Zambian Civil Society’s Arduous APRM Journey

The document analyzes the 'arduous' journey of Zambian civil society in the APRM process, highlighting the establishment of a dedicated CSO APRM Secretariat in 2007 and its eventual closure in 2011. It details how the process was hindered by resource constraints, political instability following the death of President Levy Mwanawasa, and overlaps with a contentious national constitutional review. Key achievements include the production of an independent CSO thematic report that influenced the Country Self-Assessment Report and the Country Review Report. The author argues that the lack of a plan to monitor the National Programme of Action (NPoA) after the Secretariat's closure was a fundamental flaw, and emphasizes the need for long-term funding and collective capacity building for effective governance oversight.

• The APRM process in Zambia was delayed by the dual responsibility of the Justice Ministry, which served as the APRM Focal Point while simultaneously overseeing the national constitutional review process.
• Zambia was the first member country to create a dedicated Civil Society APRM Secretariat, launched in July 2007, which operated as a loose, rotational alliance hosted by member institutions like FODEP and Caritas Zambia.
• The National Governing Council (NGC) was criticized for being bloated and lacking independent representation, as the government appointed 47 members, many of whom were from government or quasi-government institutions, despite recommendations for a smaller, tripartite body.
• The death of President Levy Mwanawasa in August 2008 and the subsequent presidential by-election halted national programs and delayed the start of the Country Self-Assessment Report (CSAR).
• Civil society successfully influenced the official APRM outcomes by developing a rigorous, evidence-based thematic report that was incorporated into both the CSAR and the Country Review Report.
• A critical failure in the Zambian APRM journey was the closure of the CSO Secretariat in 2011 without a strategy to monitor the implementation of the National Programme of Action (NPoA), leading to a lack of progress tracking.
• Donor funding, primarily from GIZ, was often time-bound and activity-based, which forced civil society into short-term planning and hindered the ability to strategically manage shifting national and continental timelines.

APA

MWAPE, S. (2021). Zambian Civil Society’s Arduous APRM Journey. South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Policy-Insights-108-mwape.pdf

Chicago

MWAPE, SUSAN. Zambian Civil Society’s Arduous APRM Journey. South African Institute of International Affairs, 2021. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Policy-Insights-108-mwape.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=MWAPE |first1=SUSAN |title=Zambian Civil Society’s Arduous APRM Journey |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |date=June 2021 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Policy-Insights-108-mwape.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{mwape2021zambian, author = {MWAPE, SUSAN}, title = {{Zambian Civil Society’s Arduous APRM Journey}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2021}, month = jun, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Policy-Insights-108-mwape.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }