South African APRM Popular Sensitisation (SAPS) Project Civil Society Training Workshop Via Zoom, 31 August 2020, 10h00-12h30

This report documents a Civil Society Training Workshop held via Zoom on 31 August 2020, organized by the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA). The workshop focused on the South African APRM Popular Sensitisation (SAPS) Project, aiming to empower youth organizations and civil society to co-create a written submission for South Africa's second African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) review.

• The African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM), established in 2003, is a voluntary governance self-assessment tool for African countries. It operates as a Multi-Stakeholder Initiative (MSI) involving government, civil society, and the private sector to review four thematic areas: Democracy and Political Governance, Economic Governance and Management, Corporate Governance, and Socio-Economic Development. As of the report date, the APRM has 40 member states, 22 of which have completed the full review process.
• South Africa first joined the APRM in 2003, but its second review was delayed. While the country is described as ostensibly well governed, it faces significant challenges including state capture, corruption, environment, unemployment, inequality, poverty, and the management of State-Owned Enterprises. Specifically, unemployment reached 30.1%—the highest in 20 years—with youth representing 54% of the unemployed in 2018.
• The SAPS project seeks to guide a CSO Working Group in developing a written submission for the APRM review, specifically targeting youth organizations to identify up to twelve pressing issues confronting South African youth. SAIIA intends to provide compensation for those involved in the writing process and will implement a dissemination strategy to increase the submission's reach.
• Luanda Mpungose emphasized that youth participation in governance has been minimal since 2016 and argued that youth should be treated as a cross-cutting issue in the APRM submission. She asserted that African countries must move beyond a narrow definition of inclusion—limited to the state delivering basic services—and instead empower youth to participate in decision-making.

APA

Zikalala, N. M. (2020). South African APRM Popular Sensitisation (SAPS) Project Civil Society Training Workshop Via Zoom, 31 August 2020, 10h00-12h30. South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/SA-APRM-Sensitisation-Project-Meeting-Report_Sept2020.pdf

Chicago

Zikalala, Nhlakanipho Macmillan. South African APRM Popular Sensitisation (SAPS) Project Civil Society Training Workshop Via Zoom, 31 August 2020, 10h00-12h30. South African Institute of International Affairs, 2020. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/SA-APRM-Sensitisation-Project-Meeting-Report_Sept2020.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Zikalala |first1=Nhlakanipho Macmillan |title=South African APRM Popular Sensitisation (SAPS) Project Civil Society Training Workshop Via Zoom, 31 August 2020, 10h00-12h30 |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |date=31 August 2020 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/SA-APRM-Sensitisation-Project-Meeting-Report_Sept2020.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{zikalala2020south, author = {Zikalala, Nhlakanipho Macmillan}, title = {{South African APRM Popular Sensitisation (SAPS) Project Civil Society Training Workshop Via Zoom, 31 August 2020, 10h00-12h30}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2020}, month = aug, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/SA-APRM-Sensitisation-Project-Meeting-Report_Sept2020.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }