Report

The parliamentary delegation of the Canadian Branch of the Assemblée parlementaire de la Francophonie (APF), which attended the meeting of the Parliamentary Network to Fight HIV/AIDS, held in Casablanca, Morocco, on March 27, 2010, and the meeting of the APF Parliamentary Affairs Committee, held in Marrakech, Morocco, from March 29 to 31, 2010, has the honour to present its report.

The delegation was made up of the Honourable Pierre De Bané, Senator and Chair of the Parliamentary Affairs Committee. François Michaud, Branch Executive Secretary, accompanied the delegation.

HIV/AIDS Network

The following branches were represented at the meeting: Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, France, French Community of Belgium, Gabon, Jersey, Jura, Macedonia, Mali, Morocco, Niger, Quebec, Switzerland, Syria and Valle d’Aosta.

Mr. Dider Berberat (Switzerland), Chair of the Parliamentary Network to Fight HIV/AIDS and Chair of the APF’s Education, Communication and Cultural Affairs Committee, called the Network to order. He welcomed all the parliamentarians in attendance, especially the new members. The members of the Network adopted the agenda and the record of decisions of the meeting of February 23 and 24, 2009, held in Bamako, Mali.

Professor Hakima Himmich, Chief of Infectious Diseases at the Ibn Rochd University Hospital in Casablanca and Chair of the 5th Francophone Conference on HIV/AIDS, outlined Morocco’s strategy to fight HIV/AIDS and opening remarks before the Network’s meeting.

Dr. Othman Mellouk, the international relations representative for the Moroccan Association for the Fight Against AIDS, gave a presentation on the issue of intellectual property rights for medication and the impact of these rights on access to medication.

Dr. Omar Ndoye (Senegal), member of the Parliamentary Network to Fight Against HIV/AIDS and the Network coordinator for Senegal, presented an activity report, which was subsequently adopted.

Dr. Jean-Élie Malkin, Senior Advisor to Mr. Michel Sidibé, UNAIDS Executive Director, gave a presentation on the co-operation agreement between the APF and UNAIDS.

Ms. Nicole Massoud, Regional Advisor for the UNAIDS Cairo Office’s Program, Follow-up and Evaluation section, spoke about the characteristics of the HIV pandemic in countries of La Francophonie. Mr. Patrick Eba, HIV/AIDS and Human Rights Advisor for UNAIDS, summarized the legislative and regulatory measures in place in countries of La Francophonie for at-risk populations and people affected by HIV.

Dr. Omar Ndoye introduced an interim report on the exodus of health care professionals from the south to the north.

Mr. Svend Robinson, Senior Advisor for Parliamentary Relations and Special Initiatives with  the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, spoke about the Global Fund, noting its objectives, achievements and expectations.

Ms. Anna L. Torriente, Senior Legal Officer with the International Labour Organization (ILO), presented a study of the new statutory instrument under consideration regarding the rights of people with HIV/AIDS in the world of work.

Before concluding its business, the Network adopted a draft resolution to submit to the Education, Communication and Cultural Affairs Committee pertaining to human rights; funding for the fight against HIV/AIDS, especially through the Global Fund; implementing the Cotonou Agreement on access to authentic drugs and not counterfeit ones; and repealing discriminatory measures that limit the movement of people with HIV/AIDS.

Parliamentary Affairs Committee meeting, Marrakech

The following branches were represented at the meeting: Belgium (French Community/Wallonia-Brussels), Benin, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Canada, Central African Republic, Chad, France, Gabon, Jura, Mauritania, Morocco, Quebec, Romania, Senegal, Switzerland, Togo and Valle d’Aosta.

The Hon. Senator Pierre De Bané, Chair of the APF Parliamentary Affairs Committee, called the Committee to order. He spoke about the tragedy that took place in Haiti in January 2010 and offered condolences to the Haitian people on behalf of the Committee, calling for a minute of silence in memory of the earthquake victims. The Hon. Fatiha Layadi, a Moroccan parliamentarian and the head organizer for the Marrakech meeting, then said a prayer in Arabic.

Senator De Bané then enthusiastically thanked the Moroccan Branch, Ms. Layadi and the entire Moroccan team, who had spared no effort to ensure the meeting went well. Ms. Layadi warmly welcomed the delegates to Morocco and to Marrakech, one of Morocco’s most beautiful imperial cities. She emphasized her country’s dedication to the values of the APF and welcomed the return of the Mauritania Section.

Matters of protocol having been dealt with, the Committee unanimously adopted the agenda and the record of decisions of the Committee’s last meeting, held in July 2009, in Paris.

Senator De Bané then presented the Chair’s report and gave the Committee members a vivid and comprehensive overview of La Francophonie. The members of the committee listened attentively.

