S3 E3: The Pan- African Parliament

<p>In conversation with Mr Clement Mavungu</p> <p><a href='http://www.panafricanparliament.org/'>The Pan-African Parliament (PAP)</a> is a legislative body of the <a href='https://au.int/en/overview'>African Union</a>. It was set out to ensure the full participation of African people in the economic development and integration of the African continent. The PAP is based in Midrand, South Africa and was inaugurated on 18 March 2004.  The PAP provides a regional platform for Africans and respective civil society organisations to have a greater impact on the decisions affecting the continent. </p> <p> </p> <p>To this effect, the <a href='https://www.chr.up.ac.za/units/dce'>Democracy and Civic Engagement Unit</a> of the <a href='https://www.chr.up.ac.za/'>Centre for Human Rights</a>, University of Pretoria, works extensively with the PAP. The Centre a partnership with the PAP through a Memorandum of Understanding, signed in October 2017. Key among the objectives of this partnership is facilitating capacity building on human rights and democratisation in Africa, increasing the visibility of PAP and fostering a strong interaction between the PAP and civil society organisations (CSOs) on the continent. The Democracy and Civil Engagement Unit ensures that civil society can engage with the PAP, contribute to its policies, and chart new directions for governance on the continent. To achieve its mission, Unit, in May 2019, met with CSOs from across Africa and established a forum that ensures effective and sustainable engagement with the PAP. This body, the <a href='https://www.chr.up.ac.za/dce-unit-projects/pap-cso-forum'>CSO Forum</a>, gives support to new or small organisations engaging with the PAP, and also assists the PAP in its outreach and advocacy campaigns, such as for the ratification, domestication and implementation of the AU legal instruments, particularly the new PAP Protocol. The Centre, through the Democracy and Civic Engagement Unit, manages the CSO Forum, whose members meet in Pretoria, South Africa t