Parliamentary Oversight of the Security Sector: Disseminating Best Practices in ECOWAS Member States Regional Parliamentary Workshop Bamako, Mali, 28-29 November 2011 Parliamentary Oversight of the Security Sector: Disseminating Best Practices in ECOWAS Member States Regional Parliamentary Workshop Bamako, Mali, 28-29 November 2011 Disseminating Best Practices in ECOWAS Member States 3 Summary Report I. Introduction Organized jointly by the National Assembly of Mali, the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), the Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces (DCAF) and the African Security Sector Network (ASSN), the Regional Parliamentary Workshop Parliamentary Oversight of the Security Sector: Disseminating Best Practices in ECOWAS Member States was held on 28 and 29 November 2011 at the Grand Hôtel, Bamako. The workshop brought together some fifty participants, including parliamentarians representing Benin, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Mali, Mauritania, Namibia, Niger, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo and the ECOWAS Parliament; official representatives of the Malian government; representatives of Femmes Africa Solidarité (FAS); and the Ambassador of Switzerland to Mali. Following in the footsteps of the discussions broached in Dakar in September 2010, the Bamako regional workshop constitutes a continuation of the reflections on the general principles and mechanisms of parliamentary oversight of the security sector in West Africa, notably with a view to carrying out relevant action reflecting the effective application of those principles and mechanisms. II. Inaugural ceremony The inaugural ceremony, chaired by the Speaker of the National Assembly of Mali, was punctuated with speeches by Ms. Kombi Aline Koala, Representative of the IPU President, Professor Boubacar N’Diaye, Representative of the ASSN President, Mr. JeanJacques Gacond, Representative of the DCAF Director, and Her Excellency Mrs. Muriel BersetCohen, Ambassador of Switzerland to Mali. In her address, Ms. Kombi Aline Koala exhorted the parliamentarians to maintain a dynamic presence in the security sector through greater oversight of the transparent and responsible implementation of policies in that respect and to take bold initiatives in order to preserve the sociopolitical and economic structures ensuring social harmony. She then pleaded in favour of responsible recommendations reflecting the real needs of the countries of West Africa and setting forth firm and effective action for better parliamentary oversight of the security sector. Professor Boubacar N’Diaye introduced the African Security Sector Network. He emphasized that there could be no talk of democracy without an active parliament and that security must be regarded as a public good and not as the preserve of the Executive. He also specified that the workshop offered an opportunity to develop dialogue, beyond the initial stages already covered, between the representatives of the ECOWAS Parliament, the national assemblies of the Member States and the civil society organizations to help strengthen the rule of law, peace and security in the region. Mr. Jean-Jacques Gacond mentioned the goals of the DCAF, an intergovernmental forum on good governance of the security sector. He cited parliamentary capacity-building as one of the key dimensions of improved democratic oversight of the security sector, which itself represents an essential dimension of the regional strategic framework seeking to promote peace and security in West Africa. In her address, Her Excellency Mrs. Muriel BersetCohen affirmed that the challenges facing the security of persons and property were constantly growing in Mali, as in other ECOWAS Member States; hence the need for the States to work together and take tangible steps to cope with those challenges. She expressed her hope that the workshop would enable participants to familiarize themselves with the ECOWAS Parliament-DCAF Guide for West African Parliamentarians and to work very concretely on some of its dimensions. In conclusion, she thanked the authorities of Mali for their commitment in this area. Opening the proceedings, the Speaker of the National Assembly, Professor Dioncounda Traoré, said that the holding of the workshop Disseminating Best Practices in ECOWAS Member States 5 reflected the importance that parliamentarians attached to preventing and resolving the security challenges faced by the ECOWAS countries and their commitment to increasing parliamentary treatment of the aspirations of the African peoples regarding the promotion of peace and security. He further emphasized that the knowledge and other lessons of the workshop should provide parliamentarians with the requisite expertise for strengthened oversight of the security sector. III. Plenary discussions (1st day) Several presentations provided background for the discussions. 1. Presentation of the ECOWAS Parliament-DCAF Guide for West African Parliamentarians Parliamentary Oversight of the Security Sector The presentation was given by Mr. Okey Uzoechina, DCAF Representative to the ECOWAS. with security matters; help to strengthen ties between parliamentarians and the other security sector stakeholders, with special reference to civil society organizations, both nationally and regionally. • The presentation was not discussed. 2. Communication from the Chairman of the ECOWAS Parliament’s Committee on Political Affairs, Peace and Security The Hon. Simon Osei-Mensah, Chairman of the Committee on Political Affairs, Peace and Security of the ECOWAS Parliament, drew the attention of participants to two important observations: • Security questions do not feature among those matters in respect of which the opinion of the ECOWAS Parliament is required as a matter of obligation; • The main ECOWAS instruments relating to peace and security matters do not stipulate any precise role for the ECOWAS Parliament. The presentation centred on the following points: • • • 6 The process of drawing up the guide: modelled on the IPU-DCAF Handbook for Parliamentarians published in 2003, Parliamentary Oversight of the Security Sector: Principles, Mechanisms and Practices; need to produce a guide tailored to the West African context and responding to the specific needs of the parliamentarians of the region; taking advantage of West African expertise for preparing the guide, particularly of ASSN experts; consultations and review of the guide by a review committee of the ECOWAS Parliament. The content of the guide: abstract of the chapters, use of boxed text for specific examples and case studies; recommendations on “what you can do as a parliamentarian” at the end of each chapter. The purposes of the guide: attune parliamentarians and other security sector stakeholders to the importance of efficient and effective parliamentary oversight in West Africa; contribute to capacity-building for parliamentary committees concerned The practical utility of the guide: a resource for the development of training tools; advocacy tool for strengthening the role of parliaments in oversight of the security sector; reference tool concerning parliamentary best practices in this area in West Africa. The Hon. Mensah nevertheless stated that, for all those limitations, the ECOWAS Parliament had always played an important part in managing the crises that had affected the West African region. Much experience had thereby been accumulated. With a view to specifying the rightful role of the ECOWAS Parliament in achieving the ideals of peace and democracy in the region, consideration was being given to the possibility of modifying particular basic texts of the Community relating to security and democracy matters. The Hon. Mensah further mentioned the significant progress made at the level of ECOWAS in the integration process. In conclusion, he said that the ECOWAS Parliament remained convinced of the need to establish a regular framework of exchanges and concerted action between the committees responsible for defence and security matters of the Member States around the equivalent committees of the ECOWAS Parliament and of the IPC-WAEMU. Disseminating Best Practices in ECOWAS Member States 3. Making alliances: the political challenges of parliamentary oversight of the security sector This topic was introduced by Professor Boubacar N’Diaye, Senior lecturer and member of the ASSN Executive Committee. establishing mutual trust between civilians and the military. Confidentiality must not amount to a blank cheque for the Executive. • The presentation sought to answer the following questions: • What are the obstacles to parliamentary oversight of the security sector? • What players are involved in the oversight process? • What are the strategies to be applied in order to turn opponents into allies? Professor N’Diaye stressed the urgent need to institute and to institutionalize parliamentary oversight of the security sector, which was not yet in place in all ECOWAS Member States. To move forward in that respect, there was in particular a need to keep the aims of parliamentary oversight well apart from “petty politics” and to separate the institutional role of parliament from its political role. 4. Parliament and budgetary decisionmaking power: best practices regarding the security budget This topic was introduced by Ms. Lena Andersson, independent