AWEPA

The Association of European Parliamentarians with Africa, known as AWEPA, is an international, non-partisan parliamentary association established in 1984 by European parliamentarians. It began as the Association of West European Parliamentarians for Action against Apartheid, created to coordinate political support for pressure and sanctions against South Africa's apartheid regime. Dutch parliamentarian Jan Nico Scholten was the principal initiator and became a prominent leader of the organization. In its early years, AWEPA connected legislators from national European parliaments and the European Parliament, seeking to turn opposition to apartheid into effective parliamentary action, including the adoption, oversight, and enforcement of sanctions. Following the end of apartheid, the organization changed its name in 1993 and broadened its mandate. Its work shifted toward strengthening parliamentary democracy and democratic governance in Africa while preserving its role as a bridge between African and European legislators. AWEPA's stated objectives include improving the ability of parliaments to perform their core functions of legislation, representation, and oversight; keeping African issues visible on European political agendas; supporting dialogue between African and European parliamentarians; and contributing to peace, human rights, and development. The association's membership has included current and former parliamentarians from the European Parliament, most European Union member states, Norway, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. Reference material describes a network of approximately 1,500 current and former European parliamentarians. In Europe, members are organized through national, regional, and European parliamentary sections. In Africa, AWEPA has worked with national legislatures, regional parliamentary bodies, continental institutions, and decentralized authorities. Its documented African office network has included locations in Arusha, Bujumbura, Cape Town, Juba, Kampala, Kigali, Kinshasa, Maputo, and Nairobi, while its European offices have included Brussels and the Amsterdam headquarters. AWEPA's principal operating model is cooperation with African parliaments through jointly agreed capacity-building programmes. These programmes have covered established parliamentary systems as well as post-conflict settings, where legislative institutions may contribute to reconciliation, peacebuilding, accountability, and good governance. Documented institutional partners and programmes include the Pan-African Parliament, the East African Legislative Assembly, parliamentary institutions in Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Mozambique, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan, Uganda, and South Africa's provincial legislatures, as well as regional networks and Great Lakes peace initiatives. The association has also reported cooperation with bodies such as the New Partnership for Africa's Development and regional parliamentary organizations. Its thematic work has addressed issues including food insecurity in the Horn of Africa, female genital mutilation, climate-change mitigation, aid effectiveness, peace and security, HIV and AIDS, poverty reduction, and the rights of women and children. AWEPA has used parliamentary conferences, exchanges, advocacy, research, publications, and practical handbooks to inform legislators and encourage parliamentary action. During the 1990s it expanded into election observation and democratic-capacity building at national, provincial, local, and regional levels, and from around 2000 it increased activity in West Africa and the Horn of Africa. AWEPA is governed through a council and an executive committee, with the council setting broad policy and electing the executive body. Its work has depended on support from government agencies, international organizations, and nongovernmental and development institutions. The available reference material identifies a broad donor base, including European government agencies, the European Commission, United Nations bodies, and development partners. Because the supplied sources describe the organization mainly through historical and period-specific material, its current legal status, leadership, programme footprint, and financial position should be independently verified.

AWEPA was founded in 1984 during the international campaign against apartheid in South Africa. Jan Nico Scholten initiated the association under the name Association of West European Parliamentarians for Action against Apartheid. The organization was designed to coordinate parliamentarians across Europe and to convert political opposition to apartheid into concrete legislative and governmental measures. Scholten travelled in Europe, the United States, and Canada to build support for sanctions and related pressure on the South African regime. By September 1985, the association had developed from a small founding group into a network involving members of 16 national parliaments and the European Parliament. Its members worked within their legislatures to promote sanctions, monitor implementation, and hold governments accountable for their external policies. Membership expanded substantially during the late 1980s and early 1990s, reaching roughly 1,000 members in the early 1990s according to the supplied historical material. The end of apartheid led to a strategic transition. In 1993, the organization adopted the name Association of European Parliamentarians for Africa, later commonly known as AWEPA. Rather than ending its work after the political objective that had originally brought it together was achieved, AWEPA redirected its institutional experience toward parliamentary democracy, peace, human rights, development, and democratic governance in Africa. Parliamentarians from Central and Eastern Europe also began joining in the early 1990s, helping turn the original Western European campaign network into a broader European, non-partisan association. During the 1990s, AWEPA expanded its activities beyond political advocacy. It became involved in election observation and in programmes designed to strengthen democratic and parliamentary capacity at regional, national, provincial, and local levels. The association supported legislative institutions in Southern, Central, and Eastern Africa and developed relationships with regional and continental parliamentary bodies. From approximately 2000 onward, its geographic engagement also extended to West Africa and the Horn of Africa. AWEPA's institutional approach has focused on helping parliaments improve legislation, representation, and executive oversight. Its programmes have included cooperation with the Pan-African Parliament, the East African Legislative Assembly, national parliaments in countries including Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Mozambique, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan, and Uganda, and South African provincial legislatures. In post-conflict countries, the organization has emphasized the contribution of parliaments to reconciliation, peace, stability, and accountable government. Cooperation has generally been structured through agreements with partner institutions, including memoranda of understanding. Alongside institutional work, AWEPA has operated thematic programmes intended to inform legislators and mobilize parliamentary responses to development and governance challenges. Documented themes include famine and food insecurity in the Horn of Africa, female genital mutilation, climate-change mitigation, aid effectiveness, poverty reduction, HIV and AIDS, women's and children's rights, and peace and security. Conferences, parliamentary exchanges, advocacy initiatives, and publications have been used to connect technical knowledge with legislative and political action. Research and knowledge products have formed another part of the organization's work. The reference material identifies publications on environmental management and conflict in Southern Sudan, small arms in the Great Lakes and Horn of Africa regions, aid effectiveness, the social effects of civil war, and Mozambique's peace process. These materials reflect AWEPA's effort to provide legislators with practical evidence and policy tools rather than limiting its role to political networking. The organization has maintained a European network of parliamentary sections and offices in Brussels and Amsterdam, together with African offices or programme locations across East, Central, Southern, and parts of the Horn of Africa. Its governance structure has included a general or governing council, an executive committee, an Eminent Advisory Board, and a Partnership Council bringing together European leaders, African institutional partners, and advisers. Funding has come from a range of governmental, multilateral, nongovernmental, and international development donors. The supplied sources do not establish AWEPA's current operating status or present-day leadership, so those details require verification.

