CAIRO, June 1, 2018 (MENA) - Egypt and the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) inked a cooperation agreement. Prime Minister Sherif Ismail co-signed the agreement with former Nigerian foreign minister, Ibrahim Gambari, who is a member of the mechanism's panel of eminent personalities. The signing ceremony was attended by Minister of Planning Hala el Saeed and Minister of Social Solidarity Ghada Wali along with a number of diplomats on Thursday. In a press conference afterwards, Head of the National Governance Committee Ashraf Rashed said that the APRM, which is a mechanism concerned with governance, is an African initiative related to entrenching the culture of democracy, wise ruling and good economic governance, management and corporate governance in African countries to serve the continent's economic and social development. Egypt and the African Union pay a great attention to women issues, said Assistant Foreign Minister Khaled Emara who represents Egypt in the APRM, asserting commitment to the objectives of the mechanism to improve African economic and political conditions and change the life of African people to the better. For his part, Gambari expressed happiness for the signing of the agreement, saying that Egypt is on the right track of economic reform and praising its keenness on entrenching the principles of transparency and good corporate governance and empowering women and supporting their role in the community. The African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) was established in 2003 by the New Partnership for Africa (NEPAD) Heads of State and Government Implementation Committee (HSGIC) as an instrument for monitoring performance in governance among Member States. The APRM is a self-monitoring instrument and its membership is voluntary. The Mechanism's primary objective is to foster the adoption of policies, values, standards and practices of political and economic governance that lead to political stability, accelerated sub-regional and continental economic integration, economic growth and sustainable development. By joining the APRM, Member States agree to voluntarily and independently review their compliance with African and international governance commitments. Performance and progress are measured in four thematic areas: democracy and political governance; economic governance and management; corporate governance; and socio-economic development. Reviews include the executive, legislative and judicial branches of government, the private sector, civil society and media. The first review is carried out within 18 months of a Member State joining the APRM and then every two to four years. Members can request a review outside of the usual framework, and the APRM can commission a review at the request of participating Heads of State and Government if there are signs of political and economic crisis. Each review leads to a national programme of action for the state concerned to address problems identified. A monitoring body prepares an annual report on progress in implementing the programme of action for the APRM Forum of Heads of State and Government. Country review and implementation reports are made available to the public. As at June 2016, 35 AU Member States had joined the APRM by signing its Memorandum of Understanding.
