The Pan-African Parliament (PAP), also known as the African Parliament, is the legislative body of the African Union. It held its inaugural session in March 2004. The Parliament exercises oversight, and has advisory and consultative powers, having lasting for the first five years. Initially the seat of the Pan-African Parliament was in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, but was later moved to Midrand, South Africa. The goal in establishing the parliament was creating a space where people from all states of Africa could meet, deliberate, and pass some policy on issues that affect the entire continent of Africa.
The Peace and Security Council (PSC) is the organ of the African Union in charge of enforcing union decisions. It is patterned somewhat after the United Nations Security Council. The PSC is also the main pillar of the African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA), and works with other pillars of the APSA in order to promote "peace, security and stability in Africa". The specific goal of the Peace and Security Council (PSC) is the "prevention, management and resolution of conflicts". To achieve these goals, it involves subsidiary organizations such as the Military Staff Committee and the Committee of Experts.
Said Djinnit is an Algerian diplomat who has been Special Envoy of the United Nations Secretary-General for the Great Lakes region in Africa since 2014. Previously he served as the Special Representative and Head of the United Nations Office for West Africa (UNOWA).
To help coordinate efforts in dealing with issues on the continent the Pan-African Parliament created eleven permanent committees:
- Committee on Rural Economy, Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Environment
- Committee on Monetary and Financial Affairs
- Committee on Trade, Customs, and Immigration Matters
- Committee on Cooperation, International Relations, and Conflict Resolution
- Committee on Transport, Industry, Communication, Energy, Science, and Technology
- Committee on Health, Labour and Social Affairs
- Committee on Gender, Family, Youth, and People with Disabilities
- Committee on Education, Culture, Tourism, and Human Resources
- Committee on Justice and Human Rights
- Committee on Rules, Privileges, and Discipline
- Committee on Audit and Public Accounts
The Committee on Rural Economy Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environment is one of the ten Permanent Committees of the Pan-African Parliament.
The Committee on Monetary and Financial Affairs is one of the ten permanent committees of the Pan-African Parliament.
The Committee on Trade, Customs, and Immigration Matters, is one of the ten permanent committees of the Pan-African Parliament.
The Committee on Transport, Industry, Communications, Energy, Science and Technology is one of the ten permanent committees of the Pan-African Parliament.
The Committee on Health, Labour, and Social Affairs is one of the ten permanent committees of the Pan-African Parliament.
The Committee on Education, Culture, Tourism and Human Resources is one of the ten permanent committees of the Pan-African Parliament. It deals with issues relating to education, cultural issues, tourism and human resources.
The Committee on Justice and Human Rights is one of the eleven permanent committees of the Pan-African Parliament. It is in charge of law and justice issues in Africa.
The Committee on Gender, Family, Youths and People with Disabilities is one of the ten permanent committees of the Pan-African Parliament. It concentrates on issues concerning women, family and people and children with disabilities.
The Committee on Rules, Privileges and Discipline is one of the ten permanent committees of the Pan-African Parliament.
The NATO Parliamentary Assembly serves as the consultative interparliamentary organisation for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). It consists of delegates from the parliaments of the 32 NATO member countries as well as from associate and partner countries. Its current President is Michał Szczerba from Poland, elected in 2023. Its current Secretary General is Ruxandra Popa, who has been in this position since January 2020.
The committees of the European Parliament are designed to aid the European Commission in initiating legislation.
The African Union (AU) is a continental union of 55 member states located on the continent of Africa. The bloc was founded on 26 May 2001 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and launched on 9 July 2002 in Durban, South Africa. The intention of the AU was to replace the Organization of African Unity (OAU), established on 25 May 1963 in Addis Ababa by 32 signatory governments; the OAU was disbanded on 9 July 2002. The most important decisions of the AU are made by the Assembly of the African Union, a semi-annual meeting of the heads of state and government of its member states.
The Panel of the Wise (PoW) is a consultative body of the African Union, composed of five appointed members who each serve three year terms. Its mandate is to provide opinions to the Peace and Security Council on issues relevant to conflict prevention, management, and resolution. Representatives are chosen for the North, East, South, West, and Central regions of the continent.
The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) is a free trade area encompassing most of Africa. It was established in 2018 by the African Continental Free Trade Agreement, which has 43 parties and another 11 signatories, making it the largest free-trade area by number of member states, after the World Trade Organization, and the largest in population and geographic size, spanning 1.3 billion people across the world's second largest continent.
Terence Skhumbuzo Mpanza is a South African politician. He is a Member of the National Assembly of South Africa. Mpanza is a member of the African National Congress.
