Morocco Participates in PAP Standing Committees Meeting in Johannesburg

The meeting of the standing committees of the Pan-African Parliament (PAP) kicked off, Monday, at the headquarters of the institution in Midrand, South Africa, in the presence of a Moroccan parliamentary delegation. The March sessions of the pan-African legislative institution are being held under the theme of the African Union (AU) for 2023 “Acceleration of the African Continental Free Trade Area Implementation.” During these sessions, the Standing Committees and other PAP bodies will develop plans to generate greater political commitment and accelerate the effective implementation of the free trade area, in order to fully benefit African citizens and achieve the aspirations and objectives of Agenda 2063. This year’s first statutory meeting, led by PAP Chairperson Chief Fortune Charumbira, will deliberate on the status of the model law on land management and the AU Ten-Year Plan of Action to end child labor, among other issues. It will also discuss forced labor and human trafficking, the report on access to information, digital rights, the model law on climate change, proposed fact-finding missions to several conflict zones and border crossings on the continent, and the removal of visas for sports teams traveling to Africa. Members of Africa’s largest parliamentary gathering will also hold a capacity-building workshop on the signing and ratification of selected African Union protocols and charters. In addition, International Women’s Day 2023 will be commemorated under the theme: “For an Inclusive Digital World: Innovation and Technologies for Gender Equality”. Finally, the PAP Standing Committees will receive reports from various AU institutions as part of the oversight function of Parliament. These institutions include the Anti-Corruption Council, the African Union Commission on International Law and the African Peer Review Mechanism. The Moroccan Parliament is represented at this event by three deputies from the House of Representatives and two councilors from the House of Advisors.