MORONI, JUNE 11-14, 2023 - The African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM), in collaboration with the national authorities of the Union of Comoros, held from 11 to 14 June 2023, in Moroni, a Workshop to develop a National Plan of Action (NPoA) based on the recommendations of the Targeted Review Report on unconstitutional changes of government, which the country undertook the exercise in October 2022, and its alignment with national development strategies.
The APRM delegation was made up, in addition to its CEO, Professor Eddy Maloka, the Country Coordinator, Mr. Hassan Mahamat Ahmat, the Logistics and Informatics Officer Mr. Abubakr Siddig, and the expert trainer, Dr. Saliou Faye.
The official opening of the Workshop was launched by Mr. Dhoihir Dhoulkamal, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Union of Comoros, also the APRM Focal Point, in the presence of the Secretary General of the Presidency of the Republic, the Privy Councillor of the President of the Republic, the Governor of the autonomous Island of Ngazidja, the Prefect of the Centre, some Mayors, the Resident Coordinator of the United Nations system in the Union of Comoros, lawyers of the Moroni Bar.
The ceremony was also marked by the diversity and importance of the representations of the various institutions and public institutions, which, in addition to the active participation of civil society organizations, also marked the work in the thematic group sessions and in the plenary.
The main objective of the Workshop was, on the one hand, to strengthen the capacity of stakeholders involved in the planning exercise and, on the other hand, the development and harmonization of the NPoA with existing public policy documents. Four groups were formed to work on the following themes: constitutionalism and human rights (group 1), economic governance and public accountability (group 2), elections, popular uprisings and terrorism (group 3) and, finally, diversity management (group 4).
The work of thematic groups was preceded by training led by the consultant; The latter specifically aimed to (i) strengthen stakeholder ownership, participation and coordination in the development and harmonization of the NPoA; (ii) improve participants' understanding of the process and methodology for developing the NPoA; (iii) strengthen the capacity of participants to harmonize the content, cost and design of the NPoA with existing national development strategies.
On the sidelines of the Workshop, the CEO of the APRM, Pr Eddy Maloka, met, in parallel, the two heads of Comorian diplomacy: His Excellency the President of the Republic and his Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. These national authorities reiterated their country's commitment to the APRM and affirmed their determination to follow up with concrete achievements in the NPoA that will emerge from the workshop. They also demonstrated their willingness to complete the APRM process with a national self-assessment. In this perspective, the Country Coordinator of the Union of Comoros, Mr. Hassan Mahamat Ahmat and the consultant, Dr. Saliou Faye, exchanged with the Technical Research Institutions (RTIs) to, on the one hand, assess the local expertise and, on the other hand, explain the principles and processes of the APRM.
Finally, the mission thanked the national authorities for the welcome it received, but above all welcomed the active participation of the various stakeholders in developing the NPoA.
