Governance assessment, a tool for human rights promotion : a critical look at the African Peer Review Mechanism

Abstract

"Furthermore, the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) has been proposed as a key element of the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD). The APRM is said to be the most remarkable innovation in the AU and the NEPAD framework designed to promote good governance and human rights. Its central purpose is to ensure the compliance of African states with the standards and practices of governance contained in the Declaration on Democracy, Political, Economic and Corporate Governance (Durban Declaration). Although the APRM has been welcomed by a large number of development actors, there are also some doubts as to this mechanism working in the context of Africa. One of the main reasons for such reservations is that peer review on political governance has never been tested elsewhere before. ... The study is structured into five chapters. This first chapter serves as an introduction and has described the context of this paper by giving the background and general structure of the paper. Chapter two will briefly define the notion of peer review, highligting the founding context and the process of the APRM itself. This summary is necessary for a proper understanding of the paper. Chapter three will endeavor to point out the human rights aspects in the APRM, that is, the substance and potential of the mechanism for human rights protection and promotion, including references to international human rights instruments. Chapter four is a proposal for giving the APRM the best prospect for success; this will include adopting a 'population-based approach', meaning that the citizens are central part and owners of the process of the evaluation of government policies. Such ownership should produce a more realistic evaluation of the outcomes of public policies. Finally, chapter five will conclude this study by providing some recommendations as to how to ensure that APRM is a tool that guarantees human rights." -- Introduction.