonstrated determination to fund a substantial bulk of its budget which amounts to 66 per cent, thereby jealously guarding the ownership of the mechanism.Your Excellencies, how can this Parliament promote the APRM process? Accountability is the life blood of democratic governance. Parliaments have the primary role of both giving account for their activities to the electorate as well as providing the oversight role to public institutions in light of the accountability to the citizens. African Parliamentarians are major stakeholders playing a pivotal role in the country and continental APRM process. The goal of this process is to foster a culture of domestic accountability in order to achieve the objectives of democratic and good political governments.The role and effective participation of PAP in the APRM process cannot be over-emphasised. In order to improve the PAP’s oversight role, its strategic interventions in the APRM has to be repositioned at three main levels, that is, the continental l, sub-regional and national levels. At the continent level, PAP should take an expansive or liberal view of this mandate and work with other AU organs to integrate the APRM into AU structures and also policy process. To this end, PAP would consider to have an established specifically designated APRM Committee as one of its committees. This committee will devote special sessions to consider the APRM country review reports when they are formally tabled by the APRM; utilise its participation on an extraAfrican Inter-parliamentary Forum in order to disseminate information on the trends and progress in the APRM with a view to show case its uniqueness and the lessons which others could learn from. It will also send delegations to the APRM member countries on fact-finding missions with a view to encouraging peer reviewed countries to implement their national programmes of actions.At sub-regional level, PAP could work with regional economic or other relevant organs in order to pursue the following objectives:i.integration of the APRM into the structures and organism of the eight regional economic committees officially organised by the AU;ii.hold periodic meetings of Members of Parliament from the five regions of the continent to discuss APRM country process;iii.undertake sensitisation of member states of the regional economic committees yet to accede to the APRM in order to do so; and,iv.urge national parliaments to domestic the regional standards and codes entered into by the country.With regard to actions at the national level, PAP can urge national parliaments to get more involved in the APR country processes in the following manner. Where a country has not acceded to the APRM, Parliament could make a strong case for accession. Where the country has acceded to the APRM, Parliament can initiate pertinent legislation to ensure the sustainability of the national process. Parliament could also play a decisive role in the membership of the APRM Governing Council. Parliament should require the APRM National Governing Councils at country level to submit annual reports of their activities for consideration by Parliament. Parliament, should take stock of standards and codes which are yet to be ratified and/or domesticated and initiate legislative action to that end. In peer-reviewed countries, Parliament should subject the national programme for actions to detailed scrutiny before appropriating funds in its favour, and designing monitoring mechanisms to ensure its prudent implementation. The Government should ensure that and bear the responsibility of financing and mounting sustained advocacy of the APRM through constant engagement of the general public and the state and non-state actors to sustain the mechanism and ensure its ownership. Parliament can also popularise and mobilise support to the process by taking part in the country self-assessment in the validation exercise as well as synthesising various country experiences with a view to guiding their choice of best practices that need to be emulated.Your Excellencies, the APRM is, indeed, a potential tool that the rest of the world could learn useful lessons from. The unique and novel fact that an African country engages into the widest possible national consultative process of all its stakeholders seeking to identify and address its shortcomings, through a national programme of action, is a watershed in the history of governance on the continent.The true measure of the success of the APRM lies in the full implementation of the national programme of action which is intended to correct the government’s challenges identified in the review exercise. Given the prevailing implementation challenges, there is a need for a collective endeavor to deepen the review process and assist countries in implementing their national programmes of action through support in capacity building initiatives and funding while preserving country ownership.This PAP Session marks a milestone in the announcement of the partnership between PAP and the APRM in our collective efforts to scale up strategic support to the APRM participating countries to face the challenges and accelerate the implementation of the APRM on the continent.Mr. President, on behalf of the APRM Panel of Eminent Persons and the Secretariat, I would like to conclude by urging the reversal of the marginal role played to-date and put the Parliament right at the heart of the APRMThank you.

LE PRESIDENT:Merci beaucoup, Monsieur Assefa SHIFA, Directeur exécutif du Secrétariat du MAEP, pour cette contribution.Honorables membres,Les débats sont actuellement ouverts sur le rapport relatif au MAEP.J’ai, devant moi, une liste d’intervenants.Le premier de ma liste, c’est l’honorable Sylvia MASEBO.

HON. SYLVIA TEMBO MASEBO [ZAMBIA]:Thank you very much Mr. President, for giving me the opportunity to make a few remarks on the presentation that has just been made. First, I would like to commend the presenter for a wellarticulated and comprehensive report on the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM).Mr. President, I also just wanted to confirm that, indeed, Zambia recently received the Eminent Persons in an attempt to review our country and I had the privilege to attend one of those meetings as a Member of Parliament. What I see is that whereas in most cases the grassroots or the people whom we represent seem to know very little about the APRM, those at the national level, the policy makers and even implementers are well versed in this mechanism. It is gratifying, therefore, to learn ways and means by which Members of Parliament can find space within the APRM to sensitise the communities.I also wanted to say that, following the review process in our country, I see that our Government has started making a number of efforts. There are various programmes and activities that are now being implemented in trying to meet the challenges that came out during the review. It is, indeed, a good step by the Heads of State and our African governments generally to have come up with this very important initiative of African Peer Review Mechanism. I think that there is a lot that even we, ourselves, as Members of Parliament, need to understand, especially when it comes to the benefits to our communities.The other point that I wanted to find out from the presenter is which countries out of the fifty-three members of the Pan-African Parliament have not yet assented to the APRM. What reasons, if any, are being given for not doing so? Truthfully, I think that this is a good tool that helps us to enhance governance in our nations. It would be interesting also, to find out the countries, especially Libya now, whether indeed...The Hon. Member’s time expired.

HON. MUKABARANGA AGNÈS [RWANDA]:Merci, Monsieur le Président, pour la présentation de ce matin.Je voudrais juste souligner combien le MAEP, comme le NEPAD, sont vraiment des initiatives louables du continent. Ils ont été initiés par les chefs d’Etats africains, en vue de la bonne gouvernance, de la consolidation de la démocratie et du développement économique de nos pays respectifs.Monsieur le Président,Je prends la parole juste pour demander à notre auguste hôte ceci: quels sont les efforts qui sont faits, en ce qui concerne le suivi de ce programme dans les pays qui ont été évalués?J’ai, ici, devant moi, une publication de l’ONG « Fondation Open Society », qui dit: « Les doutes sur l’utilité du MAEP sont alimentés par l’absence apparente d’intégration du plan d’actions dans d’autres processus de planification nationale ».Ceci rejoint un autre constat, que pratiquement les structures du MAEP, après l’achèvement du premier examen, sont démantelées ou n’existent plus dans les pays qui ont été examinés. Cela veut dire, donc, qu’on a tendance à s’orienter vers les pays qui doivent être examinés ou qui ne l’ont pas encore été. Mais, pratiquement, on perd le lien avec les pays qui ont été examinés.Cela, à mon sens, risque de limiter les résultats de ce programme si admirable.Je voudrais, donc, entendre les réactions du présentateur sur cette situation, ainsi que les stratégies et les perspectives (pour l’avenir).Je vous remercie, Monsieur le Président.

LE PRESIDENT:Merci beaucoup.Honorable ASCOFARE Oulématou.

HON. TAMBOURA ASCOFARE OULÉMATOU [MALI]:Merci, Monsieur le Président.Je voudrais féliciter le présentateur, pour son intervention de qualité, et saluer le dynamisme et la pertinence de cet exercice qui va, sans doute, contribuer à améliorer la gouvernance dans nos pays, en consolidant la démocratie et l’Etat de droit.Je voudrais néanmoins déplorer le manque d’implication effective des parlementaires dans cet important exercice.Le Conseil national, responsable de la conduite du processus et mis en place dans les différents pays, ignore la plupart du temps les parlementaires, qui peuvent beaucoup apporter au processus, compte tenu de leur rôle de représentants des populations et de leur mission de contrôle de l’action gouvernementale.Alors, je voudrais poser une question: pour renforcer le rôle du MAEP et lui permettre d’avoir plus d’impact sur le développement des pays et le renforcement de la démocratie dans notre continent, ne serait-il pas nécessaire de lui assortir des sanctions pour les manquements observés dans la gestion démocratique des pays?Je vous remercie.

HON. LAHAI BERNADETTE [SIERRA LEONE]:Thank you very much, Mr. President.Indeed, the APRM is working, that I know. Since its inception, particularly in Sierra Leone, we, as Parliamentarians, have participated in a few of its activities. We have participated in the validation of the national report and in a civil society meeting with women civil society members and women in general. We also participated in the information sharing meeting. The initial launching of the APRM in Sierra Leone also saw one or two Members of Parliament becomes permanent members and I am one them.Mr. President, next year, it will be ten years since the Durban meeting when the APRM was launched. I would like to know from the presenter what role the APRM has made in forestalling imminent problems in Africa, particularly those relating to elections and inequitable distribution of resources. I also want to know what the future plans are for next year’s celebration of a decade of the APRM existence?Finally, are there no other mechanisms that the APRM has put in place for preventing crises in Africa? Can we know who the thirteen countries that have acceded are? Once we know the thirteen who have acceded, we will know the countries that have not acceded to the APRM.Thank you, Mr. President.

HON. KEITA LANCENI BALLA [MALI]:Merci, Monsieur le Président.En juillet 2002, lors du Sommet de l’Union africaine, à Durban, le NEPAD a été renforcé d’une déclaration sur la démocratie, la gouvernance démocratique, la politique, l’économie et la gestion des entreprises.Cette déclaration a engagé les Etats membres à mettre en place le Mécanisme africain d’Evaluation par les Pairs, chargé de promouvoir l’adhésion à ses engagements et leurs réalisations. Beaucoup de pays sont, donc, passés par là.Alors, mes questions sont les suivantes:1Dans ces pays, peut-on, désormais, croire en un gouvernement juste, honnête, transparent, responsable et participatif?2Peut-on croire en la probité dans la mise, dans la vie publique de ces pays, désormais?3Quel est l’apport mutuel que le MAEP et les programmes nationaux de bonne gouvernance se donnent-ils?4Quelle est la part de participation de la Société civile dans ce processus, par rapport aux pays concernés?Monsieur le Président,Les réponses à ces questions permettront de juger de l’avancée de la démocratie en Afrique qui, malheureusement, reste encore un continent de conflits.Nous notons, donc, avec satisfaction, que le MAEP demeure un instrument novateur et important, dont la mise en place par l’Union africaine a été faite pour accompagner et aider les pays membres à faire face aux défis majeurs du développement, y compris la bonne gouvernance. Je vous remercie, Monsieur le Président.

HON. OSSAGOU GUY CHRISTIAN [GABON]:Merci, honorable Président.Je pense que mes préoccupations ont été prises en compte par l’intervention de ma collègue, l’honorable ASCOFARE.Je vous remercie.

HON. HIGIRO PROSPER [RWANDA]:Merci, Monsieur le Président.Je voudrais, à mon tour, remercier le Directeur exécutif du Mécanisme africain d’Evaluation par les Pairs, pour sa présentation, et le remercier, de façon particulière, pour le travail fait jusque-là.Monsieur le Président,Le Mécanisme africain d’Evaluation par les Pairs, comme nous l’a dit le présentateur, est une nouvelle approche de gouvernance en Afrique. Et, sans me tromper, je crois que les populations africaines, y compris nous parlementaires, ont eu beaucoup d’espoir dans son nouveau mécanisme ou dans cette nouvelle approche de gouvernance. Mais, depuis que ce mécanisme a été lancé, nous avons observé de nouvelles tensions, de nouveaux conflits en Afrique qui sont dues à la mauvaise gouvernance, malheureusement.En même temps, au départ, quand le mécanisme a été lancé, nous avons remarqué un engagement, au plus haut niveau, des chefs d’Etat et de gouvernements pour soutenir ce mécanisme. Mais, il y a lieu de se demander si, aujourd’hui, cet engouement et ce soutien politiques, institutionnels et financiers qu’on a observés, au départ, est toujours là.Je voudrais que le présentateur nous rassure car, à mon avis, la tendance va crescendo.Dans nos pays respectifs, au Rwanda, par exemple, nous sommes déjà passés par ce mécanisme, mais on n’en entend presque plus parler ou, en tout cas, la médiatisation est assez faible.De même, comment expliquer le fait que la Charte africaine sur la gouvernance, la démocratie et les élections, qui a été pourtant signée par les chefs d’Etat, n’ait pas encore pu avoir les onze (11) ratifications nécessaires, pour entrer en vigueur, alors que nous avons déjà trente (30) pays qui sont membres de ce mécanisme?Il y a là une sorte de contradiction et je voudrais avoir des explications sur cette situation, de la part du Directeur exécutif du MAEP.Je vous remercie, Monsieur le Président.

LE PRESIDENT:Merci beaucoup.

HON. MABILETSA ISAAC STEPHEN [BOTSWANA]:Thank you, Mr. President. The APRM, as expressed by the presenter, has a good approach to governance and is, indeed, a good thing. I must say I had an opportunity to represent this Parliament in Ghana when they were actually trying to set up a centre for dissemination of information on the APRM. I learnt a lot from that workshop which I attended. Botswana is a country that cannot be counted among those that have already acceded to it. However, Botswana is amongst the best African countries and those African countries that are ahead in terms of its systems of governance.Upon my return from Ghana and submitting the report to PAP, my fellow colleagues, the Members of PAP from Botswana and I visited the Office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operations. Amongst other issues that we discussed with him was the ratification of the African Charter on Governance, Elections and Democracy. One of the issues that we raised with him was why Botswana was not acceding to the APRM mechanisms.In response, there was nothing negative on the part of the Government, but rather complacency because they said the things that are recommended in the APRM are what they are already doing. We told the Minister that the fact that we are doing them and, perhaps doing them very well, is the reasons why we should accede to the APRM mechanisms. Botswana has its own home-grown product of governance. The African countries that are still on the learning path can use the Botswana scenario as learning case.This is what we really advocated for. Mr. President, I have personally noticed a Motion that should have been debated in the last Parliament, but due to the backlog of Motions, it could not go through. The Motion was intended to try and ask Parliament to request governments to accede to the APRM mechanisms...The Hon. Member’s time expired.

HON. CONIQUET RADEMBINO RENE [GABON]:Merci, honorable Président.Je suis heureux que ce problème soit exposé ici, parce que le MAEP, c’était bien une décision des chefs d’Etats, mais le Parlement s’en occupe.Malheureusement, j’ai entendu parler de questionnaires, mais nous ne sommes pas au courant de la nature de la démarche que la direction du MAEP fait en direction de nos pays.Je souhaite que nous, parlementaires - puisque le présentateur a parlé de questionnaires - nous disposions de ce dispositif, que nous puissions savoir exactement sur quelle direction le MAEP intervient, pour que, nous aussi, nous puissions éventuellement intervenir dans les relations Parlement / Gouvernement.D’autre part - quelqu’un l’a déjà dit - je vois comme une contradiction entre l’accès au MAEP et la ratification de la Charte pour la Démocratie et la Bonne Gouvernance.J’aimerais savoir c’est quoi la relation; est-ce que l’un peut aller sans l’autre?Je sais que des Etats n’ont pas encore ratifié; alors, il y a une contradiction - quelqu’un l’a déjà dit - et on accède au MAEP.Chez moi -au Gabon -, il y a une délégation qui est venue pour le MAEP. On a mis en place un Comité où nous n’avons jamais ratifié la Charte pour la Démocratie et la Bonne Gouvernance. Là, il y a un problème.Je crois qu’il faudrait que l’Union africaine s’en préoccupe. C’est bien de prendre des décisions, mais on a comme l’impression que finalement nous continuons, nous les Africains, comme d’habitude, c’est-à-dire qu’on signe des textes, mais on n’est pas obligés de les appliquer.Alors, voilà une préoccupation qui fait que c’est très bien, nous avançons, nous dépensons de l’argent, nous travaillons, mais nous ne savons pas exactement le résultat qui est atteint.Donc, d’abord, moi, personnellement, je souhaite que tous les parlementaires sachent exactement la nature de la démarche qui est faite en direction de nos Etats, pour accéder au MAEP. Ensuite, la relation qu’il y a entre la Charte de la Bonne Gouvernance et le MAEP et peut-être, pourra-t-on en reparler.Je vous remercie honorable Président.

LE PRESIDENT:Merci beaucoup Honorable CONIQUET.Honorable COULIBALY Kadidiatou.

HON. COULIBALY KADIDIATOU SAMAKE [MALI]:Merci, Monsieur le Président.Je voudrais, à mon tour, féliciter le Directeur exécutif du Secrétariat du MAEP, pour son exposé.Monsieur le Président,Je pense que le MAEP est un engagement personnel des chefs d’Etats à se soumettre à l’évaluation de la gouvernance devant leurs pairs. Je trouve que c’est une initiative africaine unique. Je signale, en passant, que le Mali a fait sa première évaluation, mais je ne connais pas la suite, aujourd’hui. C’est l’une des raisons pour lesquelles je pense que le MAEP, de la même façon que le Directeur Exécutif l’a dit, devrait être au centre du Parlement panafricain.Moi, je pense que le MAEP devrait être au centre de nos parlements. C’est vrai que l’évaluation ne concerne pas seulement les gouvernements; il s’agit de toutes les forces vives de la nation, aussi bien le public, le privé que la société civile: le MAEP est inclusif.C’est à ce titre que je pense que le Parlement panafricain, étant la première institution chargée du contrôle, devrait être au centre.Avant que les résultats de l’évaluation ne soient transmis, je pense qu’ils doivent être d’abord présentés devant le Parlement et que le Parlement (panafricain) puisse avoir son mot à dire. Cela nous permettrait de suivre même certaines choses.On parle, ici, de beaucoup de ratifications par rapport à des instruments juridiques qui ont été signés par nos chefs d’Etats et, souvent, d’autres qui ne sont pas signés; cela nous permettrait de procéder au contrôle de tout ceci.Donc, moi, je pense qu’il faut, si ce n’est pas prévu dans les textes, que les résultats soient présentés au Parlement.Deuxième chose: pour pouvoir mieux impliquer encore les parlementaires (je sais que, dans le système qui est en place au niveau national, on a choisi des parlementaires pour faire partie de la Commission mais, à part ces parlementaires, le reste du Parlement n’est pas informé), je pense qu’il faut encourager la mise en place d’un Réseau parlementaire pour le Suivi du MAEP, au niveau de nos parlements.Je vous remercie, Monsieur le Président.

LE PRESIDENT:Merci beaucoup.J’invite, à présent, le Directeur exécutif du Secrétariat du MAEP, à répondre.

MR. ASSEFA SHIFA [CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER OF APRM]:Thank you, your Excellency.Mr President, I have noted down a number of questions which have rightly been posed and I am particularly pleased to address all these questions as well as comments and commitments that have been forwarded by Hon. Parliamentarians.In fact, it has been a long time since the Secretariat or the Panel addressed this PAP Session. I must admit that the APRM should have done better in terms of reaching out to all the stakeholders in order to ensure that the process is fully realised as well as implemented to achieve its mandate. As Hon. Parliamentarians have rightfully indicated, it is true that the advocacy and outreach that we have done, so far, is not adequate. We need to improve on that and a Panel of Eminent Persons, which has newly been reinvigorated, is fully aware of the situation.In fact, upon appointment the Panel looked into what APRM has done so far, make an introspection of what it has achieved, the challenges it has encountered as well as project into the future in order to address the emerging demands of governance on the continent.My presentation today is part of that outreach exercise that the Panel has resolved to undertake. In fact, the Panel is also undertaking this outreach exercise to non-member countries as well in order to sensitise these countries not only to understand the APRM, but also to be part of this process. I think this has been realised recently and we are getting some countries to joining the APRM. We strongly believe that the PAP should be placed at the heart of the APRM. In fact, as proposed in my presentation, I would like the Pan-African Parliament to be a very strong partner in the exercise to ensure that the APRM is fully realised to bring about the governance changes that we are working towards and build a new Africa.In terms of our collaboration, as I said earlier, the Secretariat has come in to this Session. In fact, we had a discussion with the Secretariat of PAP in order to come and make a presentation here and be engaged with the PAP in order to communicate what the APRM is all about, what our challenges are and what the Parliament can do in terms of promoting this exercise.The African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) is a voluntary initiative. We are not a punitive or a scorecard mechanism, so there are no sanction in the inherent nature of the APRM, but there is a peer dialogue, peer persuasion which we believe is quite strong. After all, the APRM was initiated by Heads of State and, as you mentioned, it is a unique and unprecedented initiative which has never happened elsewhere in the world. It is a very ambitious and historical move by the Heads of States who introduced the APRM. We also believe that there is still a very strong commitment by Heads of State. We are getting more and more countries acceding to the APRM, but we still have a number of challenges which are institutional. We still have challenges of ensuring that what has been recommended in the review exercise and decided by the Heads of State in their forum, in terms of implementation has been very slow. The purpose of my presentation here and my pledge here is to ensure that the implementation exercise of the APRM process is addressed with vigour by all stakeholders and we believe that Parliamentarians are very huge stakeholders of this process.Having said that, I would also like to give the names of the thirty member countries of the APRM which have voluntarily acceded to the APRM and which ones are not members. The member countries are Algeria, Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Djibouti, Egypt, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mozambique, Nigeria, Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, and Zambia. Cape Verde expressed interest to join the APRM and has been accepted as a member, pending the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). As I earlier on mentioned, the signing of the MOU is extremely important. It is a commitment to submit to the peer review exercise. Basically, these are the countries that are our members.There is a question of the Master Questionnaire which I tried to highlight in my presentation. As you are aware, the questionnaire that we use is a tool that is deployed to undertake a selfassessment exercise in countries. This questionnaire, which was introduced long time ago has not been reviewed since its inception. It is long overdue for change because everything has changed. The lessons learnt from the review exercise and the relevance of some of the issues and the questions, in addressing some conceptual frameworks and emerging political trends, have to be included in these questionnaires. The Panel engaged an exercise to allow this questionnaire to be revisited and revised so that it becomes relevant for now in the expected future.Because we believe that the APRM process is an all-inclusive and participatory process, last March, we brought in more than 100 participants from various countries including government officials, civil society organisations, communitybased organisations, academicians, researchers, and technical experts in order to review this questionnaire and validate it for finalisation and onwards submission to the Heads of State for approval. The exercise has now been finalised and we are hoping to present it at the next Heads of State Summit in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea. This is a huge achievement in terms of enhancing the dynamism of the APRM. The APRM is a learning process. It is unique and noble, so we must learn day by day. We must learn from the experiences of each and every country.There are also efforts by countries themselves to engage amongst each other in order to share the APRM knowledge. As far as the APRM Panel and the Secretariat is concerned, we are also compiling what we call a compendium of best practices from reviewed countries which are worthy of emulation by other countries and which reinforce the principle of ownership of Africans. These best practices are techniques and processes as well as activities proven to be most effective in delivering a particular outcome or a set of outcomes in order to address serious challenges in the various thematic areas that we review. We have so far gathered more than 100 good governance practices from the last fourteen countries that have been peer reviewed. Thirtynine relate to democracy and political governance and about twenty-five on economic governance and management. Another twenty in corporate governance and another twenty in socio-economic development. This exercise of sharing best practices to achieve some kind of technical cooperation amongst member countries is one of the exercises that the Panel is undertaking to ensure that the APRM remains relevant and succeeds in its endeavour to achieve good governance in Africa.We also have piloted a process where we fully engage civil societies in the APRM process. To enhance dynamism, engagement and full participation of the civil society is extremely important due to the all-inclusive nature of the APRM process. The participation of civil society organisations is also extremely important for us and we believe that Parliamentarians can play a significant role in this exercise.There are significant efforts for all reviewed countries to ensure that the Programme of Action which emanates from the review exercise is fully implemented. This exercise requires a lot of resource and this exercise requires a lot of support, be it technical or financial. The climax of what we do at the APRM, which is the production of the review report, highlights the fact that the implementation of the Programme of Action is implemented fully. Also, there should be a monitoring and evaluating mechanism to that effect. Again, the Secretariat and the new Pane are also undertaking a project which will ensure there is some monitoring and evaluation framework in place to ensure that Programmes of Actions are implemented fully.Efforts to do so are under way but, again, to date, it has been a challenge. In fact, the whole purpose of my presentation and my pledge is to appeal to Parliamentarians so that they can play their pivotal role in ensuring that this extremely important aspect of the review exercise is fully achieved. I am not sure if I have captured all the questions and provided the answers, but I would be happy to elaborate more on any specific questions.I thank you.

LE PRESIDENT:Merci beaucoup, Monsieur le Directeur exécutif du Secrétariat du MAEP.Au nom de la plénière, je voudrais vous féliciter pour votre rapport et féliciter, à travers vous, le Secrétariat du MAEP, en reconnaissance au travail important que vous faites pour le continent. Je voudrais aussi vous remercier pour l’interaction positive que nous avons eue avec vous, ce matin, en plénière, du Parlement panafricain.Je voudrais également vous rassurer que nous tenons également au développement de la collaboration entre le Secrétariat du MAEP et le Parlement panafricain. Ceci pour que le Secrétariat du MAEP contribue au renforcement des capacités des parlementaires.Cet exercice est important, parce qu’avec le renforcement des capacités des parlementaires, nous pouvons effectivement compter les parlementaires comme acteurs et partie prenante au processus d’évaluation. Et, en retour, les parlementaires pourront apporter, d’une part, leur soutien politique et, d’autre part, ils pourront faire le plaidoyer au profit du Secrétariat du MAEP.Encore une fois, merci beaucoup et nous allons continuer à collaborer avec votre Secrétariat.Secrétaire général,Donnez lecture du troisième point inscrit à l’ordre du jour.

THE DEPUTY CLERK [FAIR]:شكراً سيدي الرئيس ،النقطة الثالثة تتعلق بعرض مشروع مساهمة البرلمان األفريقي في الموضوع الرئيس للدورة العادية السابعة عشرة لمؤتمر اإلتحاد األفريقي، حول تسريع دعم الشباب من أجل التنمية المستدامة وإعتماده .شكراً سيدي الرئيس ،

LE PRESIDENT:J’invite l’honorable TAMBOURA Ascofaré Oulématou, Présidente de la Commission permanente de l’Egalité en Genre, de la Famille, de la Jeunesse et des Personnes handicapées, à présenter le rapport de la Commission.

3.0 – PRÉSENTATION DE LA CONTRIBUTION DU PARLEMENT PANAFRICAIN AU THEME DE LA 17^eSESSION ORDINAIRE DE LA CONFERENCE DES CHEFS D’ETATS DE ET DE GOUVERNEMENTS DE L’UNION AFRICAINE INTITULE: « AUTOMATISATION DES JEUNES POUR UN DEVELOPPEMENT DURABLE »

HON. TAMBOURA ASCOFARE OULÉMATOU [MALI]:Merci, Monsieur le Président.Bonjour, chers collègues.Honorables députés,Je suis devant vous, au nom de la Commission Permanente de l’Egalité en Genre, de la Famille, de la Jeunesse et des Personnes handicapées, pour contribuer au thème de la 17^e Session ordinaire de la Conférence des chefs d’Etats de et de gouvernements de l’Union africaine intitulé: « Automatisation des jeunes pour un développement durable ».

PREAMBULE

Selon la définition de la Charte africaine de la Jeunesse: « la jeunesse est le groupe d’âge compris entre 15 et 35 ans ».Elle représente environ un cinquième de la population totale de la région. La taille de cette population jeune souligne l’importance et la nécessité de l’intégrer pleinement dans la société. Cela ne peut se faire qu’à travers l’automatisation des jeunes, surtout par leur participation dans la société.L’automatisation des jeunes se réfère à la création et au soutien des conditions dans lesquelles les jeunes peuvent contribuer à la promotion économique, sociale et culturelle de leur société et s’épanouir. Cela comprend l’éducation, la connaissance, l’information et les aptitudes, l’accès à la santé et à d’autres services sociaux et les possibilités d’emploi.L’article 11 de la Charte africaine de la Jeunesse (2006) énonce les droits et les obligations de participation des jeunes à tous les niveaux de la société. La Charte appelle les Etats parties à prendre des mesures pour promouvoir la participation des jeunes en assurant leur participation dans les organes de prises de décisions.Alors que la Charte souligne la nécessite de la participation des jeunes, beaucoup de pays sont encore confrontés à d’énormes difficultés pour la mettre en œuvre. Très peu de pays africains ont des plateformes pour impliquer les jeunes dans les prises de décisions, la gouvernance et les questions de développement. Certains pays sont attachés à la promotion de l’automatisation et du développement des jeunes; ils cherchent à atteindre cet objectif à travers des moyens comme les politiques nationales. Toutefois, ils sont confrontés à plusieurs problèmes, à savoir:Volonté politique, vision des dirigeants et orientation législative inadéquates pour résoudre les problèmes auxquels les jeunes font face.Faible dotation budgétaire pour la conception et la mise en œuvre des politiques relatives aux jeunes.Manque de participation suffisante de toutes les parties prenantes (surtout les organisations des jeunes) dans le processus de formulation ainsi que de mise en mise en œuvre des politiques et programmes destinés aux jeunes.La plus grande ressource de l’Afrique est sa population jeune. Par sa participation active et pleine, les Africains peuvent surmonter les difficultés à venir, particulièrement en réalisant le développement durable sur le continent.Il est, par conséquent, opportun et encourageant que le 15è Sommet de l’UA ait décidé de consacrer le Sommet de juillet 2011 à la jeunesse sous le thème: « Accélérer l’autonomisation des jeunes pour un développement durable ».Ledit Sommet aura lieu à Malabo, en Guinée équatoriale, du 30 juin au 1er juillet 2011.Le Sommet a en outre demandé à la Commission, en collaboration avec les États membres et toutes les parties prenantes pertinentes, de prendre toutes les mesures nécessaires pour préparer toute la documentation et les matériaux pertinents relatifs à ce thème.Par conséquent, un certain nombre d’événements auront lieu avant le Sommet tels que des consultations de haut niveau, le Sommet de la jeunesse africaine et une réunion du Bureau de la Conférence des Ministres en charge de la Jeunesse. C’est également, à la lumière de ce qui précède, qu’il a été demandé à la CUA de tenir une séance d’information avec la Commission permanente de l’Egalité en Genre, de la Famille, de la Jeunesse et des Personnes handicapées, le 11 mai 2011, pour la mettre au courant des programmes de l’UA en matière de développement des jeunes, en prélude aux délibérations de la Quatrième Session ordinaire de la Deuxième législature.

SÉANCE D’INFORMATION DE LA COMMISSION DE L’UNION AFRICAINE SUR SON PROGRAMME DE DÉVELOPPEMENT DES JEUNES

Les membres de la Commission ont été informés que la Division de la Jeunesse de l’Union africaine (UA) avait été créée pour répondre au besoin de renforcement de capacités juridiques et institutionnelles, en vue de la participation des jeunes, en fournissant aux États membres les cadres nécessaires, sous l’égide des Chefs d’États, à travers des décisions, déclarations et toutes autres instructions statutaires.Les instruments/cadres clefs de l’UA sont:La Charte africaine de la jeunesse (2006)La Décennie du développement des jeunes et son Plan d’actions.La Position africaine commune sur les domaines prioritaires du développement des jeunes.Le Corps des volontaires des jeunes de l’Union africaine.La Deuxième Décennie de l’éducation pour l’Afrique et son Plan d’actions.La future Déclaration/Décision du Sommet de juillet.D’autres instruments ou cadres relatifs à la jeunesse comprennent: la Charte africaine des droits et du bien-être de l’enfant; le Plan d’actions de Ouagadougou 2004 sur l’emploi des jeunes et la Stratégie africaine sur la santé.

Charte africaine de la jeunesse

La Commission a donc appris qu’au 2 mai 2011, 26 États membres avaient ratifié la Charte, 37 l’avaient signée et 11 ne l’ont pas encore signée ou ratifiée. Il était donc urgent d’intensifier les activités de plaidoyer en faveur de l’intégration de la Charte dans les législations nationales et de sa mise en œuvre sur le continent.La Commission a, en outre, appris que la décennie 2009-2018 a été proclamée la Décennie de la jeunesse africaine.La Décennie est un cadre multisectoriel et multidimensionnel visant à la réalisation des buts et des objectifs de la Charte africaine de la jeunesse. Il est prévu que le Plan d’actions y afférent soit appliqué par les États membres de l’UA, par les partenaires au développement, la Commission de l’UA et par une vaste panoplie de parties prenantes, notamment dans le but, entre autres, de:Servir de feuille de route pour accélérer la mise en œuvre de la Charte africaine de la jeunesse;Servir de cadre pour permettre à tous les partenaires d’accorder leur appui à un programme et d’accélérer en synergie le développement et l’autonomisation des jeunes;Consolider les mécanismes de financement dans le cadre du financement et de la surveillance des objectifs et des indicateurs du développement africain, tout en intégrant les préoccupations des jeunes.Les résultats escomptés du Plan d’actions de la Décennie de la jeunesse, d’ici à 2018, sont notamment:création d’un environnement propice au développement et à l’autonomisation des jeunes;capacité accrue des États membres pour développer et accélérer la mise en œuvre de politiques et de projets généraux, intégrés et intersectoriels dans le cadre du développement de la jeunesse;investissements accrus dans les programmes de développement de la jeunesse;adoption du Plan d’action de la Décennie de la jeunesse, en tant que cadre pour le financement et l’évaluation des politiques, des programmes et des activités relatifs à l’autonomisation et au développement des jeunes sur le continent;intégration efficace des perspectives des jeunes dans la conception, la mise en œuvre et le suivi des objectifs et des priorités du développement durable.

Lacunes et défis actuels

les dirigeants africains demeurent moins engagés vis-à-vis de leur ressource la plus précieuse: la jeunesse, et les dotations budgétaires destinées aux programmes pour les jeunes, aux Ministères de la Jeunesse et aux activités concernant les jeunes demeurent relativement faibles. Par ailleurs, l’autonomisation des jeunes par le biais de la participation efficace des jeunes, du renforcement des capacités et de la formation en leadership, est demeurée très faible.

RECOMMANDATIONS

La Commission permanente de l’Egalité en Genre, de la Famille, de la Jeunesse et des Personnes handicapées est chargée d’examiner les questions afférentes à la promotion de l’égalité des sexes et d’aider le Parlement à superviser l’élaboration des politiques et les activités ayant trait à la famille, à la jeunesse et aux personnes handicapées.La Commission recommande que, bien qu’il soit important d’adopter une approche multisectorielle aux questions touchant à la jeunesse, en sa qualité de Commission chargée d’aborder les questions liées à la jeunesse, elle devrait jouer un rôle de premier plan grâce aux actions suivantes:i.participer aux forums appropriés pour pouvoir établir des partenariats avec les parties prenantes majeures stratégiques dans des activités de plaidoyer en faveur de réformes politiques et législatives sur les questions relatives aux jeunes;ii.organiser régulièrement des ateliers/réunions avec l’aide des parties prenantes concernées, en vue de mettre en exergue et de sensibiliser sur les domaines majeurs qui affectent les jeunes en Afrique et de faire le plaidoyer en faveur de la ratification et l’application de la Charte africaine de la Jeunesse;iii.organiser, comme autre mesure importante, des Parlements des jeunes, comme un moyen d’encourager les jeunes à comprendre les principes et les compétences qui sous-tendent la démocratie.Je vous remercie pour votre aimable attention.

LE PRESIDENT:Merci beaucoup, honorable ASCOFARE Oulématou.Les débats sont ouverts sur le rapport de la Commission Genre.La première de ma liste, c’est l’honorable Bernadette LAHAI.

HON. LAHAI BERNADETTE [SIERRA LEONE]:Thank you very much, Mr. President.I would like to thank the presenter for her report. I am very happy that this year’s Summit will be devoted to the youth who are our most valued resource on the continent.Mr. President, indeed, the issue of the youths should be at the pivot of our development efforts. Given that their population is over one-fifth and that most of the population in Africa is a youthful one; any development that disregards the issues relating to youth will be missing the point. In Sierra Leone, we have a Youth Ministry and a Youth Policy. Last year, we enacted a Youth Commission and have already interviewed and approved the Commissioners for the Youth Commission. However, the Commission is still to be functional because of logistic constraints.Be that as it may, we have put in place several strategies to ensure that our youths are employed and participate in national developments. For example; the Political Party Registration Commission, together with the political parties now have a Political Youth Association, which comprises both male and female youths. This organisation is playing a very important role in holding our political party leaders to account to ensure that the youths are no longer used for political violence, but that they are used constructively and their energy directed in the most productive manner.Mr. President, let me suggest that, as a forum, we must not forget, particularly the youths with disabilities and the girl or female youths because the youths are not a homogeneous group. They have differences both relating to gender and ability. There are times we tend to concentrate only on the physically and mentally abled youths and youths that are in the urban areas to the exclusion of the youths in the rural areas. I hope that these groups of youths will be given space in the Summit so that they can better articulate their needs within the pivot of their slogan ‘Nothing for us, without us’.I thank you very much.

HON. OSSAGOU GUY CHRISTIAN [GABON]:Merci, Monsieur le Président.Je ne reconnais pas avoir signé un document pour intervenir sur la question. Merci.

LE PRESIDENT:Merci.Honorable Prosper HIGIRO.

HON. PROSPER HIGIRO (RWANDA):Merci, Monsieur le Président.Non, je n’avais pas demandé la parole.

LE PRESIDENT:D’accord!Honorable Dikgang Phillip MAKGALEMELE.

HON. MAKGALEMELE DIKGANG PHILLIP [BOTSWANA]:Thank you, Mr. President, for this opportunity to comment on this report.I would just like to make a brief comment to indicate that I fully support the resolution of the African Union that the theme for the next Assembly be ‘Accelerating Youth Empowerment for Sustainable Development’.Mr. President, development of young people is key and strategic to all our countries and, therefore, deserves special attention. It is, indeed, gratifying to note that the AU General Assembly will dedicate a theme to young people. I support the sentiments of my colleague, the Hon Member from Sierra Leone, that as we discuss youth interventions, we must be sensitive to the reality that young people are not a homogeneous group. It is important that we dissect the group of young people. We have to appreciate that there are different groups of young people. There are young people from poor backgrounds, young people in business and youth with disabilities. There is a cross-section of young people and, therefore, all interventions must actually be directed to all these groups.Maybe, it might be a good idea as PAP and, through this Committee, to come up with a more comprehensive contribution that we can then share with the General Assembly. One of the main considerations that I would like us to take on board is to ensure that youth structures are actually developed in our respective countries, districts and villages. It is only through such youth development structures that the voice of young people can actually be heard.Finally, Mr. President, I would like to associate myself with the recommendation that Youth Parliaments will be promoted. I think that is a very important step because it will encourage and empower young people to be sensitised and involved in politics. We can even go a step further by ensuring that even at local government and council levels, we establish some form of Youth Council Parliaments where young people can meet to discuss political issues or issues that affect them. On that note, Mr. Chair, I fully support the idea that the theme will be ‘Accelerating Youth Empowerment for Sustainable Development"...The Hon. Member’s time expired.

HON. PROF. EL BADAOUI SUAD EL FATEH [SUDAN]:Thank you very much, Mr. President for this opportunity to participate in the debate of this very important topic.I am really concerned about this topic on young people. I just want to draw your attention to the fact that it would be a real danger if we do not get the best of our youth. There is the danger of drugs and its damaging effect on the young people. We all know that the young people are the hope of Africa. Therefore, the use of drugs is destroying our hope in development.I also want to draw your attention to the fact that currently, the use of drugs is increasingly infiltrating in our schools and universities. This calls for whistle blowing. Let us do it here in the Pan-African Parliament (PAP). There are two known remedies that could be of use in tackling this very dangerous problem. First, there is the role that could be played by religion in deterring young people from engaging in this dangerous habit. Secondly, sports could also be a remedy for this very dangerous habit of drug abuse on the continent of Africa.Thank you.

HON. NAWASES EVELYN [NAMIBIA]:Thank you, Mr. President for giving me the Floor. Let me take this opportunity to thank the Chairperson for the presentation.Let me start my remark by going straight to the UN definition of the word youth. I do not know whether it is universally accepted that youth is defined as the age group between 15 and 24. In our case, the Youth Charter states that the youth should be between 15 and 35. As indicated, this age group make up the largest section of society and is, in many instances, the most marginalised in Africa, if not the whole world.I would like to impress it on the Member States that we must make sure that the needs and aspirations of the young people are proffered and taken seriously. We must, as a continent, make sure that the youths are represented in all decisionmaking bodies to ensure that they become selfsufficient and can prosper in the future. For instance, we have the Financial Youth Council in Namibia where we have a platform where youths come together and articulate issues and challenges that are facing them. The composition of such fora is taken from different social, religious, political and economical backgrounds. The National Youth Councils are funded directly by the State, through the Ministry of Youth. This is intended to cater for the needs and meet the aspirations of the young people.However, Mr. President, I will agree with the observation that the matters concerning the youths, in general, are underfunded and neglected. We are heading for a bleak future. If we, as leaders today, do not change our attitude towards the leaders of tomorrow, they will determine the destiny of our respective countries and ultimately that of our continent. As the previous speaker has said; the saying that ‘nothing for us, nothing without us’ is of cardinal importance in this regard.Hon. President, I will, therefore, appeal to all the Member States which have not yet acceded to or ratified the Youth Charter to do so hastily and domesticate it to ensure that a brighter future to our children and grandchildren is secured.I thank you, Mr. President.

HON. JAIME BESSA AUGUSTO NETO [MOZAMBIQUE]:Muito obrigado, Senhor Presidente, por me ter dado a oportunidade para intervir neste importante tema que irá fazer parte da Décima Sessao Ordinària da Uniao Africana.Senhor Presidente, o nosso continente é bastante jovem, grande parte da sua juventude e da sua populado é jovem e, consequentemente, exige dos nossos governos especial aten$ao. A educado, a saúde e o emprego sao as principais áreas-chave que esta faixa etária exige mais.A debilidade económica da grande maioria dos nossos países, resultante dos baixos níveis de produ?ao e produtividade leva a que parte desses servidos nao sejam fornecidos adequadamente. Por isso, Senhor Presidente, o futuro do nosso continente está em consonancia com o futuro que os nossos governos estao a preparar para a nossa juventude.A educa^ao de qualidade, profissionalizante, constitui uma das principais saídas que os nossos governos devem continuamente melhorar, pois, vao criar oportunidade para que os jovens saiam dos estabelecimentos educacionais melhor preparados, com habilidades e capacidades para enfrentarem a vida. Deste modo, os jovens saem com ferramentas que lhes vao proporcionar autoemprego, criando oportunidade para o primeiro emprego para outros jovens.Senhor Presidente, gostaria de propor que parte do volume dos ornamentos nacionais que os nossos governos indicam para os programas de desenvolvimento, fosse dedicada uma percentagem para o empoderamento da juventude, tal como foi feito para a área da agricultura através da "Declaraqao de Maputo ".As questoes da juventude sao tao pertinentes e requerem resposta urgente, pois, sao os jovens de hoje que amanha vao dar continuidade aos destinos de desenvolvimento dos nossos países. Por isso, queremos, hoje, uma juventude saudável, uma juventude interventiva, uma juventude da qual nao temos dúvidas que vai dar continuidade ao legado dos fundadores das nossas pátrias. Queremos uma juventude patriótica e nacionalista, uma juventude que prima pelos princípios de unidade e abrana os esfornos de combate á pobreza.Para terminar, Senhor Presidente, o meu país, Monambique, está a dar passos importantes para o empoderamento da juventude. Nós temos um Ministério da Juventude, um Gabinete Parlamentar da Juventude, um Conselho Nacional da Juventude e, verifica-se no país uma movimentanao saudável das associanoes juvenis nacionais, com destaque particular á Projovem, recentemente criada.Tenho dito, obrigado, Senhor Presidente!

HON. ALI BAHARI [KENYA]:Thank you, Mr. President, for this opportunity to comment on this report.I would like to thank Hon Ascofare for the presentation. I want to state very clearly that the management of this important issue starts with the management of our economies. Youths are important because they form the largest segment of the population of the African continent. They are the most resourceful because of the energy that they have. We must make good use of this labour force that is in Africa. Therefore, youths should not be seen as a problem, but an opportunity and a potential that can move Africa forward.Indeed, in some parts of the world, people are struggling to avoid the issue of the population of the aged. Therefore, we must say we are blessed, but we need to provide the youth with skills development. The issues of education and skills development are very key and inseparable for youth empowerment. The youth are very important in production because of their youthfulness. Once they are given the necessary tools and training skills, I have no doubt they will be very useful to us.This week, I came to learn that there is a continental meeting on youth in Tunis. I wondered whether this House was represented there. If we are not, then we should have been represented. Also, the issues of the leadership and development skills are very important for youths and have to be incorporated, perhaps, in the curriculum. Youth is a transitional phase. It is not a permanent feature such as the issue of gender. Therefore, countries or this continent must take this matter very seriously.I agree with the very important issues that Hon Prof. Badaoui raised but, in addition to that, there is the issue of HIV/AIDS, AIDS and drugs that must be tackled. I would like to request this Committee to take serious interest in this issue. It must also balance the issues relating to youths. I can see that it is combined with the issue of gender, but let us take serious interest in matters relating to youths.Thank you very much, Mr. President.

HON. TAMBOURA ASCOFARE OULÉMATOU [MALI]:Merci, Monsieur le Président.Je remercie tous mes collègues pour leurs contributions, je n’ai pas (...)

UN HONORABLE DEPUTE:Excusez-moi, Monsieur le Président.

LE PRESIDENT:Oui!

UN HONORABLE DEPUTE:J’ai soumis mon nom, à deux reprises, mais je constate que je n’ai pas été appelée.

LE PRESIDENT:Je n’ai pas votre nom mais, néanmoins, si vous voulez intervenir, je vais demander à l’honorable ASCOFARE d’attendre.Honorable, vous avez la parole.

UN HONORABLE MEMBRE:Je vous remercie, Monsieur le Président.En fait, c’était pour préciser que j’avais demandé à intervenir et mardi et ce matin.Je félicite la Présidente de la Commission de l’Egalité en Genre, de la Famille, de la Jeunesse et des Personnes handicapées, pour la présentation de ce matin.On ne peut parler d’automatisation des jeunes, sans parler d’éducation. Permettez-moi, Monsieur le Président, de partager avec tous les honorables membres du Parlement, les mesures concrètes mises en place par l’Etat mauricien, pour assurer un meilleur avenir à nos jeunes.Tous les Honorables membres savent que l’île Maurice est une très petite île sans ressources naturelles. L’Etat a investi massivement dans sa seule ressource, c’est-à-dire, les ressources humaines et, plus particulièrement, dans sa jeunesse, en introduisant l’éducation gratuite, en 1976, à tous les jeunes mauriciens, de toutes classes sociales, du pré-primaire au tertiaire.Des années plus tard, l’Etat constata que les enfants venant des régions défavorisées, avaient de grosses difficultés pour réussir leur scolarisation et a mis en place un projet d’école de zone d’éducation prioritaire qui fournit un programme d’éducation spéciale. En parallèle de la nourriture, des uniformes, des chaussures, des cartables, des livres et matériels scolaires, sont offerts gratuitement aux enfants défavorisés, afin de réunir les meilleures conditions pour qu’ils puissent apprendre, surtout donner une chance aux enfants pauvres mauriciens. Entre temps, la scolarisation devient obligatoire à Maurice jusqu’à l’âge de 16 ans.En 2005, l’Etat, conscient que le coût du transport scolaire pèse lourd dans le budget familial des familles pauvres, prend la décision d’introduire le transport gratuit à tous les étudiants mauriciens, sans distinction de classe sociale, pour donner, encore une fois, un coup de pousse à la jeunesse mauricienne.Tout récemment, en 2010, toujours dans le but d’aider les plus démunis et d’offrir une Ile-Maurice pour tous, l’Etat a créé un nouveau ministère spécial de l’intégration sociale, pour démontrer sa volonté d’éradiquer la pauvreté qui représente environ 10% de la population.Pour conclure, Monsieur le Président, c’est que, oui, qu’un pays qui n’investit pas dans sa jeunesse, orchestre son propre déclin!Si Maurice, si petite, sans ressources naturelles, a réussi, le continent africain, si grand, si vaste, avec toutes ses ressources naturelles réunies et ses jeunes, peut aller très loin et devenir une référence à l’échelle internationale.Merci, Monsieur le Président.(Applaudissements)

HON. TAMBOURA ASCOFARE OULÉMATOU [MALI]:Merci, Monsieur le Président.Je remercie tous mes collègues qui sont intervenus sur la question.Nous prenons bonne note des expériences pertinentes, concernant la jeunesse dans les pays cités.Je n’ai pas eu droit à des questions, mais juste des commentaires.A cet égard, je voudrais dire que, comme cela a été souligné par un des intervenants, l’absence d’une définition unique et uniforme du terme « jeunesse », constitue un défi à relever et, en tant que parlementaire, nous sommes justement interpellés pour harmoniser la définition du terme « jeunesse ».Je pense que c’est une question qui reviendra à l’occasion de ce Sommet important.L’autre défi aussi, c’est celui concernant l’approche multisectorielle de la question de jeunesse.Il est difficile, effectivement, d’aborder la question de chômage des jeunes, par exemple, sans parler de l’éducation et de l’enseignement. Donc, c’est là également un défi à relever, pour que justement on puisse parvenir à une vraie politique participative de la jeunesse dans nos pays.En dernière position, je voudrais signaler que nous devons inscrire - je pense que cela aussi a été dit - dans notre plan d’actions un plaidoyer en faveur de la ratification de la mise en œuvre de la Charte de la jeunesse. Et, la Commission a présenté un projet de résolution dans ce sens, dont vous aurez connaissance, cet après-midi.Voilà, les quelques commentaires que je voudrais faire suite aux interventions des députés.Je vous remercie, Monsieur le Président.

LE PRESIDENT:Merci beaucoup.Honorables membres,Je soumets à la Chambre l’adoption du projet de contribution du Parlement panafricain à la 17ème Session ordinaire de la Conférence de l’Union africaine, sur le thème: « Accélérer l’autonomisation des jeunes pour un développement durable ».Merci beaucoup.(Applaudissements)Monsieur le Secrétaire général,Vous avez des annonces?Honorables membres,Nous allons maintenant observer une pause et, conformément à l’article 32 du Règlement intérieur, les travaux vont reprendre à 14h.30, cet après-midi.La séance est suspendue.

LE PRESIDENT:La séance est reprise.Secrétaire général,Donnez lecture de l’ordre du jour, s’il vous plaît!

THE CLERK:شكراً سيدي الرئيس ،يتعلق األمر بالنقطة الخاصة بعرض تقارير اللجان الدائمة بالبرلمان األفريقي والتداول حولها .شكراً سيدي الرئيس ؛

LE PRESIDENT:Merci.J’invite l’honorable Agnès MUKABARANGA, Présidente de la Commission permanente des Affaires juridiques et des droits de l’Homme, à présenter le rapport de sa Commission.Non, elle n’est pas là? Personne de sa Commission?Madame TAMBOURA Ascofaré Oulématou, Présidente de la Commission permanente de l’Egalité en genre, de la Famille, de la Jeunesse et des Personnes handicapées.Oui!

4.0 – RAPPORT DE LA COMMISSION PERMANENTE DE L’ÉGALITÉ EN GENRE, DE LA FAMILLE, DE LA JEUNESSES ET DES PERSONNES HANDICAPÉES

HON. FRANCISCA DOMINGOS TOMÁS [MOÇAMBIQUE]:Muito obrigada, Senhor Presidente.Em representaçâo da Presidente da Comissâo do Género, Família, Juventude e Pessoas Portadoras de Deficiência, sobre o Desenvolvimento da Família em África, vou apresentar o Relatório da Comissâo.

Preâmbulo

A juventude, de acordo com a definiçâo das Naçoes Unidas, agrupa todos aqueles de idade compreendida entre os 15 e os 24 anos, o que representa cerca de uma quinta parte da populaçâo total da regiâo. A envergadura desse sector da populaçâo serve, por si só, para se salientar a importância e a necessidade de se integrar inteiramente na sociedade - o que só pode ser conseguido através do seu empoderamento, particularmente através da sua participagao na sociedade.O empoderamento da juventude refere-se à criagao e apoio de condigoes sobre as quais os jovens possam contribuir para o desenvolvimento sócio-económico e cultural da sua sociedade, bem como para que se sintam realizados; o que inclui a educagao, conhecimentos, informagao e especializagao, acesso à saúde e outros servigos sociais, bem como oportunidades de emprego.O artigo 11.° da Carta Africana da Juventude 2006, define os direitos e obrigagoes da participagao juvenil em todas as esferas da sociedade. A Carta apela aos Estados-Parte a que tomem medidas em prol da promogao da participagao da juventude ao garantir a sua participagao em órgaos de tomada de decisoes.Enquanto a Carta sublinha a necessidade da participagao da juventude, muitos sao os países que ainda se deparam com enormes dificuldades na implementagao da mesma. Sao, de facto, poucos os países em África com plataformas que envolvem a juventude em termos de tomada de decisoes, governagao e desenvolvimento. Alguns estao empenhados na promogao do empoderamento da juventude e seu desenvolvimento, esperando chegar a este objectivo através de vários veículos, tais como as políticas nacionais. Mesmo assim, tem havido problemas a assinalar, como por exemplo: vontade política inadequada; falta de lideranga visionária e direcgao legislativa para se lidar com os problemas da juventude; fraca disponibilidade orgamental para a formulagao e implementagao de políticas da juventude; falta e insuficiente participagao de todas as partes interessadas, em especial de organizagoes da juventude nos processos de formulagao de políticas e programas para jovens.O maior recurso de África reside na sua populagao jovem e, através de uma plena e activa participagao, os africanos podem ultrapassar as dificuldades que os espera, particularmente no que respeita ao desenvolvimento sustentável do continente.É assim que, atempadamente, encorajamos que a Décima Quinta Cimeira da Uniao Africana tenha decidido dedicar a Cimeira de Julho de 2011 à Juventude sob o lema: "Acelerando o Empoderamento da Juventude em prol do Desenvolvimento Sustentável", Cimeira que se realizará em Malabo, na Guiné-Equatorial, de 30 de Junho a 1 de Julho de 2011.A referida Cimeira solicitou, ainda, que a Comissao em colaboragao com os Estados Membros e todas as partes interessadas, tomasse as medidas necessárias para a preparalo da documentalo e materiais relevantes relacionados com o mencionado lema. Assim sendo, há toda uma gama de eventos pré cimeira a ter lugar, como consultas ao mais alto nível, à Cimeira da Juventude e uma Reuniao da Mesa de ministros a cargo da Juventude. É ainda à luz do que ficou dito, que a Comissao da Uniao Africana solicitou informar a Comissao do Género, Família, Juventude e Pessoas Portadoras de Deficiencia, sobre o Programa de Desenvolvimento, a 11 de Maio de 2011, como prelùdio das deliberares para a Quarta Sessao Ordinária da Segunda Legislatura.

Sessao de Informalo da Comissao da Uniao Africana sobre o Programa de Desenvolvimento da Juventude

A Comissao foi informada ainda que a Divisao da Juventude da Uniao Africana fora estabelecida para se responder à necessidade de desenvolvimento de capacidades institucionais e jurídicas em prol da participado da juventude. A Divisao responde, desta forma, à necessidade de desenvolvimento de capacidades quer jurídicas, quer institucionais em prol da participado da juventude ao oferecer as necessidades e estruturas aos Estados Membros sob aleada dos Chefes de Estado, através de decisoes e declaragoes ou quaisquer outras instruyes estatutárias.Os instrumentos ou estruturas-chave da Uniao Africana sao:A Carta Africana da Juventude de 2006;A Década para o Desenvolvimento da Juventude e o seu Plano de Acdo;A Posido Africana Comum para áreas prioritárias do Desenvolvimento da Juventude;O Corpo de Jovens Voluntários da Uniao Africana;A Segunda Década de Educado para África e seu Plano de Acdo;A Próxima Declarado ou Decisao da Cimeira de 2004 sobre Postos de Trabalho para a Juventude e a Estratégia Africana de saúde.

Carta Africana da Juventude

A Comissao foi informada que a partir de Maio de 2011, havia 26 Estados Membros que ratificaram a Carta, 37 apenas assinaram e 11 por assinar ou ratificar. Há assim necessidade de se advogar a consciencializado ao Plano Nacional e a implementado da Carta nos países do continente. A Comissao foi também informada que o período de 2008 a 2019 foi declarado de "Década da Juventude Africana". Trata-se de um quadro multisectorial e multidimensional, tendente ao cumprimento dos objectivos da Carta Africana da Juventude.O seu Plano de Acdo tem por objectivo ser utilizado pelos Estados Membros da Uniao Africana, parceiros de desenvolvimento, Comissao da Uniao Africana e um número alargado de partes interessadas para que inter alia:Sirva de roteiro para uma acelerada implementado da Carta Africana da Juventude;Sirva de estrutura para que todos os parceiros apoiem uma única agenda e se acelerem sinergias para o desenvolvimento e empoderamento da juventude; eConsolidem os mecanismos de financiamento e de fiscalizado de objectivos e indicadores, ao mesmo tempo dando relevancia á preocupares da juventude.Sao estes resultados que se esperam do Plano de Acdo da Década da Juventude até 2018:Criado de um ambiente que permita oesenvolvimento e empoderamento da juventude;Reforjo da capacidade dos Estados Membros para se desenvolver e fiscalizar a implementado de políticas e planosntegrados de desenvolvimento da juventude;Incrementar o investimento em programas de desenvolvimento da juventude;O Plano de Acdo da Década da Juventude é adoptado como estrutura para o financiamento e avaliado das políticas, programas e actividades relacionadas com o empoderamento e desenvolvimento da juventude no continente;As perspectivas dos jovens sao efectivamente integradas na formulado, implementado e fiscalizado dos objectivo de desenvolvimento sustentável.

Falhas e Desafios

Os líderes Africanos continuam a assumir-se cada vez menos no que constitui o seu recurso mais valioso - a juventude. A disponibilizaçâo de segmentos de orçamento para os programas da juventude, Ministérios de juventude e actividades relacionadas com a juventude continua a dar-se em níveis muito baixos. Para além disso, o empoderamento da juventude pela via de uma participaçâo significativa dos jovens no desenvolvimento de capacidades e formaçâo de lideranças continua também a ser muito fraco.

Recomendaçôes

A Comissâo do Género, Familia, Juventude e Pessoas Portadoras de Deficiência fica mandatada para levar em linha de conta a análise de assuntos relacionados com a promoçâo da igualdade de género, e ainda para assistir o Parlamento e supervisionar a preparaçâo de políticas e actividades da Uniâo Africana relacionadas com a família, juventude e pessoas portadoras de deficiência.A Comissâo recomenda que, embora seja importante olhar-se para assuntos relacionados com a juventude através de um prisma multisectorial, cabe a esta Comissâo assumir um papel de liderança na qualidade de Comissâo mandatada para lidar com assuntos da Juventude:Ao participar em fóruns para criaçâo de estratégias relevantes que possibilitem o desenvolvimento de parcerias estratégicas com partes interessadas de relevo, advogando reformas políticas e legislativas relacionadas com assuntos da juventude;Realizaçâo de workshops ou reunioes regulares com as partes relevantes interessadas para que se promova a consciencializaçâo de áreas-chave daquilo que mais afecta a juventude em África, e advogar a ratificaçâo e implementaçâo da Carta Africana da Juventude.É importante, ainda, organizarem-se parlamentos da Juventude como meio de se encorajar os jovens a compreender os princípios e especializaçoes subjacentes à democracia.Senhor Presidente, acabei de apresentar o Relatório da Comissâo do Género, Família, Juventude e Pessoas Portadoras de Deficiência. Muito Obrigada!

LE PRESIDENT:Merci beaucoup, pour la présentation du rapport de votre Commission: la Commission permanente Genre, Famille, Jeunesse et Personnes handicapées.Les débats sont ouverts.La première de ma liste, c’est l’Honorable Stéphanie ANQUETIL

HON. STEPHANIE ANQUETIL:Merci, Monsieur le Président.Je pense qu’il s’agit d’une erreur, en fait, c’est ce matin que j’avais soumis mon nom.Merci.

LE PRESIDENT:Merci beaucoup.Honorable Sylvia MASEBO

HON. MASEBO [ZAMBIA]:Thank you Mr. President. I will not speak although I did sign in this morning. Thank you.

LE PRESIDENT:Merci.Honorable Maria Aurora SANO.Honorable Bernadetta MUSHASHU.Voilà, ma liste s’arrête là.Honorables membres,J’ai une liste courte. Il y avait peu d’intervenants. S’il n’y a pas d’autres intervenants, je vais demander à la plénière d’apprécier le rapport de la Commission Genre, Famille, Jeunesse et Personnes handicapées.(Applaudissements)

LE PRESIDENT:Merci beaucoup.On va passer à la présentation et aux débats relatifs aux recommandations et résolutions des Commissions permanentes du Parlement panafricain.On va commencer par la Commission permanente de l’Economie rurale, de l’Agriculture, des Ressources naturelles et de l’Environnement.Honorable IYAMUREMYE, si vous êtes présent, vous avez la parole.

5.0 – PRÉSENTATION ET AUX DÉBATS RELATIFS AUX RECOMMANDATIONS ET RÉSOLUTIONS DES COMMISSIONS PERMANENTES DU PARLEMENT PANAFRICAIN

5.1 – Résolutions de la Commission permanente de l’économie rurale, de l’agriculture, des ressources naturelles et de l’environnement

HON. IYAMUREMYE AUGUSTIN [RWANDA]:Je vous remercie, Monsieur le Président, de m’accorder la parole.Je voudrais, tout d’abord, rectifier: nous n’avons que des résolutions. La Commission n’a pas fait de recommandations.

Résolution sur la gestion des activités des Commissions

Le Parlement panafricain,Conscient que les activités des Commissions sont la moelle épinière du travail parlementaire;Profondément préoccupé par l’adoption de plans d’actions qui ne sont jamais exécutés;Notant les carences du système de gestion et de planification au sein du Parlement;Décide:1.de la mise en place d’une politique cohérente et efficace portant sur la mobilisation des fonds;2.de s’assurer et de sécuriser les financements, afin de permettre l’exécution des activités des Commissions;3.de la mise en place d’un système de gestion et de planification efficient.

Résolution sur le changement climatique.

Le Parlement panafricain,Conscient que le changement climatique est un enjeu majeur de notre société;Profondément préoccupé par les incidences économiques, sociales et politiques du changement climatique pour le continent africain, qui demeure vulnérable;Reconnaissant l’importance pour l’Afrique d’avoir une position commune;Se réjouissant que la COP 17 se déroule sur le sol africain;Soulignant l’importance de préparer et d’assister aux Conférences départies sur le changement climatique.Décide:1.de l’établissement d’une plateforme unissant, à la fois, le législatif et l’exécutif aux plans national et régional, afin de contribuer davantage à construire et à consolider la position commune;2.d’adresser une campagne de sensibilisation sur le changement climatique auprès des populations africaines;3.de soutenir et d’encourager des initiatives locales sur le changement climatique;4.de promouvoir et participer à l’harmonisation des législations relatives au changement climatique;5.de participer effectivement à la COP 17.Je vous remercie, Monsieur le Président.

LE PRESIDENT:J’ai quelques inscrits sur ce thème de la Commission de l’Economie et de l’Agriculture. Honorable Sérifo BALDE, vous avez la parole.

HON. SERIFO BALDÉ [GUINÉ BISSAU]:-Obrigado, Senhor Presidente.Eu, na qualidade de membro desta Comissâo, queria mais ou menos relatar as actividades que nós, na Guiné-Bissau, realizamos na participaçâo para a resoluçâo dos problemas das mudanças climáticas.Ao nível do nosso Parlamento, criou-se uma Rede de Parlamentares para a mudança climática, e essa Rede está a organizar no país, criando diferentes associaçoes da juventude para participarem nesse combate, quer dizer, para travar as mudanças climáticas. Por um lado, criou-se uma ONG denominada "Água, Populaçao e Desenvolvimento", com o objectivo de ajudar a populaçao no concernente à criaçâo de recursos para abastecimento de água potável, nao só para a populaçao, mas também para os animais. Essa ONG já foi criada, estamos a contar também com o apoio do Parlamento Pan-Africano, no sentido de trabalharmos junto dos seus colaboradores ou parceiros de desenvolvimento, para podermos materializar o programa dessa ONG.E, por outro, através da Rede do Parlamento conseguiu-se alguns empresários israelitas que hao-de deslocar-se ao nosso país para a plantaçao de palmeiras, com o objectivo de extrair oléo de palma, mas ao mesmo tempo, contribuindo para a reflorestaçao do nosso país.De um modo geral, a participaçao do nosso Parlamento é nesse domínio.Obrigado!

HON. CISSE MOUSSA [SENEGAL]:Merci, Monsieur le Président.Monsieur le Président,Je voudrais faire remarquer que, contrairement à ce qu’a dit le Président de cette Commission, il ne s’agit pas de décisions prises, mais des recommandations, comme, d’ailleurs, c’est dit dans le rapport.A ma connaissance, la Commission ne pourrait, en fait, que faire des recommandations à la plénière, et c’est à la plénière de prendre des décisions.Ceci étant dit, en ce qui concerne les changements climatiques, j’aurais souhaité que le Parlement panafricain puisse travailler davantage à la promotion des grandes idées, des idées qui sont en train d’éclore partout en Afrique et qui sont de nature à lutter véritablement contre ce phénomène.Je sais qu’en Afrique de l’ouest, la « Grande Muraille verte » est en train d’être mise en œuvre par, d’ailleurs, plusieurs d’Etats. Je pense que de telles initiatives devraient attirer l’attention du Parlement qui pourrait apporter son soutien, parce que ce sont des idées qui peuvent permettre, en tout cas, de lutter efficacement contre ce phénomène.J’ai beaucoup regretté également le fait que la Commission n’ait pas mentionné dans son rapport les problèmes liés à la crise alimentaire.Il y a deux ou trois ans, en 2008, l’Afrique a connu une crise, sans précédent, à ce niveau. Chaque Etat s’est employé à résoudre les problèmes au niveau interne, mais je ne sais pas, je n’ai pas, en tout cas, connaissance des initiatives majeurs, prises au niveau continental, pour mener une politique commune pour lutter contre ce phénomène.Aujourd’hui, il semble que la situation s’est un peu calmée, mais on ne sait pas quand est-ce qu’une autre crise va renaître.Il est, donc, important que l’Afrique pense déjà à lutter contre ce phénomène, mais en prenant des initiatives de nature à les prévoir, plutôt que d’attendre que les crises naissent et de courir après pour trouver des solutions.Je vous remercie.

HON. SYLVIA TEMBO MASEBO [ZAMBIA]:Thank you, Mr. President, for giving me the Floor.Firstly, I would like to thank the Chairperson of this Committee for his report. I would like to make one comment on the issue of implementing our programmes within the Pan-African Parliament structures of Committees.I think that this is an issue that this House must consider seriously. It seems there are some Committees that are not implementing the programmes that they come up with. I have in mind my Committee which is the Committee on Trade, Customs and Immigration Matters. For some time now, we have been unable to implement any activities. Recently, there was an activity in which we should have taken place in Gaborone. The Botswana Parliament had even accepted to co-fund it with the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) but, somehow, it did not take off. As a Committee, we came to learn that it was simply because our Secretariat did not write the letter on time. Now I see that there is another Committee here which is very important. The Committee on Rural Economy, Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environment is making a recommendation to this House to consider improving the managing and planning systems within Parliament so that the various Committees can do their work. I think that this is an issue which the Bureau should take up seriously with the Secretariat to ensure that all Committees are given the importance that they deserve. I think there is no Committee here which is not important otherwise we should not be here. Lastly, I want to support the resolution on climate change. I think that the recommendations that they are putting forward are solid and need our support.Thank you.

HON. MAKGALEMELE DIKGANG PHILLIP [BOTSWANA]:Mr. President, I basically want to make one comment on the recommendation on page 2 which is on the establishment of a coherent and effective policy on the mobilisation of funds.As already indicated by Hon. Masebo, we really need to give attention to this issue of mobilisation of resources. You will recall that in a number of interventions and reports that have been brought before this Plenary and previous ones, the issue of the extent to which limited resources has affected the work of the Pan-African Parliament (PAP) has been raised numerous times. I just want to support this recommendation and also indicate that in the development of those policies, we must be broad enough to look at more avenues for mobilisation of resources because resources could come in different forms. For example, some can come in kind. We should also consider the prospects for involving the private sector.Therefore, I just wanted to support this recommendation and plead with your good office that resource mobilisation and, in more specific terms, the development of a guiding policy be given priority.Thank you, Mr. President.

AN HONORABLE MEMBER:Sorry, Mr. President, I regret I did not fill in the Speaker’s List as I just got here this morning due to the fact that we had elections. I wish to address the House on the recommendation regarding climate change, if you will give me that opportunity, Sir.

MR. PRESIDNET:Yes, go on.

AN HONORABLE MEMBER:I have no problem with the recommendation in essence. As you quite rightly know, South Africa is hosting the Conference on Climate Change (COCC) 17 this year and I have the good fortune of being on the Parliament of South Africa’s Steering Committee for COCC 17. Last year, I asked for a resolution to be passed that we could have an interest group started here in PAP. On two occasions, we tried to set up meetings but, regrettably, not much interest was shown.As regards point one where the Committee says PAP should initiate a platform, I think we have past that point. I would like to propose an amendment that PAP engages possibly with the Global Legislative Forum which is a forum dedicated only to work with Legislators on the issue of climate change. I wish to make an amendment to that and also suggest that, at the next Sitting of this Parliament, we debate the COCC 17 report. This will give us a better understanding of what happened there and enable us to give action to one of the recommendations that we come up with a common African position on climate change. As you may know, at the moment, we are very fragmented. At the COCC 16, we found out that we could not come up with a coherent proposal on whether we wanted to reduce emissions or carbon targets, among others. Those are the recommendations that I would like to see. I suggest that we do this at the next Ordinary Session because time is running out and the COCC 17 will start on the 28^th November. This leaves us very little time if we are to initiate platforms, get together and agree on a common position.In conclusion, I would like to say that South Africa is presently debating a Green Paper on Climate Change. It would be great if the Secretariat could get hold of the Department of Environment Affairs and Water and circulate it to everybody. Let me back track again and explain why I specifically asked for the Global Legislative Forum. They have also devised a handbook for a tool-kit for Parliamentarians on the whole ..The Hon. Member’s time expired.

HON. IYAMUREMYE AUGUSTIN [RWANDA]:Je vous remercie, Monsieur le Président.Je me réjouis que des honorables membres aient pris la parole pour soutenir nos résolutions.Je précise bien, ici, que nous recommandons que le Parlement prenne des résolutions, donc, c’est bien des résolutions, parce que si le Parlement accepte, ce seraient des résolutions du Parlement.Concernant l’honorable qui voudrait qu’on débatte des activités, des initiatives locales, je pense bien qu’ici, il ne s’agit pas des rapports d’activités. Nous n’avons pas pu faire d’activités concernant les changements climatiques, durant cette Session, nous avons d’autres rapports.Dans la documentation générale, il y a eu des rapports, mais ici, nous disons au n°3 de la « Résolution sur les changements climatiques » qu’il faut « soutenir et encourager les initiatives locales sur les changements climatique ». Cela veut dire que toutes ces activités ont pour but de combattre les effets du changement climatique.Monsieur le Président,Concernant les correctifs à faire, je suis d’accord. Je voudrais porter à la connaissance des membres, ici, présents, que nous avons planifié d’avoir un atelier, début juillet, pour la préparation de la COP 17. Donc, honorables, si tout va bien, nous aurons l’occasion de revenir sur ce sujet et de bien préparer la COP17.Pour l’orateur qui vient de terminer, je précise qu’il s’agit du rapport sur la COP16, pas sur la COP17.La COP16 s’est tenue à Cancun. Malheureusement, le parlementaire du PAP, qui a pu y assister, n’a pas encore donné son rapport, parce qu’il n’était pas présent à ces assises.Je vous remercie, Monsieur le Président.

AN HONORABLE MEMBER:Hon. President, on a point of correction.May I make a point of correction? I was not suggesting that we debate activities, but that we debate the outcomes of COCC 16 which will have an impact on Africa’s position at COCC 17.

LE PRESIDENT:Merci, honorables membres.Vous avez suivi les deux résolutions qui nous sont proposées par la Commission de l’Agriculture, de l’Economie rurale, des Ressources naturelles et de l’Environnement.La première par rapport aux activités des Commissions et la seconde sur le changement climatique.Si nous apportons notre approbation, ces deux recommandations vont être des résolutions de la plénière.Je tiens à vous rappeler aussi que l’honorable Kilani a proposé un amendement verbal au premier point sur la « Résolution du changement climatique »Etant donné que nous avons déjà un Groupe d’intérêt, une Commission ad hoc changement climatique (...)

AN HONORABLE MEMBER:On a point of clarification, Mr. President.Mr. President, now that the Hon. Member who proposed an amendment has made a clarification on her proposal, is it possible for the Chairperson of the Committee to tell us what his view is since she has made a correction of what was not understood earlier?

HON. IYAMUREMYE AUGUSTIN [RWANDA]:Je vous remercie, Monsieur le Président.Je croyais avoir répondu à la demande d’amendement, et j’étais d’accord pour le rajout d’un amendement dans la résolution.Je vous remercie.

LE PRESIDENT:L’amendement de l’honorable KILANI est accepté par le Président de la Commission.Donc, je soumets à l’approbation de la plénière les deux résolutions.La première par rapport aux activités des Commissions permanentes.Pas d’observation? On l’adopte?(Applaudissements)Merci.La deuxième résolution est relative au changement climatique, avec un amendement au premier point suggéré par l’honorable KILANI, accepté par le Président de la Commission.On l’adopte avec l’amendement?(Applaudissements)Merci beaucoup.Commission permanente des Affaires financières et monétaires.L’honorable Bahari ALI, premier Vice-président, pour les résolutions et/ou recommandations.

5.2 – Recommandations de la Commission permanente des affaires monétaires et financières

HON. ALI BAHARI [KENYA]:Thank you, Mr. President for this opportunity to present the report of my Committee.Mr. President, in the execution of one of its mandate, which is to "Assist Parliament to perform its role of establishing sound economic, monetary and investment policies", the Permanent Committee on Monetary and Financial Affairs would like to submit the following recommendations for consideration and implementation:Noting the establishment of the PAP is informed by the vision to provide a common platform for African Peoples and their grassroots organisations to be more involved in discussion and decision making on the problems and challenges facing the Continent;Considering that Article 7 and 14 of the Treaty establishing the African Economic Community provided for PAP, whose composition, functions, powers and organisations have been well defined in a related Protocol;Considering that PAP, the third organ of the African union as per article 5 of the Constitutive Act of the AU whose mission and objectives are clearly spelt out in the Protocol to the Treaty establishing the African Economic Community relating to the PAP; andConsidering that in keeping with this will and commitment, Member states have taken care to make provisions in the Protocol (Article 10) for allowances for the Members of the PAP to enable them to effectively discharge their duties;Considering that, in their full commitment to promote ideals and objectives of the AU and showcase the PAP, Members of PAP have demonstrated dedication to actualising the said ideals and objectives by actively participating in all missions and events organised in this regard;Considering that to date, there is no regulatory text governing PAP on the facilitation of Members with the exception of Article 10 of the Protocol;With the firm conviction that Members of the PAP should have, at their disposal, decent means, and I repeat, decent means, by which to discharge their missions and carry out their continental responsibilities over and above their responsibilities at national Level;Considering that no commensurate remuneration is given by national Parliaments to Members of the PAP while on duty or missions on behalf of PAP;Considering that Article 12 paragraph 5 of the Protocol to the Treaty establishing the African Economic Community relating to t PAP;Considering the recommendation made by the Board of the AU External Auditors that PAP Members be entitled to allowances while carrying out PAP duties, therefore, it requests that PAP submits a proposal to the relevant organs of the AU;Considering that a draft resolution on allowances for Members of PAP with well-detailed proposals have been submitted to the relevant organs of the AU;Considering that the Decision EX CL/Dec.407(XII) which revised Executive Council Decision EC CL/Dec 98(V) is to date the only official document which regulates the financing of the different activities of PAP by members states as well as by PAP;Taking cognisance of Decision Executive Council (EX CL/455 (XIV) of January, 2004 for a PAP Budget;Considering the treatment given to the PAP Budget since Financial Year 2009, January meeting of the AU Assembly and the trend of the budget for the past forty-three years prior to 2009 has always received approval for items such as responsibility and communication allowances and non-statutory meetings, this Committee recommends as follows:-Considering that the importance of defending the PAP Budget at the AU, it is recommended that some Members of the Monetary and Financial Affairs Committee together with a representative of the administration form a delegation that accompanies the budget when it is submitted to the AU to explain the details, principles and real needs of PAP to the PRC Sub-Committee on Finance before its meetings;Considering that the Committee was compelled to work on Saturday and Sunday to evaluate the PAP Budget, it is hereby recommended that the Committee must have, at least, one (1) Non-Statutory meeting to evaluate the PAP budget execution and also use, at least, 5 (five) working days to consider the budget; andConsidering the apparent shortfalls in the execution of the budget, it is recommended that a mid-term budget execution report be submitted to CMFA together with the Internal, and External Auditor’s report to enable the Committee to carry out its oversight function effectively;Acknowledging the current invisibility of the PAP, it is hereby recommended that each PAP Committee must have in its yearly activities, a specific activity that affirms the visibility of PAP and also respond to the call of the Heads of State for ratification of the AU Convention and contribute to the integration of the continent and achievement of objectives of the AU as provided for by the PAP Protocol. These activities must be carried out in the various member countries.Considering that Members must be kept abreast of PAP activities, it is recommended that a calendar of institutional and Committee activities of PAP be circulated to all Members as per plan and in good time. We have already taken note of this and a draft has been with us but we want this institutionalised;As an endeavour to disseminate information about PAP, it is recommended that at every Committee meeting and session, one or two support staff who should be journalists from each member state should be invited by PAP to help cover activities and, in turn, report back in their respective countries.In an endeavour to address the plight of the African Peoples, it is recommended that PAP picks topical issues for the year and invite competent organisations or representatives of the AU, perhaps, which we have been doing, to deliberate on issues such as unemployment, climate change, inflation and youth matters as we have seen;Noting some administrative delays in responding to Audit findings, it is recommended that the Internal Auditor should produce quarterly Audit reports and maintain regular engagements with the Bureau;Considering possible financial implications arising out of the late renewal of staff contracts, it is recommended that contracts and other offers of continuing regular appointments be done within the three months prior to the expiry dates, as stipulated in the Staff Rules and Regulations.Regulating the protracted period has taken PAP to operate without an organisational structure, it is recommended that the Bureau should approach the relevant organs of the AU and urge them to accelerate approval of the PAP organisational structure. I think we have received a response on this matter, but I think there is still a need to look at it again;PAP should accelerate arrangements for insurance for Members on PAP missions. Of course, something is already being done and I believe once we accelerate this, the better;The Bureau should ensure the following:(i)the memorandum to the PRC prepared by the Committee (CMFA) to accompany the budget has been received in good time by the PRC. The memorandum should explain the details, principles and the real needs of PAP as already mentioned;(ii)following Decision 407 which stipulates that non-statutory meetings and other activities be provided for in the PAP Budget, the Committee strongly recommends that the Bureau makes a further follow-up so that the provisions of this item in the Budget are realised;(iii)arrangement for insurance for Members on all PAP missions should be accelerated.(iv)the Secretariat, Bureau and MPs should accelerate the mobilisation of resources for the implementation of all the Committee activities.As an effective instrument to enable Members attend Committee meetings and sessions, the Secretariat should re-enforce, improve and be more effective in communicating meetings of the Committee and Sessions. The Secretariat should ensure that they receive confirmation of Members’ attendance prior to the meeting as an imperative. I think this has also been revisited by other Committees,The Communication strategy of the PAP should be improved upon to permit greater visibility of PAP in Africa, this matter has also been discussed in this House during this Sitting;Administration of the Secretariat needs to further improve in terms of financial management and Administrative skills. Issues of Budget deadlines, quality and timely document production in all languages still curtails the proper functioning of the Committees. The Committee strongly recommends that these issues are addressed urgently to avoid performance at less than optimal levels and, perhaps, repeated complaints;Co-ordination in the Secretariat function within the departments and service amongst service providers still remains a major concern for the Committee. It is, therefore, recommended that coordination within the different sections of PAP should be improved and strengthened for the good functioning of PAP; andAll Committee resolutions and recommendations should be systematically followed-up for implementation, I repeat be systematically be followed up for implementation.We appeal that PAP be resourced adequately to execute its mission as mandated by and in conformity with the Protocol of the Treaty Establishing the African Economic Community relating to the PAP.Thank you, Mr. President.

LE PRESIDENT:Merci, honorable ALI Bahari.J’ai une liste d’intervenants; le premier, c’est l’honorable MOISERAELE Master Goya.

HON. MOISERAELE MASTER GOYA [BOTSWANA]:Mr. President, I will be very brief because I also happen to be a Member of this Committee and was also involved in the crafting of these resolutions and recommendations. I also want to confine myself to the recommendation on page 4, Item No..6 where it was recommended that, at every Committee meeting, one or two support staff who are journalists from each member state should be invited by the Pan-African Parliament (PAP) to cover the activities of the Committee when they go back to their respective countries.I think what we need to do when we extend this invitation to member states is make it very open to them to the extent that the invitation should not only be extended to the state media or state journalists, but also the private media. This will enable journalists from the private media to be part of the support staff. There is a way that they could play around it so that they extend the invitation to the private media houses in respective countries.That is all I wanted to comment on because most of the recommendations here are crosscutting. They appear in the reports of almost all the Committees.Thank you very much, Mr. President.

HON. CISSE MOUSSA [SENEGAL]:Merci, Monsieur le Président.Monsieur le PrésidentJe voudrais appuyer très fortement la Résolution de cette Commission, surtout au point indiqué, parlant de la « participation des membres aux réunions ».On en a parlé, ici, hier, en plénière et certains ont proposé que des lettres soient envoyées aux parlements nationaux. D’autres ont dit que ce n’était pas la peine, que le problème devait être réglé à l’interne. Mais, moi, je pense qu’il y a certains membres de certains parlements qui obtiennent de leurs parlements tout ce qu’il faut, pour participer du début à la fin des sessions et qui, malheureusement, ne le font pas.Est-ce qu’il ne serait pas bon que leurs parlements soit informés du comportement de ces membres? A mon avis, si le problème de la participation des membres aux Commissions n’est pas réglé, nous risquons de nous confronter à de sérieuses difficultés, notamment au manque de quorum, surtout si on doit prendre des décisions qui nécessitent le vote. A plusieurs reprises beaucoup de Commissions ont frôlé le cas. C’est pourquoi je pense que c’est un problème extrêmement sérieux.Il faudrait que les parlements nationaux soient informés et que le Parlement panafricain également prenne des décisions, des mesures, pour que les membres viennent assister à des réunions.S’il s’agit des réunions de Commissions, si tel ou tel membre n’est pas en mesure de venir, le Parlement panafricain doit en être informé, pour qu’une meilleure planification de ces réunions soit faite. Sinon, le Parlement peut penser que tous les membres viendront et, si ce n’est pas le cas, cela crée souvent des difficultés.Je pense qu’il faut éviter ces cas de figure.Dans le rapport également, on a fait état de la nécessité de la Commission des Affaires monétaires et financières de tenir, au moins, une réunion non statutaire, au cours de l’année, et de prendre cinq (05) jours pour tenir une réunion, dans le cadre de l’examen du budget.Je pense que cela est également important, puisque souvent nous avons eu à travailler pendant les week-ends au sein de cette Commission-là, pour pouvoir terminer le travail qui nous était imparti.Je pense qu’au vu des difficultés que nous avons eues souvent à rencontrer, il est très important que l’on puisse accorder cette possibilité-là à cette Commission.Le dernier point sur lequel je veux intervenir, Monsieur le Président, c’est la nécessité de suivre et d’évaluer les recommandations des Commissions.Nous avons l’habitude de suivre, ici, des résolutions, des recommandations mais, souvent, ce sont ces mêmes recommandations qui reviennent d’une plénière à une autre.Je pense qu’il est vraiment nécessaire que l’on puisse faire le suivi et l’évaluation de ces recommandations-là.

LE PRESIDENT:Merci.Honorable Sylvia MASEBO.

HON. SYLVIA TEMBO MASEBO [ZAMBIA]:Thank you, Mr. President.Firstly, I just want to commend the Committee for the very good recommendations. I also want to state that, indeed, a number of these recommendations have appeared before in other Committees.However, what is important is to note that since a number of them seem to be coming up again and again, it means we have a problem with implementation. Therefore, Mr. President, I just want to urge the Bureau, through you, to ensure that the Secretariat follows up these recommendations in a systemic way and ensures that they are implemented. If there is a problem of implementation, it is important that we get feedback and know if, perhaps, we came up with recommendations which may be difficult to implement. However, for us to just come here every time and make the same recommendations while they are not implemented like people are not taking the recommendations seriously, will make us not to be taken seriously as an organisation.Also, the other point that I thought I should support and which I thought was important was the issue of the internal audit reports. It is important that audit reports are submitted to the Bureau from time to time and finally, to this institution so that we have something solid on which to make decisions. Normally, not considering audit reports in a systemic way is what normally engenders corridor gossip. I think it is important that the relevant Committee looks at all the audit reports and takes decisions timely. With those few remarks, I thank you, Mr. President.

HON. FLORENTINO MENDES PEREIRA [GUINE-BISSAU]:Obrigado, Senhor Presidente.Senhor Presidente, sou membro desta Comissao e participei na elaboragao destas recomendagoes. Pedi a palavra para intervir, para reforgar o aspecto da realizagao de uma reuniao nao estatutaria desta Comissao, para avaliar a execugao do Orgamento do Parlamento PanAfricano.Acho isto muito importante, se tivermos em linha de conta os relatorios da Comissao da Administragao e Avaliagao Financeira do Parlamento. Portanto, esta reuniao nao estatutaria, pelo menos uma vez por ano, permitiria fazer algumas correcgoes em relagao aos erros constatados nos diferentes relatorios de mogao de inspecgao.Obrigado, Senhor Presidente!

HON. MAKGALEMELE DIKGANG PHILLIP [BOTSWANA]:I thank you, Mr. President for giving me the Floor. I just want to make a very brief contribution with regard to implementation of recommendations and resolutions. As already indicated by Hon. Masebo, it is, indeed, an area of concern. That is why in some of our Parliaments, we have a Committee that specifically follows-up on assurances that have been made by Parliament. In our case, Mr. President, such assurances will have been made by the Executive.In the context of our Parliament, indeed, there are some recommendations that come from various Committees. There are cases when the Bureau makes certain commitments that it will follow up on certain issues. I am just thinking aloud here that we may consider having some form of an ad hoc committee that looks at recommendations and resolutions that have been made in this Parliament. Having said that, Mr. President, I also just wanted to appreciate how the follow up on these resolutions and recommendations is currently made in the administration of this Parliament.I thank you, Mr. President.

HON. ALI BAHARI [KENYA]:Thank you, Mr. President for allowing to make a few remarks on this report.I want to thank you and all the Honourable Members who have made very, very positive contributions to this presentation.Like Members noted, some of these recommendations are a repeat of the recommendations by other Committees. We picked them up, as a Committee on Monetary and Financial Affairs, because the recommendations have financial implications. If Parliament makes resolutions that are not implemented, then there are financial implications in terms of value for the time that we are here. In order to ensure that we operate as is required, effectively and efficiently, our Committee thought these issues must come up.I believe Hon. Phillip Makgalemele raised the issue of the Committee that will make a follow up on recommendations. Indeed, in my own Parliament, we have what we call the Implementation Committee that makes sure that all the Motions and Resolutions of the House and that the promises made by the Executive are implemented. In this regard, I think I will find it appropriate probably that the Committee on Financial and Administrative Evaluation, that has looked at this matter before, whose mandate, at a later stage, can be made to include, among other things, a follow up on the implementation of the resolutions of the House. As it has already formed part and parcel of the recommendations of that Committee to the Secretariat, they must come up with a register of issues, the debates that have taken place and the resolutions for implementation.With those few comments, I beg to move.

LE PRESIDENT:Merci beaucoup, Honorable ALI Bahari, Viceprésident de la Commission des Affaires financières et monétaires.Le suivi des recommandations et résolutions, qui sont faites, ici, incombe au Bureau du Parlement panafricain, aidé du Secrétariat. Mais, nous avons remarqué que la Commission des Relations financières et administratives (CAFE), a également procédé, pour la dernière intersession, à l’évaluation et au suivi des résolutions de la plénière.Et, comme la Commission CAFE a eu à auditionner le Secrétariat - d’une part, le Secrétaire général, d’autre part le Bureau - elle a pu apporter quelques réponses, quant au suivi des recommandations.En attendant qu’on ait une structure propre pour le suivi des résolutions, nous pouvons toujours demander, d’une part, à la Commission CAFE et, d’autre part, au Bureau, aidé du Secrétariat, de faire le suivi et de rendre compte à la plénière.Cela dit, Honorables membres,Je soumets les résolutions de la Commission des Affaires financières et monétaires, pour votre approbation.(Applaudissements)Merci beaucoup.Honorable KHUMALO, Président de la Commission permanente de la Coopération, des Relations internationales et de Règlement des conflits.

5.3 – Résolutions et recommandations de la Commission permanente de la coopération, des relations internationales et de la résolution des conflits

HON. KHUMALO MARWICK [SWAZILAND]:I hope you will excuse me, Mr. President, when I begin to cough because I have flu and I have just minced my French somewhere.I will seek the indulgence of the Members that there are small changes which were effected by the Committee on Tuesday. Unfortunately, we have been told that there were some technicalities which prevented them from making it to the final document. However, I will bring them to the attention of Members.Mr President, with regard to the resolutions on issues of peace and security in Africa, our Committee made the following recommendations:a.the Pan-African Parliament, deeply concerned by the persistence of violent conflicts in Africa with special reference to Libya and the massacre of the civilian population, creating a desperate humanitarian crisis and unprecedented migration;b.calling for the cessation of hostilities between NATO, the Libyan Government and the opposition forces, Members will note that we changed that to opposition forces;c.whilst appreciating the need to protect the civilian population from all warring factions, it, however, condemns strongly the bombardment of Libya by NATO forces;d.cognisant of the democratic transitions in Tunisia, Egypt and Côte d'Ivoire;e.noting the deterioration of the humanitarian situation in Tunisia and Ivory Coast;f.paying tribute to the efforts of the UN Security Council and African Union towards the restoration of the democratic order and peace in Côte d'Ivoire, Tunisia and Egypt;g.reaffirming its commitment to all United Nations and African Union resolutions on the decolonisation of the Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic, and the status of the settlement process; geared towards organising a free, fair and impartial referendum to decide the fate of Saharawi People;h.recalling that the Saharawi Republic is a founding member of the African Union and of the Pan-African Parliament;i.taking into consideration its role to promote peace and security on the African Continent; therefore, resolves as follows:1)to send a fact-finding mission to Tripoli and Benghazi that will study the extent of the violent conflict, meet with the warring parties and then table a report in the next Session of the PAP; and2)to send a goodwill mission to Tunisia, Egypt, Cote d’Ivoire and Saharawi Republic that will collect information and express solidarity, on behalf of the PAP, with the peoples of those countries and then table a report in the next Session of the PAP.Mr President, the recommendations of the PanAfrican Parliament on the situation in Somalia are as follows:a.deeply concerned by the continued violent conflict and instability in Somalia;b.concerned about the military confrontations between the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) forces, AMISOM and extremists (this is a new word) held in the first quarter of 2011;c.regretting the constitutional crisis that has arisen between the Transitional Parliament, the Office of the President, and the Office of the Prime Minister;d.recognising the efforts of the African Union, through AMISOM, working towards peace and a reconciliation process in Somalia;e.noting that the humanitarian situation in Somalia remains in a crisis;f.strongly condemning the piracy off Somalia’s coast and the dumping of toxic wastes, this is a new addition, PAP, therefore, recommends that:1)all parties to the Somalia conflict work together to restore peace and security in the country; and2)all decisions of the African Union Peace and Security Council should be adhered to.Mr. President, I hope Members have a recommendation on the situation in Madagascar because it came a little bit later. Otherwise, I have been informed that the documents are available by the entrance to the Chamber.Mr President, the Pan-African Parliament made the following recommendations on the situation in Madagascar:1.deeply concerned by the political crisis in Madagascar which is still far from being resolved;2.noting that very little progress has been made to return Madagascar to constitutional rule;3.recognising the efforts of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) through the mediation of the Mozambique’s former President, Joaquim Chissano, towards finding a lasting solution to the crisis;4.recognising, further, the continuing efforts of the African Union in helping to resolve the crisis in the country;5.taking note of the agreements which have been reached on a roadmap to democratic elections, as well as the establishment of a Transitional Government in Parliament;6.regretting the fact that there is lack of political will on the part of the current President, Mr. Rajoelina, PAP, therefore, recommends that the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the African Union should bring pressure on all parties to the Madagascar crisis to implement the letter in spirit of the agreements signed to return the country to constitutional rule.Mr. President, if I may add that we are aware of the tensions, particularly in Libya and we have consulted widely on the matter. The office here has been consulted, the Hon. Members, particularly Hon. El-Houderi Mohamed Elmadani came to our Committee to make a presentation in his capacity as an individual. We were assured of the security, at least, to a certain extent and the fact that they too are here has given us the necessary passage.Also, I would like to assure the august House that Egypt and Tunisia are just waiting to receive the Members. They have given us the dates and Tunisia called this afternoon to say they are sending a letter to PAP just to confirm the dates with the PAP. There is progress and we hope the Secretariat will assure us of these preparations and arrangements in so far as Côte d'Ivoire and the Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic are concerned.I thank you, Sir.

LE PRESIDENT:Merci beaucoup.J’ai une liste d’inscrits, pour l’examen des recommandations et résolutions de la Commission Coopération, des Relations Internationales et Règlement des Conflits.Le premier, c’est l’honorable Florentino Mendes PEREIRA.

HON. FLORENTINO MENDES PEREIRA [GUINÉ- BISSAU]:Obrigado, Presidente. Desisto de intervir.

HON. CISSE MOUSSA [SENEGAL]:Monsieur le Président,Je ne m’étais pas inscrit, pour prendre la parole pour cette Commission. Mais, comme vous me la donnez, je vais la prendre pour exprimer, tout simplement, mon adhésion au rapport, qui vient d’être lu par mon collègue, et dire que j’adhère parfaitement à l’ensemble des dispositions qui sont prises par cette Commission, pour contribuer au règlement de certains conflits qui éclatent en Afrique.Merci.

HON. SYLVIA TEMBO MASEBO [ZAMBIA]:Mr. President, I would like to join the others in commending the Committee on this job that is well-done.I just have one issue that I want to find out from the Chairperson of this Committee. That is, he should look back at what we earlier resolved on the Motion on Libya that was put forward in this House and tell us whether there is any contradiction between our earlier decision in the morning and the decision we have made now. I also notice that he made a correction on one point. He changed the description to ‘opposition parties’ from ‘rebels’ which was there earlier. I just would like him to clarify these points.Lastly, this brings me to an issue that transpired earlier when we were talking about Cote d’Ivoire. An issue was raised that the African Union (AU) sent African leaders to try to solve the problem or assist the warring parties, but those who were sent were not met by one side of the warring parties. To me, that means an organisation such us ours must be very careful if we are going to help solve the conflicts in Africa. We must not be seen to be taking t strong positions, especially if we are going to meet two warring parties.I just thought I should make those comments for consideration by the Committee or the Chairperson when he responds.Otherwise, I support all the recommendations that the Committee has put forward.I thank you, Sir.

HON. HIGIRO PROSPER [RWANDA]:Merci, Monsieur le Président.Je voudrais, à mon tour, féliciter la Commission et dire que je soutiens parfaitement les résolutions et recommandations qu’elle nous a proposées.Mais, je voudrais souligner le fait que la Commission devrait se pencher également sur les vieux conflits.Nous croyons que les conflits sont terminés, mais quand on observe bien, ces conflits sont toujours en cours. Je pense, notamment, au problème de la République Démocratique du Congo, qui est devenue un sanctuaire pour différentes forces négatives qui déstabilisent les pays voisins, mais aussi à la République Centrafricaine où, même s’il y a eu des élections, très récemment, continue d’être un territoire d’où partent des rébellions pour déstabiliser les pays voisins. Il y a aussi d’autres régions en conflit, comme le Darfour, l’Erythrée, etc.Je crois que, à l’avenir, le rapport de la Commission devrait être plus exhaustif et concerner toutes les régions du continent qui sont en conflit.Je vous remercie.

THE PRESIDENT:Hon. Makgalemele Dikgang Phillip.

HON. MOISERAELE MASTER GOYA [BOTSWANA]:Sorry, Mr. President, he has gone out on an emergency.

THE PRESIDENT:I am asking Hon. Makgalemele Dikgang Phillip to take the Floor.

HON. MOISERAELE MASTER GOYA [BOTSWANA]:I said he is out on an emergency.

THE PRESIDENT:Okay. Thank you.

HON. MOISERAELE MASTER GOYA [BOTSWANA]:Or can I speak on his behalf?

THE PRESIDENT:No.

HON. KEITA LANCENI BALLA [MALI]:Merci, Monsieur le Président.Comme vous le savez, les conflits en Afrique sont d’actualité.Je pense que la Commission, qui est chargée du règlement de ces conflits, a traité de beaucoup de sujets. Mais, il me semble que la bande sahélosahélienne, qui est soumise aussi à beaucoup de conflits, notamment avec la rébellion et les enlèvements des Européens, doit constituer également un point de vue de cette Commission. Parce que le Mali, depuis fort longtemps, est en train de former un regroupement sous-régional pour pouvoir traiter de ce problème mais, malheureusement, tous les pays de cette zone n’ont pas compris l’esprit du Mali dans le cadre d’un règlement global.Donc, je crois que la Commission pouvait prendre cela en compte, parce que, dans l’avenir, si ces pays ne se comprenaient pas, cela pourrait poser encore des problèmes, surtout avec le problème libyen où, actuellement, des armes lourdes (libyennes) ont été retrouvées dans la zone du Sahara.Je pense qu’à l’avenir, Al Qaida pourra avoir assez d’importances dans cette zone.Je vous remercie.

HON. KHUMALO MARWICK [SWAZILAND]:Thank you very much Mr. President, for giving me the Floor.Mr. President, I would like to thank Hon. Sesay for his support.Mr. President, as Hon. Masebo said, I would not say the conflict resolution that was made is contradictory to the one we have just made. However, we would probably not have drafted the Motion in the same way that it was drafted, considering the fact that we are sending a delegation there. I find my hands tied because once a Motion is passed by Parliament, even those who were opposed to it are party to that Motion. Mr. President, I would suggest that we leave it as it is. Over and above that, the Motion seeks to achieve the same action that we had agreed on earlier and that is to send a mission to Libya. Therefore, there is no contradiction, but merely the wording that was a bit tilted.That leads me to the second issue of opposition versus rebels. Initially, the word ‘rebels’ was used because the Members thought we should have used that word in the draft. Again, later, members of the Committee said since we are sending a delegation to Libya, Tripoli and Benghazi, it would not augur well if they found out that PAP had called them rebels. Had we not changed the word to ‘opposition’, how are we to be received? That is why we chose a terminology that is probably appropriate because, indeed, they are in opposition to the Government. The Member was just making a comment that we should be mindful of taking sides when we are deliberating these issues. I could not agree more with her.Hon Prosper Higiro is right. The conflicts in Africa are so rife and numerous, but we just have to carefully select the issues and conflict areas to work on at a given time. Otherwise, if we can actually focus on all the trouble situations in Africa, I think we would need two or three days to debate these issues in this Parliament. That is why we carefully select, otherwise the issues that some of the Hon. Members have raised will form part of our deliberations in future. Indeed, Mr. President, we take the mandate to deliberate issues that Members are concerned with from here, then we formulate presentations thereon.I think Hon. Keita’s point has been noted. Mr. President, I thank you and thank you all the Hon. Members.

