President Moussa NGON Baba during the 74th Session of the Executive Committee (Bangui, June 13-14, 2019)

The Central African Republic hosted the 74th session of the African Parliamentary Union (APU) from June 13 to 14, 2019, in Bangui, under the chairmanship of the President of the Union's Executive Committee, Alassane Bala Sakandé. At the end of the debate on the various items on the session's agenda, participants, while supporting the peace process in the Central African Republic, called on the United Nations Security Council to lift the arms embargo imposed on the country's government authorities..

The Central African Republic hosted the 74th session of the African Parliamentary Union (APU) from June 13 to 14, 2019, in Bangui, under the chairmanship of the Chairperson of the Union's Executive Committee, Alassane Bala Sakandé. At the end of the debate on the various items on the session's agenda, participants, while supporting the peace process in the Central African Republic, called on the United Nations Security Council to lift the arms embargo imposed on the country's government authorities. The opening of the proceedings took place on June 13, 2019, in the hemicycle of the Central African Parliament under the chairmanship of Alassane Bala Sakandé, President of the National Assembly of Burkina Faso and President of the Executive Committee of the UPA. The session was attended by the President of the National Assembly of the Central African Republic, Moussa Laurent Ngon-Baba, the President of the Senate of Zimbabwe, Mabel M. Chinomona, parliamentarians who are members of the Union, members of the Central African government, and representatives of diplomatic missions in Bangui.

The 74th session of the UPA devoted its agenda to reviewing the organization's administrative and management documents and monitoring the implementation of the decisions and recommendations of the Conference of Presidents of the Union's Assemblies. Thus, following the presentation of the report by Secretary-General Idi Gado Boubacar, the members of the Executive Committee welcomed the presence of the APU in international parliamentary bodies since the last session in Abuja.

The Executive Committee examined proposed amendments to the APU Statutes and Rules of Procedure, submitted by the Burkina Faso national group, during its meeting in Bangui. Following an extensive debate, the members of the Executive Committee adopted these proposed amendments after introducing a few modifications. These include the new Article 8, paragraph 5 of the Statutes, which stipulates that "Any delegation of a national group to sessions of the African Parliamentary Union must take into account the political configuration within the national parliament, gender parity, and include at least one young parliamentarian."

The new Article 9, paragraph 2, emphasizes that "African countries that are not members of the Union, as well as non-African countries with parliamentary institutions, as well as regional, interregional, and international organizations, may, upon written request, be admitted as observers."

Furthermore, after hearing the Auditors' Report and following the examination of the audited management account for the 2018 financial year, the parliamentarians particularly noted the low collection rate of contributions by countries, which stands at approximately 55%. Following the observations made on the audited management account, the parliamentarians discharged the Secretary-General of the Union for his management of the 2018 financial year. The 74th session also adopted the draft agendas for the 42nd Conference of Presidents and the 75th session of the Executive Committee, scheduled to be held in Djibouti in November 2019.

Furthermore, the members of the APU Executive Committee issued a statement in Bangui of support for the peace process in the Central African Republic, "encouraging the parties to the agreement to resolutely pursue its implementation in accordance with its content and spirit and with full cooperation." The African Parliamentary Union called on the United Nations Security Council to lift the arms embargo imposed on the government authorities of the Central African Republic to enable them to ensure the country's security.

In the same vein, the UPA encouraged the African Union, the European Union, and the United Nations to continue their efforts aimed at restoring state authority throughout the country and consolidating peace and national harmony in the Central African Republic. Finally, the parliamentarians expressed their thanks to the Central African authorities for the successful holding of the UPA session in Bangui.

On the sidelines of the Union's proceedings, Alassane Bala Sakandé, along with his delegation of MPs Luc Yé, Zilma François Bacyé, Abdoulaye Ouédraogo, Fatimata Korbéogo/Ouédraogo, Hama Dicko, and Balkissa Ouédraogo, held a discussion meeting on June 15, 2019, with Burkinabe residents living in the Central African Republic. Comprised mainly of private sector workers and civil servants from the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA), the compatriots welcomed the initiative of President Alassane Bala Sakandé and took the opportunity to discuss issues related to the progress of the country of upright men. The Head of Parliament provided answers to the concerns of the compatriots present at the exchange meeting.