LESOTHO APRM POPULAR SENSITISATION (LAPS) PROJECT

The Lesotho APRM Popular Sensitisation (LAPS) Project workshop, held on 25 August 2021, focused on re-engaging non-state actors to resuscitate Lesotho's participation in the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM). The event highlighted that Lesotho's national APRM structures have been non-existent since 2015/2016 due to a lack of political will, frequent government changes, and financial constraints. To assist Lesotho, civil society representatives from Namibia, Botswana, South Africa, and Zimbabwe shared their experiences in developing CSO submissions. Key recommendations for Lesotho included forming a robust Working Group to identify 12 key governance issues, ensuring the National Governing Council (NGC) includes marginalized groups and non-state actor leadership, and adopting a non-partisan, evidence-based approach to advocacy. The project aims to complete its submission by June 2022 to inform Lesotho's Second Generation Country Review.

• Lesotho's engagement with the APRM has significantly declined, with all national structures—including the National Governing Council (NGC), Focal Point, and Parliament's APRM Sub-Committee—becoming non-existent and non-functional since 2015/2016.
• The collapse of Lesotho's APRM engagement is attributed to a lack of political will starting around 2012, the instability caused by frequently changing government regimes under a mix-member proportional system, and a heavy reliance on external funding.
• The LAPS Project aims to facilitate a civil society submission for Lesotho's Second Generation Country Review by forming a Working Group to identify 12 key governance issues, with a target completion date of June 2022.
• Experience from Namibia suggests that CSOs should be firm on non-negotiable principles and advocate for a non-state actor to chair the NGC to prevent the body from being dominated by government figures.
• Lessons from Botswana emphasize that the use of an umbrella body for NGOs improves coordination, and that governance issues must be specific, supported by verifiable evidence, and presented through a non-partisan approach.
• The South African experience (SAPS Project) demonstrated a successful youth-led submission model that was participation-driven via social media, research-driven using common templates, and solution-oriented by linking problems to specific interventions.
• In Zimbabwe, the ZAPS Project has used the APRM process to open a dialogue with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, providing CSOs a head-start in the process despite government delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

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} }