annual report-2012-en 30072013-interactive-high-quality

Better Parliaments,Stronger Democracies

ANNUAL REPORT 2012

AWEPA Annual Report 2012

Production Notes

TextAWEPA Staff

EditingMarion Girard Cisneros, Marion Verweij, Theo Kralt

PhotosKatrin Verstraete, Loïc Whitmore, Marion Girard Cisneros, Peter Elamu, Sylvain Liechti, Tobin Jones, Italian Parliament Press Office

DesignAnton Miselaytes, Marion Girard Cisneros

PrintingKeizer en van Straten

Translation3ic International

AWEPA InternationalPrins Hendrikkade 48-G1012 AC Amsterdam, the NetherlandsTel +31 20 5245678Fax +31 20 [email protected]

ISBN: 9789078147176

©AWEPA 2013

Cover PhotoOn 28 September 2012, African and European parliamentarians met in the Italian Parliament (Palazzo Montecitorio) to discuss the management of Africa’s natural resources towards the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

Donors 2012

Partners

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.awepa.org

AWEPA Annual Report 2012www.awepa.org

Page 6 AWEPA Annual Report 2012www.awepa.org

Contents

Acronyms 7Message from the President 8About AWEPA 10European Sections 11Programmes 14Aid Effectiveness 15Bridging the gap between Political Parties and Parliaments 16Parliament of Burundi 17Parliament of the Democratic Republic of Congo 19An Empowered and Effective East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) 20Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C) 22Parliamentary Forum of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (PF-ICGLR) 23Strengthening Regional Parliaments Towards Achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) 25Mozambique Strategic Vision Programme 26Network of Women Parliamentarians of Central Africa (RFPAC) 28Parliament of Rwanda 30

Supporting Legislative Institutions in Somalia 31Strengthening Regional Parliamentary Capacity in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) 32South African Provincial Legislatures (SAPL) 33South Sudan’s Legislative Assembly (SSLA) and State Assemblies 34South Sudan’s Legislative Assembly (SSLA) and Local Councils 36Parliament of Uganda 37Parliament of Zimbabwe 38Partnership Council 40Eminent Advisory Board 41Governing Council 42Executive Committee 43Staff in 2012 44AWEPA Offices 45Financial Overview 2012 46

MPs Members of ParliamentMPAC Municipal Public Accounts CommitteeNAC National Audit ChamberNCDO National Committee forInternational Cooperation and Sustainable DevelopmentNIMD Netherlands Institute for Multiparty DemocracyNLA National Legislative AssemblyNGO Non-Governmental OrganisationNUFFIC Netherlands Organisation for International Cooperation in Higher EducationODA Official Development Assistance OECD Organisation for Economic Co-operation and DevelopmentPAC Committee on Public AccountsPAP Pan-African ParliamentPBIG Post-Busan Interim Group RACR Regional Affairs and Conflict ResolutionRFPAC Réseau de Femmes Parlementaires d’Afrique Centrale SADC Southern African Development CommunitySAPL South Africa Provincial LegislaturesSAPST Southern African Parliamentary TrustSDC Swiss Agency for Development CooperationSIDA Swedish International Development Cooperation AgencyTAPAC Tanzania Parliamentary AIDS CoalitionUN United NationsUNFCCC United Nations Framework Convention on Climate ChangeUNFPA United Nations Population FundUNICEF United Nations Children’s FundUNPOS United Nations Political Office for SomaliaWP-EFF Working Party on Aid Effectiveness

Acronyms

ADA Austrian Development AgencyAIDS Acquired Immune Deficiency SyndromeAIID Amsterdam Institute for International DevelopmentAWEPA Association of European Parliamentarians with AfricaCAADP Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development ProgrammeCBO Community Based OrganisationCEMAC Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa CENAP Conflict Alert and Prevention Centre CIP Centre for Public IntegrityCSO Civil Society OrganisationDRC Democratic Republic of the CongoEAC East African CommunityEALA East African Legislative AssemblyECOWAS Economic Community Of West African StatesEFQM European Foundation for Quality ManagementEP European ParliamentEU European UnionFBO Faith Based OrganisationFCO Foreign and Commonwealth OfficeFGM/C Female Genital Mutilation/CuttingFUSP Frisian Urban Sanitation ProgrammeGNB Girls Not BridesGPEDC Global Partnership for Economic Development CooperationHIV Human Immunodeficiency VirusHLF-4 Fourth High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness ICT Information and Communication TechnologyIDASA Institute for Democracy in South AfricaIPU Inter-Parliamentary UnionMDGs Millennium Development Goals



Minister of State, Ms. Miet Smet, President of AWEPA

AWEPA is grateful to all our donors for the success of 2012. We are especially grateful always to the Swedish Development Agency (SIDA) for their longstanding support of AWEPA as an institution. Mid 2012 saw a new contract with Irish Aid, a percentage of which is also for institutional professionalisation. Without institution-al support, AWEPA would not be able to carry out its work, as there are a lot of activities that are not directly related to programmes such as pre-contract research, the leadership bodies and communications. The Swiss Development Cooperation also provides institutional funding for the development of our Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and methodology, which have allowed for a greater professionalisation in these areas.

AWEPA is also grateful to all our programme partners. During 2012, we entered into new strategic partner-ships such as with Netherlands Institute for Multiparty Democracy (NIMD). We also signed new contracts such as one to assist in working towards peace and security in Zimbabwe with the support of the European Union, Sweden and the Netherlands.

Message from the President

Within the long-established programmes such as our work funded by Belgium in Central Africa, or our newer programmes such as Somalia and South Sudan, funded by the European Union and the Netherlands, we continually strive to improve methodology and tailor our unique approach. Our thematic programmes, such as our Female Genital Mutilation programme funded by Luxembourg, continues to reap success.

It is therefore with heartfelt appreciation that I thank all our donors for helping to champion human rights through the vital role parliaments play.

The backbone of AWEPA is the European parliamentarians who give their time and effort to fulfil our mission and to help to keep Africa high on the political agenda in Europe, and facilitate African- European parliamentary dialogue. It is always a pleasure to see new members join us, and in 2012 we were pleased to welcome 90 new members. Throughout the year, members have been involved by offering their exper-tise in our activities from Benin to Mozambique, South Sudan to Democratic Republic of Congo.

Almost every issue facing parliamentarians today extends well beyond national boundaries which is why it is important that AWEPA ac-tivities are organised in national parliaments throughout Europe. During 2012, our collective European effort centred around the issue of natural resources. With the support of the Italian Chamber of Deputies and the co-operation of the Italian parliamentary Sub-Committee on Millennium Development Goals a seminar was held in September in Rome, Italy. The subject of discussion: “Managing Africa’s Natural Resources Towards Achieving the Millennium Development Goals, (MDGs)” served to promote a dialogue on the roles and responsabilities of both European and African parliamentarians in the management of natural resources, its importance for Africa’s development and to accelerate the attainment of the MDGs.

Our European membership offer their expertise which is part of the uniqueness AWEPA has to offer. In the same way, the partnership we have with the major parliamentary organs in Africa adds great strength and integrity to our work, as well as adding quality. It was therefore also my pleasure at different points of the year to meet representatives of our major African partners and discuss ways forward together.

Lastly, I would like to express my appreciation for the AWEPA staff. We have a professional and dedicated staff, all of whom work hard to fulfil the commitment we have to contribute to a better world. It is an honour to work with such committed people.

About Minister of State Ms. Miet Smet

As a member of the Belgian, European and Flemish parliament for over 30 years, 14 of which she served as Minister for the Belgian government, Minister of State Miet Smet has played an important role in Belgian and European politics. During this time she has played a key role in equality in politics, environment and labour.

Her deep rooted urge to see equal opportunities for all, not only gender, but in all areas of human dignity, brought her into contact with AWEPA where having served two terms of office on the AWEPA Executive Committee, she was elected President in October 2009 via a unanimous vote of the AWEPA Governing Council.

Married to fellow CD&V politician, the former Belgian Prime Minister and former Vice President of AWEPA, Wilfried Martens, Ms. Smet resides in Belgium where alongside her work for AWEPA continues to support society in a variety of ways.

AWEPA has been awarded the first level of certification titled Com-mitted to Excellence from the European Framework for Quality Management (EFQM) Excellence Model. Over the next coming

years, AWEPA will focus its efforts on achieving the second level of certification, Recognised for Excellence.

AWEPA has Special Consultative Status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council.

AWEPA is on the list of Official Development Assistance (ODA) Eligible Organisations of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development/Development Assistance

Committee (OECD/DAC).

As of this year, the annual report of AWEPA will be presented on-line, allowing us to save money and paper and making it more readily available. The annual report strives to convey the work of

AWEPA in a more visual and interactive manner to communicate a more complete picture of what was accomplished in the preceding

year. The annual report can be found online at www.awepa.org.

Ms. Miet Smet, Minister of State, President of AWEPA


Page 10AWEPA Annual Report 2012www.awepa.org

About AWEPA The Association of European Parliamentarians with Africa (AWEPA) works in cooperation with African parliaments to strengthen par-liamentary democracy in Africa, keep Africa high on the political agenda in Europe, and facilitate African-European parliamentary dialogue. Strong parliaments lie at the heart of Africa’s long-term development; they serve as the arbiters of peace, stability and prosperity. AWEPA strives to strengthen African parliaments and promote human digni-ty. AWEPA has served as a unique tool for complex democratisation operations at the Pan-African level and from the horn to the cape. The pillars that support AWEPA’s mission include:• A membership skills base of more than 1700 European

parliamentarians, who devote their wide-ranging expertise to peer-learning with African colleagues;

• Long-term partnerships with African parliamentary colleagues, which ensure local ownership and accountability;

• An infrastructure of political and parliamentary entry points, which span 8 African and 2 European offices, as well as 25 parliaments in Africa and 28 in Europe, including the Pan-African Parliament and the European Parliament.

AWEPA’s overarching goal is to eradicate poverty and support the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) through the realisation of human rights, democracy and development in Africa.

AWEPA aims to achieve this objective by promoting: • parliamentary competency and authority • good governance based on a separation of powers • increased participation of women in decision-making • participation of civil society in the political process • independent and qualified media, as a component of the

democratic process

AWEPA is an international parliamentary association that is strictly non-partisan. AWEPA has Special Consultative Status with the UN Economic and Social Council and is on the list of ODA Eligible Organi-sations of OECD/DAC. •

The headquarters of the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa (CEMAC) Parliament in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, saw the signing of a cooperation agreement between CEMAC and AWEPA in February.

The European ProgrammeThe European Programme is instrumental to AWEPA’s work. AWEPA has a broad network of parliamentarians and former parliamentar-ians from across Europe, with over 1700 members from parliaments from almost all EU member states, including the European Parliament, Norway and Switzerland. These members are grouped into a Section within their respective parliaments.

African and European parliamentarians discussing the management of Africa’s natural resources towards the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals, on the occasion of the EU Presidency Seminar held at the Italian Chamber of Deputies (Palazzo Montecitorio) in

September.



European Sections

BackgroundAWEPA is an international non-partisan association of parliamentari-ans, founded by three European parliamentarians in 1984. Currently, AWEPA has expanded into an extensive European parliamentary network with more than 1,800 current and former parliamentarians representing almost every EU member state, as well as the Euro-pean Parliament, Norway and Switzerland. AWEPA members represent the range of parties across the po-litical spectrum. They are organised according to a Section within their respective parliaments. Each Section elects a Chair who also represents the Section in the AWEPA Governing Council. A number of AWEPA members are also appointed as the Political Coordinator or Senior Parliamentary Advisor and contribute politically to the development and implementation of AWEPA’s programmes and ac-tivities.

