48. At the 23rd AU General Assembly held in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, on 24–26 June 2014, the Assembly of the Africa Union adopted a Decision to integrate the APRM as an autonomous entity within the AU System. This Decision will catalyse the ability of the APRM to play a greater role within the African Union system. The African Union Commission has observed that participation and inclusion of all stakeholders in the implementation and monitoring and evaluation of Agenda 2063 is one of the building blocks of Agenda 2063 success. The APRM is able to make an invaluable contribution to the implementation of Agenda 2063 through its inclusive processes and ability to solicit input from the public and many levels of government. 51. On 9 March 2003, the NEPAD Heads of State and Government Implementation Committee (HSGIC) adopted the Memorandum of Understanding on the African Peer Review Mechanism5 and six countries signed it right away, bringing it into force immediately. Member States of the African Union that do not sign the Memorandum of Understanding are not subject to peer review: APRM is a voluntary process. As of May 2016, 35 countries have signed the Memorandum of Understanding, which represents just over two-thirds of the 54 Member States of the African Union, and well over threequarters of Africa’s population.6 52. At a meeting of July 2002, the HSGIC also agreed to the establishment of a Secretariat for the APRM and the appointment of a seven-person “panel of eminent persons” to oversee the conduct of the country review process and ensure its integrity. In May 2003, the HSGIC announced the first seven members of the panel.7 2.2 APRM History and Structure 49. In July 2002, the African Union Summit supplemented the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) with the Declaration on Democracy, Political, Economic and Corporate Governance.1 According to the Declaration, the States participating in NEPAD “believe in just, honest, transparent, accountable and participatory government and probity in public life”.2 The Declaration sets out an action plan with three main substantive headings: democracy and good political governance; economic and corporate governance; and socio-economic development. 5 50. The Declaration also committed participating States to establishing an African peer review mechanism that aimed “to promote adherence to and fulfilment of the commitments contained” in the Declaration.3 The first document describing the APRM in some detail, adopted at the same summit in July 2002, sets out its mandate as follows: “to ensure that the policies and practices of participating States conform to the agreed political, economic and corporate governance values, codes and standards contained in the Declaration on Democracy, Political, Economic and Corporate Governance”.4 1 2 3 4 6 7 Document AHG/235 (XXXVIII), annex I Ibid. para. 8 Ibid. para. 28 Ibid. annex II, para. 1 –8– Memorandum of Understanding on the African Peer Review Mechanism, document NEPAD/HSGIC/03-2003/APRM/MOU (9 March 2003) The countries are, in order of signing: Algeria, Burkina Faso, Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana and Kenya (March 2003); Cameroon, Gabon and Mali (April and May 2003); Benin, Egypt, Mauritius, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa and Uganda (March 2004); Angola, Lesotho, Malawi, Sierra Leone and the United Republic of Tanzania (July 2004); the Sudan and Zambia (January 2006); Sao Tome and Principe (January 2007); Djibouti (July 2007); Mauritania (January 2008); Togo (July 2008); and Liberia (January 2011). The communiqué of the Sixteenth Summit of the APR Forum reported that Cape Verde (which had promised to sign in 2009 but did not complete the formalities at that time), Equatorial Guinea and Niger were expected to sign at that summit (January 2012). A map of participating and applicant States is available at aprm-au.org/aprm-map. Communiqué issued at the end of the seventh Summit of HSGIC, 28 May 2003. The first set of seven “eminent persons” was Adebayo Adedeji (Nigeria), Bethuel Kiplagat (Kenya), Graça Machel (Mozambique), Mourad Medelci (Algeria, replaced by Mohammed-Séghir Babès when Mr Medelci took a domestic governmental appointment), Dorothy Njeuma (Cameroon), MarieAngélique Savané (Senegal) and Chris Stals (South Africa). Ms Savané was the first Chair, succeeded by her deputy, Ambassador Kiplagat. Dr Njeuma was in turn Ambassador Kiplagat’s deputy and succeeded him as Chair. When Dr Njeuma became Chair, Professor Adedeji was elected her deputy, and in turn became Chair in July 2007.