Pan-African Parliament session kicks off with focus on the continental economic, integration agenda

Addis Ababa, May 16, 2023 (FBC) – Azali Assoumani, President of the Union of Comoros and Chairperson of the African Union (AU) opened the Second Ordinary Session of the Sixth Parliament of the Pan-African Parliament (PAP) which kicked off on Monday, 15 May 2023.

The Chairperson has addressed the Pan-African Parliamentarians on the State of the Union and the priority areas of his tenure at the helm of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government.

The Second Ordinary Session of the Sixth Parliament is scheduled to run from 15 May to 2 June 2023 under the African Union theme for the year 2023: “Year of AfCFTA: Acceleration of the African Continental Free Trade Area Implementation.”

The official press release from AU indicates that the session brought together over 250 African Parliamentarians will convene for the Session to devise ways to fast-track the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), in line with the African Union (AU) theme for 2023. Mandated with facilitating the implementation of policies, objectives, and programmes of the AU, and overseeing their execution by the various organs of the Union, the PAP will focus on the unbundling of the AfCFTA Agreement and the strategies that will be put by the legislative arm of the Union to accelerate the landmark accord.

The other key item on the agenda of the ordinary Session is the 3rd African Parliamentarians Summit on Climate Policy and Equity, to be held on 16-17 May 2023. The Summit seeks to galvanise a critical mass of stakeholders capable of catalysing broad support for pro-poor, just, equitable, locally led and science-based decisions in nationally determined contributions (NDCs) implementation and overall climate action. The high-level climate engagement will also identify a common African agenda in the Global Stock Take (GST) process and in the countdown to COP28, and the role parliamentarians can play.

The Second Ordinary Session of the Sixth Parliament follows a successful Sitting of Permanent Committees of the PAP held in March 2023. In this regard, several reports, stemming from the work of Committees, will be considered and adopted during the May Session. These include the Report of the combined Workshop on Access to Information, Digital Rights with the Internet Governance Forum; Report on the proposal to develop a Model Law on Climate Change ; Report of the Capacity Building Workshop on Labour Migration Governance and Administration; Report on the Place of Traditional Medicine in African Health Systems; Report on Joint Capacity Building on Ratification of AU Legal instruments; Report on First Partners’ engagement on Conceptual Framework of the Draft Model Law on Gender Parity; and the Report on the Draft Model Law on Cooperatives. The peace and security situation on the continent will also feature on the agenda of the Plenary Session.

It is noted that several Parliamentarians from different countries will be sworn in as members of the PAP following elections in a number of African States and rotation within delegations.