consultant, and Colonel Nouhoum Sangare, ASSN member. Ms. Andersson’s introduction hinged on the following points: • The nature of the budget: the budget is not a technical product but a political product, lending substance to security policies and meting out responsibilities. • The role of parliaments: ensuring that the interests of citizens are taken into consideration in the course of budget preparation; holding the Executive to account in the utilization of funds. • The budget cycle: after describing the four phases of the budget cycle (budget formulation, budget execution, accounting and reports, and verification and external audit), Ms. Andersson clarified the role of parliamentarians at each stage of the cycle. • The basic functions of parliament: legislative functions (establishing the legal framework for financial responsibility; adopting the annual budget; adopting laws on governance of the security sector) and oversight functions (examining the budget of security sector institutions; discussing any amendments; and asking questions about expenditure policies at public hearings). • Purchase and acquisition of arms: Ms. Andersson reviewed the various stages of arms procurement processes. The discussions on the topic related to: • The role of the opposition in oversight of the security sector: the opposition must be associated with the process of parliamentary oversight and scope for collaboration must be established. Over and above political convictions and interests, parliamentarians must agree on minima for the purpose of associating the stakeholders in order to achieve the aims of parliamentary oversight. • Relations between the Executive and the Legislature: a strong Executive often results in undue deference on the part of parliament. Parliament must be enabled to play its part to the full. For that, parliamentarians must in particular acquire the necessary knowledge and information to be able to hold the Executive to account. • Confidentiality as an obstacle to parliamentary oversight of the security sector: parliamentarians must be able to discuss the question of confidentiality openly; for which purpose work must be undertaken on The role of civil society organizations: parliamentarians, and particularly those on committees responsible for security matters, must strengthen their ties with civil society organizations. Disseminating Best Practices in ECOWAS Member States 7 • • The challenges: obstacles to transparency, tradition of secrecy, complexity of the domain (particularly for arms purchases), specific nature of the sector, the relationship between power and policy (differences between the rules adopted and informal practices). The conditions of effective parliamentary oversight: authority (legal powers), capacity (knowledge, resources) and attitude (resolve to hold the Executive to account). Colonel Sangare for his part hinged his introduction on the specific example of budget oversight in Mali. He notably gave an account of the reforms implemented in Mali in this sphere, in particular the reforms relating to the institutions and procedures of preparation, implementation and oversight of the security sector. He explained how security sector reform had evolved in Mali since 1991, the year of the revolution which had overthrown the military regime. The progress recorded calls for a permanent watch and action to ensure greater budgetary oversight of the security sector. 5. Systematic gender mainstreaming in parliamentary oversight of the security sector This topic was introduced by Ms. Awino Okech, Researcher at the African Gender Institute, University of Cape Town, and ASSN member, and Ms. Oulie Keita, Gender and Security Adviser to the African Union and ASSN member. Both speakers formulated the various reasons why it is essential to bring gender mainstreaming into the various aspects of parliamentary oversight of the security sector in order to ensure the latter’s effectiveness. The discussions concerned: • The present situation concerning the representation of women within the parliament and the security structures in the various ECOWAS Member States, and in particular the need to go further than the introduction of quotas to ensure better representation of women. • The role that women have to play to make their voices heard within the decision-making structures, whether in parliament or in the other policymaking entities. • The need for parliamentarians to cooperate with the civil society organizations and specifically women’s organizations/ associations. The discussions around this topic covered inter alia: • Transparency of the security sector: in order to permit effective oversight, the budget document of the security sector must be designed as a comprehensible and transparent document. • The strengthening of management procedures: rather than increasing the number of oversight structures, the budget management system must make for transparent and effective management up the line. • The training of parliamentarians for their tasks: given the complexity and technical nature of the documents to do with the security budget, training workshops need to be put in place that give parliamentarians a better understanding of these documents and enable them to acquire the necessary knowledge to be able, as appropriate, to propose amendments, and understand the consequences of the proposed allocations. IV. Group deliberations (2nd day) On the second day of the workshop, the participants split into three working groups to continue the discussions opened in plenary on the following topics: • Making alliances: the political challenges of parliamentary oversight of the security sector • Parliament and budgetary decision-making power: best practices regarding the security budget • Systematic gender mainstreaming in parliamentary oversight of the security sector Upon completion of the group proceedings and following the statements, testimonies and discussions, the participants recommend: 8 Disseminating Best Practices in ECOWAS Member States Concerning the political challenges of parliamentary oversight of the security sector • • Encouraging the sharing of experience between security sector stakeholders, particularly through: o Furtherance of the knowledge of parliamentarians and parliamentary assistants about organization and legislation relating to the security sector; o The establishment of dialogue platforms between security sector stakeholders; o The organization of events, at regional and national level, fostering a relationship of trust between armed forces and security services and the other security sector stakeholders (open-house days, lectures, etc.); o Amplification of the work of committees concerned with budgetary matters; o The organization of training workshops on budget oversight before each budget session. • More on-site visits by parliamentarians to gain a better understanding of the difficulties facing the armed forces and security services. • - The parliamentary committees responsible for defence and security matters and the funding entities. Ensuring better access of citizens to information on the security sector, particularly through: - The parliamentary committees on Finance and Budget, Defence and Security, and Foreign Affairs; - The parliamentary committees dealing with security issues and the national audit institution. o Greater cooperation between parliamentarians, local elected officials and civil society organizations. o At the regional level: - The parliamentary committees in charge of matters relating to public finance/ accounts of the Frenchspeaking parliaments and those of the English-speaking parliaments. Engaging in active promotion of human rights, particularly through: o The wide dissemination of information on human rights and on the rights and duties of citizens; - The parliamentary committees in charge of matters relating to public finance/accounts and those in charge of defence and security issues. o The organization of training courses on human rights for security personnel; o The adoption and application of sanctions against armed forces and security service members committing violations of human rights. Concerning systematic gender mainstreaming in parliamentary oversight of the security sector • Raising to the status of major policy guidance in the ECOWAS States the schooling of girls and the capacitation of women in the world of work. • Working to transform the existing social structures to permit better capacitation of women in the world of work, particularly through: Concerning best practices with respect to parliamentary oversight of the security sector • Ensuring the standardization and general introduction of systems for the management and oversight of public finances. Developing specific partnerships between: o At the national level: o An effective utilization of the media and existing means of communication (tracts, posters, etc.); • Ensuring greater involvement of parliamentarians in drawing up the security budget, particularly through: Disseminating Best Practices in ECOWAS Member States 9 o Making the public more aware of the cultural and social practices impeding the advancement of women in the world of work; o Promoting the involvement of women in politics, and notably in senior posts. • Promoting gender mainstreaming in all aspects of parliamentary oversight of the security sector, particularly through: o Monitoring of the effective and adequate application of legislation already enacted; o Draft legislation seeking to increase the number of women and their retention in national assemblies, the armed forces and the security services; o Promotion of improved representation of women in parliamentary committees dealing with security matters; o More visits by parliamentarians to security and defence structures to inquire about the working conditions of women. 