Lessons from Multi-Stakeholder Initiatives

This policy brief by the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) analyzes the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) as a multi-stakeholder initiative (MSI). It compares the APRM with the Open Government Partnership (OGP) and the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) to provide recommendations for improving the APRM's governance, transparency, and engagement with civil society.

• The APRM's digital presence is inadequate compared to the OGP and EITI; its website is difficult to navigate, lacks frequent updates, and is missing critical documents such as National Programme of Action (NPoA) Implementation Reports.
• The APRM lacks effective disciplinary mechanisms for member states that fail to implement NPoAs, report on time, or respect civic space, whereas the OGP and EITI successfully use 'inactive' status or suspension to hold members accountable.
• Civil society's role in the APRM is limited, with representatives often excluded from high-level discussions between heads of state and facing barriers due to the mechanism's technical jargon and government-centric focus.
• While the APRM emphasizes 'peer learning' and identifies 'best practices' in country reports, these tools are underutilized in practice because heads of state are reluctant to criticize one another and there is a lack of practical engagement between countries.
• The APRM has produced 22 governance assessments and three second-generation reviews over 16 years, but it lacks a comprehensive study to measure its practical impact on national laws and policy changes.
• The APRM has been slower to evolve its procedures than the OGP or EITI, though it has expanded its mandate in 2017 to monitor the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals and the AU’s Agenda 2063.
• The APRM excels in building strategic partnerships with high-profile organizations and academic institutions to increase its capacity and reach.

APA

South African Institute of International Affairs (2019). Lessons from Multi-Stakeholder Initiatives. https://saiia.org.za/research/lessons-from-multi-stakeholder-initiatives/

Chicago

South African Institute of International Affairs. Lessons from Multi-Stakeholder Initiatives. 2019. https://saiia.org.za/research/lessons-from-multi-stakeholder-initiatives/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=South African Institute of International Affairs |title=Lessons from Multi-Stakeholder Initiatives |date=19 September 2019 |url=https://saiia.org.za/research/lessons-from-multi-stakeholder-initiatives/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{southafricaninstituteofinternationalaffairs2019lessons, author = {{South African Institute of International Affairs}}, title = {{Lessons from Multi-Stakeholder Initiatives}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2019}, month = sep, url = {https://saiia.org.za/research/lessons-from-multi-stakeholder-initiatives/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }