The African Union would be ultimately responsible for a comprehensive peer review mechanism, but until the necessary structures were in place, this task would fall on the New Partnership for Africa’s Development, government representative Joel Netshitenzhe said on Wednesday.
This was in line with a decision taken in Abuja earlier this week, he told reporters in Cape Town. Netshitenzhe said it was never the intention that Nepad’s voluntary peer review mechanism would supplant those AU structures tasked with monitoring the political, economic and social performances of member states.
”We are dealing with a comprehensive peer review system that addresses all areas of governance: political, economic, social and otherwise. The AU is in the process of establishing structures and mechanisms that will address compliance with its constitutive act and other resolutions of the AU,” he told reporters. Matters pertaining to human rights and political governance would be dealt with by structures of the AU, such as the peace and security council, the human rights commission and the Africa parliament, he said.
However, until this was set up, the Nepad secretariat would begin to develop the criteria for peer review in all areas, including political, economic and social governance.
Netshitenzhe noted it might take months or years before the AU was in a position to set up the structures necessary for the comprehensive review.
”In terms of the resolution from Abuja, the AU will be responsible for who whole comprehensive peer review mechanism, but in the meantime — it may take months or years — the Nepad secretariat, supervised by a committee of the eminent persons, will fulfill that role.”
It was intended that by January the accession process would be finalised, while the criteria for such accession, would be completed by February.
On whether the AU peer review mechanism would also deal with economic and corporate governance issues, Netshitenzhe said the union’s constitutive act currently did not provide for this.
However, the ultimate intention was that it should deal with socio-economic matters.
”This is something which will evolve with the establishment of the AU structures,” he said.
While the peer review mechanism was voluntary in the context of Nepad, the review with regard to compliance with the AU’s Constitutive Act would be ”obligatory on all members”.
”When it comes to matters of human rights, of politics, of meeting those requirements of the African Union, it would be expected that all members should meet those minimum requirements.
”The constitutive act, makes no reference to economic governance,” Netshitenzhe said. – Sapa