Le Mécanisme africain d’évaluation par les pairs : Evaluer les origines, les relations institutionnelles et les réalisations

The document examines the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) as a voluntary tool for self-assessment and peer learning in governance. It traces the APRM's genealogy from the Organization of African Unity (OAU) through the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) to the African Union (AU). While the author notes that the APRM has expanded its membership to over half of African states and fostered greater political space for citizens, the paper highlights significant institutional challenges, including rivalries between the AU and NEPAD, leadership vacancies, and the inability to enforce its non-binding recommendations. The author concludes that the APRM's future success depends on strong African leadership and the ability to demonstrate tangible governance reforms.

• The APRM represents a shift from the Organization of African Unity (OAU) era, where state sovereignty was paramount and internal criticism was unacceptable, to a model where sovereign states voluntarily submit their governance to peer judgment.
• The APRM is genealogically linked to the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) and the African Union (AU), though it has faced institutional friction, including overlapping mandates and 'territorial wars' between the secretariats of these bodies.
• As of June 2008, 29 African states had voluntarily joined the APRM, representing more than three-quarters of the continent's population.
• The mechanism has demonstrated diagnostic value by identifying conditions that led to ethnic violence in Kenya (December 2007) and xenophobic attacks in South Africa (May 2008), although its recommendations are neither mandatory nor enforceable.
• The APRM has contributed to expanding political space and empowering citizens by requiring participating countries to involve their populations in evaluating governance strengths and weaknesses.
• Concrete governance reforms attributed to APRM National Plans of Action (NPAs) include the creation of a Ministry of Traditional Authorities and Culture in Ghana, and the proposal of reforms regarding unregulated private funding of political parties in South Africa.
• The mechanism is hindered by leadership issues, including low attendance of heads of state at forums, a vacant Executive Director position since July 2008, and uncertainty regarding the influence of leaders like Muammar Gaddafi.

APA

Gruzd, S. (2009). Le Mécanisme africain d’évaluation par les pairs : Evaluer les origines, les relations institutionnelles et les réalisations. South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/Occasional-Paper-29-FR.pdf

Chicago

Gruzd, Steven. Le Mécanisme africain d’évaluation par les pairs : Evaluer les origines, les relations institutionnelles et les réalisations. South African Institute of International Affairs, 2009. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/Occasional-Paper-29-FR.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Gruzd |first1=Steven |title=Le Mécanisme africain d’évaluation par les pairs : Evaluer les origines, les relations institutionnelles et les réalisations |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |date=April 2009 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/Occasional-Paper-29-FR.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{gruzd2009mcanisme, author = {Gruzd, Steven}, title = {{Le Mécanisme africain d’évaluation par les pairs : Evaluer les origines, les relations institutionnelles et les réalisations}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2009}, month = apr, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/Occasional-Paper-29-FR.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }