The Executive Council of the African Union (AU) has called on Member States to ratify the constitutive act of the AU relating to the Pan-African Parliament (PAP), while congratulating the African countries that have so far heeded the call to empower the continental Parliament with legislative powers.
This forms part of the Council’s decisions related to the PAP in the context of the 33rd Ordinary Summit of the AU held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The Malabo Protocol is intended to extend the powers of the PAP into a fully-fledged legislative organ. It requires a minimum of 28 countries to ratify it before it comes into force. As it stands, twelve (12) AU Member States have ratified.
The Rt. Hon. Roger Nkodo DANG describes the Executive Council’s decision as an indication of the strategic importance of the PAP within the African Union architecture. He says more AU Member States are expected to deposit their instruments of ratification of the PAP Protocol following the relentless advocacy initiatives led by the Bureau.
“The decision of the Executive Council further demonstrates that the PAP constitutes an essential pillar towards achieving the long-term objectives of the AU. The decision also underlines that there is an agreement at the highest level of our institution that the PAP needs to be given the means to fulfill its mandate and tackle the urgent needs facing our people. We are pleased that more countries are adhering to the ideals of the Parliament and are at an advanced stage of the ratification process of the Protocol,” says President Nkodo DANG.
Among other decisions, the Executive Council has also welcomed the upcoming inaugural Joint Retreat between the PAP and the Permanent Representatives Committee (PRC). The meeting is scheduled to take place in March at the PAP Headquarters in Midrand, South Africa and aims to strengthen collaboration between the two organs. The engagement will further seek to promote synergies in addressing any challenges affecting the continental Parliament.
The PAP delegation to the 33rd Ordinary Summit of the AU was comprised of Hon. Haichata Haidara Cisse (Second Vice-President), Hon. Bouras Djamel (Third Vice-President) and Hon. Chief Fortune Charumbira (Fourth Vice-President).
The Executive Council is composed of foreign ministers or such other ministers or authorities as are designated by the governments of Member States. takes decisions on policies in areas of common interest to Member States. It is answerable to the Assembly of Heads of State and Government. The PAP tabled its activity to the PRC last month and the outcomes of these deliberations discussed by the Executive Council when it met from 06 to 07 February 2020.