LESOTHO APRM POPULAR SENSITISATION (LAPS) PROJECT

The report details a 2021 workshop for the Lesotho APRM Popular Sensitisation (LAPS) Project, aimed at reviving Lesotho's engagement with the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) after its national structures collapsed around 2015/2016. Through peer-learning from Namibia, Botswana, South Africa, and Zimbabwe, the project seeks to empower non-state actors to identify 12 key governance issues for a civil society submission by June 2022, addressing national challenges such as political instability and lack of social cohesion.

• Lesotho joined the APRM in 2004, but its activity within the mechanism has deteriorated, and national structures—including the National Governing Council (NGC), Focal Point, and the Parliament’s APRM Sub-Committee—have been non-existent and non-functioning since 2015/2016.
• The decline in Lesotho's APRM engagement is attributed to a lack of political will starting around 2012 following the introduction of the mix-member proportional system and coalition governments, frequent changes in government regimes, and a heavy reliance on external funding which made accessing state resources difficult.
• The LAPS Project aims to resuscitate the APRM in Lesotho by involving non-state actors to address governance failures evidenced by inter-party conflicts, a lack of social cohesion, and the absence of peace and stability.
• The LAPS Project's next steps involve forming a Working Group to identify 12 key governance issues to produce a document for Lesotho’s Second Generation Country Review, with a target completion date of June 2022.
• Peer experiences from other countries provided specific lessons for Lesotho: Namibia highlighted the need for non-state actors to be firm on principles and suggested the NGC chairperson be a non-state actor; Botswana emphasized the efficiency of having an umbrella body for NGOs and the importance of using verifiable evidence for governance issues.
• South Africa's SAPS Project was distinguished by being a youth-led submission that utilized social media, informal youth platforms, and technology like Google Drive and WhatsApp to ensure the process was participation-driven and solution-oriented.
• In Zimbabwe, the ZAPS Project (started January 2021) has been conducted solely online due to the COVID-19 pandemic and government priorities, but it has successfully opened a dialogue between CSOs and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

APA

Simelane, N. G. (2021). LESOTHO APRM POPULAR SENSITISATION (LAPS) PROJECT. South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/LAPS-Sensitisation-Workshop-Report_.pdf

Chicago

Simelane, Nkanyiso Goodnews. LESOTHO APRM POPULAR SENSITISATION (LAPS) PROJECT. South African Institute of International Affairs, 2021. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/LAPS-Sensitisation-Workshop-Report_.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Simelane |first1=Nkanyiso Goodnews |title=LESOTHO APRM POPULAR SENSITISATION (LAPS) PROJECT |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |date=25 August 2021 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/LAPS-Sensitisation-Workshop-Report_.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{simelane2021lesotho, author = {Simelane, Nkanyiso Goodnews}, title = {{LESOTHO APRM POPULAR SENSITISATION (LAPS) PROJECT}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2021}, month = aug, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/LAPS-Sensitisation-Workshop-Report_.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }