The Permanent Committees of the Pan-African Parliament (PAP) will convene from 06 to 17 March 2023 in Midrand, Republic of South Africa for their first sitting of the year. Other structures of Parliament including the Bureau, regional and thematic caucuses are also expected to meet during the same period.
The March Sittings of the Continental Parliament will be held under the African Union (AU) theme for 2023 “Year of AfCFTA: Acceleration of the African Continental Free Trade Area Implementation”. PAP Permanent Committees and other organs of Parliament will devise plans to generate more significant political commitment and accelerate the effective implementation of the AfCFTA to fully benefit the African citizenry and achieve the Aspirations and goals of Agenda 2063.
The first statutory meeting of 2023 to be officiated by the President of the PAP, H.E Chief Fortune Charumbira, will among others, deliberate on the status of development of the Model Law on Soil Management, Ten-year AU Action Plan to end Child labour, Forced labour and Human trafficking, Report on Access to Information, Digital Rights, Model Law on Climate Change, proposed fact-finding missions to several conflict zones and border posts on the continent and the Eradication of Visa for Sports Teams Travelling within Africa.
Members of Africa’s largest parliamentary gathering will also hold a capacity-building workshop on the signing and ratification of selected AU Protocols and Charters. Additionally, International Women’s Day (IWD) 2023 will be commemorated on the margins of the upcoming gathering under the theme: “For an inclusive digital world: innovation and technologies for gender equality”.
Finally, PAP Permanent Committees will receive reports from various AU Institutions as part of the Parliament’s oversight function. These institutions include the African Union Anti-Corruption board (AUABC), the African Union Commission on International Law (AUCIL), the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) and the African Union Commission on Human and Peoples Rights (ACHPR).
The functions of the PAP Permanent Committees are aligned to those of the African Union Commission. The Committees are the engine house of Parliament as they enable it to perform its core oversight, advisory and consultative functions. Further, such an arrangement allows the Parliament to perform several functions simultaneously and provide the required detailed investigation on matters of concern.
