The conference of Speakers from African Parliaments takes place on August 30-31, 2012 in Midrand, South Africa with matters concerning enhancing co-operation between respective Parliaments in the continent, top on the agenda.
The annual conference brings together Speakers from the Regional Economic Communities and the National Parliaments and is hosted by the Johannesburg based Pan-African Parliament (PAP).
The conference seeks to provide the progress on the review of the Protocol establishing the PAP and the implementation of the African Union decisions focusing on the ratification of the African Charter on values and principles of public service and administration and the domestication of the African Charter on democracy, Elections and governance.
According to the President of the Pan African Parliament, Hon Bethel N. Amadi, the conference takes place in pursuance to the provisions of Article 18 of the PAP Protocol which enjoins the continental Assembly to work in close co-operation with the Parliaments of RECs and National Parliaments or other deliberative Organs of Member States.
The Speaker of EALA, Rt. Hon Margaret Nantongo Zziwa is expected to attend and participate in the annual PAP conference.
The meeting is to be preceded by a meeting of the Clerks themed: ‘Strengthening linkages between Pan-African Parliament with National Parliaments’ on August 29, 2012. Dr. Frene Ginwala, former Speaker of the South African National Assembly shall grace the occasion and deliver the keynote speech.
At the moment, the continent has seven regional Parliaments. Of the seven, only EALA has legislative powers. Laws enacted by EALA supercede national laws of the Partner States on matters pertaining to the Community.
In the past, a number of regional Parliaments including the PAP, the Southern African Development Community Parliamentary Forum (SADC-PF) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Parliament have indicated their intention and desire to transform into Assemblies with legislative powers.
Last year, the SADC-PF sent a delegation to Arusha to understudy the EALA model. EALA Members led by the Speaker were also in Luanda, Angola to attend the 29th Plenary Assembly of the SADC-PF where they shared various experiences on the EALA model. The 29th Plenary Assembly drew lessons from experiences of the EALA on among other things, the framework of its establishment, relationship between the Assembly and other Organs of the Community and the relationship with National Assemblies.
NOTE TO EDITORS ABOUT PAP
The Pan-African Parliament (PAP) was established in March 2004, by Article 17 of The Constitutive Act of the African Union, as one of the nine Organs provided for in the Treaty Establishing the African Economic Community signed in Abuja, Nigeria, in 1991.
The establishment of the Pan-African Parliament is informed by a vision to provide a common platform for African peoples and their grass-roots organizations to be more involved in discussions and decision-making on the problems and challenges facing the continent.
The Pan-African Parliamentarians represent all the peoples of Africa. The ultimate aim of the Pan-African Parliament is to evolve into an institution with full legislative powers, whose members are elected by universal adult suffrage.
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For more Information, contact: Bobi Odiko, Senior Public Relations Officer; East African Legislative Assembly; Tel: +255-27-2508240 Cell: +255 787 870945, +254-733-718036; Email: bodiko@eachq.org Web: https://www.eala.org Arusha, Tanzania