ObjectiveAWEPA seeks to inform and mobilise its members and other Europe-an parliamentarians on policy issues in African-European relations, development cooperation and democratisation in Africa. Through its members and Sections, AWEPA strives to keep Africa high on the political agenda in Europe and to facilitate African-European parliamentary dialogue and partnerships at national, regional and continental levels.The mission of AWEPA’s European Sections programme is:• to facilitate productive knowledge-sharing and stronger

cooperation between African and European parliamentarians, and among African parliamentarians;

• to address issues that range from development cooperation to accountability for and local ownership of aid programmes;

• to encourage and enable parliamentarians in Europe to increase parliamentary action in areas of development cooperation and thus contribute to sustainable and democratic development in Africa.

Impacts• In 2012, 90 new members joined AWEPA from the following

parliaments: the European Parliament, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Sweden. Specific focus was given to significantly strengthening the Italian and the Dutch AWEPA Sections;

• European parliamentary engagement and peer-learning with African colleagues took place through AWEPA’s institutional and thematic capacity building programmes with African parliaments at national and regional levels;

• European parliamentary engagement, lobbying and action took place on thematic issues such as: increased aid and development effectiveness; the abandonment of Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C); the management of Africa’s natural resources for the advancement of its economies; the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals.

Example ActivityDutch parliamentarians exchange views to take action against FGM/C. 19 June 2012. The Hague, The Netherlands.The Dutch Section of AWEPA organised an expert meeting on the abandonment of FGM/C. This event was made possible by the Na-tional Committee for International Cooperation and Sustainable Development (NCDO). Hon. Kathleen Ferrier, Parliamentarian and former Head of the Netherlands AWEPA Section, hosted the meeting which took place at the Dutch House of Representatives. Members of the Dutch Parliament, policy makers, diplomats and Dutch-based organisations gathered to revive the political debate on the causes and consequences of the practise for many young girls worldwide. They spoke about how FGM/C goes against the Universal Declaration on Human Rights and the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The practise seriously compromises their health and has deep psychological effects which result in broader social and development implications. In addition, the participants looked at initiatives that can be taken by Dutch parliamentarians in order to support FGM/C aban-donment.

Chaired by Kathleen Ferrier, Dutch MPs exchange views on taking action against FGM/C in June. The Hague, The Netherlands.

AWEPA Section Highlights 2012

Dutch Political Parties Working Together for Women’s RightsOn 2 July 2012, Dutch Members of Parliament Hon. Kathleen Ferrier (CDA), Hon. Ingrid de Caluwé (VVD), Hon. Jeroen de Lange (PvdA), Hon. Mariko Peters (Green), Hon. Harry van Bommel (SP), Hon. Wassila Hachchi (D66) and Hon. Joël Voordewind (Christian Union) signed the Gender Multiparty Initiative in the House of Representa-tives, by which they declared a common commitment to equal opportunities and rights of women worldwide.

European Parliament Urges Member States to Act Against Female Genital MutilationOn 14 June 2012, the European Parliament renewed its commitment to end FGM/C, through a joint resolution passed with an over-whelming majority. The EP called on member states to meet their international obligations to end FGM/C through prevention, protec-tion measures and legislation. The EP also reminded the European Commission of its commitment to develop a strategy to combat vio-lence against women, both within the European Union and with its relations with third countries.

Managing Africa’s Natural Resources: Towards Achieving the Millennium Development GoalsOn 28 September 2012, African and European parliamentarians met in the Italian Parliament (Palazzo Montecitorio) to discuss the man-agement of Africa’s natural resources towards the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Parliamentarians are key in ensuring sound natural resource revenues, in monitoring the oversight of natural resources management and implementing ef-fective legislation to protect national collective interests. “We need necessary instruments to secure the future in the long term” said Speaker Fini. “Good intentions risk being dead if not attached to strong parliaments”. A political statement on the management of natural resources was adopted by delegations from the Pan-African Parliament, four regional parliaments in Africa and 16 parliaments from around Europe along with international experts, African dip-lomatic representatives, financial institutions, academics, NGOs and representatives of the private sector. In the statement a range of ac-tions and policies were defined that the parliamentarians in Europe and Africa committed to, towards ensuring sound natural resource management to contribute to achieving the MDGs. In addition, the Italian AWEPA Section was re-established, with Hon. Enrico Pianetta as Head of Section.

From left to right: Hon. Abdi, Ms. Smet, Hon. Barbi and Hon. Zziwa at the Italian Parliament meeting with the newly reformed Italian AWEPA Section in September.



Exhibition of the Royal Drummers of Burundi for the opening session of the Burundian Diaspora conference, co-organised by AWEPA.

Aid Effectiveness

DonorsAustrian Development Agency (ADA)Irish AID

Political CoordinatorsLord Chidgey, United KingdomHon. Maureen O’Sullivan, Ireland

Senior Parliamentary Advisor Hon. Franz Glaser, Austria

BackgroundAWEPA co-organized the Parliamentary Forum at the High-Level Forum held in Busan in late 2011. Based on the commitments made in the Busan Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation it was agreed that a structure known as the Post-Busan Interim Group (PBIG) would prepare the way for the Global Partnership for Effec-tive Development Cooperation (GPEDC). AWEPA, in partnership with the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), engaged closely in the the Post-Busan Interim Group (PBIG) process, and participated in the subsequent Global Partnership Steering Committee meetings.

ObjectiveThis activity area was designed to enable parliaments from the SADC region, and Africa more broadly, to play a more catalytic role in im-plementing the Busan agenda. The Aid Effectiveness programme

brings to the attention of the OECD and other stakeholders the concerns of SADC parliaments, African regional parliamentary bod-ies and the Pan-African Parliament, regarding their ownership and accountability roles in aid effectiveness and development coopera-tion.

ImpactsOver the course of this timeframe, AWEPA and IPU have paved the way for meaningful parliamentary engagement in the Global Partnership for Effective Development Co-operation structures going forward, and raised the awareness of the significance of parliaments to other stakeholders, in relation to aid and development effectiveness.

Example Activity

Meeting of the Post-Busan Interim Group (PBIG). 21-22 May 2012. Paris, France.The third meeting of the PBIG took place on 21-22 May in Paris. It marked the final stretch of the Group’s work to negotiate proposals for the governance and monitoring framework of the GPEDC, which was to be presented to the Working Party on Aid Effectiveness (WP-EFF) for agreement in its final plenary meeting on 28-29 June. It was at the third meeting of the PBIG that members endorsed parliamentary representation on the Steering Committee of the Global Partnership and asked the IPU- as the most global representative parliamentary institution- to nominate a representative. IPU and AWEPA continue to cooperate closely and share representational responsibilities within the work of the Steering Committee.

AWEPA participated in different meetings of the Steering Committee of the Global Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation.

ProgrammesAWEPA currently works with 25 parliaments in Africa through jointly agreed institutional and thematic capacity building programmes. These include national parliaments, continental and regional parliamentary institutions, as well as decentralised authorities. For a full list of AWEPA’s activities, please visit www.awepa.org or see the 2012 AWEPA Financial Report.

Please note: Political coordinators and Senior Parliamentary Advisors mentioned per programme reflect 2013.



Bridging the Gap Between Political Parties and Parliaments

Donors

Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs via the Netherlands Institute for Multiparty Democracy (NIMD)

Political CoordinatorHon. Henk Jan Ormel, the Netherlands

BackgroundAWEPA and the Netherlands Institute for Multiparty Democracy (NIMD) joined forces formally in 2011 in a strategic partnership aimed at strengthening Political Parties, parliaments and the par-ty-parliament nexus. The overall objective is to contribute to the development of pluralistic democratic societies through a partici-patory decision-making process grounded on a solid multi-party system and the work of a strong parliament. The partnership be-tween AWEPA and NIMD, launched in 2011 and developed in 2012, rests on the ambition to link two streams of democracy support, targeting: • democratic structure and procedural reform through

parliamentary capacity building and;

• cultural and behavioural change through political party support.

The programme follows a multiparty and non-partisan approach and is based on the principles of national ownership, flexibility and gender equality. Benin is the first country in which the strategic cooperation has been launched.

ObjectiveAWEPA and NIMD’s partnership aims at: • strengthening multiparty and parliamentary democratic

systems through dialogue; • improving the institutional capacity of Political Parties and

parliaments; • enhancing the representativeness of Political Parties and

parliaments, by reinforcing the link between political actors, civil society and citizens;

• ensuring that the interests of the different groups are adequately represented (for instance those of women and girls).

ImpactsThe following preliminary outcomes can be attributed to the programme:

• Members of Parliament and political party officials in Benin

Ms. Smet (AWEPA) and Mr. Van Middelkoop (NIMD) are received by Benin’s National Assembly Speaker, Hon. Nago.

have engaged in dialogue on the country’s governance challenges and prioritised actions to be taken in the coming year;

• in Benin, a Steering Committee has been established to ensure national ownership and serve as a first dialogue platform among political forces;

• regional needs assessment of women’s participation in politics has highlighted prevailing problems and potential solutions to counter traditional gender roles and promote equality;

• cooperation in Tanzania led to increased harmonisation among the two parliamentary women’s groups and TAPAC (Tanzania Parliamentary AIDS Coalition) and a joint proposal for future resource mobilisation.

Example ActivityBenin programme launch workshop. 10-11 October 2012. Cotonou, Benin.In October 2012, AWEPA and NIMD formerly launched their strategic cooperation programme in Cotonou, Benin. In her opening statement, AWEPA’s President, Ms. Miet Smet, reaffirmed AWEPA’s commitment to the strengthening of African legislatures stating that “strong par-liaments lie at the heart of Africa’s development and prosperity” and that “to support parliaments is to support democracy”. NIMD Super-visory Council member and former Dutch Minister of Defence, Eimert Van Middelkoop, insisted on the value of trust in politics and mutual respect. Members of parliament and political party representatives strongly welcomed AWEPA’s renewed engagement with the National Assembly of Benin and stressed the relevance of the programme’s support to the latter and to Benin’s highly polarised party system. The main outcome of the launch workshop was the establishment of a Steering Committee composed of Members of Parliament and repre-sentatives of all Political Parties.

Parliament of BurundiDonorBelgium Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Political CoordinatorMs. Lydia Maximus, Belgium

BackgroundIt is widely acknowledged that AWEPA has played a role in every important political moment in Burundi since the mid-1990s. From 1996 to 1998, AWEPA supported the National Assembly’s effort to partner with the Burundi government, which was ultimately suc-cessful. This partnership enabled talks with major political actors to take place, which led to the Arusha Peace and Reconciliation Agree-ment in 2000 and to subsequent cease-fire agreements with armed political movements. AWEPA also supported Burundi’s electoral process in 2005 and 2010. For the past 18 years, AWEPA facilitated the Burundian transnational justice mechanisms. In particular, since 2009, AWEPA has supported the permanent dialogue framework between senators and local councillors.

ObjectivesIn 2012, AWEPA’s main objective in Burundi and the surrounding region was to assist in the prevention of pending and the manage-ment of past conflicts. In order to pursue these goals AWEPA sought to strengthen national and local Members of Parliament’s capacity and develop parliamentary diplomacy mechanisms. By organising more parliamentary days on major national issues, AWEPA ena-

Hon. Hélène Aholou Kèkè, President of the Law Committee of the National Assembly of Benin, during the programme launch.

Opening Session of the Burundian Parliament.



