Maintaining Momentum? Civil Society and the APRM in Zambia

The document analyzes why the APRM process in Zambia has lost momentum despite early innovative practices. It identifies a lack of funding, poor coordination within civil society, and the disbandment of the civil society APRM Secretariat in 2011 as key drivers of this decline. The authors argue that the APRM has become dominated by the government post-review and is not central to Zambia's broader governance discourse. Recommendations include integrating the APRM into national development plans, increasing media coverage, and improving budgeting guidance from the continental APRM Secretariat.

• The APRM process in Zambia has experienced a significant loss of momentum, characterized by a lack of funding and a failure to maintain the involvement of civil society.
• Civil society engagement declined sharply following the 2011 disbandment of the independent APRM Civil Society Secretariat, which had previously been a pioneer of innovative practices in the country.
• The APRM is not integrated into Zambia's primary governance and development discussions; critical issues like corruption and elections are debated publicly without reference to the mechanism.
• There are significant discrepancies and ambiguities regarding the budget for Zambia's National Programme of Action (NPoA), with the Country Review Report listing three different figures: $80,211,973,432, $4,948,600, and $50,031,900.
• A systemic issue exists where the APRM process is inclusive during the review phase but becomes government-dominated during the implementation, monitoring, and reporting of the NPoA.
• Internal failures within Zambian civil society, including a lack of coordination and a preference for individual organizational work over alliances, have undermined the sustainability of the APRM project.

APA

Turianskyi, Y., & Gruzd, S. (2014). Maintaining Momentum? Civil Society and the APRM in Zambia. South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Policy-Briefing-114.pdf

Chicago

Turianskyi, Yarik, and Steven Gruzd. Maintaining Momentum? Civil Society and the APRM in Zambia. South African Institute of International Affairs, 2014. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Policy-Briefing-114.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Turianskyi |first1=Yarik |last2=Gruzd |first2=Steven |title=Maintaining Momentum? Civil Society and the APRM in Zambia |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |date=November 2014 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Policy-Briefing-114.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{turianskyi2014maintaining, author = {Turianskyi, Yarik and Gruzd, Steven}, title = {{Maintaining Momentum? Civil Society and the APRM in Zambia}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2014}, month = nov, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Policy-Briefing-114.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }