Parliamentary Roundtable: Building Partnerships and Capacity among National, Regional and Pan African Parliaments

Transcription

1 Parliamentary Roundtable: Building Partnerships and Capacity among National, Regional and Pan African Parliaments to strengthen Advocacy and Oversight Strategies on AU Policy Frameworks Midrand, Johannesburg, South Africa March 2014 DRAFT CONCEPT NOTE

2 1 1. Background Investment in health systems development particularly for HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria at the dawn of the 21 st century is now paying off. Once, these diseases ravaged Africa but now they are on the decline. The rate of new HIV infection has fallen by a quarter since Tuberculosis, Malaria deaths are down by one third. This dramatic turnaround was driven by African leadership, commitment to Shared Responsibility and Global Solidarity demonstrated by increased financing and strengthening of health systems. The African Union supported by development partners has taken the lead in transforming the face of the AIDS, TB and Malaria (ATM) responses through the Abuja Declarations of 2000, 2001, 2006 and the AU Roadmap on Shared Responsibility and Global Solidarity for HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria, as well as the 2013 Abuja Actions Toward the Elimination of HIV and AIDS, TB & Malaria in Africa by These are initiatives demonstrating how Africa leads a wave of sustainable change in the global responses geared towards a generation free of AIDS, TB and Malaria. Hence, hope abounds as the world surveys show that AIDS is abating, TB and Malaria control programmes yield more elimination stories ever before. Sustaining the gains recorded calls for among other things diversified and domestic finance of health systems and more importantly build resilient local production and regulatory harmonisation of pharmaceutical sector. Access to AIDS, TB and Malaria treatment has reached inconceivably high proportions among the majority previously marginalised in African communities. The number of Africans on treatment has increased 100-fold since a decade ago. Consequently the demand for investment to health systems efficiency in Africa saw exponential increase in the past decade yet country reviews on health budgets do not show a good picture, as they remained low and inadequate. The interventions on TB, Malaria Control and Elimination as well as AIDS response are a long term investment; millions of Africans will need access to prevention programmes and HIV treatment for their entire lives. It is an investment that delivers returns through increased productivity, lower health and orphan care costs, dignity and hope. Although it is acknowledged that sustainable and diversified health financing is a shared responsibility which cannot be achieved without global solidarity and collective effort, nevertheless, the overreliance of Africa's HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria (ATM) response on Partners funding, foreign supply of drugs and solutions is not sustainable. This being the case, strong consensus exists, that while there may be scope for countries to increase its domestic financial contribution to the national health sector, the challenges of doing so should not be underestimated. Reiterating renewed commitments during the July 2013 AU Special Summit on HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria, during which the Heads of States and Government (HOSG) reaffirmed their determination to strengthen AWA as an Advocacy, Resource Mobilization and Accountability platform in the fight against the three diseases; appreciated the continued support of UNIDO, UNAIDS and the World Health Organization (WHO) for the implementation of the African Union s Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Plan for Africa (PMPA); and called upon other partners, including the private sector, to support the already established pharmaceutical industries in Africa

3 2 and the implementation of the PMPA Business Plan to facilitate enhanced and sustainable access to quality assured, safe, efficacious essential medicines for the pandemics and other communicable and non-communicable diseases. It is in this context that the Heads of State and Government, undertook to support the reinforcement of the policy environment and regulatory system, including through active cooperation among Member States to boost investment in the local production of quality essential medicines. The HOSG further undertook to ensure the creation of an enabling environment to support and leverage technological innovation as well as manufacturing capacity in the area of medicines, vaccines, diagnostics and laboratory reagents, thus contributing to the strengthening of the capacity of the health system. In the context of the Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Plan for Africa Business Plan (PMPA) Africa-wide framework, AUC in tandem with AMRH initiative seeks to create enabling environment by developing a Model Law for harmonizing medicine regulation in Africa. The AMRH and African Union Model Law initiatives championed by NEPAD Agency is part of the implementation of the PMPA and will contribute to the achievement of AU Roadmap Pillar II on Access to Medicine. In line with Parliamentary mandatory role on Lawmaking and Legislative promulgation, the Model Laws are invariably recognized by the institution of Parliament as a technical guide developed to inspire national consensus on specific legislative areas. Likewise the Model Law on harmonizing medicine regulation in Africa is a useful tool for lawmakers to transact their constitutional mandate. The implementation of the three pillars of the AU Roadmap can be reinforced through Parliamentary action to intensify advocacy on domestic financing for health, amplifying messages on medicines local production as well as accountability, oversight and governance to implement African solutions for the three epidemics. Additionally, a Pan-African Parliamentary dialogue on strengthening the AIDS response in Africa, funded by the Government of New Zealand, was held in March 2011 by UNAIDS in collaboration with African Union. The PAP participants expressed their interest to play an instrumental role in monitoring national implementation of continental and regional commitments related to health issues. Against this background African Union Commission (AUC) in collaboration with NEPAD Agency, and in partnership with by the Pan-African Parliament (PAP) supported by UNAIDS and Global Fund are organizing a Parliamentary meeting to dialogue on ways to accelerate Advocacy and Capacity Building efforts through leveraging the programmatic and policy synergies existing between AU Roadmap and PMPA frameworks. This is also in recognition of the comparative advantage the Members of Parliament possess to follow through implementation of policies and legislative frameworks as well as advocacy as duty bearers with ability to oscillate between Parliament and constituencies orbits of governance and leadership. This activity resonates well with ever increasing call for domestic financing for health, efficient use of available resources and health system strengthening in order to achieve the commitments in Abuja Declarations and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The Parliamentary roundtable is therefore proposed to strengthen Parliamentary partnerships and build capacity to accelerate efforts of capacity building

