1. Participatory Democracy through African Peer Review Mechanism in South Africa Citizens’ Engagement in Public Sector Management Ledule Bosch AfCoP Annual Meeting May 24

2. Promoting Accountability Through African Peer Review Mechanisme (APRM) APRM to encourage conformity among African States on : Political values Economic codes Corporate standards A self-assessment Action plan implementation

3. Challenges APRM implementation process spearheaded by a government-designated focal point Until 2007: limited collective engagement: Implementation issues due to Government Engagement and partnership were skewed, intermittent, ad- hoc and ill timed Low level and contradictory contributions from all stakeholders Non-compliance to implementation of core documents adopted at the 6 th Summit of Heads of State & Government Implementation Committee of NEPAD in 2003

4. Approach Increased trust and transparency of decision-making process Open and participatory process to engage key stakeholders to facilitate exchange of information to build a national dialogue platform on good governance and all socio-economic development programs Promote full participation of relevant stakeholders in the development APRM provides a platform for RSA government, civil society, NGOs and their external partners to discuss and build consensus on the state of governance at national & provincial level Systematic review of its performance by other states in order to help the country adopt optimal practices Internal self-assessment and peer review will lead to the entrenchment of the principles of accountability and transparency that constitute the bedrock of good governance

5. Results In 2009, extensive consultations in all nine provinces on development issues Country’s ability to support the principles of participatory democracy and people centered government. Enhanced interaction with citizens: Succesfull launch of the Presidential Hotline in September 2009 Budget documentation available online and in libraries Robust public debate on public sector management and reform issues Collective national citizen-owned self-assessment

6. Partners Committee of Participating Heads of State and Governments Panel of Eminent Persons APR Secretariat National Focal Point National Governing Council Institutional Technical Partners 33 Participating African Countries NEPAD Business Sector and general organs of civil society. African Union institutions African Development Bank United Nations Economic Commission for Africa United Nations Development Programme for Africa

7. Lessons Learned Affirmation of Africa’s political leadership with NEPAD to forge a new partnership with all development stakeholders Development of strategies to determine how well the APRM indicators balance MTSF priorities for South Africa’s 12 outcomes, alignment with the MDGs, and activities for which APRM had a comparative advantage in the review process. The RSA APRM results measurement system has anchored in the Continent’s broader effort to enhance its results orientation. Four strenghts: country-led development, results-based management, and development effectiveness and global partnerships for better results. Self assessment and peer review go beyond the APRM process to sustain a long-term dialogue on governance issues within the country, by its very citizens.