Imagine an Africa free from conflict, developing rapidly through an equitable and sustainable relationship with the rest of the world. In this Africa there is an entrenched culture of respect for human rights. Populations are healthy and governed by fair, transparent and accountable governments. This is the vision, but African parliamentarians gathered in Addis Ababa this week will be only too aware of the steep slope the continent faces in overcoming its many challenges so that all its people may live in harmony.

The Pan-African Parliament of the African Union has been established with the intention that it will ultimately function as a kind of continental democracy, representing all the peoples of Africa. In its initial stages it will only have consultative and advisory powers, but over time it is hoped that it will evolve into an institution with legislative powers, whose members are elected by universal adult suffrage.

In the context of the challenges facing Africa, the Parliament has many objectives relevant to Africa’s development. Some of these are to facilitate the implementation of the policies of the African Union, promote human rights and democracy, encourage good governance, and promote peace, security and stability.

The protocol states that: “In terms of its advisory powers it may examine, discuss or express an opinion on any matter, either on its own initiative or at the request of the Assembly or other policy organs and make any recommendations it may deem fit relating to, inter alia, matters pertaining to respect of human rights, the consolidation of democratic institutions and the culture of democracy, as well as the promotion of good governance and the rule of law.”

Clearly – and even in their advisory capacity - this does enable members of the Parliament to highlight key areas of concern relating to conflicts, human rights and good governance in Africa. It is therefore fitting to briefly recap on Africa’s status in key areas such as conflicts, human rights, good governance, gender equality and trade and development.

CONFLICT:

Africa began 2004 on an optimistic note. During 2003 long-standing and destructive conflicts such as the civil war in Angola were finally ended and there appeared to be a renewed commitment to brokering peace on the continent, as evidenced in efforts to resolve the civil war in Burundi.

However, the success of deals such as the one in Burundi will have to stand the test of time, while other conflicts around the continent are still cause for grave concern. In Sudan, peace talks have not prevented continued conflict in the Darfur region, while the war in Northern Uganda between the Lord’s Resistance Army and Ugandan government has intensified.

Meanwhile, several other regional conflicts, such as in West Africa and the border dispute between Ethiopia and Eritrea, are simmering and require close attention. Reports of sporadic violence in the DRC continue to surface. Zimbabwe remains a cause for concern.

Much work remains to be done before Africa can be truly at peace. African parliamentarians will face the challenge of how they contribute to conflict resolution and prevention on the African continent through oversight, reform of laws and the entrenchment of human rights.

HUMAN RIGHTS:

Protecting and enforcing human rights is one of the key challenges facing the continent. Human rights abuses are prevalent throughout Africa. According to Amnesty International’s 2003 Africa Report human rights abuses were committed with impunity across Africa in the year under review, especially in Burundi, Central African Republic (CAR), Republic of Congo, Cote d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Liberia, Sudan, Senegal, and Uganda.

Torture, ill-treatment, and secret detentions were widespread and the death penalty continued to be imposed extensively by criminal courts in 14 countries, with actual executions in Nigeria, Sudan and Uganda, said Amnesty. Freedom of expression is far from being an established right, with journalists facing extreme harassment on a daily basis in many parts of the continent.

Amnesty International points out that the Constitutive Act of the African Union (the Act) attaches a particular significance to human rights in a more comprehensive manner. This is an area where African Parliamentarians can and must intervene.

TRADE AND DEVELOPMENT

Most of the countries of the world that were poorer in 2000 than in 1990 are in sub-Saharan Africa, according to the United Nations Development Programme’s Human Development Report 2003. The report argues that to reverse declines, development strategies must focus not only on economic growth, but also on more equitable distribution of wealth and services. The Report also calls on developing country governments to prioritize spending on the basic services that poor people need most: “primary schools, not universities; rural clinics, not technologically advanced hospitals in big cities”.

Africa has put forward its own development plan, the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (Nepad) as the fix-all solution to Africa’s development problems. The plan seeks greater integration of Africa in the world economy and commits to standards of good governance across the continent. Nepad has faced criticism from some quarters, especially in civil society. Opponents of Nepad have argued that greater integration of Africa into a profoundly unfair international economic system is a recipe for disaster and say the top down implementation of Nepad smacks of the imposition of neo-liberal economic solutions for the continent.

Africa has shown strong signs of intent to deal with the unfair terms of trade it faces in its trading relationship with the developed world. During the World Trade Organisation ministerial meeting in Cancun, Mexico in 2003, the continent signaled that Africa would demand fairer terms of trade with the rich world.

Debt is another key problem still hampering Africa’s development. In 1996, the Highly Indebted Poor Country Initiative (HIPC) committed to partial debt cancellation, but according to a report from the New Economic Foundation, progress since 2000 has been “glacial”, hamstrung partially by onerous conditionalities. If African governments are to free up significant resources to meet the Millennium Development Goals, it is clear that the debt situation will have to be speedily resolved.

GENDER EQUALITY

There has been some progress towards gender equality on the African continent, but it is generally agreed that the continent has a long way to go before women achieve full equality.

Five of the 10 commissioners of the African Union are women, and females hold a significant percentage of government posts in Rwanda, South Africa, Cape Verde, Gambia, Mali and Zimbabwe, according to a news report quoting the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). But less than 15 percent of economic managers in Africa are women, the UNDP says, while just 10 percent of parliamentarians and eight percent of government ministers on the continent are female. Women are also more likely to suffer from the HIV/AIDS virus and suffer more from the effects of poverty.

A big step forward was taken on 11 July 2003 when the African Union adopted the Protocol on the Rights of Women in Africa, a supplementary protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, which was adopted in 1981.

The new Protocol covers a broad range of human rights issues. For the first time in international law, it explicitly sets forth the reproductive right of women to medical abortion when pregnancy results from rape or incest or when the continuation of pregnancy endangers the health or life of the mother.

In another first, the Protocol explicitly calls for the legal prohibition of female genital mutilation. In other equality advances for women, the Protocol calls for an end to all forms of violence against women including unwanted or forced sex, whether it takes place in private or in public, and a recognition of protection from sexual and verbal violence as inherent in the right to dignity.

GOVERNANCE

Coups, counter-coups and rigged elections: Africa is notorious for its governance problems. Consensus has emerged that in looking at the social, political and economic problems facing Africa, the missing link is the absence of good governance.

In February, African leaders agreed to start a review process on the key areas of good governance, democracy, human rights, transparency and domestic business environment under the peer review mechanism of the New Partnership for Africa's Development (Nepad).

According to the United Nations Integrated Regional Information Network (IRIN), the countries whose review is expected to take place in 2004 are Ghana and Rwanda, in April and June respectively.

Kenya and Mauritius will also to be reviewed but the process for these nations is expected to end in early 2005. The purpose of the peer review is to foster the adoption of appropriate laws, policies, standards and practices that lead to political stability, high economic growth and sustainable development on the continent. Nepad established the peer review mechanism in 2003 in a bid to counter Africa's reputation for bad governance.

Links to background news and information:

* Protocol establishing the Pan-African Parliament
http://www.africa-union.org/rule_prot/protocol-panafrican-parliament.pdf
* Other organs of the AU
http://www.africa-union.org/organs/Pan-African_Parliament.htm
* Meetings of African Parliamentarians on the Pan-African parliament
http://tinyurl.com/create.php
* Statement to the AU summit on behalf of the meeting of African parliaments
http://www.au2002.gov.za/docs/speeches/ginwala.htm
* An Underwhelming Response to the Pan-African Parliament
http://www.ipsnews.net/africa/interna.asp?idnews=22592
* Africa at large: Pan-African Parliament to open March 2004
http://www.afrika.no/Detailed/4510.html
* SA wants to house African parliament
http://www.suntimes.co.za/2003/06/22/news/africa/africa10.asp
* Senegal ratification paves the way for Pan African parliament
http://quickstart.clari.net/qs_se/webnews/wed/bm/Qafricanunion-parliamen...
* The new African parliament: a giant step towards unity
http://mathaba.net/x.htm?http://mathaba.net/0_index.shtml?x=40204
* The Pan-African Parliament: An opportunity for African women
http://www.sarpn.org.za/documents/d0000608/page2.php
* African Union adopts protocol on the rights of African women
http://www.equalitynow.org/english/navigation /hub_ph01_en.html
* Pan-African Declaration on PRSPS
http://aidc.org.za/sapsn/declaration/kampala.html
* Africa united: not helpless, not hopeless
http://www.newint.org/issue326/keynote.htm
* Is Pan-African unity possible?
http://www.newint.org/issue326/colours.htm
* A History of Pan-Africanism
http://www.newint.org/issue326/simply.htm
* Ordinary people and pan africanism
http://www.newint.org/issue326/future.htm
* New meanings of Pan Africanism in the era of globalisation
http://www.nu.ac.za/ccs/files/Panafri1.pdf
* Monitoring the MDG’s: A List of the MDG’s with links to key indicators showing progress
http://unstats.un.org/unsd/mi/mi_goals.asp
* Amnesty recommendations to AU session
http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGIOR630012003?open&of=ENG-2AF