• 2011

  Documented advisory and governance structure

  [1]Association of European Parliamentarians with Africaen.wikipedia.org

  Reference material from this period describes an Eminent Advisory Board, a Partnership Council, a governing council, and an executive committee supporting the association's Africa-Europe work.

• 2000

  Broader engagement in West Africa and the Horn of Africa

  [1]Association of European Parliamentarians with Africaen.wikipedia.org

  The organization began extending its programme activity into West Africa and the Horn of Africa in response to institutional and development needs in those regions.

• 1993

  Post-apartheid mandate and renaming

  [1]Association of European Parliamentarians with Africaen.wikipedia.org

  After apartheid was voted out in South Africa, the association adopted a broader Africa-focused mission and became known as the Association of European Parliamentarians for Africa.

• 1985

  Expansion across European legislatures

  [1]Association of European Parliamentarians with Africaen.wikipedia.org

  By September, the organization had members connected with 16 national parliaments and the European Parliament, extending its political network beyond its founding group.

• 1984

  Foundation as an anti-apartheid parliamentary association

  [1]Association of European Parliamentarians with Africaen.wikipedia.org

  Jan Nico Scholten initiated the Association of West European Parliamentarians for Action against Apartheid to coordinate European parliamentary support for pressure against South Africa's apartheid regime.

A non-partisan parliamentary-development and Africa-Europe dialogue organization positioned between legislative institutions, development partners, and civil society. Its distinctive role is to mobilize parliamentarians rather than operate as a conventional aid agency, combining political advocacy in Europe with institutional and thematic support for African parliaments.

• Institutional development

  Parliamentary capacity-building programmes

  AWEPA works with African legislative institutions to improve their ability to make laws, represent citizens, scrutinize executives, and participate in accountable governance. Programmes have operated at national, regional, continental, provincial, and local levels and have also addressed the needs of post-conflict parliaments.

• Policy advocacy

  Thematic parliamentary programmes

  These initiatives connect parliamentarians with information, exchanges, conferences, and advocacy tools on issues such as food insecurity, female genital mutilation, climate change, aid effectiveness, peace and security, HIV and AIDS, and the rights of women and children.

• Research and publications

  Research and parliamentary handbooks

  AWEPA has produced research and practical publications for legislators on environmental management, small arms, aid effectiveness, post-conflict societies, and peacebuilding. The publications are intended to help parliamentarians understand policy problems and develop legislative or oversight responses.

• 1984European parliamentary campaign against apartheid

  Europe · South Africa · North America

  AWEPA's predecessor coordinated parliamentarians seeking sanctions and political pressure against apartheid South Africa. The campaign used legislative advocacy, cross-border parliamentary networking, and efforts to monitor government implementation.

  Outcome. The campaign continued until the end of apartheid and provided the institutional foundation for AWEPA's later democracy and development programmes.

  Source
• Parliamentary democracy and governance support in Africa

  Sub-Saharan Africa

  AWEPA has supported African parliaments through institutional programmes addressing legislation, representation, oversight, peacebuilding, reconciliation, and democratic governance.

  Source

• 1993

  Shift from anti-apartheid advocacy to parliamentary developmentStrategy

  Background

  The end of apartheid removed the original political purpose for which the organization had been founded.

  Action taken

  The association changed its name and redirected its work toward strengthening parliamentary democracy, peace, human rights, development, and African-European relations.

  Aftermath

  AWEPA evolved from a focused sanctions campaign into a broader, non-partisan parliamentary cooperation organization operating across multiple African regions.

  Source

1. 1Association of European Parliamentarians with Africaen.wikipedia.org
2. 2AWEPA official websiteawepa.org