LE PRESIDENT:Merci beaucoup.Honorables membres,Je soumets, maintenant, à la plénière, la première résolution de la Commission qui est relative à la paix et à la sécurité, avec juste un amendement au deuxième alinéa: « opposition » en lieu et place de « rebelle ».Nous adoptons cette résolution?(Applaudissements)Merci.La deuxième est relative à la situation en Somalie. Nous l’adoptons?(Applaudissements)Ok! Merci.La dernière qui a été lue, celle relative à la situation à Madagascar.Nous l’adoptons également?(Applaudissements)Merci beaucoup.La Commission permanente des Transports, de l’Industrie, des Communications, de l’Energie, des Sciences et de la Technologie.Honorable SHAMAKOKERA.

5.4 – Résolutions de la Commission permanente Transports, de l’Industrie, des Communications, de l’Energie, des Sciences et de la Technologie

HON. SHAMAKOKERA THARCISSE [RWANDA]:Merci, Monsieur le Président.Résolution sur la visibilité du Parlement panafricainLe Parlement panafricain,Restant guidé par son Protocole dans son Préambule au terme duquel la création du Parlement panafricain s’inscrit dans le cadre de la vision tendant à offrir une plateforme commune aux peuples africains et à leurs organisations communautaires, en vue d’assurer leur plus grande participation aux discussions et à la prise de décisions concernant les problèmes et les défis qui se posent au continent;Reconnaissant le mandat de la Commission permanente des Transports, de l’Industrie, de l’Energie, des Communications, des Sciences et de la Technologie, conformément à l’article 25 (5) de son Règlement intérieur;Rappelant ses réunions statutaires des 17 et 18 mars 2011, tenues au Parlement panafricain, au cours desquelles une évaluation des activités de la Division de l’Information, de la Communication et des Relations avec les médias, telle qu’approuvée dans l’organigramme et les besoins en ressources humaines du Parlement panafricain (PAP) et approuvée par le Bureau, le 21 janvier 2005, a été effectuée;Notant les défis auxquels la Division est confrontée, notamment le manque de financement, de ressources humaines et d’équipements appropriés pour atteindre ses objectifs;Reconnaissant que les technologies de l’information et de la communication ont le potentiel de fournir et peuvent favoriser l’accès à l’information et aux connaissances, et reconnaissant, en outre, que le PAP a un rôle important a jouer dans l’approfondissement de la démocratie et la participation des peuples au processus de changements social, économique et politique;Soulignant le rôle important de cette Division dans la conception de stratégies de communication et dans la prestation de services publics répondant aux besoins et priorités par le biais, notamment, de l’utilisation efficace des technologies de l’information et de la communication, pour appuyer toutes les activités du PAP;Reconnaissant en outre l’immense potentiel des technologies de l’information et de la communication dans la promotion du transfert de l’information dans un large spectre d’activités socio-économiques;Soulignant la nécessité de réduire les lacunes en matière d’information entre le PAP et toutes ses parties prenantes et de s’assurer que l’information pertinente est disponible à toutes les parties;Reconnaissant le besoin urgent d’éliminer les principaux obstacles auxquels la Division est confrontée pour fournir des informations sur les activités du PAP;Décide, par conséquent de renforcer les activités de communication interne et externe par:le recrutement du personnel nécessaire à l’appui de la Division, en particulier, un gestionnaire du site Web, qui sera chargé du fonctionnement quotidien du site et un attaché de presse;la mise en place d’un programme de formation sur la communication interne et externe au profit des membres et des points focaux dans les Parlements nationaux;l’augmentation du nombre de points focaux et le renforcement des capacités.Le PAP décide, en outre, pour une meilleure communication interne et une meilleure visibilité externe de:faciliter la mise en œuvre du Plan stratégique de la Division de la communication auprès des institutions nationales et du public;mettre en place un système de compilation des documents sur CD-Rom pour faciliter le transport des documents par les parlementaires à la fin des sessions;mettre en place un système pour l’envoi des résolutions adoptées aux parlements nationaux et à l’UA ainsi que leur suivi;mettre à la disposition des membres des articles de presse sur le PAP pour diffusion dans leurs circonscriptions;veiller à une bonne conservation des archives du PAP et à la diffusion à un large public;veiller à une communication du PAP plus diligente et sans délai sur les questions d’actualité pour être en phase avec les préoccupations des peuples;commettre une étude de faisabilité sur la mise en place d’un système de vidéoconférence entre le PAP et ses parties prenantes;demander au Secrétaire général du Parlement de rétablir le contact avec les organes de radiodiffusion-télévision publics pour la couverture des Sessions du PAP et de renforcer l’interaction avec les journalistes de tous les médias.Le PAP décide aussi d’allouer un financement adéquat à la Division de la Communication en:mettant en place un fonds spécial pour le Département de la communication, pour veiller à ce que des ressources adéquates soient attribuées à cette importante Division;demandant que toutes les Commissions permanentes du PAP consacrent dans leur budget d’activités un pourcentage au volet communication, pour améliorer la visibilité sur leurs activités;renforçant les initiatives de sponsoring de la Division de la Communication par des donateurs privés sans compromettre l’indépendance de l’institution;encourageant toutes les parties prenantes à envisager le renforcement de la Division de la Communication, afin d’appuyer ses activités et opérations conformément à son mandat, notamment en fournissant des fonds supplémentaires, si possible, au Fonds spécial pour appuyer la Division;demandant au Secrétaire général duParlement de présenter à la prochaine Session un rapport sur l’état d’avancement de la mise en œuvre des présentes résolutions.Monsieur le Président,Voilà, les résolutions que notre Commission veut présenter à la plénière.Merci beaucoup.

LE PRESIDENT:Merci beaucoup, honorable, pour la présentation des recommandations et résolutions de la Commission Permanente des Transports, de l’Industrie, de la Communication, de l’Energie, des Sciences et de la Technologie.Je n’ai pas de liste; il n’y a pas d’inscrit pour cette présentation.On va passer à son examen et son adoption.Je vais me permettre une observation, le dernier point 5, à la dernière page, demandant au Secrétaire général du Parlement de présenter à la prochaine Session, un rapport sur l’était d’avancement de la mise en œuvre des présentes résolutions.Par une résolution, la plénière ne peut pas demander au Secrétaire général de présenter; donc, ce sera le Bureau, au lieu du Secrétaire général - si le représentant de la Commission n’y voit pas d’inconvénient.(Applaudissements)

HON.SHAMAKOKERA THARCISSE [RWANDA]:Il n’y a pas d’inconvénient, Monsieur le Président. LE PRESIDENT: Cet amendement fait, je propose l’adoption des recommandations de cette Commission.(Applaudissements)Merci beaucoup.J’invite, à présent, la Commission Permanente de l’Education, de la Culture, du Tourisme, et des Ressources Humaines, à présenter son rapport. Honorable Mohamed EL-HOUDERI.

HON. EL-HOUDERI MOHAMED ELMADANI [LIBYA]شكرا ، سيدي الرئيس ،هناك تصحيح بسيط في الصفحة الثانية من الورقة المقدمة إليكم، والبد من اإلشارة إليه قبل أن أتلو عليكم مشروع القرار والتوصيات .إقامة الشراكة بين السلطات الكينية والبرلمان اإلفريقي وليس اإلتحاد اإلفريقي ، هذا خطأ مطبعي وقعنا فيه .تنص التوصيات طبقا ألحكام المادة 04 الفقرة األولى :"على البرلمان اإلفريقي أن يسهل تنفيذ سياسات اإلتحاد وأهدافه وبرامجه وأن يشرف تنفيذ كل ذلك بفعالية على مستوى مختلف أجهزة اإلتحاد وأن يسهم بموجب الفقرة )د( للمادة المذكورة انفا، في مالئمة وتنسيق النصوص التشريعية داخل الدول األعضاء، طبقا ألحكام المادة 11 الفقرة 03 من البروتوكول الملحق، المتعلق بإتفاقية تأسيس المجموعة اإلقتصادية اإلفريقية المتعلقة بالبرلمان اإلفريقي ". تحدد أحكام المادة 26 الفقرة 07 من النظام الداخلي للبرلمان اإلفريقي، دور ومهمة اللجنة الدائمة للتعليم والثقافة والسياحة والموارد البشرية . عقب مداخلة الصندوق العالمي للتراث اإلفريقي بتاريخ 17مارس 2011 بمقر البرلمان اإلفريقي، حول ترقية التراث اإلفريقي وبناء على توصيات البعثة الدراسية واإلعالمية السياحية إلى كينيا من يوم 11 إلى 16 نوفمبر، والتي كانت ترمي إلى تبادل التجارب مع السلطات الكينية والمصالح التقنية الكينية المختصة في مجال ترقية السياحة، قصد تحقيق المواءمة بين التشريعات في هذا المجال بشكل تدريجي ، يقرر في مجال التعليم والموارد البشرية : أوال : إستئناف ارسال البعثة إلى قسم العلوم والتكنولوجيا لإلتحاد اإلفريقي في أديسا بابا، من نهاية شهر يونيو إلى بداية شهر يوليو 2011 قصد ضمان نجاح العشرية الثانية للتعليم في االتحاد اإلفريقي. ADEAثانيا : اإلتصال باللجنة المديرة لجمعية تطوير التعليم في افريقيا من أجل السماح ألعضاء البرلمان اإلفريقي، بالمشاركة في الندوة الثالثية لسنة 2011 حول التعليم والتدريب من أجل التنمية التي سوف تجري في واغادوغو ببوركينافاسو بداية من يوم27 نوفمبر إلى 02 ديسمبر 2011. ثالثا : دعوة خبراء اليونيسكو إلى إحدى الدورات البرلمانية، من أجل عرض تقريرعن "التعليم للجميع ."في مجال الثقافة والسياحة :قامة شراكة بين السلطات الكينية والبرلمان اإلفريقي، قصد تنظيم المعرض األول اإلفريقي للسياحة الداخلية اإلفريقية .ثانيا ، دعوة الديوان الكيني للسياحة والمصلحة الكينية لحماية الحياة البرية، إلى تقديم عرضا حول ترقية السياحة وحماية البيئة في افريقيا ،خالل إحدى الدورات البرلمانية للبرلمان .تعزيز دور البرلمان اإلفريقي في مجال المناصرة والدعوة لدى البرلمانات الوطنية واإلقليمية، قصد ترقية أعمال صندوق التراث العالمي اإلفريقي .ترقية النشاطات الثقافية بالتعاون مع صندوق التراث العالمي اإلفريقي ومع شركاء أخرين، من أجل إعادة تثمين القيم والرموز الثقافية اإلفريقية . إنتهت التوصيات والقرارات .شكـــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــرا سيدي الرئيس .

LE PRESIDENT:Merci beaucoup.Je n’ai pas d’inscrit, au titre des recommandations et résolutions de la Commission Education, Culture, Tourisme et Ressources humaines.Oui, honorable BAHARI.

HON. ALI BAHARI [KENYA]:Thank you, Mr. President, for giving me the Floor.I just would like to thank the presenter for the brief presentation save to make one comment. On the second page, under the Domain of Culture and Tourism, he indicated that "we establish partnership with the Kenyan Authorities and PanAfrican Parliament" but in the document, it is written "African Union". Perhaps, he can clarify that misnomer.

HON. HIGIRO PROSPER [RWANDA]:Merci, Monsieur le Président.Je voudrais remercier aussi le représentant de la Commission Education et Ressources humaines.Mais, en ce qui concerne la série de décisions, au point 1, c’est-à-dire dans les domaines de l’éducation et des ressources humaines, je crois que ce n’est pas nécessaire d’énumérer les activités qui sont contenues dans le plan d’actions de la Commission dans ses recommandations.Je suppose que chaque Commission permanente du PAP a un plan d’actions, pour cette année, qui a été adoptée, au mois de mars dernier.Donc, je crois que ce n’est pas nécessaire de mentionner cela, ici, comme une Commission, au mois de mars.Je vous remercie.

HON. EL-HOUDERI MOHAMED EL MADANI[LIBYA]أشكر اإلخوة الذين قدموا مالحظات على ما عرضته أمامكم . فيما يتعلق بالتصحيح الذي أشرت إليه ،هو أنه وقع خطأ مطبعي، ألن الذي طلبناه هو إقامة شراكة بين السلطات الكينية والبرلمان االفريقي ، ألنه في هذه الشراكة سيقوم البرلمان األفريقي بدور الدفاع والتحريض مع الدول األعضاء والبرلمانات الوطنية، ألن تشارك مشاركة فاعلة في المعرض األفريقي األول للسياحة ، ألنه ألول مرة في تاريخ أفريقيا يقام معرض أفريقي للسياحة ، كنا أن نذهب إلى معارض في أوروبا وآسيا . أما السياحة تعودنا دائماً ًء البينية أو العالمية، فإن الدول األفريقية لم تقم بجمع األفريقية سوا إمكانياتها السياحية وتقديمها للعالم ولألفارقة، في شكل معرض منظم يخدم الثقافة والسياحة في أفريقيا ، ولذلك فللبرلمان األفريقي دور رئيسي في هذه الشراكة باإلتفاق مع السلطات الكينية ، وهذه التوصية أتت نتيجة للبعثة التي كلفها البرلمان األفريقي للذهاب إلى كينيا والحوار مع السلطات الكينية حول الثقافة والسياحة، وتوصلنا إلى هذا المقترح ولذلك عرضناه بهذا الشكل، حدث خطأ مطبعي ، فبدالً من أن نقول شراكة بين السلطات الكينية والبرلمان األفريقي، كتب شراكة بين السلطات الكينية واإلتحاد األفريقي هذاًمنًناحية ،ماًالمالحظةًالثانية،ًفإنني أشكر الزميل الذي اشار إليها والتي تهدف إلى إستمرار البرلمان األفريقي في اإلضطالع بمهمته إلى مؤسسة ذات إختصاص تشريعي ، كمؤسسة، تتحول تدريجياً والقصد من هذا هو البحث عن السبل الكفيلة بالمواءمة بين السياسات التعليمية في أفريقيا .رسال هذه البعثة في العام ال كان مقررا جلت على أن ً ُ ماضي، ثم تأ يتم ارسالها في بداية هذا العام ولم نتمكن من تنفيذها ، ولذلك نؤكد عليها ليتم تنفيذها هذا العام، قبل حلول السنة القادمة وهو أمرفي غاية االهمية، ولذلك نرى أن لكم ،، وجودها مهم في هذا القرار . شكراً

LE PRESIDENT:Honorables membres,Sur le point « Relancer la mission à la Division des Sciences et de la Technologie de l’Union africaine, à Adis Abbas, fin juin et début juillet »; je voudrais informer que fin juin et début juillet correspondent exactement à la 17ème Conférence des chefs d’Etats et de gouvernements de Malabo. Peut-être qu’on peut laisser le mois de juillet, afin que cela ne prête pas beaucoup à confusion.Avec ces petits amendements, je propose qu’on adopte la résolution présentée par la Commission Education.(Applaudissements)Merci beaucoup.On va revenir aux recommandations de la Commission permanente de l’Egalité en Genre, de la Famille, de la Jeunesse et des Personnes handicapées.Tout à l’heure, on a adopté le rapport de cette Commission.Maintenant, l’honorable membre va nous présenter les recommandations de cette Commission permanente.

5.6 – Recommandations de la Commission permanente de l’Egalité en Genre, de la Famille, de la Jeunesse et des Personnes handicapées

HON. FRANCISCA DOMINGOS TOMÁS [MOÇAMBIQUE]:-Muito obrigada, Senhor Presidente. De facto, quando apresentámos o Relatório deveríamos ter apresentado a Resoluçâo, as Recomendaçoes, mas ainda nao tínhamos prontas.Passo a apresentar, em nome da Presidente, as Recomendares da Comissao do Género, Familia e Pessoas Portadoras de Deficiencia.O Parlamento Pan-Africano, ciente de que, a Comissao do Género, Família, Juventude e Pessoas Portadoras de Deficiencia é mandatada a analisar questoes relacionadas com a promogao da igualdade do género e apoio ao Parlamento, á supervisao do desenvolvimento de políticas e de actividades da Uniao relacionadas com a família, juventude e pessoas portadoras de deficiencia.Notando que, durante a reuniao da Comissao, realizada na Quarta-feira, 11 de Maio de 2011, a Direcgao dos Recursos Humanos, Ciencia e Tecnologia da Comissao da Uniao Africana fizera uma apresentagao dos programas da Uniao Africana sobre o Desenvolvimento da Juventude em África.Ciente de que o tema da Cimeira dos Chefes de Estado e de Governo da Uniao Africana de Julho de 2011 convergirá em torno da juventude em África.Reconhecendo que:1.A comunidade juvenil representa o recurso mais importante, dado que 60% da populagao africana tem idade inferior aos 35 anos;2.Existe a necessidade urgente de se reforgarem as capacidades institucionais e jurídicas da juventude, visando maior participagao;3.A juventude desempenha um papel muito importante no desenvolvimento sustentável no continente africano;4.A juventude representa enorme potencial em termos de criagao de riqueza e prosperidade económica para o continente africano;5.Cada país deve investir na juventude - o seu recurso mais valioso, simbolizando o futuro; e6.O artigo 11.° da Carta Africana da Juventude convida todos os Estados-Parte a implementarem medidas que promovam a participagao da juventude em todas as esferas da sociedade, incluindo os órgaos de decisao.Por conseguinte, recomenda:1.Os Estados membros organizem Parlamentos da Juventude para encorajar os jovens a compreender os princípios que reforgam a democracia;2.A promogao da ratificagao e implementagao da Carta Africana da Juventude;3.O apoio à criaçâo de Conselhos Nacionais da Juventude;4.Que os Governos aumentem o orçamento destinado a programas e actividades da juventude, através dos Ministérios da Juventude e outras instituiçoes relacionadas com a juventude.Muito obrigada, Senhor Presidente, acabei de apresentar as recomendaçoes da Comissâo.

LE PRESIDENT:Merci beaucoup, Honorable, pour la présentation des recommandations de votre Commission.Honorables membres,Je n’ai pas d’inscrit par rapport à cette présentation. S’il n’y a pas d’intervention, on va passer à l’adoption.(Applaudissements)Merci beaucoup.Honorables membres,Nous allons revenir, maintenant, au rapport de la Commission Affaires juridiques et droits de l’Homme.Honorable Agnès MUKABARANGA

6.0 – RAPPORT D’ACTIVITÉS DE LA COMMISSION PERMANENTE DES AFFAIRES JURIDIQUES ET DES DROITS DE L’HOMME

HON. MUKABARANGA AGNÈS [RWANDA]:Merci, Monsieur le Président.Le rapport d’activités de la Commission a été retardé, parce que nous étions occupés avec le Procureur auprès de la Cour spéciale de Sierra Léone, qui avait demandé à échanger avec la Commission. Alors, je voudrais présenter mes excuses pour ce retard.En même temps, je voudrais dire, Monsieur le Président, quand on en viendra aux recommandations et résolutions, que vous constaterez que nous ne sommes pas prêts avec ces résolutions et recommandations. Tout simplement, parce que le Secrétariat a soumis à la plénière une version sur laquelle on ne s’était pas accordés.Cela étant dit - malgré que j’aie poussé sur la version corrigée auprès du Service de Documentation - ces résolutions et recommandations ne sont pas encore prêtes. Mais, si vous nous trouvez quelques 10 minutes, demain, nous pourrons le soumettre à la plénière. Quant au rapport d’activités, Monsieur le Président, comme vous pouvez le lire dans le rapport, nous avons, durant cette session, adopté des procès-verbaux de nos réunions des 17 et 18 mars 2011, après amendements.Nous avions aussi, comme vous pouviez vous y attendre, débattu de la situation en Afrique du nord et en Côte-d’Ivoire, et nous sommes convenus que la situation dans ces pays était préoccupante.Eu égard aux informations, qui ressortaient des médias, et du fait que cette situation reflétait des violations des droits de l’Homme et une crise humanitaire dans ces pays, il convenait, donc d’effectuer des missions d’informations pour s’informer des causes profondes de ce qui se passait dans ces pays.C’est pour cela que nous avons recommandé d’effectuer des missions qui seraient, bien sûr, avec l’aval du PAP, conjointes à la Commission Coopération et Résolution des conflits, puisqu’on a une mission transversale, et qu’il s’agit d’une crise conflictuelle, qui elle aussi s’accompagne de violation des droits de l’Homme et des libertés fondamentales des citoyens.Nous avons aussi, Monsieur le Président, parlé de notre plan d’activités.Comme vous pouvez aussi le lire et comme convenu à Pretoria, sur la base du budget qui nous a été alloué, moyennant, bien sûr, la disponibilité des fonds, nous recommandons d’effectuer des missions d’informations dans les pays où les droits de l’Homme sont violés, d’organiser un séminaire relativement à la Charte africaine de la Démocratie, des Elections, de la bonne Gouvernance, un atelier de renforcement des capacités en justice internationale et d’organiser une journée mondiale des droits de l’Homme.Une autre activité, Monsieur le Président, se réfère aux présentations qui nous ont été faites par des organisations partenaires du PAP, notamment « Open society Institute », qui nous a fait un rapport sur les organismes de radiodiffusion télévision en Afrique.Cette ONG a l’habitude de faire des audits et elle a justement fait un audit sur le droit d’expression, la situation du droit d’expression en Afrique, le droit aux libertés d’expression, et l’état des lieux, eu égard, notamment, aux instruments que les pays ont ratifié, notamment, la Déclaration universelle des droits de l’Homme, les Conventions internationales relatives aux droits civils et politiques, des Traités aux Protocoles régionaux, tels que le Protocole de SADEC sur la Culture, l’Information et le Sport, le Protocole sur la CEDEAO.Il est apparu qu’il y avait des progrès importants, mais que des efforts devaient être faits pour le respect de la liberté d’expression.Il est apparu aussi que les organismes de télévision et de radiodiffusion de l’Etat sont souvent en déficit, en termes de personnel qualifié et même de budget. Ce qui fait qu’ils ne sont pas assez compétitifs vis-à-vis des compagnies privées de radiodiffusion.La Commission a entendu aussi un envoyé de l’Organisation Internationale du Travail, en la personne de Monsieur Tharcisse NKANAGU, Coordinateur de la Sécurité sociale pour la région de l’Afrique. Et, après des informations sur ce qui se passe en cette matière sur le continent, il en a appelé aux gouvernements et aux partenaires sociaux en Afrique, à prendre des mesures concrètes, pour améliorer le niveau social en Afrique, parce qu’il est encore très bas, si on le compare à ce dont bénéficient les populations, par exemple, en Europe.Cela est dû notamment au fait que la Convention n° 102 sur la Sécurité sociale, qui comporte des garanties qui devraient normalement être offertes aux populations, n’a pas été ratifiée par beaucoup de pays. Cela requiert, donc, un dialogue social pour parvenir à des pratiques visant à améliorer des programmes appropriés pour la mise en œuvre progressive des socles de protection sociale.Monsieur le Président,Nous avons délibéré et adopté un rapport de mission d’informations, en Sierra Léone.Ce rapport se situait dans le cadre d’un plan d’activités sur lequel on s’était accordés déjà sur l’année 2009, mais qui a été retardé plusieurs fois, pour des problèmes de fonds.Je saisis l’occasion, Monsieur le Président, pour remercier le gouvernement de Sierra Léone et des autres autorités de ce pays, la Cour elle-même, pour avoir vraiment été disponibles pour la délégation de la Commission. Des objectifs sont visibles dans le rapport.Nous nous sommes surtout informés des réalisations du tribunal, qui est en voie de fermeture, avons essayé de comprendre le cadre juridique, institutionnel de ce tribunal et des informations relatives à l’exécution des peines et des bonnes pratiques en matière de justice et voir s’il y a des défis auxquels ce tribunal a eu à faire face et le rôle que les parlements nationaux, régionaux et continentaux, peuvent jouer dans la promotion de la justice et faire des recommandations.Sans aller dans les détails, Monsieur le Président, parce que le temps est limité, je peux dire que (...) Pour permettre aux ressortissants de Sierra-Léone de suivre,(Anglais)

HON. MUKABARANGA AGNÈS [RWANDA]:Mr. President, we met several authorities such as the President of the Court of Sierra Leone, the Prosecutor, whose office is an independent organ of this court, the Registrar, other supportive organs like the Witnesses’ Office, which has the Outreach and Public Affairs Section and the Principal Defender of the court among others. We also interacted adequately with the Deputy Speaker of Parliament, the Majority Leader in Parliament, the Clerk and the Leader of Opposition. We also met the Prisons Department Authorities, the Chief Justice, the victims of the war, the Human Rights Commission and the National Commission for Social Action.Mr. President, allow me to emphasise the interaction we had with the victims of the war. Let me talk about the Chief Justice and the victims of the war since I cannot cover every item. I hope you will find time to read the documents that have been circulated. The Chief Justice, being a very crucial part of the Special Court of Sierra Leone, appeared before us. Based on the interaction with him and other Judges it was evident that the Special Court of Sierra Leone could have improved the relationship with the local Judiciary. We were told that their collaboration could have contributed to building the capacity of the local justice system. There were judicial officials who have been involved in trial processes and have contributed to the improvement of handling issues of juvenile justice and were also key players in the war situation. She recognised that there was progress in the gender-based violence section in terms of increased awareness and the ways used to handle some of the cases at the local levels.Mr. President, the Judiciary in Sierra Leone is still facing the problem of capacity building and funds. They considered that it could have been critical to have a long-term perspective to the integration of the Special Court in Sierra Leone. This could have been the basis of greater co-operation because, for instance, we were told that Sierra Leone has only fifteen magistrates nationwide. This number could have been bigger if there was greater collaboration between the two institutions. We just learnt from the Prosecutor, whom we did not meet last time because there was training of police officers going on. I would like to say that the number of people who are benefitting from these training programmes is growing and this is quite commendable.Mr. President, let me come back to the victims of the war. Regarding the achievements of the court, it was a welcome development since it will contribute to ending impunity. However, the victims thought that they should have been given more attention in terms of compensation. That is the view that is held by the National Commission for Social Action which said that there were people in Sierra Leone who had lost confidence in the operation of the court. This is because it did not bring the required impact. This is mainly because of long proceedings, unlike in other special courts such as ACTA or the International Criminal Court (ICC). Nevertheless, these courts do not prosecute many people. They just target people with big responsibilities. That was the cases in Sierra Leone because they have been able to prosecute and sentence only thirteen people and one case of Charles Taylor, the former President of Liberia is still pending before The Hague.(French follows 16:51:24)

HON. MUKABARANGA AGNÈS [RWANDA]:Monsieur le Président,Un autre type d’activités que nous avons menées, c’est surtout des missions à l’étranger pour participer à des conférences.Nous avons envoyé une délégation au Malawi, pour représenter la Commission pour une importante conférence qui s’occupait de la promotion de la Cour africaine des droits de l’Homme et des Peuples.Il est apparu, Monsieur le Président, alors que le contexte maintenant plaide pour des Cours africaines de droits de l’Homme et des peuples où les justiciables et les victimes peuvent saisir directement les juges pour cette Cour africaine des Droits de l’Homme et des peuples, qu’il faut une déclaration expresse de la part des pays.L’article 34, paragraphe 6, requiert une déclaration de la part du pays qui ratifie. Jusqu’à présent 24 pays ont ratifié sur les 53, mais seulement 2 - le Mali et le Burkina - ont fait la déclaration qui permet aux individus comme vous et moi, si vous avez un litige avec l’Etat, de pouvoir saisir directement la Cour.Il faut maintenant pour le faire passer par la Commission africaine des droits de l’Homme et des Peuples et, souvent, c’est trop long. Et, vous savez très bien que le droit à la justice est un droit individuel. Donc, nous avons pensé qu’une recommandation pour la promotion de cette Cour, de son importance, de la nécessité de ratifier ce Protocole, de la nécessité de faire la déclaration expresse, pour permettre aux individus et aux organisations non gouvernementales de la saisir, est importante. Elle vous sera soumise demain. Monsieur le Président,Il y a eu une autre conférence sur l’adoption d’une stratégie africaine sur les droits de l’Homme; elle s’est tenue du 26 au 27 avril à Banjul en Gambie. C’est une conférence qui a réunit tous les acteurs africains, au niveau de l’Union africaine, en ce qui concerne les droits de l’Homme et des organisations régionales, même des commissions des Nations-Unies qui s’occupent des droits de l’Homme et des organisations de la société civile. Ils se sont accordés et ont validé le contenu de cette stratégie, de même qu’un plan d’actions. Il est prévu qu’il y aura un lancement de cette stratégie, sans doute, après la Conférence des Chefs d’Etats.Monsieur le Président,C’est sur cette note que je voudrais vous dire merci et dire merci aux collègues, pour nous avoir prêté attention.C’est là, en quelques mots, les activités que la Commission a menées, étant entendu que, pour le plan d’activités de l’année 2011, cela dépendra de la disponibilité des ressources.Monsieur le Président,Nous sommes optimistes que ces ressources seront disponibles.Je vous remercie.

LE PRESIDENT:Merci beaucoup, honorable Agnès MUKABARANGA.L’honorable présidente vient de nous présenter les activités de la Commission permanente des Affaires juridiques et des droits de l’Homme.Je propose que la plénière en prenne acte, en attendant les recommandations et les résolutions qui vont être présentées demain et nous débattrons, en ce moment-là, des résolutions de la Commission permanente des Affaires juridiques et des droits de l’Homme.Honorables membres,Nous avons pris acte du rapport d’activités.Nous allons passer aux recommandations et résolutions de la Commission permanente de la Santé, du Travail et des Affaires sociales, présenté par le Rapporteur de cette Commission, l’honorable Editor MATAMISA.

5.8 – Recommandations de la Commission permanente de la santé, du travail et des affaires sociales

HON. MATAMISA ERIMENZIAH EDITOR [ZIMBABWE]:Thank you, Mr. President for this opportunity to present the recommendations of my Committee to this august House.Mr President, the recommendations and resolutions of the Committee on Health, Labour and Social Affairs on the African Medicines, Registration and Harmonisation Initiative are tabulated as follows:The recommendations on the Legislative and Legal Framework for Medicines, Registration and Harmonisation.The PAP, recognising its role with the Africa Medicines Registration Harmonisation Initiatives made the following recommendations:Noting that although treaties and protocols for medicines regulatory harmonisation exists in the majority of regional communities, implementation of agreed regional decisions by member states remains a challenge due to the fact that such treaties merely self-executing, hence the need for domestication of such a decision through national laws;Aware that some countries do not have comprehensive national medicine policies that provide assurance on access to affordable, good quality, safe and efficacious essential medicines reaching the majority of the population as recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO), therefore, recommends that the following actions be taken:1.ensure all the RECs have policies for harmonisation of medicines regulations;2.ensure development and/or review of national medicines policies to ensure that all key elements that ensure access to medicines are covered as recommended by WHO;3.ensure the enactment and/or review of national medicines laws which take into account the entire core regulatory functions as recommended by WHO; including an explicit provision in the national laws which mandates the National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRAs) to register medicines;4.provide in the national laws to recognise decisions made by other NMRAs in the RECs; and5.provide in the national laws for NMRAs to recognise decisions made centrally at REC level.On the training of regulatory human resource and research, the Pan-African Parliament recommended as follows:Aware that, according to the WHO report, 90 per cent of African NMRAs lack the capacity to undertake medicines regulatory functions and hence cannot guarantee the quality, efficacy and safety of medicines, including traditional medicines, this situation puts the lives of the majority of the African population at risk; andNoting that due to a limited regulatory capacity, some countries are not able to register medicines on time, hence denying patients medicines they need for treatment of diseases, PAP, therefore, recommends that the following actions should be taken:1.advocate for the establishment of regional centres of regulatory excellence through the existing NMRA institutional frameworks;2.advocate for the establishment of specific post-graduate diploma courses in regulatory science in African academic institutions.3.provide in national laws to fast track registration of medicines of public health priority; and4.provide to fast track registration of medicines of public health priority in the NMRA registration policies,, regulations and guidelines.On regulatory financing, the Pan African Parliament recommends as follows:Recognising that, according to the NEPAD Agency study report for the East African Community (EAC) Partner States, there is either limited or declining funding for NMRAs from Government subvention, implying reliance on industry fees or donor funding;Realising that, it is an indisputable fact that medicines regulation is a public good which requires Government commitment in funding to ensure protection of public health;Further realising that, the failure may jeopardise the quality and safety of pharmaceutical products circulating in a country and consequently NMRAs participation in regional harmonisation of regulatory standards and practices, therefore, recommends that the following actions be taken:1.advocate for the establishment of semiautonomous NMRAs with powers to collect and utilise regulatory service fees to execute regulatory functions; and2.advocate for increasing government funding of NMRAs and reduce total reliance on the industry fees.The Pan-African Parliament made the following resolutions on activities to be undertaken:Aware that African Medicines Harmonisation Registration is aimed at, among others, reducing barriers to research, registration, production of and access to essential medicines in Africa;Cognisant that, in order to achieve the outcomes of the African Medicines Registration Harmonisation Initiative, the process needs to be African driven to ensure sustainability and ownership;Taking into consideration, that the process is an important step towards reaching the people of Africa, therefore, resolves to implement the following activities:1.hold a two-day Capacity Building Workshop for the champions in July, 2011 (July 22 and 23, 2011) before the Committee Sittings.2.hold Regional workshops for relevant stakeholders to sensitise them on medicine regulation harmonisation.3.engage with the AU on medicine regulation harmonisation.4.popularise the AMRH through the PAP website, newsletters, among others.5.lobby for continental support to AMRH.Mr President, the Pan-African Parliament resolutions on the selection of champions are as follows:Recognising the need for continued dialogue and collective efforts towards improving health care delivery to citizens of our continent; and Realising the importance of the involvement and role of the Pan-African Parliament towards improving health care delivery to citizens of our continent;the Pan-African Parliament resolves that the following PAP Members champion the AMRH Initiative in their respective regions:Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS)/ OCEAC: Hon. Marie Rose - Nguini EffaCommunity of Sahel - Saharan States (CENSAD)/Union Du Maghreb Arabe (AMU): Hon. Dr. Farida IlimiSouthern African Development Community (SADC):1.Hon. Editor Matamisa2.Hon. Santosh Vinita Kalyan3.Hon. Forrie Raisi Tembo4.Hon. Abubakar MbayaEconomic Community for West African States (ECOWAS)/WAHO:1.Hon. Yamba Malick Sawadogo2.Hon. Magatte Kamara3.Hon. Coulibaly Kadidiatou Samake4.Hon. Elizabeth Agyeman5.Hon. Joyce SumoInter-Governmental Authority for Development (IGAD): Hon. Ibrahim Abdifatah Rasci Mr President, I submit.

LE PRESIDENT:Merci beaucoup Honorable MATAMISA Erimenziah, Rapporteur de la Commission permanente de la Santé, du Travail et des Affaires Sociales.Honorables membres,Je n’ai pas d’inscrit. Si un Honorable membre veut bien prendre la parole, sinon je vais soumettre les recommandations et les résolutions à l’auguste assemblée.Honorables membres,Il est vrai qu’il se fait tard et on est un peu fatigué. Je suggère qu’on considère les deux résolutions comme des recommandations, au lieu que ce soit des résolutions. C’est ma première suggestion.Ma deuxième suggestion: tout en proposant recommandation sur la sélection des défenseurs, je suggère à l’honorable MATAMISA Erimenziah, qui représente la Commission permanente de la Santé, du Travail et des Affaires Sociales, qu’on ne cite pas nommément les honorables membres de la Commission.On dira, à chaque fois: « Membre Président » ou « Rapporteur... » ou « Membre de la Commission »; c’est, peut-être, plus élégant pour une résolution ou une recommandation.Honorable MATAMISA, vous avez la parole.

HON. MATAMISA ERIMENZIAH EDITOR [ZIMBABWE]:Mr. President, I want to thank you for the comments you have just made and assure you that all the points have been noted. In future, we hope to do better. I would like to thank the Hon. Members for waiting until the last minute with me. I was afraid I was going to be alone.I thank you, Mr. President.

LE PRESIDENT:Merci beaucoup, Honorable MATAMISA, d’avoir accepté les propositions du Président, qui est un ancien membre de votre Commission.Avec ces deux amendements, nous allons adopter les recommandations de la Commission Santé, Travail et Affaires sociales.(Applaudissements)Merci beaucoup.Il n’y a pas d’annonces?Honorables membres,Nous sommes arrivés à la fin des travaux de ce jour. Par conséquent, la séance est levée jusqu’au vendredi 20 mai 2011 à 09 heures.La séance est suspendue à 17H09 jusqu’au vendredi, 20 mai 2011.

Thursday 19 May 2011

LE PRESIDENT:Merci. Prenez place, s’il vous plaît!Notre séance est ouverte.Je demande au Secrétaire général de donner lecture du premier point inscrit à l’ordre du jour.

THE CLERK:شكرا السيد الرئيس ،يقتضي جدول األعمال لهذه الهذه الجلسة الصباحية و كنقطة أولى:عـرض تقرير المكتب عن توظيف المستخدمين

LE PRESIDENT:J’invite l’honorable MACDONALD Gombo Joram, quatrième Vice-président, à faire la présentation.

HON. GUMBO JORAM MACDONALD [ZIMBABWE]:Thank you, Mr. President.Hon. Members, I have the great honour to present before you the Report on the Recruitment Process of Officers of PAP with the aim of strengthening the Department of Finance and Administration. I am pleased to present this report on behalf of my brother and colleague, Hon. Laroussi Hammi, who is responsible for the Department of Finance and Administration at the Bureau level.You will recall that the Bureau of PAP had, from its elections, established our Ad Hoc Committee responsible for carrying out an evaluation of the Parliament after its five (5) years of existence. In its report, the Ad Hoc Committee stated some irregularities and weaknesses in management due mainly to the shortage of staff in the Finance and Administration field. The same observation was also made by all the audit teams sent to PAP by the AU, as well as by the partners who have all called for the strengthening of the Finance and Administration Department with the necessary personnel.However, it must be pointed out that these weaknesses and irregularities have led to some partners suspending their financial assistance. For example, the European Commission had decided that its financial assistance be centred on the recruitment of the necessary personnel for the said department and undertook to make funds available to that effect. In line with this, the Bureau and the Secretariat identified eight (8) priority positions to be filled under the European Commission funds. They include Senior Finance Officer, Finance Officer (Disbursements), Finance Officer (Budgeting), Finance Officer (Certification), Human Resources Officer, Procurement Officer, Procurement Expert and Strategic Planning Expert.Added to these positions are those of the Chief Finance Officer to be recruited under the PAP operational budget. This position has remained vacant since the departure of Mr Girma Mekonnen as well as the position of Project Officer to be recruited under ACBF Funds.In all, the ten (10) positions have been decided upon for recruitment. A call for applications was launched in December, 2010. If Members can recall, this was made in this plenary so that when Members went back home, they could inform their Parliaments and those who might be interested in applying for these positions. In response to this call, 168 candidatures were received for the ten (10) positions.The Screening Committee established in October, 2010 by the decision of the Bureau, met on 11, 14, 16 and 17 February, 2011.The criteria guiding the screening were as follows:1.Nationality, that is, any candidate must be a national of a member country of the AU;2.Candidates who are nationals of the AU member countries that are under sanctions are excluded from the process;3.Age, in accordance with the call for applications; and4.Academic qualifications and professional experience.After considering all the applications, the shortlisting committee, which had done its best to adhere to the laid down criteria and comply with the procedures and practices in force at the AU, came up with a short list of thirty-two candidates for the ten advertised posts. These candidates were contacted to undergo the interview process. The Committee in charge of conducting the interviews met on 11, 12 and 13 March, 2011 at the seat of PAP here in Midrand.The committee noted the absence of one candidate who had applied for the position of Procurement Officer and Procurement Expert Officer’s posts. The Committee acknowledges that the interviews were properly conducted in strict accordance with the principles of neutrality, professionalism and compliance with the Staff Rules and Regulations of the AU.In its conclusions, the Committee’s report recommended the list of candidates who passed the interview and that is the list the Bureau now submits for your appraisal.The successful candidates are listed in the table below:

Name	Country	Position
Mr. Benjamin Mouiri Maussavou	Gabon	Chief Finance Officer (Regular)
	Zimbabwe	Finance Officer EC (P3-5)
Mr. Gift Marunda		(EC funded)
Ms. Estelle Aline Abegouo	Congo Brazzaville	Human Resources Officer - EC (P2-5) (EC funded)
Ms. Yvonne Bezamenyo Semuguruka	Tanzania	Finance Officer, Certification - EC (P2-5) (EC funded)
Ms. Neesha Sewlall	South Africa	Finance Officer, Budgeting - EC (P2-5) (EC funded) (Internal Promotion)
Mr. Mohamed Fadel	Egypt	Finance Officer, Disbursements EC (P2-5) (EC funded)
Mr. Peter Wandwasi	South Africa (also claims to be Rwandese, Ugandan but is now based in South Africa)	Strategic Planning Expert EC (P3-5) (EC funded)
Mr. Rodin Makani Mayengo	DRC	Procurement Expert - EC (P3-5)
Ms. Maqokolo Thabisi	South Africa	Procurement Officer - EC (P2-5) (EC funded)
Ms. Doris Koyabe	Kenya	Project Officer - ACBF (P2-5) EC funded

The Bureau of PAP noted with regret that the applications submitted to PAP did not come from all the member states of the AU. The Bureau surmised that this could be due to the difficulty in accessing the PAP Website, poor dissemination of the information by the National Parliaments to African citizens or lack of interest on the part of Africans.The Bureau also lamented the fact that the African Union Commission had reduced the allocated funds by half, making it impossible for the Recruiting Committee to finalise the employment of the candidates for the entire year. Furthermore, these funds, even in their reduced state, have not yet been transferred to the PAP account.The recruitment process, therefore, remains uncompleted, hence the possibility of reviewing it so as to align it with the available funds.In conclusion, the Bureau has directed the Recruitment Committee to do the following:a)send appointment letters to three candidates to be recruited under the regular positions budgeted for in PAP’s Operational Budget. The three candidates will occupy the positions of Senior Finance Officer, Finance Officer and Procurement Officer;b)hold on the recruitment of the candidates under European Commission Funds until these funds are transferred to the PAP’s account;c)advertise and call for candidates to compete for the regular and professional positions budgeted for in PAP’s Operational Budget; andd)preferably occupy the positions by candidates from the West African Region.That is the end of the brief from the Recruitment Committee.I thank you, Mr. President.

LE PRESIDENT:Merci beaucoup, honorable GUMBO Joram Macdonald, quatrième Vice-président du Parlement panafricain, pour la présentation de ce rapport.Honorables membres,Le rapport est soumis à votre appréciation.La parole est maintenant à l’honorable PRITHVIRAJSING Roopun(Applaudissements)

HON. PRITHVIRAISIM ROOPUN [MAURITIUS]:Mr President, I just would like to make a few remarks and also seek clarification on one issue.It is clear from the recruitments that have been made that we are conducting interviews which are more accountable and transparent. We are given some indication that PAP works and functions professionally and observes the principle of good governance.I would like to make a few suggestions and also seek clarification on one point. I do not know if it is so, but I wish to humbly suggest that we should know exactly the duties of those people, the skill of service and to whom they will be accountable. This will help a lot if they are to deliver effectively.You will realise, Mr. President, that these posts are very sensitive. We are looking at, essentially, procurement and finance which are the key elements in any organisation. This is where, normally, we find a lot of difficulties if clear guidelines and rules are not laid down. You will appreciate, that this is a sector where we have to give a good image. I am saying this in view of what happened in the past.However, I do not want to dwell further on that, but I think we have a very good opportunity here to rectify our mistakes. The more so that all these posts are being funded by the European Union (EU) and we know we are being watched very carefully, not only by the funding organisation, but also all donors. If we want to create that impression, it is a challenge that we have in this recruitment. We should make it a challenge that we will attest to.If I may be given a few minutes, I would end by seeking clarification regarding the interview process which is crucial if we want to establish this transparency. I would like to know who forms the interview process, is it a Committee or a joint Committee or is it the members of the Bureau. Also, another matter which is so important is whether it is a subjective or an objective exercise and whether it is done under clear guidelines with clearly set standards. I wish to have some clarification on these issues.I thank you, Mr. President.

HON. GUMBO JORAM MACDONALD [ZIMBABWE]:Thank you, Mr. President, for this opportunity to make a few remarks. I would also like to thank the Hon. Member from Mauritius for asking those very pertinent questions.Regarding the job description, if I understood him well, and to whom the staff will be reporting, all those issues are clearly stated in the advertisement that indicated the qualifications, who to report to and everything else. That is the response that I can give.Mr President, the Recruitment Committee was set up by the Bureau and its operation guidelines are well articulated. The recruitment process is tasked with the selection which is done by a Committee that comprises some PAP staff. As regards the constitution of the Committee that conducted the interview exercise, there are members of the Bureau and members of the Rules Committee and one or two Members from the Committee on Administrative Finance and Evaluation (CAFE) or two from the Committee on Monetary and Financial Affairs. I am not very sure about that, but there are representatives from the Bureau and a representative from the Committees that I have identified and some senior staff members.If I had known, I would have asked the Clerk to read out the list of the Recruitment Committee for the benefit of the Members. However, it is a Committee that is well-known and was established under the Bureau. That is what I can say, Mr. President.I thank you.

AN HONORABLE MEMBER:Mr. President, I would like to thank Hon. Gumbo for his presentation. I just have two comments to make. The first one is a proposal that whilst I appreciate that issues relating to human resources and staff-related appointments are brought to the plenary for purposes of presentation and our appreciation, it is very important that we come up with policy guidelines on how issues of recruitment will be handled. In so doing, as a plenary, we will focus on our core business which is basically to address serious issues affecting Africa.I am beginning to get worried that if we are not careful, we will find ourselves in a situation whereby our plenary gets too involved in human resources issues. In my view, our role is to put in place water-tight policies and oversee issues such as advertisements during recruitment and that other policies are effected and followed to the letter.Secondly, Hon. Gumbo indicated that there was a poor response from quite a number of countries or rather that they did not receive applications from some countries, possibly due to a number of reasons, some of which he brought to the fore. I just wanted to propose that, in future, as these posts are advertised, if it is something that is procedural, consideration be given to sending notices to our respective parliaments so that we are also aware that these posts are available. In this way, we can conduct the necessary mobilisation if we know competent people who can apply. We can even make a further advertisement in our respective countries.Mr. President, all in all, I thank the Recruitment Committee and wish to support the report as presented.I thank you, Mr. President.

LE PRESIDENT:Merci.Honorables membres,L’objet de la présentation de ce rapport, c’est de prendre les appréciations des membres. C’est ce qui se fait présentement à travers deux de nos collègues.Je voudrais, tout simplement repréciser ou répéter que l’après-sélection se fait par le Secrétariat ou le Secrétaire général, les deux Secrétaires généraux adjoints et une équipe du Secrétariat procèdent à l’après-sélection.Les parlementaires n’interviennent qu’aux interviews. Donc, le comité, composé du Secrétariat, auquel s’adjoignent les membres du bureau, notamment les Vice-présidents (les 2ème, 3ème et 4ème Vice-présidents) et deux membres du Parlement: un de la Commission des Règlements et un autre de la Commission Finance et CAFE.Donc, c’est cet organe, composé de parlementaires et du Secrétariat, qui procède aux interviews.Cela dit, s’il n’y a pas d’autres observations, on va adopter le rapport du recrutement, présenté par l’honorable GUMBO Macdonald.On adopte?(Applaudissements)Merci beaucoup.Et, nous prenons en compte les observations des deux collègues.Monsieur le Secrétaire général,Donnez-nous lecture du second point à l’ordre du jour!

LE PRESIDENT:شكراً سيدي الرئيس ،تتعلق النقطة الثانية من جدول أعمال هذه الجلسة ،عرض توصيات ولوائح اللجان الدائمة للبرلمان األفريقي والمصادقة عليها .شكراً سيدي الرئيس .

LE PRESIDENT:J’invite, à présent, l’honorable Agnès MUKABARANGA, Présidente de la Commission permanente des Affaires juridiques et des droits de l’Homme, à présenter les recommandations et les résolutions de la Commission.

HON. MUKABARANGA AGNÈS [RWANDA]:Je vous remercie, Monsieur le Président.Je renouvelle, encore une fois, mes excuses, au nom de la Commission, parce que ces résolutions et ces petites recommandations, que vous avez devant vous, auraient dues être présentées, hier. Mais, il y a eu des contretemps, dus notamment à la rencontre avec le Procureur de la Sierra-Léone; rencontre dont le Secrétariat a oublié de faire l’annonce, alors qu’elle était programmée de commun accord.Je m’excuse, donc, pour les perturbations que cela a dû causer dans l’agenda d’hier.Monsieur le Président,Nous avons deux résolutions, tirées du rapport d’activités qui vous a été soumis, hier.Nous avons une résolution sur la mission d’informations que la Commission a effectuée en Sierra-Léone.Nous l’avons expliqué, hier: ce tribunal a apporté une contribution nette à la fin de l’impunité dans ce pays, notamment par une jurisprudence qui fera mémoire pour les autres tribunaux, tant nationaux qu’internationaux.Mais, nous voulons que le Parlement panafricain aille au-delà. C’est pourquoi nous suggérons que: « Le Parlement panafricain,Notant que le Tribunal spécial pour la Sierra-Léone a été créé conjointement par le gouvernement de la Sierra Leone et les Nations-Unies;Guidé par le fait que le mandat du Tribunal était de juger ceux qui portent la plus grande responsabilité des graves violations du droit international humanitaire et des lois de la Sierra-Léone, commises sur le territoire de la Sierra-Léone, depuis novembre 1996;Prenant en compte les résultats de la souscommission sur une mission d’informations en Sierra-Léone;Reconnaissant, en outre, que le gouvernement a beaucoup fait pour aider les victimes de la guerre à s’en sortir, notamment en mettant en place un programme de réparations en leur faveur;Décide, par conséquent, ce qui suit:1.Le PAP doit plaider pour que, là où il ya création de tribunaux spéciaux internationaux, le processus de poursuites et de jugements des cas soit accéléré, parce qu’une justice retardée est une justice refusée;2.Dans l’esprit d’un système judiciaire efficace, le PAP doit également plaider, afin que le statut des tribunaux internationaux permette aux victimes d’introduire tant des actions pénales que des actions en vue d’obtenir des compensations sur le plan civil;3.Que la compensation pour les préjudices subis par les victimes de crimes internationaux, tels que le génocide, les crimes de guerre, de même que les crimes contre l’humanité, ne soit pas la seule responsabilité des gouvernements des Etats dans lesquels ces crimes ont eu lieu, mais aussi celle de la Communauté internationale;4.Que le PAP organise des séminaires sur la justice internationale afin de développer une vision commune sur le type de justice dont l’Afrique a besoin en matière de crime international;5.Que les autorités de la Sierra-Léone fassent régulièrement une évaluation de la situation et accélèrent le processus de guérison en faveur des victimes, particulièrement si elles habitent dans la même ville que leurs agresseurs. »Monsieur le Président,Une deuxième résolution vous est proposée, notamment sur la base du constat des violations massives dans les pays de l’Afrique du nord, au Sahara occidentale et en Côte-d’Ivoire.Nous proposons la résolution suivante:« Le Parlement panafricain,Profondément préoccupé par les rapports des médias sur les violations présumées des droits de l’Homme et sur l’escalade de la crise humanitaire dans les pays de l’Afrique du nord, notamment, en Libye, en Tunisie, en Egypte et au Sahara occidental et dans les zones occupées par le Maroc, et en Côte d’Ivoire;Appréciant la nécessité de protéger les populations civiles;Conscient de la transition démocratique qui s’opère en Tunisie et en Egypte et du retour à l’ordre constitutionnel en Côte-d’Ivoire;Notant la détérioration de la situation humanitaire dans ces pays;Décide, par conséquent, ce qui suit:1.Que le PAP émette un texte déclaratif condamnant les violations des droits de l’Homme et l’escalade de la crise humanitaire en Libye, en Tunisie, en Egypte, au Sahara occidental, dans les zones occupées par le Maroc et en Côted’Ivoire;2.Que les membres de la Commission permanente des Affaires juridiques et des droits de l’Homme fassent partie des missions d’informations prévues dans ces pays, concomitamment avec la Commission de la Coopération, des Relations internationales et du Règlement des conflits;3.Que le PAP appelle la Communauté internationale à venir en aide aux populations civiles lourdement éprouvées. »Monsieur le Président,Vu le statut particulier et la situation particulière de la Côte-d’Ivoire, en ce qui concerne les besoins en justice et le litige post-électoral, le précédent que cette crise a créé et, bien sûr, les mécanismes de réconciliation en place, la Commission de Justice et des droits de l’Homme, propose aussi que des dispositions soient prises pour permettre à la Commission d’entreprendre une mission d’informations en Côte-d’Ivoire, au courant de l’année 2011, en tant qu’une des activités prévues pour cette année par la Commission et que les préparations de cette mission soient entamées. Monsieur le Président,Je voudrais terminer par une recommandation, eu égard au constat qui s’est dégagé à l’issue de la Conférence sur la promotion de la Cour africaine des droits de l’Homme et des peuples, qui s’est tenue au Malawi du 09 au 11 mars 2011.La recommandation est libellée comme suit:« Le Parlement panafricain,Considérant qu’à l’initiative de la Cour africaine des droits de l’Homme et des peuples, une conférence pour la promotion de l’importance de cette Cour s’est tenue au Malawi du 09 au 11 mars 2011;Qu’il est apparu à cette occasion que, jusqu’en 2007, seuls 24 pays sur 53 pays membres de l’Union africaine, ont ratifié le Protocole relatif à la Cour, d’une part;Prenant note aussi qu’aux termes du Protocole relatif à la Cour, seuls la Commission africaine des droits de l’Homme et des peuples et des Etats parties au Protocole peuvent saisir la Cour, privant ainsi les individus et les organisations nongouvernementales du droit de soumettre directement leurs plaintes au tribunal;Que jusqu’à la date d’aujourd’hui, seuls deux pays, à savoir le Mali et le Burkina Faso, ont fait la déclaration requise par l’article 34 paragraphe 6 du Protocole, pour permettre l’accès direct de leurs citoyens à la Cour;Considérant, d’autre part, que l’accès à la justice est un des droits fondamentaux consacrés notamment par la Déclaration universelle des droits de l’Homme de 1948 et la Charte africaine des droits de l’homme de 1981;Vu les violations massives des droits de l’Homme enregistrées, ces derniers temps, dans plusieurs pays sur le continent africain et, par conséquent, source de conflits;Considérant que l’impunité est une des causes fondamentales de ces conflits dans nos pays;Appelle tous les pays, qui ne l’ont pas encore fait, à ratifier le Protocole sur la Cour africaine des droits de l’Homme et des peuples et à faire la déclaration prescrite par l’article 34, paragraphe 6, sus mentionné. »Je vous remercie, Monsieur le Président, chers collègues, de votre attention.

LE PRESIDENT:Merci beaucoup, honorable Agnès MUKABARANGA.J’ai, devant moi, une liste d’orateurs. Ceux qui veulent intervenir peuvent toujours s’inscrire. Honorable Catarina Pedro DOMINGOS.

HON. CATARINA PEDRO DOMINGOS [ANGOLA]:-Obrigada, Senhor Presidente.A minha intervençâo seria ontem, no Relatório, mas está ultrapassada. Apenas proponho a aprovaçâo e adopçâo das resoluçoes.Muito obrigada!

HON. STEPHEN JULIUS MASELE [TANZANIA]:Mr. President, I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Chairperson of the Committee on Justice and Human Rights for the good presentation.I just would like to make a few comments regarding the International Criminal Court (ICC). I am tired of the ICC’s double standards. The ICC Chief Prosecutor is apparently seeking the approval of the judges to issue warrants of arrest for the Libyan leader Col. Muammar Gaddafi, his son Saif and the Libyan Chief of Intelligence. The legality of that decision is questionable. If we are looking for justice, I think the process should be stopped to allow our fact-finding mission that we are dispatching to Libya to put a peace process in effect without the interference of the ICC.Mr. President, Mr. Ocampo claims he has evidence that the trio held a meeting in Tripoli to plan for the operations that were carried out in Libya. I am aware that the Obama administration has already disbursed million of dollars. I am also aware that the French President, Mr. Sarkozy and Mr. Cameron, the Prime Minister of Britain, have also supported the rebels with military training and weapons that are being used to kill innocent civilians in Libya. I am aware that the Bush and Blair administrations authorised war in Afghanistan and Iraq. I am also aware that Mr. Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, gives authority to attack Palestinians. Therefore, if we are to talk about issuing warrants of arrest, who should be the first to be issued these warrants between Col. Muammar Gaddafi and these fellows?Mr. President, when people are victims of extrajudicial killings, there must be accountability and investigations. I appeal to the fact-finding mission that we are dispatching to Libya to investigate all the allegations regardless of the identity of the perpetrators or victims. Members of this factfinding mission should be objective and impartial and the mandate should be non-prejudicial. This will ensure a credible process and credible results. I thank you, Mr. President.

HON. MAKGALEMELE DIKGANG PHILLIP [BOTSWANA]:I thank you, Mr. President, for the opportunity to make a few remarks.I have a contribution and a question on the resolution regarding the fact-finding mission to the northern countries. I would like to propose that consideration be given to the Committee on Trade, Customs and Immigration Matters to be a part of this mission. This is for the simple reason that this Committee is, among others, charged with the responsibility to follow up on issues relating to immigration.The current disturbances in northern Africa have resulted in a lot of displacements. Therefore, it is important that the Committee on Trade, Customs and Immigration Matters be part of this delegation. You might be aware that this Committee has even decided to have SubCommittees within this Permanent Committee. Maybe, the appropriate Sub-Committee on Immigration could be part of this delegation.The question that I have is with regard to the resolution on Libya that we made yesterday. I just need guidance here on whether what the resolution is proposing here is not in contrast with what we agreed yesterday. The spirit here is that we should go on a fact-finding mission, but yesterday, we had already made certain decisions on the situation in Libya, therefore, I need guidance thereon.I thank you, Mr. President.

HON. KANTENGWA JULIANA [RWANDA]:Thank you very much, Mr. President, for giving me this opportunity. I wish to commend my sister, Hon. Mukabaranga, and the entire Committee for both yesterday’s good report and today’s recommendations.I would like to restrict myself to the resolutions on the fact-finding mission to Sierra Leone, specifically on the Special Court of Sierra Leone. I support most of the resolutions, but I have some reservations on Part II. This point stipulates that we advocate the statute of the international courts to provide for civil as well as criminal action. My argument here is that doing so would be suffocating the space for national jurisdiction. The Committee also admitted in their report and in the resolutions that the mandate of the court is to deal with big cases.On the other hand, the other crimes, as they admitted on paragraph 4 (1) (44) of their report, are being handled by the national courts and the Christian Reconciliation Commission that is encouraging the perpetrators to come out and confess their participation. This, I would like to argue, is a very good mechanism in that it encourages home-grown solutions for restitutive justice which we should be arguing for. It is an African mechanism and we have seen it in Rwanda. It has helped us deal with the mass crimes, especially with our Gachacha courts which are heralded across the world.In addition, the responsibility of rebuilding fractured societies and shattered lives rests squarely on the societies themselves. If we leave everything to the international jurisdiction, we shall have no responsibility for our own people. I would also like to argue that we advocate the spirit of Ubunthu. This is where we find the cardinal values of Africanism. If we leave everything to the international jurisdiction, I am afraid, the African will miss the fence.However, I see that they could have actually made a very good argument in their report like they admitted that the location of the Special Court in Sierra Leone allows the citizens to follow the proceedings. This, however, has been denied to Rwanda by virtue of locating the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda in Arusha, Tanzania.There are so many arguments I would like to put across such as the budget allocation for the perpetrators exceeding the provision for the support of the victims depending on the context.Mr. President, allow me just a second to end my debate.I would argue that if it so happens that the perpetrators are allowed much more than the victims, it would be not only morally incorrect, but also repugnant to the dictates of social justice. Finally, I would like to thank my colleagues, but I will maintain my reservations on expanding the statutes of the internal courts to handle civil and other crimes.I thank you.

HON. OUADDADI CHEIKH AHMED EL- HEIBA [SAHARAWI REPUBLIC]شكرا سيدي الرئيس ،أنا ولألسف ال تروق لي القضية المتعلقة بالوثائق المكتوبة بغير اللغة العربية ألنها لم تترجم كلها وقد أبديت بعض اإلعتراضات على الصياغة يوم أمس ، وهي الوثائق الخاصة بلجنة العدل وحقوق اإلنسان ، إال أنه اليوم ربما اتضحت لنا بعض الرؤى المتمثلة في ما ورد في القرارات والتوصيات المتعلقة بحقوق اإلنسان والتي أعطت لنا بـعــض الـتــوضـيحــات إال أنـنــي أريــد تـصحـيـحـا فـقـــط فـــي الوثــقــــــــــة recol 01 r.h.g.pap c ، واإلنسان العدل حقوق لجنة 04ْ n رقم: 01 بعثة تقصي الحقائق إلى شمال افريقيا ، والتي من خاللها تريد اللجنة توضيح إنتهاكات بعض حقوق اإلنسان وتوضح بعدها بأن ذلك يكون سببا إليفاد لجان تقصي الحقغئق إلى كل من ليبيا وتونس ومصر والجمهورية العربية الصحراوية وهنا يبدو لي أن هناك بعض الخلط في اإلشكاالت ، وهذا بناء على أنه هناك بعض الوقائع التي ليس لها األسباب نفسا ولم تقع في المحيط نفسه ،وبالتالي فإن قضية الجمهورية الصحراوية الديمقراطة بالنسبة لي تعد قضية تصفية اإلستعماروهي قضية قد أخذت بعين اإلعتبارفي كل الدورات المنعقدة وبالتالي هنا بالنسبة لبلدي فقط هناك إختيار إما بين الجمهور والصحراوية وإما الصحراء الغربية وهنا أجد أمامي في الوثيقة مكتوب الجمهورية الصحراوية الغربية . إذا هنا البد من التشطيب على عبارة الغربية لتبقى فقط الجمهورية الصحراوية ، وعندما قرأت الوثيقة حول القرارات في الصفحة الثانية(Saisir de nouveau)Les résolutions afférentes aux questions de justice et des droits de l’Homme en Afrique du nord et en Côte-d’rvoire.La troisième ligne du 1^er paragraphe « profondément préoccupé par les rapports »;Monsieur le Président,C’est juste pour préciser, pour donner une correction.S’il vous plaît, une minute!« Par rapport aux médiations, aux violations présumées des droits de l’Homme et sur l’escalade de la crise humanitaire, dans les pays de l’Afrique du nord, notamment, en Lybie, en Tunisie, en Egypte et au Sahara Occidentale et dans les zones occupées par le Maroc ».Ici, je voudrais mettre, s’il vous plaît, pour préciser: « et au Sahara Occidentale, et plus précisément, dans les zones occupées par le Maroc ».Merci, Monsieur le Président.

HON. SUELMA EL KAID [SAHARAWI REPUBLIC]Gracias Sr. Presidente.Creo que parte de mi intervención es exactamente mi preocupación por la traducción. Siempre la traducción, tenemos que estar la delegación o los Parlamentarios Saharauis, tenemos que estar siempre en alerta de las traducciones que se hacen. Creo que ya es hora de que los parlamentarios y la gente que hace estas traducciones sepan quién es quién, sepan que es el Sahara Occidental. Aquí nos ponen lo mismo, dicen que se incrementa la crisis en el Norte de África y dicen las zonas ocupadas de Marruecos.El Sahara Occidental no es de Marruecos, hay zonas ocupadas por parte de Marruecos. El Sahara Occidental es el Sahara Occidental y Marruecos es Marruecos.Marruecos no viene al caso en el Parlamento Africano, porque no está aquí representado. Por lo tanto, creo que deben de darnos la oportunidad de hacer un seminario o hacer unos días para explicarle a los parlamentarios, a la gente que trabaja en el Parlamento ¿donde está el Sahara occidental?, ¿que es el Sahara occidental? Y ¿cual es el problema del Sahara Occidental?En cualquier resolución que se hace, en cualquier documento que se hace aquí en el Parlamento, siempre estamos rectificando cosas, que creo que después de Ocho Anos no vienen al caso y por lo tanto, pido por favor que los que hacen estas traducciones y los que están en estos comités respeten, respeten a los Saharauis y al Sahara Occidental y sepan que existe un problema de descolonización en el Sahara Occidental y que existen las zonas ocupadas por parte de Marruecos, donde se violan los derechos humanos.Muchas Gracias.

HON. MABILETSA ISAAC STEPHEN [BOTSWANA]:Thank you, Mr. President, for giving me the Floor.I believe, when there are matters of common interest, the Committee on Justice and Human Rights and the Committee on Co-operation, International Relations and Conflict Resolution should come together and make a joint resolution so that there is no duplication.I can see that from the resolution that we have here, on page 3, where we have been asked to condemn the violation of human rights in the countries that are mentioned here, PAP has already taken a step to send a fact-finding mission. My problem is, when we condemn and, at the same time, send a fact-finding mission, we are already pre-empting the findings of the factfinding mission.The fact that we are sending a mission shows concern, but when, at the same time, we condemn, are we not putting the lives of our delegates at risk? By the time they arrive in some of these countries, the authorities in these countries will say you already have a position. They will ask why the delegates want to fact-find from them when we already have decided on a position to condemn. We should discuss based on the facts that have been established and not condemn without concrete proof other than newspaper reports. As we all know, newspaper reports tend to mislead and exaggerate situations.If it is PAP that said we went there and this is what we found out and then we made a resolution, it would be a resolution based on facts, Mr. President. Therefore, I do not really see the need for this resolution because I already know that the Committee on Justice and Human Rights is part of the delegation of the fact-finding mission created by the Committee on Co-operation, International Relations and Conflict Resolution. Therefore, why are we duplicating efforts like this? Do we not really have business to discuss instead of duplicating business all the time?The Hon. Member was disrupted.

HON. MABILETSA ISAAC STEPHEN [BOTSWANA]:Let me just finish in a minute. We should talk less and take more action. This is my advocacy, Mr. President.I thank you.

HON. PRITHVIRAJSING ROOPUN [MAURITIUS]:Thank you, Mr. President.I rise again to thank and congratulate the presenter and Chairperson of this Committee on her presentation that was to the point and very concise. I also would like to support one of the points raised by the Chairperson regarding their inclusion in the fact-finding missions. I think it is very important that human rights issues be dealt with and considered whenever there is a conflict in any part of Africa.Mr. President, it is normally stated that human rights are inherent in any human being and there is no need as such for them to be stated or codified. Yet we know that these inherent human rights are the ones which are less known by the common people. It is important that we make special effort to promote human rights. We also realise that, normally, violation of human rights precedes civil war and conflicts. Therefore, if we can observe human rights, we are sure that we will do a lot to prevent eventual conflicts and this will lead to less fire fighting.The other issue which is very important is that, at times of conflicts, we put aside human rights and concentrate on other issues. It is generally at this juncture that there is the most blatant violation of human rights. I support the Chairperson’s statement that any fact-finding mission on conflicts and human rights issues should be high on the agenda. Not only should they form part of such fact-finding missions, but also, for practical reasons or if fact-finding missions have already been set up, there should be some elements regarding human rights which should be included in such reports.I thank you, Mr. President.

HON. ZROUG BRAHIM SALEH [SAHARAWI REPUBLIC]شكراً سيدي الرئيس على إعطائي الكلمة ،أود في البداية أن أشكر اإلخوة الذين تحدثوا قبلي ، و إنني أساند وأدعم ما ذكروه.لدي مالحظة تتعلق بالنص العربي ، حينما تطرقت التوصية إلى موضوع الصحراء الغربية ، ظهر خطأ لغوي ال ينسجم مع النسخة الفرنسية ) إن األراضي المحتلة هي من الصحراء الغربية وليست من المغرب ( وحينما نتابع الترجمة، ال نريد أن نقول إن هناك تحايل علي الكلمات ولكن هناك أخطاء لغوية يجب أن تصحح ؛ خاصةً وأن دول المغرب العربي كلها تتحدث باللغة العربية ، والمغرب يتحين الفرصة اليجاد أي خطأ لغوي أو تحريف كلمة عن موضعها، ليستغلها إعالمياً ضد كفاح شعبنا ، وضد القارة األفريقية ، ولذا علينا أن نركز على موضوع الترجمة، فيجب أن نتأكد من الترجمة، ومن سالمة الكلمات ،قبل أن يعرض النص النهائي على الجلسة سوا ًء في اللجان أو الجلسة العامة.

HON. TAMBOURA ASCOFARE OULEMATOU [MALI]:Merci, Monsieur le President.Je félicite la Commission pour la pertinence des résolutions ainsi formulées, tant il est vrai qu’il n’y a pas de développement sans paix, ni justice.Monsieur le Président,Etant donné que ce sont les femmes, les enfants qui sont les plus affectés par les conflits, je demande à ce que la Commission de l’Egalité en Genre, de la Famille, de la Jeunesse et des Personnes handicapées, soit désormais partie prenante de toutes les missions d’informations, dans les zones en conflit ou post-conflit, initiées par le Parlement.C’est ainsi, Monsieur le Président, que l’on pourra mesurer, qu’on pourra prendre en charge les conséquences des différents conflits dans toutes leurs dimensions, et en essayant d’y apporter les solutions idoines. En l’occurrence, il s’agira des missions d’informations en Lybie, en Tunisie, en Egypte et en Côte-d’Ivoire.Merci, Monsieur le Président.

HON. SYLVIA TEMBO MASEBO [ZAMBIA]:Thank you, Mr. President, for this opportunity to make a few remarks.First of all, I would like to commend the Committee for the good report. I would like to specifically go to the recommendation which is on page 1. This is recommendation 2 which talks about PAP advocating statutory international court handling civil as well as criminal cases. I refer you to the other resolution which is Resolution 4, which talks about PAP organising a seminar on international justice in order to develop a common vision on the kind of justice that Africa needs vis-â-vis international crime. I would like to suggest that we drop Resolution 2, adopt Resolution 4 and have this seminar. Maybe, arising from this seminar, we will have analysed whether or not we should be advocating the inclusion of both civil and criminal cases in the responsibilities of the international court.There is another issue that seems to be coming out strongly. This is the need for other Committees, in this regard, the Committee on Immigration Matters and now the Committee on Gender and Youths to be included in the fact-finding missions. Important as those may be, I would like to suggest that each time there is a fact-finding mission, the Bureau looks at the need to ensure that they come up with a team that is comprehensive in nature, taking into account the functions of the other Committees.I have made this suggestion because I do not think it would be possible to have all the Committee Members on a fact-finding mission, taking into account our resources. Maybe, the Bureau can look at this issue of who should constitute a factfinding mission because we have taken a number of resolutions already. We have the Co-operation, International Relations and Conflict Resolution Committee and the Justice and Human Rights Committee which also is an important Committee. Lastly, if you may allow me, there is a point my colleague the Hon. Member of Parliament from Botswana mentioned. He was against the resolution which talked about PAP issuing a declaration to condemn the violation of human rights. He thinks that this should wait. I do not think that this should wait. I think we all agreed that there is violation of human rights in most of these places where there is a crisis. I, therefore, think we should not wait until several people die. When our voice is heard, even the perpetrators might think twice about what they are doing. Women and children are dying every day and there is no doubt about it. We do not need a factfinding mission to tell us this. The little information that we have is enough to cause us to condemn the violation of the rights of children and our people generally. I think this resolution should stand.I thank you.

HON. SESAY MOSES [SIERRA LEONE]:Mr. President, thank you for affording me this opportunity.I am keen to intervene in this debate because I come from Sierra Leone and I am familiar with the activities of the court. I think we have to make a distinction between internal representation in a criminal matter and that which has to do with external forces. I will say at once that the court in Sierra Leone was established with the agreement of our Government and our Parliament. In fact, we invited the international community on behalf of the people of the country.Those of you who followed the very sad history of Sierra Leone, from which we have just recently emerged, will know that there were thousands of horrific things done to people. I do not want to recount them here because they are too painful for everyone who was there. I am sure that you are all very familiar with the pictures that you saw on your television and newspapers, among others. Those are things that had never occurred anywhere in the world, but happened in my country and we ought to be very ashamed of that. As civilians, we are very keen to make sure that we put this squarely behind us and make sure that such atrocities are not repeated in Sierra Leone and, for that matter, anywhere else. That is the point that I want to make.I would like to thank the Chairperson of the Committee on Justice and Human Rights and her group for visiting my country. In fact, I was party to their visit. I introduced them to my Parliament and we had a short meeting and apprised them of the activities of the court, our Parliament and the Government. They met very high-ranking officials of my country to make sure that they got the details.It is very important for us to realise that the victims of such atrocities are still in existence; they are alive and kicking and we have to take care of them. The point that I am trying to make here is that, considering what might happen in the courts, it is incumbent upon the people who are responsible directly or indirectly, that is, the people in the Government of Sierra Leone and the external forces that are interested in the activities of human rights in Sierra Leone and elsewhere in Africa to make sure that these matters are followed up very closely and the victims are not left floundering in apathy.They should be followed up and carefully monitored to make sure that they are covered from the insanity which they might have suffered from during the atrocities. I am, therefore, pleading with the international community not to forget these victims and also not to forget to visit them from time to time in order to make sure that they are living fairly comfortable lives.I thank you very much, Mr. President.

HON. MUKABARANGA AGNÈS [RWANDA]:Merci, Monsieur le Président.Je voudrais dire merci à mes collègues, pour leurs interventions très utiles et très fondées et les suggestions qu’ils ont apportées à nos projets de résolutions et recommandations.L’honorable Catharina, qui est membre de la Commission, a soutenu le document.L’honorable Stephen, quant à lui, a soulevé la question de la Cour pénale internationale.Monsieur le Président,Cette question de Cour pénale internationale, ce n’est pas la première fois qu’elle est débattue, ici; elle a souvent été débattue à l’occasion des mandats d’arrêts contre le Président Bachir et elle rentre dans le cadre de la politique du deux poids deux mesures de la justice internationale, menée par cette Cour.A ce propos, je voudrais dire que, quand nous avons interrogé l’adjoint du Procureur O’Campo, une fois, ensemble avec la mission de Coopération, sur la question du mandat d’arrêt du Président Bachir, et, hier encore, avec le Procureur près la Cour spéciale de Sierre-Léone, la réponse qui nous est donnée est qu’il y a deux personnes ou organes qui ont compétence de demander le lancement des mandats d’arrêt. Il s’agit des pays eux-mêmes, quand ils ne peuvent pas juger les personnes, et, bien sûr, le Conseil de sécurité des Nations-unies.Le Procureur, hier, nous a dit qu’en terme de nombre, c’est surtout les pays qui font référence à la Cour pénale internationale, pour qu’ils se saisissent des présumés coupables.Et, je tiens à souligner que, par exemple pour la Côte-d’Ivoire, le Président Ouattara vient luimême de faire appel à la compétence de cette Cour, pour des crimes les plus sérieux, étant entendu que le reste des crimes seront poursuivis et jugés par les juridictions nationales.Je suis d’accord avec l’honorable Stephen, qu’il est vrai qu’il y a des violations ailleurs, en Afghanistan, en Irak, en Palestine.Malheureusement, le traité de cette Cour est très clair, sans l’aval du Conseil de sécurité, pour d’autres violations, en d’autres lieux, en d’autres pays, qui suggère que d’autres Commissions devraient être jointes à la mission d’informations en Libye et dans les pays proposés.Je pense que la question revient au Bureau du PAP, parce qu’il y a un problème de fond, mais notre Bureau, qui a fait preuve de beaucoup de sagesse en plusieurs circonstances, va considérer la question.Pour la préoccupation de l’honorable MASSORI, qui pense qu’il y a une contradiction entre notre projet de résolution et celle de la Libye, je pense que, fondamentalement, il n’y a pas une contradiction: la préoccupation que la Commission exprime sur l’état de violations massives des droits de l’Homme dans ce pays, est reflétée dans la résolution sur la Libye. (Je m’excuse, je ne suis pas en possession du document, je pourrais être plus complète)Quant à l’honorable Juliana, elle a apprécié le rapport. Elle exprime également des réserves, en ce qui concerne cette proposition de faire accompagner l’action pénale et l’action criminelle, parce que cela pourrait empêcher les juridictions nationales d’exercer aussi leurs compétences.Je voudrais préciser que - les juristes le savent - quand une action civile vient avec l’action pénale, c’est-à-dire quand vous jugez la personne sur la responsabilité pénale des crimes commis et qu’en même temps, la partie civile, c’est-à-dire, la victime accompagne et aide le Procureur à donner des preuves et, en même temps, demande la compensation du préjudice subi par le crime, c’est plus facile de le faire devant la même Cour que de le faire après, quand le jugement sera rendu sur le plan pénal.Donc, il y a bénéfice pour la victime, et il faut que les gens le comprennent. Il vaut mieux que les deux soient ensemble, ce n’est pas une question d’empêcher les juridictions nationales de travailler.J’apprécie effectivement que les mécanismes nationaux devraient être promus, tel que le mécanisme de « Vérité/Réconciliation », le mécanisme de « gacaca » au Rwanda, le mécanisme de « Ubunthu ». Effectivement, on devrait continuer à promouvoir ces mécanismes de justice.En ce qui concerne le budget qui est alloué, tant aux bourreaux qu’aux victimes, le rapport fait effectivement état de ce déséquilibre.Pour l’honorable OUADDADI du Saharawi, je pense, à la portée des clarifications sur la situation de la République Arabe Saharawi, que c’est un problème de décolonisation - on l’avait souligné dans le passé.Il y a aussi le problème de violation des droits de l’Homme, de mauvais traitement des prisonniers, des déplacés qui n’ont pas eu le traitement qu’il fallait.Mais, on aura le temps d’échanger avec les honorables collègues, quand il s’agira d’appréhender la question de la République Arabe Saharawi, à savoir les contours de ce conflit et de cet état d’instabilité dans le pays.On est prêt à corriger, s’il y a des problèmes d’écriture ou de paragraphes, quant à cette résolution.Je m’excuse pour ma sœur du Saharawi; la voix était tellement haute que je n’ai pas pu vraiment capter le message, mais je comprends sa préoccupation, quand elle parle de ce qui se passe dans son pays, parce que c’est un problème de décolonisation.Effectivement, ce pays devrait être indépendant et, comme les autres, jouir de son autonomie.L’honorable Stephen - du Botswana - a suggéré qu’il faut éviter la duplication et qu’on devrait plutôt travailler ensemble.J’apprécie cette suggestion de travailler ensemble avec les Commissions et, effectivement, on l’a toujours fait avec la Commission Coopération. Les deux Présidents de Commission sont en contact, il n’y a pas de problème de ce côté. C’est une suggestion qu’on ne peut pas condamner.Il suggère en même temps d’envoyer une délégation de mission d’informations. J’ai des réserves par rapport à cela, parce que - l’honorable Sylvia l’a si bien expliqué - quand il y a des tueries qui sont claires, qui sont rapportées tant par les médias, par les Commissions des Nations-Unies des droits de l’Homme, par des organisations privées, telle que Human Rights Watch, que les gouvernements, comme cela a été le cas en Libye et en Cote d’Ivoire, (où des tueries ont été rapportées), tout le monde le sait. Donc, dans un premier temps, on ne peut que condamner et, dans un second temps, aller dans les causes du conflit, dans les causes de la crise et établir les responsabilités.Voilà l’objet de la mission d’informations, et je pense qu’il n’y a rien de mal à faire une déclaration, comme nous l’avons dit.Quant à l’honorable de l’Ile Maurice, qui supporte aussi la mission d’informations et qui suggère que nous devons mettre l’accent sur la promotion des droits de l’Homme, nous sommes parfaitement d’accord.Effectivement, si les gens sont informés de ce que sont les droits de l’Homme - les acteurs, y compris les gouvernements, les populations et les sociétés civiles - je pense qu’il y aurait moins de conflits. Je suis parfaitement d’accord là-dessus, et votre suggestion qu’à chaque fois qu’il y a conflit, il y ait un rapport sur ce conflit, et que l’aspect droit de l’Homme soit reflété, est importante.L’honorable IBRAHIM, quant à lui, exprime une préoccupation relative à l’absence du document en Arabe.C’est regrettable, et on a pourtant signalé au Secrétariat chargé de la Documentation, que les rapports dans toutes les langues devraient être disponibles. Fort heureusement, le Portugais est prêt aujourd’hui, mais l’Arabe, malheureusement, n’est pas prêt, et il faudrait que le Secrétariat nous aide pour cela.L’honorable ASCOFARE du Mali apprécie aussi le rapport.Oui! C’est vrai, la question des femmes et des enfants devrait être considérée, et ils sont les premières victimes, surtout pour les crimes les plus graves, tels que le viol et d’autres abus. Ils sont souvent les premières victimes, les premiers appâts des belligérants. Encore une fois, je renvoie la question au Bureau du PAP, pour qu’il considère la chose. Ce sera une mission du PAP, mais je sais qu’il y a des problèmes de fond.L’honorable Sylvia MASEBO de la Zambie, j’apprécie, encore une fois, son intervention.Mais, j’ai expliqué l’importance de joindre l’action civile à l’action pénale. C’est vraiment un bénéfice pour les victimes. On ne peut pas attendre les séminaires sur la question de justice internationale pour promouvoir que les deux partent ensemble.Je tiens à souligner que, dans la plupart des Traités et des Protocoles, je pense au Rwanda, par exemple, cette question d’action civile n’est pas possible sur la base du Traité qui a mis en place le Tribunal.Pour la Sierra Léone, c’est vraiment quelques exceptions, comme nous l’a expliqué le Procureur. Donc, ce n’est pas une action civile ouverte. Je pense que la chose a été corrigée pour le Traité de Rome, pour cette question où les victimes peuvent participer aux procès.Elle a appuyé l’idée que la déclaration sur les droits de l’Homme est pertinente, même si la mission d’informations suivrait.Pour le Docteur Moses, merci pour le plaidoyer: d’abord l’appréciation de la contribution du Tribunal, la contribution de la Commission qui a effectué la mission d’informations en Sierra Léone, effectivement avec la facilitation, notamment de votre parlement.Honorable Moses,On apprécie beaucoup, et c’est bon de rappeler les tueries massives qu’il y a eues et le plaidoyer que vous faites pour les victimes. On a constaté que (vous pourrez le lire dans le rapport) le budget qui a été alloué pour l’installation des anciens soldats et des rebelles est plus important que le budget qui a été réservé aux victimes.C’est un constat amer, mais je suis d’accord avec vous que le PAP pourrait continuer à faire un plaidoyer en faveur des victimes et que leur situation soit régulièrement évaluée, en termes de traumatisme qu’ils ont subi, mais aussi d’intégration sociale.Monsieur le Président,C’est une justice sociale qui doit leur revenir.Sur cette note, Monsieur le Président, je vous remercie pour le temps que vous avez donné à la Commission et pour les contributions, oh! combien riches, venant des honorables collègues.Je vous remercie.

LE PRESIDENT:Oui, honorable OUADDADI.

HON. OUADDADI CHEIKH AHMED EL-HEIBA [SAHARAWI REPUBLIC]شكراً سيدي الرئيس ،فقط أريد أن أشكر السيدة رئيسة اللجنة، على ما قدمته وعلى الجهود التي بذلتها اللجنة، من أجل التوصل إلى قرارات من هذا القبيل ، إال أنه و بالمناسبة سيدي الرئيس، لدي طلب وهو أنكم ـ إلى معرفة القضية الصحراوية ،لذا أطلب توصلتم ـ ولو قليالً منكم سيدي الرئيس أن تسمحوا لرئيس البرلمان الصحراوي )وهو رئيس وفد البوليساريو المفاوض مع المغرب ( أن يأتي الى الدورة بأحد النشطاء الحقوقيين الذين تعرضوا الخامسة للبرلمان، مرفوقاً للتعذيب وللمحاكمات الصورية الصادرة عن المحاكم المغربية، من أجل أن يقدموا للبرلمان عروضا وافية ، فإن وافقتم على ذلك سيدي الرئيس، فبإمكاننا أن ننقل إليهم ذلك ، هذا طلب مقدم من الوفد الصحراوي.شكراً.

LE PRESIDENT:Merci, honorable OUADDADI.On va revenir sur la recommandation et les deux résolutions de la Commission droits de l’Homme. L’honorable Agnès MUKABARANGA a pris bonne note des propositions des parlementaires. Si je comprends, elle intègre les quelques amendements relatifs à la compétence nationale et la compétence internationale, l’action pénale et civile.Si nous avons la même compréhension, je voudrais également expliciter les réunions des Commissions permanentes, les ateliers organisés à l’attention des Commissions permanentes, qui sont des activités des Commissions et les missions d’informations du Parlement panafricain.Il n’y a pas de mission d’informations d’une Commission; que ce soit coopération, Justice, Commerce, Immigration.S’il y a une mission d’informations, c’est la mission du Parlement panafricain. C’est pourquoi, peut-être, on va reprendre les phrases pour que les résolutions adoptées par la plénière démentent l’organisation, l’envoi des missions d’informations dans des zones de conflit, dans les pays où il y a des problèmes de droits de l’Homme et ainsi, on ne va pas se diviser entre les Commissions, et le Bureau prendra sa responsabilité.En appliquant la résolution, le Bureau va envoyer des missions d’informations dans les pays en conflits, dans les pays qui connaissent des problèmes épineux de droits de l’homme. Le Bureau prendra, donc, ses responsabilités en désignant des parlementaires pour ces missions. Honorable MUKABARANGA Agnès,Si vous avez accepté la formulation des honorables parlementaires par rapport à la compétence nationale et internationale, action pénale et civile, si on ramène la résolution non pas à des missions de la Commission droits de l’Homme, mais Commission du Parlement Panafricain, ce ne pourra qu’apporter un plus à la résolution de votre Commission.Je vous redonne la parole, Honorable Agnès MUKABARANGA.

HON. MUKABARANGA AGNÈS [RWANDA]:Monsieur le Président,Je pense que, ensemble avec le Secrétariat, on peut retoucher le libellé.Etant entendu que le bénéfice d’une action pénale combinée avec une action civile, il est là. Je pense qu’avec la permission des honorables, on peut retenir l’élément, il faut le garder. Mais, pour le reste, que le PAP pilote, ait la dernière décision sur les propositions des missions d’information.Monsieur le Président,Je suis d’accord; c’est là la vision qui a toujours guidé ces missions d’informations. Donc, à l’exception des missions d’informations qui sont programmées par les Commissions elles-mêmes, je pense que, dans leur plan d’activités, c’est là, la différence. Sinon, Monsieur le Président, je pense qu’on dit la même chose, moyennant ces ajustements que vous proposez.Merci, Monsieur le président.

LE PRESIDENT:Merci beaucoup.On va ainsi adopter les résolutions amendées, tout en laissant la Commission et le Secrétariat reprendre la rédaction.On adopte?(Applaudissements)Merci beaucoup!Les Présidents des Parlements nationaux et les Présidents des Parlements régionaux sont les bienvenus au Parlement panafricain.Ils sont nos partenaires les plus importants, parce que ce sont les Parlements nationaux qui financent les séjours des parlementaires au siège de notre Parlement, aussi bien pour les réunions des Commissions permanentes que pour les Sessions. C’est pourquoi le Président de l’Assemblée nationale de la République Arabe Saharawi, est le bienvenu. Je n’ai pas voulu répondre directement, mais l’honorable OUADDADI le sait: on a déjà fait un programme d’une visite de courtoisie en République sœur d’Arabe Saharawi, et le séjour du Président du Parlement de la République Arabe Saharawi, lors d’une de nos Sessions.Secrétariat,Avez-vous des annonces?On va procéder au processus de clôture de notre session.

LE PRESIDENT:Honorables membres du Bureau du Parlement panafricain,Honorables membres,Distingués invités,Mesdames et Messieurs,Au moment où nous arrivons à la fin des travaux de la quatrième Session ordinaire de la deuxième Législature du Parlement panafricain, il me plaît, en cette circonstance particulière, de vous rappeler les points importants qui ont caractérisé nos neuf jours d’intenses délibérations.La présente Session aura été, pour nous, l’occasion et, peut-être, un moment privilégié d’écouter d’éminentes personnalités de l’Union africaine sur les questions qui touchent à la situation des crises en Afrique, à la construction d’un continent meilleur pour nos populations, aux questions administratives et financières de l’Union africaine, à l’état d’avancement de la mise en œuvre du Mécanisme africain d’Evaluation par les Pairs.En effet, les évènements qui surviennent sur le continent, notamment en Afrique du nord et, plus particulièrement, aujourd’hui, en Libye, nous ont obligés à accorder, dans notre agenda, une place de premier plan à tous ces bouleversements. C’est pourquoi, la Commission permanente de la Coopération, des Relations internationales et des Règlements des conflits nous a présenté un aperçu de la situation dans les pays suivants: la Libye, la Côte-d’Ivoire, la Somalie, la Tunisie, l’Egypte, Madagascar, la décolonisation dans la République arabe Saharawi démocratique et Djibouti.A cet effet, le Bureau a pris, sur recommandation de la plénière, l’initiative d’envoyer des missions d’informations et de bonne volonté dans certains pays précités.Honorables membres,Distingués invités,Le Commissaire chargé des questions de Paix et de Sécurité de l’Union africaine est venu compléter nos informations en présentant le rapport sur la paix et la sécurité, en Afrique.Il a fait l’état des lieux de la démocratie, de la paix et de la sécurité sur le continent. Il a souligné que la vision de l’Union africaine est de construire une Afrique intégrée, prospère et exempte de conflits. C’est un objectif réalisable, car le continent est doté de ressources humaines et naturelles nécessaires.En 2007, les chefs d’Etat et de gouvernements de l’Union africaine ont adopté la Charte de la Démocratie, des Elections et de la bonne Gouvernance, qui engage les Etats parties à respecter les valeurs de bonne gouvernance et de démocratie et met l’accent sur le rôle crucial qu’ils sont appelés à jouer dans le développement du continent. A cet effet, le Parlement panafricain a un grand rôle à jouer.Enfin, le Commissaire a lancé un appel pour que le Parlement panafricain continue le plaidoyer, les efforts nécessaires, en vue d’accélérer la signature, la ratification et la domestication par les Etats membres, qui ne l’ont pas encore fait, des instruments de l’Union africaine relatifs à la démocratie, à la bonne gouvernance, aux droits de l’Homme et des peuples, ainsi qu’à la paix et à la sécurité sur le continent.Le débat qui a suivi a montré suffisamment l’importance que le Parlement panafricain accorde aux questions de paix et de sécurité sur le continent, car les premières victimes sont nos populations innocentes, dont nous sommes les représentants.Honorables membres,Dans le souci de positionner l’Afrique dans la voie du développement durable et restaurer la dignité de nos peuples, le Directeur exécutif de l’Agence de Planification et de Coordination du NEPAD nous a fait partager les progrès réalisés dans la mise en œuvre des programmes du NEPAD dans les secteurs suivants: l’agriculture et la sécurité alimentaire, l’intégration régionale et l’infrastructure, le changement climatique et la gestion des ressources naturelles et le développement des ressources humaines.Le Directeur exécutif du Secrétariat du MAEP a fait remarquer que le Parlement panafricain doit avoir une acceptation plus large de son mandat et œuvrer avec les autres organes de l’Union africaine pour intégrer le MAEP dans les structures et processus décisionnels, en créant une Commission permanente du MAEP, au sein du Parlement panafricain, en consacrant des sessions spéciales du PAP à l’examen des rapports pays qui lui seraient officiellement soumis, en profitant de sa participation aux autres fora interparlementaires africains, pour vulgariser les progrès réalisés par le MAEP et en exhortant les parlementaires nationaux à intégrer dans leur législation nationale les Conventions et Traités régionaux, ratifiés par leur pays.Honorables membres,Distingués invités,Dans son rapport sur les questions administratives et financières, Son Excellence MWENCHA, Vice-président de la Commission de l’Union africaine, nous a présenté, de manière exhaustive, les aspects administratifs et financiers de l’Union, en détaillant surtout la répartition du budget entre les organes.Sur ce point, le Vice-président nous a informés de la mise sur pied d’un Comité de Recherche de Ressources alternatives de fonds, piloté par Son Excellence Olesegun OBASANJO, ancien Président de la République fédérale du Nigéria.Il nous a, en outre, informés que le budget de l’Union sera approuvé au Sommet de Juin et que la structure du Parlement sera examinée en juillet. Certaines mesures seront prises en compte, quant au statut des parlementaires au cours de ce Sommet.Le programme de formation avec la Banque mondiale a donné aux membres du Parlement l’opportunité de discuter et de s’imprégner des programmes des opérations et du fonctionnement de la Banque mondiale et de la Banque Africaine de Développement (BAD).Honorables membres,Au-delà des sujets importants qui ont fait l’objet de nos travaux, un et pas des moindres, demeure la transformation du Parlement panafricain en un organe législatif et l’adoption de son organigramme dont le corolaire est le déploiement d’un effectif important pour lui permettre de jouer pleinement son rôle de Parlement continental.Sur ces deux sujets, nous saurons compter sur la sagesse et la diligence de la Commission de l’Union africaine et la Conférence des chefs d’Etats et de gouvernements de l’Union africaine pour un aboutissement prochain.Honorables membres,Distingués invités,Tout en appréciant, à sa juste valeur, la haute qualité de nos débats, il y a lieu de relever, pour le déplorer, la faible participation des collègues parlementaires à nos sessions et réunions de Commissions, qui privent le Parlement d’un apport qualitatif et quantitatif, nécessaire à la légitimation de ces résolutions.C’est ici le lieu, pour moi, de lancer un appel vibrant aux parlements nationaux, pour qu’ils montrent leur engagement à la réalisation des objectifs du Parlement panafricain, en prenant en charge les frais liés à la participation des parlementaires aux activités du PAP.Je saisis cette occasion pour relever la franche et loyale collaboration que nous a apportée l’honorable Mary MUGYENYI, ancienne deuxième Vice-présidente du Parlement, et je réitère, à l’occasion, mes félicitations à l’honorable Françoise LABELLE, pour sa brillante élection au poste de deuxième Viceprésidente du Parlement panafricain.Enfin, au nom du Bureau, je saisis cette occasion pour vous remercier, vous tous qui avez participé à cette quatrième Session ordinaire de la deuxième Législature et pour avoir contribué à son succès.Honorables membres,Distingués invités,En votre nom, je félicite l’ensemble des fonctionnaires du Parlement panafricain et l’ensemble du personnel d’appui, pour tout le travail accompli pendant les préparatifs et au cours de la présente Session.Je déclare, maintenant, la fin des travaux de la quatrième Session ordinaire de la deuxième Législature et vous souhaite à toutes et à tous un bon retour dans vos pays respectifs.Je vous remercie.(Applaudissements nourris)La séance est close à 10H50 sine die.

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Pan-African Parliament Hansard Report, Fourth Parliament of the Second Parliament

Pan-African Parliament Hansard Report, Fourth Parliament of the Second Parliament

Monday, 9 May, 2011

Tuesday, 10 May, 2011

REPORT OF THE PAN-AFRICAN PARLIAMENT PERMANENT COMMITTEE ON CO-OPERATION,INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS AND CONFLICT RESOLUTION ON PEACE AND THE SECURITY SITUATION IN AFRICA

THE SITUATION IN LIBYA

THE SITUATION IN CôTE D’IVOIRE

THE SITUATION IN SOMALIA

THE SITUATION IN TUNISIA

THE SITUATION IN EGYPT

THE SITUATION IN MADAGASCAR

DECOLONISATION IN THE ARAB SAHARAWI DOMOCRATIC REPUBLIC

THE SITUATION IN DJIBOUTI

CONCLUSION

Wednesday, 11 May, 2011

Thursday, 12 May, 2011

1.0 – PRSENTATION ET DÉBATS SUR L’ÉTAT D’EXÉCUTION DES PROGRAMMES DU NEPAD

AGRICULTURE AND FOOD SECURITY

REGIONAL INTEGRATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE

CLIMATE CHANGE AND NATURAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT

HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT

GENDER

POLICY ALIGNMENT AND PROGRAMME DEVELOPMENT

STRATEGY AND KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT

COMMUNICATION

2.0 – PRÉSENTATION DE LA COMMISSION PERMANENTE DES TRANSPORTS, DE L’INDUSTRIE, DES COMMUNICATIONS, DE L’ENERGIE, DES SCIENCES ET DE LA TECHNOLOGIE

3.0 – RAPPORT DE L’ATELIER « PARLEMENT PANAFRICAIN-NEPAD SUR L’HARMONISATION DE L’ENREGISTREMENT DES MÉDICAMENTS EN AFRIQUE

PREAMBULE

INTRODUCTION

OBJECTIFS SPECIFIQUES

THEMES CLEFS

BREVE PRESENTATION DES EFFORTS EN COURS EN MATIERE DE L’HARMONISATION DE L’ENREGISTREMENT DES MEDICAMENTS

QUELQUES POINTS SAILLANTS DE L’ETUDE DE CAS FAITE AU NIVEAU DE LA COMMUNAUTE DE L’AFRIQUE DE L’EST ET DE LA COMMUNAUTE DE DEVELOPPEMENT DE L’AFRIQUE AUSTRALE

CONCLUSIONS ET RECOMMANDATIONS

RESULTATS ATTENDUS

IMPACT ESCOMPTE

ACTIVITES PREVUES

SELECTION DES DEFENSEURS

A REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON MONETARY AND FINANCIAL AFAIRS ON THE 2012 PAP BUDGET

CHALLENGES TO THE 2012 PAP BUDGET

Friday, 13 May, 2011

1 .0 – PRÉSENTATION ET DÉBATS SUR LE RAPPORT D’ACTIVITÉS DU PARLEMENT PANAFRICAIN (PAP)

A-ACTIVITES DU BUREAU

Réunion avec le Comité des Représentants Permanents (COREP)

La commémoration du Cinquantenaire de la République du Nigéria

Le point fort de cette commémoration a été l’installation et l’inauguration du point focal du PAP, au Nigéria.

Pré-sommet parlementaire Parlement Européen - Parlement panafricain

Sommet de l’Union Africaine (24-31 janvier 2011, Addis Abeba)

i. – Examen du projet de budget de l’Union pour 2011

ii. – Présentation du rapport d’activités du Parlement

Les travaux du Conseil Exécutif

Recommandations du Conseil Exécutif

Concernant l’organigramme administratif

Concernant la réunion des chefs d’organes tel que recommandé dans le rapport d’activités du PAP:

Réunion Conjointe du Bureau, des Bureaux des Commissions Permanentes, Des Groupes Régionaux et du Secrétariat du Parlement Panafricain.

La planification des activités parlementaires

Du processus d’élaboration du plan stratégique

Le processus de validation de la révision du Protocole du Parlement Panafricain.

La mobilisation des ressources pour les activités des commissions permanentes

ACTIVITÉS PARLEMENTAIRES

Crises en Afrique

Missions d’observation des Élections

ADMINISTRATION ET FINANCES

Organigramme et recrutement

Les Finances

2.0 – ANNONCES

3.0 SUSPENSION DE SÉANCE

Monday, 16 May, 2011

REFERENCE: 1605-090956E

1.0 – PRÉSENTATION ET DÉBAT SUR LA PAIX ET LA SÉCURITÉ EN AFRIQUE

2.0 – MOTION VERBALE SUR LA SITUATION EN LYBIE

Projet de résolution sur la situation sécuritaire en Lybie

3.0 – COMPTE RENDU DE L’ÉVALUATION DU SECRÉATIRE GÉNÉRAL ET DES SECRÉTAIRES GÉNÉRAUX ADJOINTS

Confirmations

CONCLUSION

RENEWAL OF CONTRACT

4.0 – ADIEUX DE LA DEUXIÈME VICE­PRSIDENTE SORTANTE

5.0 – ÉLECTION DU DEUXIÈME VICE-PRÉSIDENT DU PAP

Tuesday, 17 May, 2011

4.0 – ADIEUX DE LA DEUXIÈME VICEPRSIDENTE SORTANTE

3.0 – PRÉSENTATION DE LA CONTRIBUTION DU PARLEMENT PANAFRICAIN AU THEME DE LA 17^eSESSION ORDINAIRE DE LA CONFERENCE DES CHEFS D’ETATS DE ET DE GOUVERNEMENTS DE L’UNION AFRICAINE INTITULE: « AUTOMATISATION DES JEUNES POUR UN DEVELOPPEMENT DURABLE »