Global Leaders Review

1. Q: What Does Peer Review Mean?
Peer Review refers to the systematic examination and assessment of the performance of a State by other States (peers), by designated institutions, or by a combination of States and designated institutions. The reviews can be done either at periodic intervals or on a needs basis. The ultimate goal is to help the reviewed State improve its policy making and policy execution; adopt best practices; and comply with established standards, principles, codes, and other African Union (AU) agreed commitments.

2. Q: What Gets Peer Reviewed?
Peer reviews can be conducted based on subject areas or themes. For example, an individual country peer review could relate to economics, governance, education, health, environment, or other policies and practices. Within one or more of these subject areas, a State may be examined against a wide range of codes and standards for compliance, for example. Similarly, several countries can be examined at the same time, either individually or collectively as sub-regions, with respect to a particular theme such as "Combating Corruption for Sustainable Development." In the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) the reviews are concerned with democracy and political governance (political systems, electoral processes and participation of various stakeholders, for example); economic governance and management, (macroeconomic management, public financial accountability, corruption, regulatory oversight bodies, for example), banking and financial standards, corporate governance and socio-economic development.

3. Q: Who Will Conduct the African Peer Reviews and Technical Assessments?
The overall responsibility for the APRM is vested with the Member States of the AU who have voluntarily chosen to participate in the process by acceding to the APRM. The Heads of State and Government of participating countries appoint the members of the Panel of Eminent Persons (PEP). Initially, however, the NEPAD Heads of State and Government Implementation Committee (HSIC) will appoint the Panel of Eminent Persons. The Pane,l in turn, advises the Heads of State and Government on the appointment of African institutions or persons to conduct certain technical assessments.

The ECA has been requested to conduct the technical assessment on economic governance and management and the African Development Bank (ADB) on banking and financial standards.

On matters relating to democracy and political governance, appropriate organs, committees or units of the AU already tasked with similar specific assessment responsibilities will conduct the assessments. These organs, committees or units include:

The African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights (ACHPR),
African Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child,
Central Organ of the Mechanism for Conflict Prevention, Management and Resolution, or the envisaged Peace and Security Council (PSC), as appropriate,
Pan-African Parliament (PAP),
The Conference on Security, Stability, Development and Cooperation in Africa (CSSDCA) Unit, or
Any other organ, committee or unit of the AU as they are established or operationalised, such as the election monitoring committee and the Court of Justice.

The above institutions must be operationalised or strengthened as appropriate, where necessary.

The Panel of Eminent Persons will advise the participating Heads of State and Government as to which African institutions or persons will conduct the corporate governance and socio-economic development technical assessments.

Technical assessment teams may include representatives from two participating countries.

Under the supervision of the Panel of Eminent Persons, the APRM Secretariat will compile a consolidated report consisting of all elements of assessment for the consideration of the participating Heads of State and Government. The consolidated report will cover assessments on democracy and political governance, economic governance and management, financial and banking standards, corporate governance and socio-economic development.

The Chairperson of the Heads of State and Government Implementation Committee or of the participating Heads of State and Government, as appropriate, will determine for which countries technical assessments will be conducted.