Operation Young Vote (OYV) Executive Director Guess Nyirenda’s Friday 6th March 2020 Media Statement on the Ministerial Statement by Hon. Given Lubinda MP, Minister of Justice

6th MARCH, 2020: APRM NATIONAL GOVERNING COUNCIL (NGC) MEDIA STATEMENT ON THE MINISTRIAL STATEMENT BY HON. GIVEN LUBINDA MP, MINISTER OF JUSTICE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The National Governing Council (NGC) of the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) in Zambia would like to pay tribute to the Minister of Justice – Hon Given Lubinda MP, for the eloquent presentation of the Ministerial Statement in Parliament on the APRM generally and on the key outcomes of the 29th Summit of the APR Forum held on 6th to 8th February, 2020 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. With the view of taking on board all Parliamentarians who and the members of the general public who could have been behind on the matter, the Ministers statement delved into the genesis and background of the Mechanism. Among them, were the 8th July, 2002 Durban inaugural AU Heads of States and Government Assembly/Summit that adopted the declaration on Democracy, Political, Economic and Corporate Governance which birthed NEPAD and the therein Article 28 that established the APRM. The statement was quite comprehensive that it also brought out the Zambia’s strides on the Mechanism and related matters since its accession in 2006. It is clear from the Minister’s statement and subsequent engagement with MPs during clarifications that Zambia has scored considerably on the APRM looking at the its Peer Review in 2013, launch of the Country Review Report (CRR) coupled with the National Programme of Action (NPoA) in 2014, the tabling and discussion of Zambia’s CRR at the Pan African Parliament in 2016, the production of Zambia’s First Progress Report by the NGC on the implementation of the NPoA, being the second AU Country after Djibouti to implement the Targeted Review.
Further the NGC would like to encourage Zambians to take pride in the election of two of our own to the position of APR Panel Member Eminent Person representing Southern Africa on the APRM’s highest body and Commissioner for the African Commission on Human and People’s Rights in the names of Dr. Inonge Mbikusita Lewanika and Mr. Madford Mwandenga respectively. We must all commend the Government of the Republic of Zambia for embracing the Good Governance Mechanisms and for nominating these two gallant individuals.
The NGC would like to utterly agree with the Minister of Justice that, indeed the election of the two are very key for enhancing Zambia’s profile in the area of Governance and promoting the nation’s enabling environment for capital investment.
In agreeing with the Minister on the need to immediately get running with the recommendation by the Parliamentary Committee on Legal Affairs, Human Rights, National Guidance, Gender Matters and Governance on making the APRM visible and known by all after meeting and analysing memoranda and submissions by a number of stakeholders that included Civil Society Organisations, experts on the subject matter and the Ministry of Justice and the National Governing Council on the APRM in Zambia, the NGC would like to note that the matter needs no further emphasis especially if we are going to live by our tagline in the Seventh National Development Plan of NOT LEAVING ANYONE BEHIND.
The NGC is not only excited and proud of but also encouraged by the ON POINT Ministerial Statement delivered by the Minister of Justice and the unwavering commitment of Government to the APRM.
The NGC would like to cease this opportunity and appeal to all Zambians individually and collectively to take particular interest in the APRM and ensure that it is moved to greater heights in the country. Zambians must indeed own the Mechanism, its benefits and dividends as the environment can never be better than the kind of presentation in the Ministerial Statement by the Minister of Justice and the positions Zambia has attained through Dr. Inonge Mbikusita Lewanika and Mr. Madford Mwandenga.

Issued by:

Guess Nyirenda
APRM National Governing Council (NGC) Spokesperson

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