Zambia ready for a third APRM – Lubinda
By staff Reporter
Justice Minister Given Lubinda says Zambia will have her third voluntary review of the Africa Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) in October this year following the periodic review recently conducted.
Speaking in Johannesburg, South Africa during the 29th APRM meeting for focal point persons, Lubinda said Zambia has volunteered to be reviewed in mining and tourism sectors.
He said the periodic full country review was targeted to be conducted in 2020.
Lubinda said Zambia was now ready to have her third review under Requested Reviews as provided in the APRM categories.
He said this would enable the country to be at the same level with other countries that have been reviewed for more than three times.
He expressed optimism that Zambia would record a positive outcome once reviewed as the country had an impressive record, hence, the hosting of the APRM workshop in Livingstone earlier this year.
“Zambia would remain supportive of the APRM works so as to ensure that member countries were held accountable on observance of Human rights and social economic developments,” said Lubinda.
Lubinda, who was representing Zambia as her focal point person was accompanied to the meeting by Zambia’s Deputy High Commissioner to South Africa Maybin Misapa.
The meeting was expected to adopt standardized review mechanism guidelines to be used across the continent as well as review performance of the APRM Secretariat for the period 2017 to 2019
Meanwhile, Lubinda said Zambia would introduce electronic case Management systems in order to improve on the justice system dispensation.
“ Case records will be kept electronically by law enforcement agencies, prosecution and the judiciary. This would enable judicial institutions to keep accurate records of cases of people under incarceration,” he said.
Lubinda also disclosed that his Ministry had engaged the National Prosecution Authority and the Law Development Commission to review sentences that are passed for various offences in order to bridge the existing anomalies.