RESOURCES FOR PAN-AFRICAN PARLIAMENTARIANS

Relevant organisations and useful websites

* An A-Z of African regional integration
http://www.focusintl.com/whoswho1.htm
* Africa Action
http://www.africaaction.org/index.php
* Africa Commission on Human and People’s Rights: Links
http://www1.umn.edu/humanrts/africa/comision.html
* African Centre on Democracy and Human Rights Studies
http://www1.umn.edu/humanrts/africa/ACOHRS.htm
* African Gender Institute
http://web.uct.ac.za/org/agi/
* Africa Human Rights Instruments
http://www1.umn.edu/humanrts/instree/afrinst.htm
* African Human Security Initiative
www.africanreview.org
* Africa Information Centre
http://www.africainformation.net/
* African Population and Health Research Centre
http://www.aphrc.org/
* Africa Security Dialogue and Research
http://www.cdd.org.uk/
* Africa South of the Sahara: country and regional guide
http://gill.stanford.edu/depts/ssrg/africa/guide3.html
* African Union
http://www.africa-union.org/
* Alliance for Conflict Transformation
http://www.conflicttransformation.org/index.asp
* Alternative Information and Development Centre
http://aidc.org.za/
* Association for Women’s Rights in Development
http://www.awid.org/index.pl
* Bretton Woods Project
http://www.brettonwoodsproject.org/
* Centre for Democracy and Development
http://www.cdd.org.uk/
Coalition for the International Criminal Court
http://www.iccnow.org/
* Centre for Civil Society at the University of Natal
http://www.nu.ac.za/ccs/
* Development Policy Management Forum
http://www.dpmf.org/
* Dialogue Webpage for conflicts worldwide: Africa
http://www.dwcw.org/cgi/wwwbbs.cgi?Africa
* Electoral quotas for women website
www.quotaproject.org
* Fahamu - Learning for Change
http://www.fahamu.org
* FEMNET
http://www.femnet.or.ke/
* Focus on the Global South
http://www.focusweb.org/index.php
* Global Coalition for Africa
http://www.gca-cma.org/
* Jubilee Movement International
http://www.neweconomics.org/gen/rweo_top.aspx?page=952&folder=146
* Justice Africa
http://www.justiceafrica.org/index.html
* Mwengo
www.mwengo.org/
* Pan-African HIV/AIDS treatment action movement
http://www.phrusa.org/campaigns/aids/news082502.html
* PanAfrican Women’s Liberation Organisation
http://www.wougnet.org/Profiles/pawlo.html
* Parliamentarians for Nepad
http://www.parlanepad.org
* Pan African Movement
http://www.panafricanmovement.org
* Pan African Congress Movement for Humanity
http://www.crin.org/organisations/viewOrg.asp?ID=1968
Safer Africa
http://www.saferafrica.org/
* The African Forum Network on Debt and Development
http://www.afrodad.org/
* The Institute for Human Rights in Africa
http://www.africaninstitute.org/html/institute_for_human_rights_and.html
* The Human Rights Trust of Southern Africa
http://www.sahrit.org/
* The Parliamentary centre
http://www.parlcent.ca/africa/panafrica_e.php
* The Southern African Regional Poverty Network
Http://www.sarpn.org.za
* Third World Network Africa
http://twnafrica.org/
* Women of Uganda Network
http://www.wougnet.org/
World Organisation Against Torture
http://www.omct.org
* 50 years is enough network
http://www.50years.org/

Useful Newsletters and Mailing Lists

* AF-AIDS
"A regional HIV/AIDS information network for Africa (in English and French)...Over 200 organisations working in or with African Nations in the response to the epidemic have already joined the forum." To join send e-mail to: [email protected] with the word 'join' in the subject line.

* AFRO-NETS
The AFRO-NETS mailing list has been set up to facilitate the exchange of information between the different networks active in Health Research for Development in the Eastern and Southern African Region. It is a forum for discussion that can support collaboration between the networks in the fields of capacity building, planning and conducting research, transformation of research recommendations into action, etc. The list also serves as a forum for announcing meetings, training courses and other events of interest to the networks. Subscribe by sending an email to [email protected].

* Africa Focus Bulletin
The Bulletin will feature material from a range of Africa-focused organisations. It will be limited to an average of 2 to 3 issues a week and offer selected material relevant to promoting international policies that advance economic, political, and social justice and human rights in Africa. Contact [email protected] to subscribe or unsubscribe.
http://africafocus.org

* Africa Trade Agenda
African Trade Agenda is produced by the Political Economy Unit, Third World Network-Africa. TWN-Africa is co-ordinator of the Africa Trade Network. For more info contact: TWN-Africa, Box 19452, Accra-North, GHANA. Tel, 233 21 511189/503669
Contact: [email protected]
www.twnafrica.org

* E-Africa: Journal of Governance and Innovation
To subscribe, email your name, job title, organisation and country to [email protected]. To unsubscribe, email to [email protected].

* Elections Talk
Election Talk from the Electoral Institute for Southern Africa is available in both electronic format and hard copy. It will now appear fortnightly to give the latest briefing on the forthcoming elections in the SADC region. These policy briefs are written by regional experts to give you a succinct overview on the latest developments in those countries holding elections in 2004.
Contact: [email protected]
http://www.eisa.org.za/PDF/et7.pdf

* Femnet Bulletin
The African Women's Economic and Policy Network (AWEPON) is a network founded on the principle that women have the fundamental right to shape economic policies that impinge on their lives. It has partners in several African countries and works with them to strengthen the capacity of women especially at the grass root and national levels to influence the shape of economic policy. Find out more information about Awepon and other organisations by reading the Femnet bulletin. http://www.pambazuka.org/index.php?id=20811

* Global Campaign for Education e-newsletter
The Global Campaign for Education is an independent coalition of NGOs and trade unions campaigning for the right to free, good quality education and immediate action on the Education for All goals. Their email bulletin is produced as an information resource for activists and practitioners. To subscribe, send a message with the word 'subscribe' in the subject line to:
[email protected]
http:// www.campaignforeducation.org

* Independent Advocacy Project governance news
Independent Advocacy Project (IAP), the Nigerian good governance group, promotes - through advocacy, coalition building, research, publications and information sharing - respect for good governance in Nigeria. IAP produces a monthly electronic journal and you can contact [email protected] if you are interested in subscribing.
Contact: [email protected]

* SADC Barometer
The SADC Barometer, a quarterly analysis by the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA), focuses on key issues and trends affecting the Southern African Development Community (SADC). For more information or comment, please contact the SAIIA SADC researcher and SADC Barometer editor, Richard Meissner on +27 (0)11-339-2021, e-mail: [email protected] or [email protected].

* Seatini Bulletin
Seatini focuses on trade issues. For more information and subscriptions, contact SEATINI, Takura House, 67-69 Union Avenue, Harare, Zimbabwe, Tel: +263 4 792681, Ext. 255 & 341, Tel/Fax: +263 4 251648, Fax: +263 4 788078, email: [email protected],Website: www.seatini.org

* Pula – A newsletter on women and ICT’s in Africa
Pula is the newsletter of the Association for Progressive Communications Africa Women (APC-Africa-Women). Pula aims to promote and profile the work and activities of women's Information and Communication Technology (ICT) initiatives in Africa and to act as a communicative tool to link women to each other and to initiatives and opportunities. To subscribe or unsubscribe email [email protected]

A selection from the Pambazuka News Archives:

* The Challenges before Africa and the African Union
http://www.pambazuka.org/index.php?issue=112
The challenges facing the African continent are enormous. On every front: economic and industrial development; scientific and technological know how; electrification; agriculture; education; healthcare; housing; telecommunications; transport; peace and stability; institutional respect for social, economic, political and human rights, and all other indices of modern society the continent is yet to fulfil its potential.

