The parliament urged for solidarity with Libyans in their time of need and endorsed the notion of finding African solutions to the situation currently faced by the country.
George Okore
JOHANNESBURG—-Members of the South African based Pan African Parliament (PAP) last week concluded the eighth sitting of the Fourth Ordinary Session, passing a motion on the security situation in Libya.
Forty three members voted for the motion which was drafted with regards to the military operations in Libya that have lead to the death and injury of many people and the destruction of its infrastructure. The parliament called for efforts to be made in various areas, in order to halt the illegal attacks carried out by NATO. They also called for Libyans to be allowed to resolve their own problems in a secure and stable environment.
The parliament urged for solidarity with Libyans in their time of need and endorsed the notion of finding African solutions to the situation currently faced by the country. Furthermore the PAP condemns “the media’s evil propaganda” which is afflicting Libya, and “calls on all media organs in the African continent and all over the world to play their part in the transfer of true reality of the events in Libya.”
The PAP also hosted CEO of African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) Secretariat Assefa Shifa, who presented a report on the objectives and achievements of his organization. Mr. Shifa called for the PAP to be at the heart of APRM efforts, emphasizing that parliamentarians can play a big role in ensuring vigorous implementation of its mechanism in their countries. PAP Parliamentarians urged Mr. Shifa to consider more media coverage, as there is a lack of information about the APRM and the outcomes of its activities.
To conclude the sitting, the Chairperson of the Committee on Gender, Family, Youth and People with Disability, Hon. Ascofare Oulematou Tamboura, presented a report on the empowerment of youth. Hon. Tamboura stated that leaders are less committed to realising the needs of the youth by neglecting to allocate budgets for youth programmes. Among other things, she recommended that the PAP should support the African Union Commission (AUC) to advocate for the ratification and implementation of the African Youth Charter in member states and encourage member states to commit adequate funding to youth programmes and activities.
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