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Over 250 African Parliamentarians are expected to converge on Midrand, South Africa for the Second Ordinary Session of the Six Parliament of the Pan-African Parliament (PAP), scheduled from 15 May to 02 June 2023. The continent’s premier parliamentary forum is set to devise ways to fast-track the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), in line with the African Union (AU) theme for 2023.
Mandated with facilitating the implementation of policies, objectives, and programmes of the AU, and overseeing their execution by the various organs of the Union, the PAP will hold a dedicated seminar on the theme of the year. The seminar will focus on the unbundling of the AfCFTA Agreement and the strategies that will be put by the legislative arm of the Union to accelerate the landmark accord.
The other key item on the agenda of the upcoming Ordinary Session is the 3rd African Parliamentarians Summit on Climate Policy and Equity, to be held on 16-17 May 2023. The Summit seeks to galvanise a critical mass of stakeholders capable of catalysing broad support for pro-poor, just, equitable, locally led and science-based decisions in nationally determined contributions (NDCs) implementation and overall climate action. The high-level climate engagement will also identify a common African agenda in the Global Stock Take (GST) process and in the countdown to COP28, and the role parliamentarians can play.
The Second Ordinary Session of the sixth Parliament follows a successful Sitting of Permanent Committees of the PAP held in March 2023. In this regard, several reports, stemming from the work of Committees, will be considered and adopted during the May Session. These include the Report of the combined Workshop on Access to Information, Digital Rights with the Internet Governance Forum; Report on the proposal to develop a Model Law on Climate Change ; Report of the Capacity Building Workshop on Labour Migration Governance and Administration; Report on the Place of Traditional Medicine in African Health Systems; Report on Joint Capacity Building on Ratification of AU Legal instruments; Report on First Partners’ engagement on Conceptual Framework of the Draft Model Law on Gender Parity; and the Report on the Draft Model Law on Cooperatives. The peace and security situation on the continent will also feature on the agenda of the Plenary Session.
The Second Ordinary Session of the Sixth Parliament will be officiated by the President of the PAP, H.E. Chief Fortune Charumbira. Some AU Heads of State and Government, Speakers of national, regional and continental Parliaments; civil society organizations; and various other high-level guests are expected to grace the May Ordinary Session. Several Parliamentarians from different countries will be sworn in as members of the PAP following elections in a number of African States and rotation within delegations.