From left to right: Mr. Mfuranzima, AWEPA representative in Burundi, M. Ndayiziga, Director of CENAP, Ms. Lydia Maximus, Political Coordinator for the AWEPA Burundi programme, Hon. Ntisezerana, Speaker of the Burundian Senate and Hon. Ntavyohanyuma, Speaker of

the Burundian National Assembly.

bled exchanges between parliamentarians, members of all Political Parties and leaders of civil society organisations, both of women’s groups and the general population. Important topics such as decen-tralisation, the permanent dialogue framework of senators and local councillors, the establishment of transitional justice mechanisms, political preparation for the 2015 elections and government action monitoring were discussed. As in other programmes, AWEPA aims to offer a platform for dia-logue while it also secures the basis of democracy by promoting human rights and contributing to the efforts of reconciliation and peace-building on a national and regional scale.

ImpactsThe following outcomes can be attributed to actions carried out in 2012 as part of the support programme to the Parliament of Burundi:• Parliament adopted a law acknowledging the status of the

political opposition in Burundi, as was announced by the President of the Republic on 14 November 2012;

• a national conference, co-organised by AWEPA in Bujumbura in June 2012, assembled the worldwide Burundian diasporas

which are now officially committed to supporting local development; The conference was attended by 140 Burundians from more than 20 countries;

• all senators in Burundi established direct contact with all communal bureaus throughout the country in order to establish good governance, democracy and sustainable development in Burundi;

• contact with neighbouring parliaments increased, strengthening regional cohesion;

• knowledge of decentralisation was improved and skills were transferred from the state to the municipalities, based on the visit of Burundian parliamentarians to Rwanda in September 2012.

Example Activity Workshop on the status of the political opposition law in Burundi. 28 March 2012, Bujumbura, Burundi.This initiative, organised in collaboration with CENAP (Burundi’s Conflict Alert and Prevention Centre), enabled the Burundian Parliament to inform civil society, political actors and religious rep-

Impacts AWEPA was able to develop a parliamentary cooperation plan with both Houses of the Parliament to strengthen its capacity to under-take parliamentary diplomacy and contribute to the management of conflicts in the Great Lakes region. This programme was facilitated within the multilateral framework of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR). AWEPA’s parliamentary coop-eration plan constitutes a strong foundation for further bilateral meetings to take place between members of the DRC Parliament and those of neighboring Rwanda, Uganda and Burundi to share views in order to find solutions to issues that currently oppose gov-ernments.

resentatives about the political opposition bill. Stakeholders were able to contribute in drafting the bill, which was thereafter approved and thus met a broad national consensus. After a discussion about neighbouring countries, where the status of political opposition is already determined, the discourse focused on the existence of the opposition in Burundi, the need to amend the current Constitution, possible coalitions for the upcoming 2015 elections, the viability of banning certain Political Parties in Burundi and respect for demo-cratic principles.•

Parliament of the Democratic Republic of Congo

Donor Belgium Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Political CoordinatorHon. François-Xavier de Donnea, Belgium

Senior Parliamentary AdvisorHon. Sabine de Bethune, Belgium

Background After consultations with the Congolese Parliament and donors in 2011, the Democratic Republic of Congo Programme achieved almost all of its successes in the context of conflict prevention, par-ticularly through parliamentary diplomacy and capacity building.The partnership between AWEPA and the Parliament of the Demo-cratic Republic of Congo (DRC) was founded in 1999. Since then, AWEPA has cooperated with the National Assembly and the Senate, and has developed activities with four provincial Legislative Assem-blies.AWEPA’s role has been to work jointly with the parliament of the DRC in supporting its main functions and in supporting both capac-ity building and parliamentary diplomacy. On the one hand, capacity building activities aim at strengthening Legislative Assemblies by the means of seminars and workshops, and develop the skills of specific actors (elected national parliamentarians, elected provincial deputies and women parliamentarians). On the other hand, parlia-mentary diplomacy targets conflict prevention and resolution.

Objectives

Hon. Higiro, Secretary General of the Forum, addresses the Forum of Parliaments of the Member States of the International Conference on

the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR-PF) in Novem ber. Kinshasa, DRC.

AWEPA’s main objective in DRC is strengthening the capacities of the bicameral Parliament, which is composed of a lower Chamber - the National Assembly, and an upper Chamber – the Senate. More specifically, the objectives of the AWEPA program in DRC in 2012 were:• to establish the needs of the DRC Parliament;• to organize a series of outreach activities to the attention of

parliamentarians and members of the administration of the National Assembly;

• to reinforce women parliamentarians capacities in the perspective of provincial and local elections;

• to promote parliamentary diplomacy, and in particular, to facilitate meetings between parliamentarians from DRC and Rwanda.



An Empowered and Effective East African Legislative Assembly (EALA)

DonorsSwedish International Development Agency (Sida) via the Embassy of Sweden, Nairobi, KenyaMinistry of Foreign Affairs of Norway via the Embassy of Sweden, Nairobi, Kenya

Political CoordinatorsHon. Kerstin Lundgren, Sweden

Senior Parliamentary AdvisorHon. Kerstin Engle, SwedenMs. Katharine Bulbulia, Ireland

BackgroundSince 2002, the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) and AWEPA have implemented programmes to develop EALA’s capac-ity in the region. EALA was founded in 2001 and functions as the legislative organ of the East African Community (EAC). EALA has 52 members, 45 of whom are elected to their position (nine from each of the five Partner States) and seven ex-officio members. The 3rd Assembly was inaugurated in June 2012 and seeks to consolidate the achievements of the 1st and 2nd Assembly: to maintain a regional

Example ActivityMeeting of the Executive Committee of the Parliamentary Forum of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR-PF). November 2012. Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo.Delegates of the concerned Parliaments were able to exchange views not only on the functioning of the Forum, but also on the state of bilateral relations. A delegation from the Parliaments of Rwanda and DRC attended the meeting and agreed on the ambitious agenda of the Plenary Assem-bly, which took place three months later, also in Kinshasa. Among other aspects, the agenda of the Plenary Assembly included an analysis of the root causes of the conflict in eastern DRC, the situ-ation between the Republic of Sudan and South Sudan and also the impact of the Lord’s Resistance Army in the Central African Repub-lic.•

presence and engage with legislative and development concerns in East Africa. The EAC’s integration agenda gives EALA this mandate, as specified by the EAC Treaty.

ObjectivesIn line with the vision of a prosperous, competitive, secure and politi-cally united EAC, the programme aims to contribute to accelerated, harmonious and balanced development and continued democratisa-tion in East Africa.The programme seeks to empower EALA to effectively fulfil its legis-lative, representative and oversight mandate, particularly in matters related to improving the EAC integration process and increasing co-operation among EAC Partner States in political, economic, social and cultural fields. Such activities are geared toward the mutual benefit of the EAC Partner States and their citizens. The programme seeks to im-plement legislation that is important to EAC integration, which would

be mutually beneficial for the Community and the Partner States. An-other goal of the programme is that the EAC inhabitants are made aware of the integration process and its role in their lives.ImpactsThe enactment of EALA’s mandate:• enhanced EALA’s legislative role and improved oversight;• effectively reached out to and represented civil society;• effectively connected with the National Assemblies of Partner

States as well as other African and non-African Parliaments.Moreover, the 2nd Assembly concluded their legislative and over-sight work on reports and bills in the form of public hearings, auditing of laws, EAC auditing and site visits, interaction with civil society and interaction with National Assemblies through the Speak-ers’ Bureau. The 3rd Assembly focused on building the capacity of the standing Committees in order to enact a smooth transition, since strong Committees are essential to the effectiveness of a Par-liament in implementing its powers.

Example ActivityRegional Affairs and Conflict Resolution Committee Public Hear-ings. April 2012. Kenya and Uganda.The Regional Affairs and Conflict Resolution (RACR) Committee held public hearings on pastoralist border communities in Kenya and Uganda. The objective was to appreciate and lobby for pastoralists’ issues in both countries and to enable pastoralist communities to influence policy, legislative processes and attitudes at the local and East African Community level. The results of the meetings led the RACR Committee to offer a number of recommendations. These recommendations were compiled in a report that was tabled at the EALA Plenary in May 2012. Strategies were developed for raising and sharing pastoralists’ concerns with EALA, Kenyan National Assembly and Uganda Assembly members. These actions will lead to the pro-motion of pastoralism as a viable livelihood.•

Villagers head for Ugandan border as unrest in DRC continues.

UN Photo/Sylvain Liechti

In June, elections were held for the office of the Speaker of the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA). After several years of

exceptionally good understanding with former Speaker Hon. Abdirahin H. Abdi, we are now pleased to welcome Hon. Margaret

Nantongo Zziwa as the new Speaker.



consequences of Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting. In Africa it is estimated that more than 90 million girls from ten years of age and above have undergone FGM/C. Along with international migration, FGM/C has become an issue of increasing concern in Europe as well. To successfully promote the abandonment of FGM/C, legislation for repression and care must be accompanied by a strong effort of information, providing sensitisation and education within the com-munities where FGM/C is practiced. Awareness-raising must take place at all levels, from governments to elected officials, from local administrations to traditional chiefs and religious leaders, women and youth organisations as well as of course the communities con-cerned. It is also crucial to continue implementing support measures for victims and finding alternative employment opportunities for women whose main income depends on the practice.As for Europe, cultural relativism must be avoided at all times. The same standard (e.g. human rights) must apply to women with differ-ent cultural backgrounds as to European women. After a successful partnership in 2011, AWEPA cooperated again in 2012 with UNFPA and UNICEF towards the abandonment of FGM/C in the context of their joint programme Female Genital Mutilation: Accelerating Change.

ObjectivesThe overall objective of AWEPA’s FGM/C programme is the abandon-ment of the practice of Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting in Africa and Europe within a generation. The purpose of the programme is to enhance the capacity of se-lected African parliaments – initially Burkina Faso, Mali and Senegal - to exercise their oversight, representative and legislative functions with regard to the practices of FGM/C. The programme focusses on one hand on FGM/C legislation and the monitoring of its implemen-tation, and on the other hand on education and sensitisation from a community-based approach.

Impacts• parliamentarians in Burkina Faso and Mali are more aware of

the issue of FGM/C in general and the cross-border FGM/C issue between Burkina Faso and Mali specifically;

• parliamentarians in Burkina Faso are better equipped to contribute to the drafting of the law on violence against women, including FGM/C;

• sharing of experience and expertise between African and European parliamentarians has increased mutual understanding and political will for cooperation;

• increased interaction between CSOs, citizens in Burkina Faso and African/European parliamentarians on the issue of FGM/C;

• there is a strengthened dialogue on the topic between

Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting Programme

DonorLuxembourg Ministry of Foreign Affairs via the United Nations Popu-lation Fund (UNFPA)

Political CoordinatorHon. Els van Hoof, Belgium

Senior Political AdvisorHon. Petra Bayr, Austria

BackgroundWorldwide around 100 to 140 million women are suffering the

Parliamentary Forum of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (PF-ICGLR)

Donors Belgium Ministry on Foreign Affairs Swiss Development Cooperation (SDC)

Political CoordinatorsHon. Alain Destexhe, BelgiumMs. Therese Frösch, Switzerland

Background In 2006, the Joint Secretariat “United Nations - African Union” re-quested AWEPA to facilitate parliamentary activities related to the Pact on Security, Stability and Development of the Great Lakes Re-gion. The aim was to allow the ownership and the ratification of the Pact by the country members of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR). Furthermore, parliaments had not been sufficiently involved in the process and parliamentarian action was required for the ratification of the above mentioned pact.AWEPA, in collaboration with the Executive Secretariat of the ICGLR, facilitated meetings of the Steering Committee in charge of the cre-ation of a Parliamentary Forum. This Forum was formed with the aim of working on a framework of dialogue between parliamentary institutions while supporting the efforts of their governments for achieving the goals of the Pact. Since its creation in 2008, the Forum addresses content issues which are discussed by the Heads of State and Government in the context of conflict management.

Objectives The main objective of the Programme is to contribute to the pre-vention of conflicts through parliamentary diplomacy and capacity building of the Forum’s secretariat. In 2012, the Forum focused on illegal exploitation of natural resources as well as active or latent conflicts. In addition, AWEPA facilitates the meetings of the Executive Com-mittee and the Plenary Sessions of the Forum, in compliance with the objectives of the Pact on security, stability and development. The 3rd Plenary Session of the Forum took place in January 2013.

Impacts The following outcomes can be attributed to actions carried out in 2012 as part of the support programme to the Parliamentary Forum

parliamentarians and local leaders;• the parliamentary handbook “Guidelines for parliamentarians:

abandoning Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting” has been published and disseminated;

• as a follow up to the parliamentary meeting on the abandonment of FGM/C in June 2012, Dutch Members of Parliament signed in July 2012 the Gender Multiparty Initiative, by which they declared a common commitment to equal opportunities and rights of women worldwide. In addition, two Parliamentarians tabled two motions on violence against women and on FGM/C which were adopted in the Dutch Parliament on 5 July 2012;

• related to the issue of FGM/C, AWEPA established in 2012 a partnership with the Girls Not Brides (GNB) Campaign. GNB is a campaign with a mission to end another harmful traditional practice, that of child marriage.

Example ActivitySeminar on the role of parliamentarians in the abandonment of FGM/C. April 2012. Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.In April 2012, the National Assembly of Burkina Faso, in cooperation with AWEPA, organised a National Workshop entitled Le rôle des parlementaires dans l’abandon des mutilations génitales féminines/excisions (MGF/E) (the role of parliamentarians in the abandonment of FGM/C). Nearly 40 parliamentarians participated, as well as repre-sentatives from the government, the National Council, local NGOs, as well as UNFPA and UNICEF. The First Lady of Burkina Faso, Ms. Chantal Compaoré, was present and opened the workshop. The main outcome of the workshop was the adoption of proposed “Key parliamentary actions” that Members of Parliament can undertake to favour FGM abandonment. Following the workshop, a group of parliamentarians led public consultations in two villages in the prov-ince of Yatenga, organised jointly with local NGOs, to exchange views with the citizens on the issue of FGM/C.•

AWEPA co-organised two public audiences in northern Burkina Faso to exchange views with the citizens on the issue of FGM/C.

In April, Hon. Dominique Tilmans met local women in the Yatenga province (Burkina Faso) on the occasion of public audiences

regarding the abandonment of FGM/C.



of the International Conference on the Great Lakes (ICGLR-PF):

• AWEPA contributed to the organisation of the statutory activities of the Parliamentary Forum. The Executive Committee meeting held in November 2012 had the task of establishing an agenda for the Plenary Assembly to be held three months later.

• the AWEPA Programmes in DRC, Rwanda and the Great Lakes region as a whole created a synergy which facilitated the meeting of DRC and Rwandan parliamentarians in the framework of the Parliamentary Forum;

• a delegation of DRC and Rwandan parliamentarians met in the Executive Committee of the ICGLR-PF and agreed on the ambitious agenda of the Plenary Assembly. At the Assembly, Congolese and Rwandan delegates met for the first time to discuss the volatile situation in eastern DRC. Furthermore, the venue allowed delegates from North and South Sudan to further dialogue in view of finding constructive and peaceful solutions.

• in order to contribute to peace, security and development in the Great Lakes region, meetings between DRC and Rwandan parliamentarian delegations have been scheduled to continue taking place in the future.

Example ActivityPlenary Assembly of the Parliamentary Forum of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region. The most important activity of this AWEPA Programme during 2012 was the co-organisation of the Plenary Assembly of the Forum to-gether with the Forum General Secretariat and the DRC Parliament. Attended by seven speakers, all the Forum parliamentarians and a delegation of South Sudanese parliamentarians, the Plenary Assem-bly allowed the participants to address important common issues and make strong resolutions. The several debates resulted in the adoption of a Declaration and the following five Resolutions: • on the security situation in the Central African Republic;• on the security situation in eastern DRC; • on the security situation in Sudan and South Sudan;• on sexual violence based on gender in the Great Lakes region

and;• on the parliamentary follow up of the decisions taken by the

Heads of State and Government of the ICGLR.•

Strengthening Regional Parliaments Towards Achieving the Millennium

Development Goals

DonorsSwedish International Development Agency (Sida)

Political CoordinatorHon. Holger Gustafsson, Sweden

Senior Political Advisor

Hon. Wolfgang Pirklhuber, Austria

BackgroundIn September 2010, world leaders gathered in New York to reaffirm their commitment to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and evaluate progress. With the 2015 target date only a couple of years away the campaign results are spread unevenly across the continents, with least achievement in Africa. Certain goals are still achievable, but good governance is required to achieve the set objectives. Unfortunately, there is a striking lack of systematic engagement of elected representatives of the affected populations in the process of policy formulation and implementa-tion. African parliamentarians face the daunting task of providing oversight of legislation, policies and development funds towards the MDGs without access to research on policy impacts, information on budgets allocations and foreign aid flows.Through the MDG Programme, AWEPA aims at capacitating parlia-mentarians, thereby strengthening evidence-based policy dialogues and parliamentary democracy as a means towards Africa’s achieve-ment of the MDGs over 2011-2015.In 2012, discussions to shape the post-2015 development agenda gained momentum, but only an inclusive consultative process will ensure that all actors, including parliaments, are involved in its im-plementation, monitoring and, eventually, its success.

ObjectivesThe overall objective of the MDG Programme is to contribute to the realisation of democracy, poverty reduction and sustainable de-velopment in Africa through supporting the capacity development of regional African Parliaments (PAP, CEMAC Parliament, EALA, ECOWAS Parliament, SADC-PF), and through promoting a better understanding among European parliamentarians of the challenges for achieving the MDGs in Africa. Achieving the Millennium Develop-

ment Goals is contingent upon supporting locally-owned solutions for poverty eradication, enhancing transparency and accountability of governance frameworks, reinforcing regional integration and peer-learning mechanisms. It also entails that policy makers at the national, regional and international levels acknowledge the cru-cial role of Members of Parliament in attaining most of the MDGs targets and sub-targets, as well as the role of policy coherence in Europe.

Impacts• Discussions and recommendations made within regional

parliaments are taken increasingly into account in the international MDG-related policy debate;

• a number of activity recommendations and communiqués were tabled for plenary discussions and adopted by regional parliamentary bodies, including on the sustainable development of the Lake Chad basin, on making agricultural investment work in West Africa and on Youth Employment in the East African Community (EAC) region;

• regional parliaments were invited to consultation meetings to shape the post-2015 development agenda;

• increased engagement from parliamentarians of the Pan-African Parliament (PAP) in the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP);

• strengthened North-South dialogue through the exchange of lessons learned on the fair management of natural resources.

Example ActivityParliamentary Seminar on the integration of children and youth in East African societies. April 2012. Nairobi, Kenya. In April 2012, AWEPA and the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) hosted the seminar “Towards Parliamentary Action for In-tegration of Children and Youth in East African Societies”, which Plenary Assembly of the Forum of Parliaments of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region. January, Kinshasa, DRC.

In April, AWEPA and EALA hosted a seminar on the integration of children and youth in East African societies. Nairobi, Kenya.



Mozambique Strategic Vision Programme

DonorsSwedish International Development Agency (Sida) via Diakonia The Royal Norwegian Embassy in Maputo, MozambiqueAustrian Development Agency via North South Dialogue (GEZA)The Frisian Urban Sanitation Programme (FUSP)

Political CoordinatorHon. Bodil Ceballos, Sweden

Senior Parliamentary AdvisorMs. Maria Antonia Avilés Perea, Spain

BackgroundAWEPA has been supporting the democratic process in Mozambique since 1992. While starting with major civic education programmes and election observation projects, it shifted its focus to capacity building programmes for elected organs in the past ten years. AWEPA Mozambique works in the framework of its Multi-Annual Programme, which consists of four components: the Parliamentary Programme, the Local Government Programme, the Political Parties Programme as well as Research and Publications. Cross cutting is-sues such as HIV/AIDS, Gender and Child Rights form an integral part of the programmes.In 2012, significant laws were approved to enhance good govern-ance and transparency in Mozambique. The Parliament prepared five laws to amend the electoral legislation that will pave the way for municipal elections in 2013, and national elections in 2014. There-fore the focus for AWEPA’s Mozambique programme in 2013 will be

on training members of Political Parties and journalists on the new electoral law and their role as electoral observers.In addition, AWEPA collaborates with the Frisian Urban Sanitation Project (FUSP) in partnership with the Ministry of State Adminis-tration and the Mozambican National Water Directorate. FUSP is a consortium of Dutch Water Partners (Water Board Fryslân, Vitens Water Company, Province of Fryslân, and the Association of Frisian Municipalities) which aims to address the sanitation and hygiene challenges in urban and peri-urban areas of Mozambique.

ObjectivesThe aim of the programme in Mozambique is to contribute to the development of a democratic process, with properly functioning democratic institutions, a fair knowledge of and respect for the rule of law and human rights, for the benefit of the Mozambican citizens. AWEPA works in cooperation with different partners, primarily with the Parliament, Municipalities, Provincial Assemblies and Political Parties, by building their capacities and by creating opportunities for the exchange of information and best practices.

AWEPA’s work in Mozambique is built around three main axes:

• Parliamentary programme: AWEPA contributes to strengthening the capacity of the Parliament to perform its oversight, legislative and representative roles more effectively and to oversee government spending;

• Local Government Programme: AWEPA contributes to strengthening the capacity of Municipal and Provincial Assemblies to perform their oversight, legislation and representation roles more effectively in general, and to enforce accountability and transparency of government spending;

• Political Parties Programme: AWEPA contributes to strengthening the capacities of Political Parties in order to participate more effectively in the multiparty democratic process during non-electoral and electoral periods and to build a constructive relationship between Members of Parliament and Parties.

ImpactsIn total, 980 people participated in the activities organised by AWEPA in 2012. The following impacts can be attributed to the capacity building actions of AWEPA’s parliamentary programme in Mozambique:

• parliamentarians’ institutional capacity was enhanced, especially in terms of parliamentary administration and regulations, as well as Information and Communication Technologies (ICT);

• parliamentarian’s representative function was stimulated

facilitated an open discussion about the current state of youth and children-related policies in the region as far as education and employment are concerned, and brought about a series of recom-mendations to enhance the role of regional parliaments in youth empowerment. The two-day seminar was attended by parliamentar-ians from EALA and from other regional parliaments. Commitments were made to monitor the implementation of the laws, charters and declarations related to the well-being of youth as well as to promote a structured dialogue and a consultation process with East African institutions to ensure the coherence of youth-related policies. •

through an exchange visit of the Committee of Petitions to Sweden; Mozambican legislators gained information on matters dealing with the concerns of the citizens;

• parliamentarians strengthened their skills and gained knowledge on legislation through two seminars: a seminar to review with the Committee of Constitutional Affairs, Human Rights and Legality, and a seminar to sensitize the Committee of Social Affairs, Gender and Environment on the new family law. Moreover, journalists were introduced to the Mozambican Penal Code;

• targeted Parliamentary Committees were sensitised to specific international or national laws. The Women Parliamentary Cabinet was sensitised on unsafe abortion, while the Committee of Planning and Budgeting was sensitised on the operationalisation of the Busan recommendations;

• the parliamentary oversight function was strengthened through the training of parliamentarians on development aid monitoring;

• after attending the 31st session of the SADC Parliamentary Forum, held in Maputo, parliamentarians were sensitised on the importance of strengthening parliamentary democracy in the SADC region;

• the skills of parliamentary staff were strengthened through training in public relations and interaction with the public.

In 2012, AWEPA’s Local Government programme achieved the following results:

• the skills of Councillors, staff and members of the Municipalities were enhanced, especially in terms of budgeting and planning;

• the capacities of members of the Provincial Assembly were strengthened through seminars on their prerogatives and on the interaction with other institutions and civil society;

• a cooperation project was launched to improve sanitation in urban and peri-urban areas in Mozambique with FUSP, the Ministry of State Administration and the National Water Directorate.

Lastly, AWEPA’s Political Parties Programme:

• The capacities of Political Parties on planning and budgeting were strengthened. Fundraising strategies for the parties Frelimo, Renamo and Mozambique Democratic Movement (MDM) were elucidated;

• Reflection on the peace process was stimulated through a seminar on the 20 years since the Peace Agreement and the

Exchange visit of the Committee of Petitions of the Mozambican Parliament to the Gästrike Återvinnare (environmental and recycling plant), in Sweden, in November. The delegates learned about the Swedish waste system of collection, separation and treatment, planning,

taxes and fees.



Network Of Women Parliamentarians Of Central Africa

(RFPAC)

DonorsBelgium Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Political CoordinatorHon. Magda De Meyer, Belgium

Senior Parliamentary Advisor Hon. Els van Hoof, Belgium

Background The Network of Women Parliamentarians of Central Africa (RFPAC) was established in March 2002 on the request of women parliamen-tarians attending an AWEPA conference in the region. With AWEPA’s assistance, RFPAC has since formed all-women parliamentarian plat-forms that gather at least once a year. The network includes women parliamentarians from Angola, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and Republic of Congo.The network statutes assimilate key statements such as the Pro-tocol to the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), the UN Resolu-tion 1325 and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

consolidation of democracy in Mozambique. • Furthermore, various Political Process Bulletins were published

by AWEPA on topics such as the anti-corruption legislation package, the Mozambican response to carbon credits and the municipal by-elections. These bulletins are published jointly by the Centre for Public Integrity (CIP) and AWEPA, and have been covering elections and democratisation in Mozambique since 1992.

Example Activity Exchange visit Committee of Petitions of the Assembly of the Republic of Mozambique to Sweden. 5-9 November. Stockholm, Sweden.In 2012, the Mozambican Parliament, through the Committee of Pe-titions, undertook the process of reviewing the Petitions Law (Lei de Petições) and Parliamentary Internal Laws (Regimento) with the aim of simplifying citizens’ exercise of the right to petition to the Parliament. Through this exchange visit the Mozambican delegation exchanged information and experience with their Swedish col-leagues, since Sweden has a long-time experience in this matter and is a model to other countries being the first to establish an Ombuds-man’s office in 1809.The delegation was headed by the Chair of the Committee Hon. Mário Sevene and composed of Hon. Latifo Ismael Xarifo, Hon. Lu-ciano Andrè de Castro, Hon. Ana Antonia Dimitri, Hon. Ângelo Thai and Hon. Miguel Anlauè Mussa. The then Political Coordinator for the AWEPA Mozambique programme, Dr. Jan Nico Scholten was also part of the delegation. Hon. Sevene explained that in Mozam-bique this Committee is dealing with petitions put forward by all civilians, including foreigners, who reside in Mozambique; “we call this Committee the door through which citizens can go to Parlia-ment” Hon. Sevene said. The delegation had several meetings in the Parliament, Municipal-ity of Gävle, donor agencies Sida and Diakonia and other institutes such as the Federation of Swedish Farmers and Swedish Coopera-tive Centre.•

ObjectivesRFPAC aims to contribute to the political, economic and social pro-motion of Central African women, the construction of a gender balanced democracy, the enhancement of women’s representation, the preservation of peace and the implementation of impartial jus-tice. RFPAC seeks to accomplish these goals through strengthening and supporting women parliamentarians in their legislative, ex-ecutive oversight, and constituent’s representation functions; and representing the voice of women in their countries.Through the RFPAC programme, AWEPA aims to improve the posi-tion of all women in the region, by supporting women candidates in elections, encouraging women’s economic prosperity and enhanc-ing the capacity of women.Impacts

The following outcomes can be attributed to actions carried out in 2012 as part of the RFPAC-AWEPA programme:• Guidelines for parliamentarians on abandoning Female Genital

Mutilation/Cutting, produced together with Pan-African Parliament’s Women Caucus, were finalised and distributed by women parliamentarians for use in Central African parliaments;

• women parliamentarians drafted a plan of action to implement regional and national strategies of accountability directed toward future generations, with regard to MDG 3: Promote gender equality and empower women through education;

• workshops empowered women parliamentarians and strengthened their roles within their national parliaments; they succeeded in bringing gender-related topics to their home parliament’s national agenda;

• women parliamentarians succeeded in integrating gender into the AWEPA organised seminar on Managing Africa’s natural

resources towards achieving the MDGs, held in Rome in September 2012.

Example ActivityRegional Conference of RFPAC on MDG 3: Promote gender equality and empower women through education. 24–25 October 2012. Malabo, Equatorial Guinea.Women parliamentarians from Central African member countries met for two days in Equatorial Guinea to share best practices, experi-ences, testimonies and to suggest practical solutions for promoting “women and education” (an aspect of MDG 3). The event addressed essential concerns and the discussions that emerged showed that not only is education crucial to development, but that it is also the anchor for all MDGs. Eminent figures also contributed to the success of the conference: the President and First Lady of Equatorial Guinea attended, as well as experts from the United Nations, various Ministries and universities. RFPAC established legislative plans of action in order to implement regional and national resolutions to reduce gender disparities at all levels of education.•

Honoured by the President and the First Lady of Equatorial Guinea, RFPAC held a conference in their capital, Malabo.

The regional RFPAC conference held in October addressed women em-powerment as a means to achieve Millennium Development Goal 3.



Parliament of Rwanda

DonorBelgium Ministry on Foreign Affairs

Political CoordinatorHon. Alain Destexhe, Belgium

Background AWEPA has provided parliamentary support to both Chambers of the Parliament of Rwanda since 2003, which includes activities with parliamentarians and staff members. In 2012, the programme also in-volved Parliamentary diplomacy, conflict prevention as well as peace consolidation.AWEPA’s Programme in Rwanda is focused on implementing projects such as field visits of Parliamentary Committees to provinces, parlia-mentary seminars and workshops in collaboration with experts, as well as visits in the framework of peace building. Training on technical issues has also been organised with staff members. Furthermore, the AWEPA Programme in Rwanda is working with the Chamber of Depu-ties on its evaluation, with the aim of making a critical and prospective assessment during the current legislature and identifying good prac-tices and weaknesses.

ObjectivesAWEPA’s objective in its partnership with the Parliament of Rwanda is to support the Parliament’s tripartite mission of legislating, con-

trolling the actions of government and representing the people. To achieve this goal, AWEPA’s specific objectives in 2012 were the follow-ing:• contributing to the capacity building of Rwandan

parliamentarians on the submission and the development of legislation but also on the oversight of government action;

• contributing to the functioning of the joint Chambers Ad Hoc Committee on the situation in eastern DRC;

• strengthening the representative function of Parliament by facilitating field visits;

• performing a critical and prospective assessment of the work done by the Chamber of Deputies during its first legislature;

• enhancing the capacity of the administration, especially in archiving;

• enhancing parliamentary diplomacy and conflict prevention in the Great Lakes region via exchange visits and meetings, especially between Congolese and Rwandan parliamentarians.

ImpactsThe following impacts can be attributed to the actions of AWEPA in Rwanda:• administrative services of the Parliament were enhanced after

a group of librarians and archivists attended an eight-month capacity building training;

• field visits strengthened the representative function of parliamentarians. Rwandan parliamentarians were made

Supporting Legislative Institutions in Somalia

DonorsDelegation of the European Commission in KenyaMinistry of Foreign Affairs of the NetherlandsPolitical CoordinatorDr. Jan Nico Scholten, the Netherlands

Senior Parliamentary AdvisorHon. Maria Martens, the Netherlands

BackgroundAWEPA has actively been supporting Legislative Institutions in Soma-lia since 2002, first with support from the European Commission and later with support from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Nether-lands. Partnerships have also been developed with the United Nations

Political Office for Somalia (UNPOS) and the United Nations Develop-ment Programme (UNDP) in Somalia, with whom activities have been carried out under the Somali programme. New agreements have been concluded for the continuation of support with both the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the European Union. A systematic co-ordination mechanism is also in place to ensure that AWEPA’s support remains relevant.

ObjectiveThe overall objective of this programme is to contribute towards the democratic development of a modern state, which embodies the principles of good governance, effective representation, account-ability and transparency, and respect for human rights. This is done through supporting the capacity and development of Somali Legis-lative Institutions to perform their functions. Besides the traditional functions of representing constituents, debating, amending and pass-ing legislation, and exercising oversight over executive actions, in the Somali context, an additional function can be added; to reconcile op-posing parties.In 2012, the AWEPA programme assisted the newly inaugurated Fed-eral Parliament to develop its capacities to play its role in stabilising the political environment, re-connecting with citizens, and perform-ing the traditional roles of a Parliament. In tandem with the support to the Federal Parliament, the programme also serves and responds to the needs of the Houses of Assembly in Somaliland and the Puntland Parliament. All support given has the full ownership of the Legislative Institutions concerned.

ImpactsTraining has proceeded at institutional level as well as at the levels of Leadership, Committees and staff on both general and special-ised topics, depending on the priorities identified by the institution

more aware of the status and prospects of foreign refugees in Rwanda;

• in the aim of contributing to conflict prevention and peace consolidation between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), an Ad Hoc Committee successfully analysed and reported on the evolution of relations between the two countries over the past 15 years.

Example ActivityThe Parliament of Rwanda has decided to set up an Ad Hoc Committee to analyse the evolution of relations between DRC and Rwanda since the late 1990s. A report was written by the Ad Hoc Committee in Kin-yarwanda. The Parliament of Rwanda requested AWEPA´s support for the transla-tion of the report in English and French as well as for its dissemination. This operation aimed at producing a document which could be useful for Rwandan Parliament partners and their Congolese counterparts to explore the reasons underlying conflict, while attempting to jointly find peaceful solutions. •

Meeting of the Ad Hoc Committee of the Parliament of Rwanda to analyse the evolution of relations between DRC and Rwanda. From left to right: Hon. Bazatoha, Hon. Mukansine, Hon. Karangwa, Hon. Mukabalisa and Hon. Kayinamura.

Late 2012, daily life in Mogadishu returns to normal.UN Photo/Tobin Jones



Strengthening Regional Parliamentary Capacity in the

Southern African Development Community (SADC)

Donor

Austrian Development Agency (ADA)

Political CoordinatorMinister of State Ms. Miet Smet, Belgium

BackgroundThe transformation of the Southern African Development Com-munity Parliamentary Forum (SADC-PF) into a Regional Parliament is essential to the regional development of the SADC’s 258 million citizens. The project aims at making a contribution to the fulfilment of the priorities outlined in the 2011-2015 Strategic Plan of the SADC-PF towards its eventual transformation to a fully-fledged Regional Parliament. The first portion of the project aims at strengthening the capacity of the staff as closer engagement between the Forum and SADC national Parliaments on the one hand, and the SADC Sec-retariat on the other, begins. From there, selected priority activities will be implemented within the framework of the project through to the close of 2013. Additionally, participation by SADC-PF in the 4th High-Level Forum (HLF-4) held in Busan in 2011, and subsequent participation in the post-Busan discussions, has assured a voice to the SADC position on the aid and development reform process. At the same time, the programme has ensured that SADC-PF’s institutional develop-ment efforts are informed by emerging lessons and assessments conducted within the context of the evolving aid and development effectiveness architecture.

