12 January 2006
Gauteng will hold its second Provincial Consultative Conference on the
African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) on Thursday, 19 January 2006, to discuss
the province's APRM assessment report.
Details are as follows:
Date: Thursday, 19 January 2006
Venue: Parktonian Hotel, Address: 120 De Korte Street, Braamfontein,
Johannesburg
Time: 09h00 to 16h00
The provincial report will be submitted as Gauteng's contribution to the
country assessment report. In line with APRM guidelines, it aims to review
progress and performance on:
* Democracy and political governance
* Economic governance and management
* Corporate governance and
* Socio-economic development.
The Provincial Consultative Conference is being convened by the APRM
Provincial Governing Council made up of civil society and government
representatives. Provincial representatives of trade unions, business,
non-governmental organisations, civic and religious bodies and organisations of
women, youth and people with disability, ward committees and government are
expected to attend the conference.
The Second APRM Provincial Consultative Conference, follows an earlier
Provincial Consultative Conference in November 2005 and a National Consultative
Conference held in September last year. The latter kick-started a nationwide
process of consultation which has sought to ensure that the review process is
participatory in nature.
Consultations at a grassroots level were initiated, with workshops involving
civil society organisations, ward committees and community development workers
being conducted throughout the province. A standard APRM questionnaire and
other information were distributed to facilitate the process.
The APRM is a self-monitoring instrument that was agreed to by the African
Union to achieve the development objectives of the New Partnership for Africa's
Development (NEPAD). It is unique and pioneering in that it encourages African
countries to analyse and assess their own progress and performance.
The APRM aims to promote the adoption of policies and programmes that lead
to political stability, higher economic growth rates, sustainable development
and continental economic integration. This will be done by sharing experiences
and by identifying and promoting good and best practices, as well as
interventions to build capacity.
The APRM process entails periodic reviews of the policies and practices of
participating states to assess their progress towards achieving mutually agreed
upon goals and compliance with accepted values and standards.
For more information, contact Annette: Griessel
Tel: (011) 355 6859
Cell: 082 563 3614
Issued by: Office of the Premier, Gauteng Provincial Government
12 January 2006
Source: SAPA