4 3 among policy makers at continental, regional and national levels in order to accelerate implementation of continental commitments by increasing oversight on AU Policy frameworks. 2. Target Group The Parliamentary Roundtable is envisaged to bring together the Members of Parliament from the Pan African Parliament, Regional Economic Communities (RECs) Parliamentary institutions: Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Parliament, Southern African Development Community Parliamentary Forum (SADC PF), East African Legislative Assembly (EALA), and Intergovernmental Development Authority (IGAD) Inter-Parliamentary Union, Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) Parliaments as well as National Parliaments. Participants include: a) The Chairpersons of Health/HIV/AIDS Parliamentary Portfolio Committee at PAP and RECs Parliamentary institutions b) The Chairpersons of Finance/Budget Appropriation Parliamentary Portfolio/Select Committees at PAP and RECs Parliamentary institutions c) The Chairpersons of Trade and Industry Parliamentary Portfolio/Select Committees at PAP and RECs Parliamentary institutions d) ATM Technical Teams at RECs Parliamentary organs e) ATM Technical Teams at RECs Secretariats f) Trade and Industry Technical Teams at RECs Parliamentary organs g) Trade and Industry Technical Teams at RECs Secretariats h) Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and Experts in Parliamentary sector 3. Objectives a) To create awareness and build the capacity of Parliamentarians on the Abuja Actions Toward the Elimination of HIV and AIDS, TB and Malaria in Africa by 2030, the AU Roadmap, the AU Manufacturing Plan for Africa (PMPA) including the African Medicine Regulatory Harmonization (AMRH) initiative and the proposed AU Model Law on MRH b) To illustrate added value for money (VFM) in domestic financing for health c) To advocate for ownership and oversight of AU policy Frameworks by the Parliamentarians d) To facilitate sharing of experiences among Parliamentarians e) To solicit practical people level and evidence-based recommendations to advancing AU Roadmap and PMPA including the AMRH 4. Expected Outputs a) Improved understanding of AU Roadmap, PMPA including the AMRH and domestic financing for health among regional Parliament institutions b) Enhanced understanding of AU Model Law on Medicines Regulatory Harmonisation, particularly in the context of local production of medicines harnessed at continental and regional levels c) Lessons and experiences shared and incorporated in oversight strategy d) Recommendations on Parliamentary Oversight of AU Policy frameworks compiled

5 e) Key Five Point Parliamentary Oversight Strategy produced 5. Organization of the event 4 AUC, PAP and NEPAD Agency to collaboratively organize the Parliamentary Roundtable supported by the UNAIDS and Global Fund Regional Parliament institutions will be requested to nominate Members of Parliament to participate in the event and fund participation of some MPs where funding is not enough PAP will host the event at its premises CSOs will also be expected to contribute to enrich the Roundtable deliberations Time Frame: 2 days, March 2014 Venue: PAP premises in Midrand, Johannesburg, South Africa 6. Methodology: Expert Presentations, country presentations, group discussions and planning sessions 7. Key Documents Background Documents: a) AU Roadmap on Shared Responsibility and Global Solidarity b) PMPA Business Plan c) AMRH documents d) Draft AU Model Law on MRH e) Abuja Declarations of 2000, 2001, 2006 and the Abuja Actions Toward the Elimination of HIV and AIDS, TB & Malaria by 2030 f) Reports on Joint Health and Finance Ministerial Meetings on Health Financing of 2010 (Kampala); 2011 (Addis Ababa); Tunis (2012; and Washington (2013) as well as Domestic Financing for Health, November Working Languages AU official languages 9. Contact For further information, please contact: Ambassador Olawale I. Maiyegun, PhD Director, Dept of Social Affairs, African Union Commission Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Tel: / Ext MaiyegunO@africa-union.org CC: HarakeyeM@africa-union.org and MbokaziS@africa-union.org