Governance Cluster of the RCM
12th Session of RCM-Africa
Department of Political Affairs of the African Union Commission and
United Nations Development Programme
21-22 November 2011
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Outline
• INTRODUCTION
• TYPES OF CAPACITY-BUILDING
• CAPACITY BUILDING INITIATIVES:
– AUC
– APRM
– RECs
• MAINSTREAMING CROSS-CUTTING ISSUES
• CONSTRAINTS AND CHALLENGES
• WAY FORWARD
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Introduction
• Governance is one of the 9 clusters established to coordinate
UN agencies support to the AUC and NPCA;
• It is co-chaired by AUC and UNDP;
• It operates through Four (4) Sub-Clusters namely:
– Economic and Corporate governance co-chaired by UNECA
& DPA;
– Human Rights co-chaired by OHCHR & DPA
– Public Service and Administration co-chaired jointly by
UNECA, UNDP & DPA
– Democracy and Governance co-chaired by UNDP & DPA
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Introduction (Cont.)
• The cluster has a membership of 26 active UN agencies, AU
organs and other inter-governmental organisations
• This report outlines the cluster’s efforts in 2011 towards
enhancing institutional capacity of the AUC, its NEPAD
programme and the Regional Economic Communities;
• This support is specific to AU’s agenda of continental and
regional integration particularly in the governance arena
• The entry point of the Cluster’s support is the AUC Strategic
Plan (2009-2012), especially Pillar 3 on Shared Values
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Types of Capacity Building
– PROGRAMME SUPPORT
• DATABASE DEVELOPMENT
• TRAINING
• DEVELOPMENT OF KEY INSTRUMENTS
– OPERATIONS SUPPORT
• STAFFING
• ADVISORY AND CONSULTANCY SERVICES
• STRATEGIC PLANNING
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Department of Political Affairs
PROGRAMME
SUPPORT
MAIN OUTPUT
RESULT
HUMAN RIGHTS
DEVELOPMENT OF
HUMAN RIGHTS
STRATEGY FOR AFRICA
(HRSA)
HRSA AND ACTION
PLAN FOR 2012
ADOPTED
PUBLIC SERVICE AND
ADMINISTRATION
DEVELOPMENT OF THE AFRICAN CHARTER ON
PUBLIC SERVICE
THE PRINCIPLES AND
CHARTER
VALUES OF PUBLIC
SERVICE AND
ADMINISTRATION
ADOPTED BY THE 2011
SUMMIT
Department of Political Affairs (Cont.)
PROGRAMME SUPPORT
MAIN OUTPUT
RESULT
ECONOMIC
GOVERNANCE
STRATEGIC PLANNING
FOR AU ADVISORY
BOARD ON CORRUPTION
(ABC)
STRATEGIC PLAN OF THE
ABC (2011-2015)
VALIDATED AND
ADOPTED
DEMOCRACY &
GOVERNANCE
CONCEPTUALISATION OF
AFRICAN GOVERNANCE
ARCHITECTURE (AGA)
AGA ADOPTED BY THE
2011 SUMMIT
TRAINING OF AU
ELECTION OBSERVERS
INTEGRITY AND
TRANSPARENCY OF
ELECTIONS IMPROVED
Department of Political Affairs (Cont.)
TYPE
MAIN OUTPUT
OPERATIONS SUPPORT 2 STAFF EMPLOYED
CONSULTANTS
COMMISSIONED
RESULT
EFFECTIVENESS OF
DPA IN PROGRAMME
IMPLEMENTATION
ENHANCED
African Peer Review Mechanism
TYPE
MAIN OUTPUT
RESULT
PROGRAMME
SUPPORT
3 APRM COUNTRY
REVIEW MISSIONS
(A) ZAMBIA CRM
UNDERTAKEN ON 7-25
FEBRUARY 2011
(B) SIERRA LEONE CRM
UNDERTAKEN ON 27
MAY-7 JUNE 2011
(C) KENYA’S SECOND
CYCLE OF REVIEW
UNDERTAKEN ON 1731 JULY 2011
OPERATIONS SUPPORT ENHANCING CAPACITY
OF APRM SECRETARIAT
TO SUPPORT PANEL
ACTIVITIES
EFFECTIVENESS OF
APRM
IMPLEMENTATION
IMPROVED
Regional Economic Communities
TYPE
MAIN OUTPUT
RESULT
PROGRAMME
SUPPORT
2 RECs ASSISTED IN
(A) INDUCTION OF
IMPROVING
SADC ELECTORAL
INTEGRITY OF
ADVISORY COUNCIL
ELECTION BY MEMBER
CONDUCTED
STATES
(B) DEVELOPMENT OF
EAC’S ELECTION
OBSERVATION
NORMS AND
STANDARDS
COMPLETED
Cross-Cutting Issues
• Two main cross-cutting issues that the governance cluster has
managed to address in 2011 are (a) gender and (b) youth;
• These two issues feature prominently in two continental
governance initiatives that cluster members are involved in
namely:
– The third edition of the African Governance
Report (AGRIII);
– The Eighth African Governance Forum (AGF-VIII);
• Both AGRIII and AGF-VIII address major governance
challenges facing Africa today (i.e. elections and the
management of diversity)
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Cross-Cutting Issues (Cont.)
• AGRIII covers 41 African countries, AGF-VIII, 29;
• Gender issues are mainstreamed in both AGRIII and
AGFVIII;
• AGRIII will be published in 2012
• Workshop for the last group of six (6) AGRIII
countries took place on 17-18 November 2011 in
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
• AGF-VIII will also be convened in 2012 tentatively in
Johannesburg, South Africa
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Cross-Cutting Issues (Cont.)
• Prior to the main AGF-VIII, cluster members have joined hands
in convening two policy dialogue fora:
– AGF-VIII Gender Forum on 1-2 Nov. 2011, Kigali, Rwanda
– AGF-VIII Youth Forum on 28-29 Nov. 2011, Accra, Ghana
• The cluster has completed the development of a guidance
note on mainstreaming governance in RCM clusters and subclusters;
• On 18 November 2011, the cluster facilitated a brainstorming
session on how to mainstream governance in the work of
RCM clusters and sub-clusters.
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Constraints and Challenges
– Weak institutional partnership with the
Regional Economic Communities (RECs);
– Although the partnership of the cluster with
DPA/AUC is strong, it is weaker and adhoc
with other AU Organs and Institutions, with
the exception of ACHPR;
– Ineffective and haphazard implementation
of the Ten-Year Capacity Building
Programme of the AU.
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Way Forward
• Establishment of the Sub-Regional
Coordination Mechanism (SRCM) for East and
Southern Africa should facilitate stronger
partnership of the cluster with EAC, COMESA
and SADC;
• AGF-VIII should facilitate stronger partnerships
of the cluster with other AU Organs and
Institutions such as ECOSSOC and PAP already
members of the AGF-VIII Steering Committee
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Way Forward
• Out of the Triennial Review of the Ten-Year
Capacity Building Programe of the AU has
emerged a new Comprehensive Programme
whose effective implementation kicks off in
2012.
• The new Programme of the TYCB-AU presents
a golden opportunity for taking the UN-AU
partnership to a higher level between 2012
and 2016.
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