Microsoft Word - APRM_Conference-Report_Final_2013

This report documents the proceedings of the 'APRM+10' conference held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on 17-18 May 2013. The event brought together over 120 stakeholders, including civil society organisations (CSOs), academics, and government officials, to reflect on the first decade of the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) and project its future. The conference focused on the role of CSOs in monitoring governance, the implementation of National Programmes of Action (NPoAs), the management of diversity (youth, gender, and minorities), and the integration of the APRM into the emerging African Governance Architecture (AGA).

• The African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) has achieved significant coverage among African countries, with 33 of 53 countries having acceded by 2013. Of these, 17 countries have completed the self-assessment and peer review process.
• A primary achievement of the APRM is its ability to open political space for citizen participation in national policy debates and foster national dialogue on good governance and service delivery. It also served as a warning system for impending crises, specifically in Kenya.
• The National Programme of Action (NPoA) is the critical deliverable of the APRM, yet it faces severe implementation challenges. These include slow implementation, a failure to mobilise national resources (relying instead on external funding), and a tendency for governments to selectively implement only preferred recommendations while ignoring others.
• Civil society involvement in the APRM is often strongest during the initial assessment phase but weakens significantly during post-review and implementation stages. This is attributed to resource constraints, capacity gaps, and difficult relations between CSOs and governments.
• There is a critical need to better manage diversity within the APRM, as many Country Review Reports (CRRs) fail to effectively address the needs of women, youth, the elderly, and sexual or national minorities. Youth, who make up 60% of the African population (aged 15‐35), are often marginalised through unemployment and limited education, yet possess significant potential as a national resource.
• The African diaspora, estimated at 100 million people worldwide, is identified as Africa's '6th region' but remains underutilised in the APRM. The diaspora contributes significant financial capital (remitting $50 billion formally in 2012), as well as political, intellectual, and cultural capital.
• The APRM is being positioned within the emerging African Governance Architecture (AGA), which aims to coordinate governance initiatives across the continent. Recommendations include making the APRM a designated mechanism within the AGA to track the ratification and implementation of shared values instruments.
• The conference recommended universalising the APRM by making accession mandatory for all African Union member states to provide a common platform for continent-wide governance reform.
• National Governing Councils (NGCs) lack standardised stipulations regarding their composition, independence, and mandate, which hinders their ability to oversee NPoA implementation effectively.

APA

South African Institute of International Affairs (n.d.). Microsoft Word - APRM_Conference-Report_Final_2013. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/APRM_Conference-Report_Final_2013.pdf

Chicago

South African Institute of International Affairs. Microsoft Word - APRM_Conference-Report_Final_2013. n.d. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/APRM_Conference-Report_Final_2013.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=South African Institute of International Affairs |title=Microsoft Word - APRM_Conference-Report_Final_2013 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/APRM_Conference-Report_Final_2013.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{southafricaninstituteofinternationalaffairsndmicrosoft, author = {{South African Institute of International Affairs}}, title = {{Microsoft Word - APRM\_Conference-Report\_Final\_2013}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/APRM_Conference-Report_Final_2013.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }