By: S. Bunwaree
Publisher: Africa Governance Monitoring and Advocacy Project, Open Society Institute, 2007
Via: Eldis
The report analyses the extent to which the Mauritius process of self-assessment for the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) has respected the criteria of effectiveness and credibility defined by the APRM founding documents. It particularly focuses on the extent to which APRM has been open, participatory, transparent and accountable. The author reviews the challenges faced during the process to date, including a failure on the government side to provide real political leadership and the necessary financial resources, the weaknesses of the National Economic and Social Council as APRM focal point, and a lack of real engagement from civil society.
A major rethink amongst the key players responsible for implementation of the APRM is necessary, in particular towards opening up the process to broad participation. Some of the specific recommendations put forward include:
- appoint expert technical teams early on in process, and ensure that the review is research-based
- use print and broadcasting media in both Mauritius and Rodrigues to inform people of the exercise as well as its pertinence
- adapt the questionnaire to the national context by translating it into Creole so that it becomes accessible to each and all
- undertake a planning exercise to estimate costs of revamping the APRM exercise in Mauritius and raise funds accordingly .
No comments:
Post a Comment