Mastering the APRM: Creating Your Submission

This guide, published by the South African Institute of International Affairs in 2008, provides civil society organisations (CSOs) with a strategic framework for creating effective written submissions to the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM). It explains the APRM's governance review process and offers a five-step methodology for CSOs to influence national policy and the resulting Programme of Action (POA).

• The African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) is a voluntary governance review process where participating countries assess their performance across four thematic areas: Democracy and Political Governance, Economic Governance, Corporate Governance, and Socio-Economic Development.
• The APRM process follows a specific sequence: a government signs a Memorandum of Understanding, a National APRM Governing Council (NGC) and Technical Research Institutes (TRIs) draft a Country Self-Assessment Report including a Programme of Action (POA), and a Country Review Mission of experts conducts an independent study.
• Civil society organisations are encouraged to be proactive rather than waiting for government invitations, as governments may use their knowledge to restrict information to 'friendly' groups during the early stages of the process.
• To maximize impact, the guide recommends a five-step process for submissions: identifying a specific issue the organisation knows well, gathering and analysing evidence, developing written arguments, circulating the draft for consensus and allies, and submitting to the correct official structures.
• Effective submissions must be grounded in evidence from diverse sources—including government reports, auditor-general's reports, and international reports from the World Bank or UN—to persuade policymakers and the Panel of Eminent Persons.
• The guide emphasizes that submissions should not only highlight failures but also identify strengths and propose concrete solutions, as the goal is to influence the Programme of Action (POA) which guides government policy.
• Case studies illustrate successful CSO engagement: the Minority Rights Group International in Uganda used a short position paper to influence the POA on minority rights, and the Open Democracy Advice Centre in Cape Town lobbied for better access to information and whistleblower protection laws.

APA

Corrigan, T. (2008). Mastering the APRM: Creating Your Submission. South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/aprm_boo_corrigan_20080630_en.pdf

Chicago

Corrigan, Terence. Mastering the APRM: Creating Your Submission. South African Institute of International Affairs, 2008. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/aprm_boo_corrigan_20080630_en.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Corrigan |first1=Terence |title=Mastering the APRM: Creating Your Submission |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |date=2008 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/aprm_boo_corrigan_20080630_en.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{corrigan2008mastering, author = {Corrigan, Terence}, title = {{Mastering the APRM: Creating Your Submission}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2008}, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/aprm_boo_corrigan_20080630_en.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }