PAP Debates its Bureau's Activity Report

JOHANNESBURG, South-Africa, October 10, 2012/African Press Organization (APO)/ -- The Pan-African Parliament (PAP) today debated its Bureau's Activity Report which was presented to the House by Hon. Bethel Nnaemeka Amadi, President of the PAP.

The report covered the period May 2012, when the current Bureau was elected, up to October 2012.

The report covered a wide array of topics such as the proposed amended Protocol of the PAP, the approved staff structure of the PAP, the joint Bureaus retreat, among others.

On the issue of the proposed Protocol, the Hon. President explained that the proposed Protocol underwent several rigorous validation meetings facilitated by the AU Commission's Legal Council. He hoped that the AU Assembly of Heads of State and Government would “adopt the draft amended Protocol in its entirety, as approved by the Ministers of Justice and Attorneys General (...) without reservation”.

On the structure of the PAP Secretariat, Hon Amadi said that he was happy to inform that House that a formal structure has finally been approved. However, he cited a number of challenges that may be encountered at implementation, particularly the issue of the acquired rights of the existing staff.

On the Joint Bureaus Retreat, he said that “one of the key decisions of this workshop was the need to align PAP Committees with AU Commissions to ensure oversight as envisaged in the Protocol”.

The Report was then to the House, which debated it extensively and eventually adopted it unanimously.