ObjectiveThe project aims to support the SADC-PF in developing its institutional capacity to function as a Regional Parliament.

pected to function based on the principle of cooperative governance. In this framework service delivery is located with the provincial state level – and the provinces share concurrent powers with the national sphere to formulate and implement policies related to education, health, housing and social welfare, amongst others. The Provincial Legislatures have also had the additional responsibility to oversee the performance of the provincial departments and facilitate public participation in governance processes. As the first decade of post-apartheid South Africa was mainly dedicated to policy formulation,

concerned. These and other facilities have improved institutional ca-pacities to respond to a broad variety of challenges. Although there continue to be challenges on the security front, the project has been able so far to mitigate these obstacles, and facilities provided at the request of the institution concerned, continue to be implemented. A new development is that Mogadishu is now accessible. Thereafter the new Federal Parliament is meeting regularly. •

Pan-African Seminar on Regional Parliamentary Development held in May in Johannesburg, South Africa.

South African Provincial Legislatures (SAPL)

Donors Swiss Agency for Development (SDC)Belgian Embassy Flemish Representation

Political CoordinatorHon. Jan Roegiers, Flanders

Senior Parliamentary AdvisorHon. Johan Verstreken, Flanders

BackgroundSince 1996, the AWEPA South African Provincial Legislatures (SAPL) Programme has operated in a broader South African political context, whereby constitutional power is shared between three spheres of government (national, provincial and local government), which are ex-

Members of the Legislature and the chairpersons of the Municipal Public Accounts Committee pledging their commitment to the

newly established Provincial Public Accounts Chairpersons Forum, by way of creating an artwork containing handprints.

ImpactsIn close partnership with the Secretariat of the SADC-PF, the pro-gramme has further developed and professionalised, and has established a solid foundation for achieving the transformation process. Activities began with SADC parliamentary participation in the HLF-4. The experience gained at this international gathering was employed during the extraordinary meeting of the Trade, Develop-ment and Regional Integration Committee held in Maputo in July 2012, as the Committee began the process of formulating a SADC perspective on the outcomes of the HLF-4 and the aid reform pro-cess. In the meantime, other project activities gathered preliminary data from each of the organs of the SADC-PF, its parliamentary counter-parts in other regions, and Member Parliaments in the region on the best way forward in terms of a successful transformation process. Towards these ends, amongst other activities, a regional survey amongst the National Parliaments was conducted and a regional parliamentary seminar aimed at the collection of best practices and lessons learnt from other regional parliaments was executed in 2012.

Example Activity

Pan-African Seminar on Regional Parliamentary Development. 17-18 May 2012. Johannesburg, South Africa.The seminar served as a platform for dialogue on key issues towards strengthening SADC-PF’s strategic approach and its transformation agenda. Participants discussed and compared the varying insti-tutional development paths taken by the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) and the Parliament of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). This included information exchange on best practices in terms of membership, mandates and how these parliaments have been able to maintain financial autonomy, as well as how to face challenges and setbacks. In doing so participants had the opportunity to reflect on the institutional strengths, roles and coordination of Africa’s regional parliamentary bodies in the evolv-ing development aid landscape.•



the second decade is mainly devoted to the proper implementation of policies through oversight and public participation. It is in the context of this second decade that the SAPL Programme has become even more relevant, now focusing on the promotion of service delivery and poverty reduction. As a response to the call for the Provincial Legislatures to exercise more vigorous and effec-tive oversight, the AWEPA-SAPL Programme has contributed to the capacity building of the Provincial Legislatures, as well as to those in-volved in public participation and law-making.

ObjectiveTo enhance the performance of the South African Provincial Leg-islatures in their oversight, legislation roles, as well as to better facilitate public participation.

ImpactsThe Programme has been particularly effective in advancing the capacity of members in fiscal oversight, by facilitating and devel-oping Provincial Speakers Forums and Municipal Public Account Committee Chairpersons Forums, and other relevant workshop in-terventions. Furthermore, the programme has allowed the sharing of best practices regarding ethics and accountability to eradicate corruption and foster transparency. Some of the examples of the impacts generated by the AWEPA SAPL Programme include:• assisting in the development of and formulating a strategic

plan for the Gauteng Provincial Legislature Speakers Forum;• establishment of Municipal Public Accounts Committee (MPAC)

Chairpersons Forum in the Northern Cape Province;• improved transparency and fiscal oversight capability through

training for the Limpopo Provincial Legislature Speakers Forum;• enhanced capacity of the Limpopo Legislature to adhere to

legislative rules and procedures in order further strengthen and bring about the inherent democratic values contained in the rules and procedures.

Example ActivityWorkshop to establish and capacitate the Municipal Public Ac-counts Committee Chairpersons Forum of the Northern Cape Provincial Legislature. 29-30 November 2012. Port Nolloth, South Africa.In 2012, AWEPA contributed to the establishment and initial capaci-tation of the Municipal Public Accounts Committee Chairpersons Forum of the Northern Cape Provincial Legislature. The MPAC’s are an initiative suggested by the National Assembly of the Parliament of South Africa to strengthen the fiscal oversight capabilities of local government. Due to the highly technical nature of providing fiscal oversight, AWEPA was requested to facilitate a training module for

the members of the Forum.The feedback and experience gained from this training, which was organised in partnership with the Institute for Democracy in South Africa (IDASA), has led to a refinement and expansion of the mod-ule to include further workshops centered on technical aspects and on site mentoring during the preparation of the annual oversight report.•

South Sudan’s Legislative Assembly and State Assemblies

Donor Delegation of the European Commission in Sudan

Political Coordinator Dr Jan Nico Scholten, the Netherlands

Senior Parliamentary AdvisorsMr. Johan Van Hecke, Uganda (Belgium)Hon. Désirée Bonis, the Netherlands

BackgroundIn the wake of South Sudan’s independence on 9 July 2011, promot-ing sustainable peace, good governance and economic stability through institutional development have become crucial, as ethnic relations after so many years of civil war remain fragile. AWEPA is currently implementing a two-year capacity building programme in the National Legislative Assembly and the State Assemblies. The programme, sponsored by the European Union, consists of gen-eral and specialised trainings, technical consultancies, study visits and secondments, legislative support, participation in parliamen-tary conferences, community outreach programmes, media action, publications and parliamentary handbooks. The focus of this pro-gramme is to remedy the weak legislative regime in the Assembly, insufficient organisational systems and procedures, inadequate hu-man resource management policies, weak governance and the lack of civil society participation in matters of their governance.

Objective The overall objective of the programme is to contribute to achieving meaningful participatory leadership, good governance, account-ability and improved service delivery in South Sudan through an effective legislature. The programme and its activities serve the spe-cific objective of improving the capacity of the South Sudan National Legislative Assembly (NLA) and the ten State Assemblies in South

Sudan to respond to the challenges they face while enacting their legislative, oversight and representative functions.

ImpactsThe following impacts can be attributed to the actions of AWEPA in South Sudan:• technical legislative support was provided in scrutiny, analysis

and drafting of bills;• all Members were trained in budget scrutiny, oversight and

analysis;• radio talk shows with members of the NLA were sponsored;• administrative capacity of the NLA was strengthened through

skills-based training for staff of the Assembly in Public Relations and Protocol, Records and Information Management, Public Sector Finance Management and transcribing and editing;

• the staff structure of the NLA was reviewed and the roles and functions of the different departments were clarified;

• several publications were produced and distributed: a manual on Records and Information Management, a manual on Budget Scrutiny, Analysis and Oversight, the Hansard Style & Usage Guide and Transcribing Guidelines;

• human resource policy manuals were developed;• public participation was strengthened through public hearings;• the NLA became a Member of the Inter-Parliamentary Union

(IPU) Assembly;• a plan of action for the first year of the NLA was developed;• all Clerks and Deputy Clerks of the State Assemblies were

trained in parliamentary procedures and practices.

Example ActivitySupport to the Committee on Public Accounts (PAC) in analysing and scrutinising the National Audit Chamber (NAC) reports. 20 July – 18 August 2012, South Sudan.AWEPA supported the Committee on Public Accounts (PAC) in analysing and scrutinising the National Audit Chamber (NAC) reports for the periods that ended on 31 December 2007 and 2008. By supporting the scrutiny of NAC Reports AWEPA made a significant contribution in strengthening the role of the National Legislative Assembly, by examining how resources are used to deliver critical services to the people of the Republic of South Sudan.

Compliance with the relevant laws, regulations and literature on public sector financial management in the Republic of South Sudan was reviewed, and the PAC members were briefed accordingly. Briefing papers were produced to help the members interrogate witnesses during public hearings. Committee members were able to interrogate accounting officers about the queries raised by the National Audit Chamber of the Republic of South Sudan.•

Closing session of the training for Councillors in Mvolo County



South Sudan’s Legislative Assembly and Local Councils

DonorsMinistry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands

Political CoordinatorDr Jan Nico Scholten, the Netherlands

Senior Parliamentary Advisor Mr. Johan Van Hecke, Uganda (Belgium)Hon. Désirée Bonis, the Netherlands

BackgroundSouth Sudan is marred by bitter ethnic divisions that date back more than 100 years. AWEPA believes they can only be solved by education, economic development and responsive governance. This programme strengthens the capacity of ten Local Councils of Western and Central Equatoria States through the training of all Councillors in five extensive training modules using a Train the Trainer methodology, publications and community outreach visits. Special emphasis is placed on the promotion and respect of human rights, peace and reconciliation and gender equality in the interest of easing tensions between communities and improving human se-curity. The programme ensures a consultative law-making process and serves as a cornerstone for participatory and democratic gov-ernance, giving society the resilience to resolve conflicts without resorting to violence.

Objective The Parliamentary Capacity Building programme, implemented by AWEPA in close cooperation with the National Legislative Assem-bly (NLA) in South Sudan, serves the overall objective of improving human security, strengthening the state of law and decreasing structural poverty, through participatory leadership, good gov-ernance, accountability and improved service delivery by effective legislatures in South Sudan. The Programme organises community outreach visits in order to help Councillors and NLA Members strengthen their relationships with the people they represent. Furthermore, it facilitates dialogue between Councillors, Members of Parliament, Community Based Organisations (CBOs) and Faith Based Organisations (FBOs). It also supports the interface between the Assembly and the public

Parliament of Uganda

DonorBelgium Ministry on Foreign Affairs

Political CoordinatorMr. Johan Van Hecke, Uganda (Belgium)

Senior Parliamentary Advisor Hon. Denis Naughten, Ireland

BackgroundThe Parliament of Uganda and AWEPA first signed a Memorandum of Understanding in 2001, which was renewed in 2005 and 2011. The current Parliament is the 9th post-independence Parliament. It commenced in May 2011 and will expire in May 2016. Of its 374 members, 212 are first-time parliamentarians. This means that the majority of the Members had never been exposed to parliamentary work; hence, guidance on certain basic principles of parliamentary practices and procedures is necessary.

Objective AWEPA’s Parliamentary Support Programme seeks to strengthen and better equip Parliament and parliamentary Committees so that they will be better able to execute their oversight function, formu-late policies and draft laws on their respective areas of focus. Also, the programme seeks to empower Members of Parliament to en-gage in current issues affecting Uganda’s democratic development.

Impacts• The newly created Human Rights Committee was able to

conduct a study on human rights and present two reports to the Parliament;

• AWEPA printed the business plan and information package of the Institute of Parliamentary Studies and facilitated its launch. As a result, the Parliament carried out the first trainer of trainees session for parliamentary staff and Members of Parliament;

• the induction of women parliamentarians on the role of legislators in implementing the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) enabled the Parliament to amend the rules of procedure.