Ms. Layadi was then invited to give a short presentation on her country. In 10 years, the political, economic and social reforms undertaken in Morocco have reinforced the rule of law, making the democratization of the country irreversible. In 2002, electoral reform made it easier for women to access to politics, among other things. In 2003, King Mohammed VI created an authority on equality and reconciliation headed by a former political prisoner. Family law was also reformed, leading to legal and judicial equality between men and women. Morocco still faces many challenges, especially those regarding energy and the environment, and demographics and gender equality.

Senator De Bané informed the Committee that he attended a conference in early March hosted by the World Bank Institute and the United Nations Development Programme to present the APF’s findings from its study of democratic parliaments. His forthrightness about the internal difficulties the APF experienced when trying to arrive at a consensus was appreciated. Debate arose on the issue.

Freedom of the press in La Francophonie

Ms. Sylvie Roy, Quebec MNA and rapporteur to the Committee, presented a draft report on freedom of the press in La Francophonie. At the 12th Francophonie Summit in Quebec City in 2008, heads of state and government undertook to “guarantee the freedom of the press” and to “ensure greater protection for journalists”. The report noted that freedom of the press is not guaranteed in all of La Francophonie, in the north and in the south alike. The report addressed the protection of and limits to the freedom if the press; media diversity, neutrality and independence; the training and status of journalists covering parliamentary activities; and ethics. Extensive debate followed.

Funding for political parties

Ms. Martine Bondo, Senator of Gabon and rapporteur to the Committee, presented her report on the funding of political parties. She began by saying that funding of politics in general and of political parties in particular has changed substantially over the last few decades with the introduction of new communication techniques. In most constitutional democracies, the legislative assembly has taken steps to promote a strong political system by creating the possibility for public funding on top of private donations. Senator Bondo’s report is divided into three sections: defining political parties, funding sources for political parties and the transparency of funding for political parties. She concluded by saying that, over the last few years, the majority of countries in La Francophonie have passed legislation governing the funding of political parties. She noted that regulating funding for political parties is one way to promote ethics in politics. 

Parliaments in La Francophonie: a collection of parliamentary procedures and practices

Ms. Michèle André (France) presented the follow-up report for chapters 7, 8, 9, and 10 of the collection, addressing the various categories of legislation, oversight mechanisms, institutional communication and interparliamentary relations, respectively. 

Follow-up on Electoral Observation Missions

Mr. Jean-Claude Maene (Belgium/French Community/Wallonia-Brussels) presented a report on Electoral Observation Missions. He noted that the report took into account the observation, fact-finding and networking missions carried out by the International Organization of La Francophonie (OIF) and included the statements and reports produced by the observers. The report addressed the process of Electoral Observation Missions and gave details on missions since July 2009, including the observation mission for the early presidential election in Guinea-Bissau; the observation mission for the presidential election in Mauritania in July 2009; the fact-finding and networking mission for the early presidential election in Gabon in August 2009; and the fact-finding and networking mission for the presidential election in Togo in March 2010.

Parliamentary seminars and training programs

Mr. Louis Vlavonou (Benin) presented the report. He noted that, while the seminars had originally been designed to improve the operations of the parliaments concerned, they must meet the specific needs expressed by the parliaments requesting them. The goal of these seminars is for veteran parliamentarians to share their experience with newly elected parliamentarians. On September 25 and 26, 2009, a parliamentary seminar on parliamentary oversight and information powers in a global context was held at the Salam hotel in Bamako, Mali. On November 26 and 27, 2009, a parliamentary seminar on parliamentary oversight and information powers in international matters, the parliamentary public service and parliamentary communication was held at the Hotel Source du Nil in Bujumbura, Burundi. As for the training programs, the APF held training for parliamentary public officials at the École Nationale d’Administration (ÉNA) in Paris. Public officials from Cambodia, Benin, Chad and Vietnam attended.

Senator De Bané then told the Committee about initiatives the Parliament of Canada has in place for training senior officials. Ms. Mireille Eza, Director of the APF’s Noria Program, has participated in this training.

The Noria Program

Ms. Mireille Eza, Director of the Noria Program (APF General Secretariat), presented the report. She noted that the program’s main objective was to support the broadcasting and management of parliamentary information and to reduce the digital divide by helping partner assemblies computerize and upgrade their parliamentary information management and their access to parliamentary information.

Francophone Youth Parliament (FYP) and National Youth Parliaments (NYP)

Senator Martine Bondo (Gabon) presented an overview of the 5th Francophone Youth Parliament, held in July 2009 in Paris. Mr. Bachir Dieye, chargé de mission for the FYP (APF General Secretariat) gave an overview of FYP programs and national youth parliaments. He also briefly presented an evaluation report on the FYP.

Questions for the OIF General Secretary

Committee members proposed questions to ask the OIF General Secretary at the next APF Annual General Assembly, in Dakar in July 2010.

Global economic and financial crisis

Mr. Alain Berset (Switzerland) gave an overview of the economic and financial crisis that has affected the whole world.

The Committee’s next meeting will take place on July 6, 2010, as part of the business of the 36th APF Assembly, in Dakar.

Respectfully submitted,