* Ensuring a pro-poor focus in Agriculture and rural development through Nepad
http://www.sarpn.org.za/documents/d0000491/index.php
The New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) recognises the central role of agriculture. But the bias towards a certain model of agriculture - commercial and export orientated - points to gaps in its conception of a more wider and deeper perspective on rural development.

* Nepad: What is it? What is missing? http://www.sarpn.org.za/documents/d0000550/index.php
The New Partnership for Africa's Development (Nepad) has gone by many names. Critics have depicted Nepad as a 'neo-liberal' project, clearly contrary to the views of its supporters who see Nepad as a revolutionary plan. Whatever name and epithet one chooses, Nepad has clearly generated a great deal of debate, says this paper prepared for the labour research organisation Naledi.

* The Maputo Declaration
African Civil Society Statement To The Second Summit Of The Heads Of States And Governments Of The African Union
http://www.pambazuka.org/index.php?id=16150
"We are convinced of the crucial role played by civil society in development and governance and further call on the AU member states to establish the necessary mechanisms to involve civil society in policy making, development planning, implementation monitoring and evaluation in accordance with the African charter on popular participation and development...”

* The role of the state in development in the SADC region: Does Nepad provide a new paradigm?
http://twnafrica.org/resdetail.asp?twnID=225
Academic discourse and development policy debates have grappled with the contentious issue of the state-market interactions in Africa’s development agenda and process, particularly since the 1960s independence era. At the heart of this debate has been the contestation over agency for development: what is the key locomotive or engine of development? This article revisits this debate and critically interrogates the extent to which the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) presents a new paradigm in development thinking in the African continent

* ‘No Longer Dinner’: African Activists speak on Cancun
http://www.pambazuka.org/index.php?issue=126
Picture this. An island strip of expensive Florida styled hotels, white beaches and brilliant blue skies, disturbed by the violence of wrought iron barriers the length of the Convention Centre and 20,000 armed Mexican police and federal paramilitary. More than 10,000 people land on the island strip for the Inter-ministerial, 3,000 accredited NGO officials - but only 180 from Africa and 30 Africa Peoples Caucus activists on the outside; 1,200 accredited media journalists, of whom fewer than 100 from Africa; roughly 600 European Commission staff, but only 10 African Union staff and consultants. While the Italian delegation consisted of 106 people, there were 45 on the Kenyan delegation and 3 on the Gambian delegation. Towards the end, long and anxious hours waiting for the secretive green room discussions to end… The tears ... and then the shouts of joy and relief when the Kenyan Head of Delegation leaked the news of the collapse of the talks at 3pm on Sunday, 14 September. Africa emerged from the talks a major negotiating player, no longer the dinner of other trading partners, but defining the direction and outcome of the talks in Cancun.

* Barriers to African Regional Integration: The International Aid System and Corporate Interests
http://www.pambazuka.org/index.php?issue=115
Why is the entire African continental economy no larger than Spain's, at $580 billion? Why is the combined GDP of the 40-plus countries that lie between South Africa and Egypt scarcely bigger than the annual turnover of ExxonMobil? There's a weary consensus that blames low prices for Africa's agricultural exports, corruption, cash-starved infrastructure and, increasingly, the devastating economic impact of AIDS. But less explored is the perverse logic of dividing Africa's small economic space into fifty sovereign entities. Regional economic integration is an absolute prerequisite for poverty reduction: expanding markets, attracting investment, and increasing savings. Unfortunately, there are powerful interests that stand in its way – mainly the politicians and bureaucrats who extract rent from their possession of sovereign privileges to tax and regulate.

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>> For more articles relevant to the Pan-African parliament, visit the Conflicts and Emergencies, Women and Gender, Elections and Governance and Development sections of this edition of Pambazuka News.