Example Activity

through printed and electronic media.Lastly, with the increase of tribal violence in South Sudan under-mining the stability of the new state, special attention is given to enhancing the role of parliamentarians in conflict prevention and resolution, peace building and respect for human rights. Therefore, AWEPA also facilitates reconciliation meetings between the Mem-bers of the NLA and the tribal leaders.

Impacts• The first training module on decentralisation and the local

South Sudanese Government system was developed and published;

• 20 South Sudanese (two staff members from each of the ten Local Councils) were trained as local trainers for Councillors at the first training module on decentralisation and the local government system in South Sudan.

Example Activity Training of Trainers on decentralisation and the local government system in South Sudan. 12-17 November 2012.After the development of the first training module on decentralisa-tion and the local government system, AWEPA organised a training of trainers for 20 South Sudanese. The participants were two staff members from each of the ten local councils. The purpose of the training was twofold. First, it provided trainers with different facilita-tion methods for delivering the training to the Councillors. Secondly, it provided them with key concepts about the decentralised system, the local government system and the local council procedures and practices.•

Training of Local Councillors on decentralisation and local government system, in Mundri West.

Two staff members from each of the ten South Sudanese Local Councils received training in 2012.



Parliament of Zimbabwe

DonorsSwedish International Development Agency (Sida) Delegation of the European Commission in ZimbabweNetherlands Organisation for International Cooperation in Higher Education (NUFFIC) via Management for Development Foundation (MDF)

Political CoordinatorHon. Maria Martens, the Netherlands

BackgroundAWEPA’s activities of support and assistance in Zimbabwe started in 2012 and feature two main components. On the one hand, AWEPA facilitates capacity building of parliamentary members and staff; on the other hand, AWEPA capacitates a Zimbabwean-based civil soci-ety organisation, the Southern African Parliamentary Trust (SAPST) , to offer domestic support in terms of legislative analysis and draft-ing and the enhancement of oversight in regards to human rights and gender equity. AWEPA’s assistance to parliamentary staff takes the form of study exchange visits to gain further knowledge about best practices concerning facets of parliamentary business such as research, dissemination and storage of information, public partici-pation, drafting legislation and improved oversight and monitoring.AWEPA understands its contribution to strengthening the parlia-mentary democracy of Zimbabwe to be difficult not only because of the overt political issues facing the country but also because of the lack of sufficient resources facing the Parliament of Zimbabwe. AWEPA’s contribution, although small, is thus greatly appreciated by the participants. All involved in the project understand that strong parliaments are the engine room of democracy, economic sustainability and poverty alleviation not only in Zimbabwe but also for the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the African continent.

Objective The objective of the AWEPA programme in Zimbabwe is to support the development of an open and participative Parliament that ex-cels not only in the discharge of its duties of oversight, law making and representation, but also in anchoring peace and good govern-ance in Zimbabwe.The programme provides capacity building support both for parlia-mentarians and the staff. A number of activities involve visits by the staff and parliamentarians to other Parliaments in Africa, in order to

Seminar on the role of parliamentarians in implementing the CE-DAW Convention on the Elimination of All forms of Discrimination against Women. March 2012. Kampala, Uganda.The Seminar enabled the Parliament of Uganda to discuss the 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th observations and recommendations made about Uganda’s progress report by the UN Committee on Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women. Consequently, a motion was moved to amend the rules of proce-dure by ensuring that, before Ministries and parastatal organisations present country status reports to the United Nations and other stakeholders, these reports are first discussed and adopted by the Parliament.The workshop guided participants on how Uganda can make its na-tional legislative and policy framework fully into compliance with the Convention.•

share experiences and best practices.

Impacts• Enhanced capacity of the Zimbabwean Parliament to recognize

the dangers associated with climate change and its adverse effects on sustainability. Enhanced regional coordination to better mitigate the impact of climate change;

• strengthening of mechanisms aimed at supporting Zimbabwean parliamentarians in protecting human rights and enhancing gender equity;

• enhanced levels of cooperation between parliaments of Zimbabwe, Zambia and South Africa, as a result of study exchange visits of Zimbabwean parliamentary staff to the parliaments of Zambia and South Africa;

• enhanced knowledge of parliamentary staff in the areas of research, dissemination and storage of information, public participation, drafting legislature and improved oversight and monitoring.

Example Activity Seminar on Climate Change. November 2012, Zimbabwe.The programme started with a seminar in November 2012, for the Committee on Environment, Natural Resources Management, Tour-ism and the Hospitality Industry on Climate Change. The purpose of the seminar was to brief members of the Committee on the cur-rent parliamentary discussions on climate change and the role of the Parliament within the debates. The seminar was also attended by Hon. Frolick, Chairperson of the Climate Change Committee of the Parliament of South Africa and Hon. Thibeti, Member of the Agricul-tural Committee of the Pan African Parliament. They shared their experiences, in terms of the preparations for COP 18 and the Com-mittee’s role in the Climate Change legislation. The seminar served also to prepare the Members for their participation in the World Legislator’s Summit on Climate Change, which they attended in Jan-uary 2013 at the UK Parliament. The seminar ended with the official launch of the Programme, by the European Union Ambassador to Zimbabwe, His Excellency Aldo Dell’ Ariccia.At the World Legislator’s Summit on Climate Change, the Zimbabwe-an parliamentary delegation was able to launch a climate legislation initiative which will support Zimbabwean legislators to advance cli-mate change legislation between 2013 and 2015.•

Launch of the Parliamentary Institute. AWEPA contributed to this event by printing the Institute of Parliamentary Studies business

plan and prospectus in September.

Seminar on Climate Change. November, Zimbabwe.



Partnership Council

Pan-African Parliament (PAP)The establishment of the Pan-African Parliament is informed by a vision to provide a common platform for African peoples and their grassroots organisations to be more involved in discussions and decision-making on the problems and challenges facing the continent. Pan-African parliamentarians represent all the peoples of Africa. The ultimate aim of the PAP is to evolve into an institution with full legislative powers whose members are elected by universal adult suffrage.

East African Legislative Assembly (EALA)As an organ of the East African Community, EALA aims to legislate, do oversight and represent the people of East Africa in a bid to foster economic, social, cultural and political integration. The Assembly is committed to fostering the following core values in its operations: effectiveness, ethics and integrity; transparency and accountability; objectivity and impartiality; professionalism and team work; unity in diversity; as well as allegiance to EAC ideals.

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) ParliamentThe ECOWAS Parliament is a forum for dialogue, consultation and consensus for representatives of the peoples of West Africa in order to promote integration. It provides advisory opinions on issues covering a wide range of areas that are of crucial importance for the integration process. These include respect for human rights, the interconnection of communication and telecommunication links, health, education, agriculture and revisions of basic community texts.Southern African Development Community Parliamentary Forum (SADC-PF)SADC-PF is a delivery focused, people-centred institution that accelerates and promotes parliamentary participation in regional decision making for the benefit of the citizens of SADC. The SADC Parliamentary Forum’s mission is to facilitate strategic partnerships within the SADC region, promote information sharing, initiate and implement projects that enhance regional integration and promote effective and professional parliamentary practice.

Network of African Parliamentarians (NAP)With a membership of engaged parliamentarians across Africa, the NAP is a unique initiative which meets to report back on parliamentary actions on NEPAD in regional and national parliaments, and which keeps members informed about NEPAD and the ongoing debate on aid effectiveness.

NEPAD Planning and Coordinating Agency (NPCA)The NPCA is responsible for coordinating the preparation of NEPAD Agency projects and programmes. This includes mobilising technical and financial support, facilitating and supporting implementation, providing information, promoting the programme in Africa and internationally. The NEPAD Agency has been charged by the Heads of State and Government with facilitating the implementation of the NEPAD vision, such as the CAADP.

Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa Parliament (CEMAC-P)The Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa Parliament (CEMAC) facilitates free exchange and movement across borders for the development and the infrastructural and economic integration of the region. Its parliament was officially inaugurated in 2010 in Malabo after a ten-year transition phase to sensitise local populations to democratic processes. The CEMAC Parliament includes 30 members from six countries: Chad, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea and the Republic of Congo.

The AWEPA Partnership Council is an organ consisting of members of the AWEPA Eminent Advisory Board, AWEPA’s main African Partners and the AWEPA Executive Committee. It is jointly chaired by the Chair of the Eminent Advisory Board, Ms. Graça Machel, and the Presi-dent, Minister of State Ms. Miet Smet. The Council aims to convene once a year to discuss issues of a strategic and visionary nature, where northern and southern stakeholders meet to dialogue around issues that concern all in the collective endeavour to improve human rights in Africa.

Eminent Advisory BoardAWEPA’s relations with Africa are guided by the advice of the Eminent Advisory Board. The Board meets annually to discuss the policy and programmes of AWEPA, and to make suggestions for future priorities regarding developments in Africa. This Board is appointed for an indefinite period of time and consists of the following members:

Archbishop Desmond Tutu (Honorary Chair)A theologian and educator, Archbishop Desmond Tutu served as Archbishop of Cape Town and Head of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Tutu received the 1984 Nobel Peace Prize for the role he played as a pioneer of peaceful resistance methods in the struggle against the apartheid regime in South Africa. He now plays a leading role in The Elders; an independent group of eminent global leaders who support peace building and promote the shared interests of humanity.

Ms. Graça Machel (Chair)Ms. Graça Machel has campaigned as a global advocate for war-affected children and serves as spokesperson for the Global Movement for Children. Following the independence struggle, Machel served as Education Minister of Mozam-bique. She is currently a member of the Panel of Eminent Persons of the African Peer Review Mechanism, a system introduced by the African Union to help countries improve their governance.

Prof. Ruth Oniang’oA former Member of the Kenyan Parliament, founder and executive director of the Rural Outreach Africa , the founder and editor-in-chief of the African Journal of Food, Agriculture, Nutrition, and Development (AJFAND), and also a food and nutrition scientist, Professor Ruth Oniang’o has dedicated a great deal of her time over the past three decades to poverty and hunger eradication, nutrition, health and gender issues and the restoration of human dignity.

Ms. Mary RobinsonMs. Mary Robinson was a member of the Irish Parliament from 1969 to 1989 and became a member of AWEPA in the 1980s. She was elected the first woman President of Ireland (1990-1997) and served as United Nations High Commis-sioner for Human Rights (1997-2002). A human rights advocate, she established the Mary Robinson Foundation - Climate Justice in Dublin.

Prof. Albert TevoedjreProfessor Albert Tevoedjre has been the Special Envoy for the United Nations Secretary-General to the Ivory Coast since 2003. Before his current responsibility, Tevoedjre chaired the Commission on the “Millennium for Africa” Project, which completed its report in May 2002. Tevoedjre also played a prominent role as Head of Government in Benin. A political scientist by training, his book Poverty, Wealth of Mankind was awarded the Prix de la vie économique.

His Excellency Mohamed A. SahnounH.E. Mohamed Sahnoun, the former Ambassador of Algeria to the United Nations, to the United States and to Mo-rocco, has served as Special Representative for the Great Lakes region of Africa since 1997. Sahnoun is also a member of the Special Advisory Group of the War-torn Societies Project and served as the Special Representative of the UN Secretary General on the Eritrean-Ethiopian conflict from 1999 to 2002.

Dr. Jan Nico ScholtenDedicated to humanitarian solidarity, Scholten was Mayor and Chairman of a District Council before joining the Dutch Parliament (house and senate) as well as serving as a member of the Benelux-Parliament and the Assembly of the Coun-cil of Europe. In 1984 he took the initiative in the founding of what is now called AWEPA. He served as Executive and non-Executive President for AWEPA’s first 25 years and is still actively involved. He has received awards from the United Nations, various African countries and the Queen of the Netherlands honouring his commitment to human dignity.



Governing CouncilThe AWEPA Governing Council is the highest political body within AWEPA and comprises mostly of representatives from the AWEPA Sections in the European Parliament and the national parliaments of Europe. It operates as a general assembly for a five year term and meets at least once a year. It decides on the overall policy of AWEPA and is chaired by the President, Minister of State Ms. Miet Smet. Executive Committee members are members of the Governing Council as representatives of this body, not as representatives of their country.

Executive CommitteeAWEPA’s Executive Committee is the executive board of the organisation and meets four times a year. The Governing Council elects the Ex-ecutive Committee for a period of five years to prepare and execute AWEPA policy under the supervision of the Governing Council. The 2012 Executive Committee is composed of the President, Minister of State Ms. Miet Smet, who serves as Chair, along with six Vice Presidents.

Minister of State Ms. Miet Smet (Belgium) - President and Chair Hon. Olivia Mitchell (Ireland) – Vice President

Ms. Rosita Runegrund (Sweden) – Vice President Hon. Maja Ingold (Switzerland) – Vice President

Hon. Henk Jan Ormel (the Netherlands) – Vice President

Hon. Patrick Meinhardt (Germany) - Vice President

Hon. Egidijus Vareikis (Lithuania) - Vice President

AWEPA has a broad network of parliamentarians and former parliamentarians from across Europe, with over 1700 members. Each country that forms an AWEPA Section appoints a Head of Section who is the first contact point for AWEPA, and functions as their Section’s first representative on the Governing Council unless they delegate otherwise. A Section is authorized to appoint more representatives to the AWEPA Governing Council dependent on the number of members in their Section, having one member for each 50 members up to a total of three members. The Head of Sections for 2012 were:

Austria: Hon. Petra Bayr

Belgium: : Hon. Sabine de Bethune (currently President of the Senate thus a Vice President’s of the Belgian Section, Hon. Alain Destexhe, is ad interim)

Cyprus: Hon. Antigoni Papadopoulu

Czech Republic: Hon. Jan Hamacek

Denmark: Hon. Karsten Lauritzen

Estonia: Dr. Mart Nutt

European Parliament: Hon. Filip Kaczmarek

Finland: Hon. Jani Toivola

Norway: Hon. Marianne Marthinsen

Poland: Hon. Tadeusz Iwiński

Portugal: Hon. Maria Antónia de Almeida Santos

Romania: Hon. Minodora Cliveti

Slovakia: Hon. Boris Zala

Spain: Hon. Josep Maldonado i Gili

Sweden: Hon. Kerstin Lundgren

Switzerland: Hon. Maja Ingold

United Kingdom: Lord David Chidgey

Flanders: Hon. Jan Roegiers

Germany: Hon. Patrick Meinhardt

Greece: Hon. Theodossis Georgiou

Hungary: Hon. Gàbor Harangozó

Ireland: Hon. Maureen O’Sullivan

Italy: Hon. Enrico Pianetta

Latvia: Hon. Ingrida Circene

Lithuania: Hon. Egidijus Vareikis

Malta: Hon. Leo Brincat

Netherlands: Hon. Kathleen Ferrier

Meeting of the Governing Council in Palazzo Montecitorio, the Italian Parliament, in September.

http://www.mietsmet.be/

http://www.votefinegael.com/candidate/index.asp?name=oliviamitchell

http://www.riksdagen.se/Webbnav/index.aspx?nid=1811&iid=0574724112206

http://www.parlament.ch/e/suche/pages/biografie.aspx?biografie_id=4031

http://www.henkjanormel.nl/

http://www.patrickmeinhardt.de/

http://assembly.coe.int/ASP/AssemblyList/AL_MemberDetails.asp?MemberID=5486



Staff in 2012The Netherlands OfficeMr. Theo Kralt, Chief Administrative OfficerDr. Jeff Balch,Director Research and EvaluationMr. John McKendy, Director Programme DevelopmentGeertje Hollenberg,Deputy DirectorMs. Marion Verweij, Head of President’s Office and Communications Department

Project DepartmentMs. Liselot Bloemen,Programme ManagerMr. Clément Boutillier,Programme ManagerMs. Kristen Heim,Programme ManagerMs. Tatjana van den Ham,Programme ManagerMr. Loïc Whitmore,Programme Manager

Communications DepartmentMs. Alizia Kamani,Communications Officer

Finance DepartmentMr. Martin Smeding, Senior Financial OfficerMr. Erick Hoekzema,Financial Reporting Officer Ms. Sahila El Fahsi, Financial OfficerMs. Gül Mert, Junior Financial Officer

Human ResourcesMs. Martien Meenhorst, Human Resources Officer

QualityMs. Gabriela Quiroga,Quality Officer

SecretariatMs. Ambra Scaduti, Secretariat Coordinator and Project AssistantMs. Jackline Kaaria, Office Assistant

IT DepartmentMr. Gert Vernhout,IT Officer Mr. Ronald Borggreve,IT Assistant

Belgium OfficeMr. Patrick Mpoyi Luabeya, Programme ManagerMs. Katrin Verstraete, Programme ManagerMs. Yolande Ruritariye,Project Officer

Burundi OfficeMr. Gérard Mfuranzima,Head of Office / AWEPA RepresentativeMs. Angeline Nahimana, Project and Administrative OfficerMr. Ferdinand Soferi,Driver

DRC OfficeMs. Gertrude Bamba Makabi, Project Officer / AWEPA RepresentativeMs. Merci Lubunga Mema,Assistant Project Officer

Mozambique OfficeMs. Amarilia Mutemba,AWEPA RepresentativeMs. Elisa Muianga,Acting Head of OfficeMr. Lazaro Antonio Chachuaio,Office AttendantMs. Rosita Alberto,Project OfficerMs. Alzira Muchanga,Project OfficerMs. Telma Mahiquene,

Project AssistantMs. Ilda Mbeve,Office AssistantMs. Zaida de Pena Beete,Financial OfficerMs. Ivete Antonio Tivane,Office AttendantMr. Dario Polana Taju,IT AssistantMr. José Matavele,Driver

Kenya OfficeMs. Joyce Lucas,Office Attendant/Assistant

Rwanda OfficeMs. Beata Mukabaranga,Project Officer / AWEPA Representative

South Africa OfficeMs. Jessica Longwe, Director Partner RelationsMs. Alexandrina Wonani, Head of OfficeMr. Frank Kayitare,Project OfficerMs. Christine Leibach,Project OfficerMs. Natalie Roberts,Office Assistant / Logistics Officer

Southern Sudan Ms. Kris Debref, Project Coordinator, South Sudan

EALA Office, TanzaniaMs. Tine Hemelings, Programme ManagerMs. Geraldine Rwekaza,Programme Assistant

UgandaMs. Jeniffer Kwarisiima, Project Officer / AWEPA Representative

AWEPA OfficesAWEPA has offices in Africa and Europe, with its headquarters located in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. A second European office is situated in Brussels, Belgium. In Africa, AWEPA operates a regional office located in South Africa, and seven local offices: Mozambique,Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda, Tanzania, the DRC and Southern Sudan.

Amsterdam Office Prins Hendrikkade 48 - G 1012 AC AmsterdamThe Netherlands Tel: +31 20 524 5678 Fax: +31 20 622 0130 Email: [email protected]

Brussels OfficeHuis der Parlementariërs Leuvenseweg 21, bur. 1310 1009 Brussels, Belgium Tel: +32 2 501 77 27 Fax: +32 2 501 78 85 Email: [email protected]

Burundi OfficeBP 2442Immeuble NEW SPACEAvenue du 18 Septembre N°2Bujumbura, BurundiTel: +257 22 24 54 69Fax: +257 22 24 54 70Email: [email protected]

Congo Office (DRC)Av. de la Justice 2721 Bâtiment ABC Kinshasa/Gombe, DRC Tel: +243 81 00 44 270 Email: [email protected]

Mozambique OfficeRua Licenciado Couthino 77CP 2648 Maputo, MozambiqueTel: +258 2141 86 03Fax: +258 2141 8604Email: [email protected]

Rwanda OfficeParliament of RwandaC/O Chambre des DéputésB.P. 352 Kigali, RwandaTel: +250 788306488Fax: +250 583975Email: [email protected]

Southern Sudan Office Southern Sudan National Legislative Assembly Parliament BuildingJuba, Sudan Tel: +249 123 248218 +249 918 689 835 Email: [email protected]

South Africa Office16th floor Plein Park Building69 Plein StreetCape Town, South Africa 8001Tel: +27 21 46 21 767Fax: +27 21 46 22 918Email: [email protected]

Tanzania Office (EALA)EAC EALA Wing G22EAC Close P.O Box 8064 Arusha, TanzaniaTel:+255 786 691 873 +255 754 806 923Email: [email protected]

Uganda Office(Eastern Wing Room) Room E-2-14 Parliament of Uganda Parliamentary Avenue 7178 Kampala, Uganda Tel: +256 414 254 947Fax: + 256 414 254 947 Email: [email protected]



Financial Overview 2012Expenditures in € per programme/countryIncome - Donor Grants Received in €

Grants 2012 2011

Aid Effectiveness 350.000 830.681

Benin 22.696 61.976

Burundi 103.823 184.416

Core funding 588.574 300.000

Democratic Republic of Congo 161.636 313.818

EALA - East African Legislative Assembly 822.636 950.200

Gender Programme 131.871 11.295

Millenium Development Goals 520.203 564.994

Mozambique 944.549 1.533.292

MPN - Mobilising Parliaments for NEPAD - 149.464

PAP - Pan African Parliament 42.322 193.921

Republique Congo 221 34.304

RFPAC - Network Parliamentary Women Central Africa 33.891 53.445

Rwanda 44.102 186.302

SAPL - South Africa Provincial Legislatures 341.245 282.115

Somalia 774.536 686.360

Stability Pact 28.404 125.885

Sudan 1.590.219 1.101.104

Uganda 18.952 205.005

Zimbabwe 35.555 -

Various 387.666 558.498

Total 6.943.100 8.327.073

Income per Donor Received in 2012

Expenditures - Income and Grants Spent per Programme in 2012

Grants 2012 2011

Austria - ADA 350.000 393.480

Belgium - Ministry of Foreign Affairs 727.387 1.541.105

Belgium - Flanders 30.059 168.083

Denmark - Danida - 185.643

Denmark - DDP Uganda - 62.418

Germany - GTZ - 44.216

European Commission 1.828.766 451.671

Finland - Finnish Embassy Maputo - 19.061

Ireland - Irish Aid 277.407 174.328

Luxembourg UNFPA 131.871 11.295

Netherlands - AIID - 392.659

Netherlands- Min. of Foreign Affairs 510.025 1.235.853

Netherlands - NIMD 100.592 -

Norway - Embassy Dar es Salaam 146.136 271.731

Norway - Embassy Maputo 266.653 500.000

Spain Embassy Moz. - 137.919

Sweden - Diakonia 636.688 750.522

Sweden - SIDA 1.485.229 1.297.193

Sweden - Swedish Embassy Nairobi - 193.598

Switzerland - SDC 311.185 184.050

United Kingdom - Foreign and Commonwealth Office 57.362 192.042

United Kingdom - NRIL - Natural Resources Ltd. - 28.968

United Kingdom - AGRA - 6.969

UNDP 13.690 84.268

Others 70.050 -

Total 6.943.100 8.327.073

Back PhotoGroup photo of South Sudanese Councillors after a training session in Mvolo County.

AWEPA International Prins Hendrikkade 48-G 1012AC Amsterdam, the Netherlandst: +31 20 524 5678 f: +31 20 622 0130 e: [email protected]

Belgium [email protected] South Africa [email protected]

Burundi [email protected] South Sudan [email protected]

DRC [email protected] Tanzania [email protected]

Mozambique [email protected] Uganda [email protected]

Rwanda [email protected]

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Documents

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