10 The participants insisted on the need to ensure monitoring of the implementation of the above recommendations. For this purpose, the DCAF, the ASSN and the IPU, as organizers of the workshop and partners of the ECOWAS Member States in their efforts to strengthen good governance of the security sector at national level and in the region, recommend: At the national level • The establishment of a steering committee to identify the priorities and practical steps to be taken to ensure implementation of the recommendations of the present workshop and of that of Dakar; At the regional level • The establishment of a mechanism for monitoring the implementation of the recommendations contained in the ECOWAS Parliament-DCAF Guide for West African Parliamentarians Parliamentary Oversight of the Security Sector; • The setting up of an informal contact and concerted action mechanism liaising between the committees dealing with defence and security, the various national parliaments and the ECOWAS Parliament; • The incorporation of these national and regional processes in the action plan relating to the ECOWAS Framework on Democratic Governance and Reform of the Security Sector, at present under preparation. Disseminating Best Practices in ECOWAS Member States List of participants Name and surname Country/ Organisation Fonction Phone number Parliamentary delegations Chair of the Peace and Security Committee MP +226 70737545 E-mail OSEI MENSAH Simon ECOPARL DAH K Nicolas ECOPARL DELGADO Carlos Alberto ARBONCANA Oumarou HOUANGNI Parfait BIO KANSI Boganse KAFANDO Yacinthe T. SANOU Alfred GUITANGA Samuel Ibrahim NFOJOH George ACHEAMPONG Seth SARKU Gloria ECOPARL MP + 238 99 19 052 ECOPARL Parliamentary assistant MP MP MP +229 96 96 55 33 +229 90 92 88 66 +226 70 00 20 20 dahdelidji@yahoo.fr raoulbiokansi@yahoo.fr kyacynte@yahoo.fr +226 70 21 52 55 +226 70 41 41 93 hereso@fasonet.bf guitanga@hotmail.fr DIOP Abdoulaye Demba UEITELE Festus Tulonga LUTUTU Georges Mauritania Commission secretary Senator Namibia MP Namibia ZANGAOU Moussa ILLA OUSMANE LAOUALI Ibrahim Niger Niger Niger Commission secretary MP MP Adviser DIA Lamine Senegal MP KALAWA Charles Hudson BOYAH Komba E.S. Sierra Leone MP +264 81 246 6347 f.ueitele@parliament. gov.na +264 61 288 2601 g.lututu@parliament. gov.na +227 90118348 zangaou@refer.ne +227 97 63 56 44 +227 90 67 74 03 laouali.ibrahim59@ yahoo.fr +221 77 913 0225 laminedicab@hotmail. com +232 33 350 244 kalatara06@yahoo.co.uk Sierra Leone MP +232 76 601 222 MOMODU-LAMIN Roger Deen Sierra Leone Parliamentary assistant +232 33 310717 Benin Benin Burkina Faso Burkina Faso Burkina Faso Ghana Ghana Ghana MP Parliamentary assistant MP MP oseimensa2@yahoo. com koumbanico@gmail. com cacaidelgado@hotmail. com +233 244 017 900 camfodjoh@yahoo.com +233 247 072 421 acheampong.seth@ yahoo.com +233 244 268 546 gloriasarku@yahoo.com +222 469 126 47 kesbee2004@yahoo. com laminu303@yahoo.com Disseminating Best Practices in ECOWAS Member States 11 Name and surname Country/ Organisation Togo Togo Togo Mali Mali Mali Mali Mali Mali Mali Mali MP MP Assistant MP MP MP MP MP MP MP MP +228 90 04 15 99 +228 90 28 94 86 +228 90 83 65 46 +223 76 20 57 01 +223 76 24 53 99 +223 66 78 69 43 +223 66 78 59 47 +223 66 72 48 17 +223 66 72 29 43 +223 66 79 95 35 +223 76 36 11 14 ayitou@hotmail.com kouevi2011@yahoo.fr takpayakossi@yahoo.fr dicko620@yahoo.fr fdkalifa50@yahoo.fr Mali Mali MP MP +223 66 74 46 36 +223 70 93 93 93 KEITA Moriba CISSE Abdoul Kadri SANGARE Yaya TANGARA Issa Mali Mali Mali Mali +223 66 72 97 10 TEMBELY Cheick T. Mali DOUMBIA Somobary TRAORE Siaka Simbo DOUMBIA Souleymane Cmd BAGAYOKO Abdoulaye Mali Mali Mali MP MP MP Deputy Secretary General Legislative Secretary Assistant Assistant Assistant aliouaya@yahoo.fr safiatoumodibo@ yahoo.fr moribakeita@yahoo.fr Mali CNM +223 66 71 86 41 Observers Consultant +221 77 637 4201 latifaidara@hotmail.com SINGO Ayitou FOLLY Kouevi Koko KOSSI Takpaya DICKO Boureima DOUMBIA Kalifa SOFARA Habibou HAIDARA Yaya DUANESSY Ibrahim BERIDOGO Bréhima DIASSANA Mariam SIMPARA Mamadou Gaoussou AYA Aliou TRAORE Safiatou HAIDARA Latif LOHMANN Annette DOUMBIA Salabary 12 Femmes Africa Solidarité Friedrich Ebert Foundation Friedrich Ebert Foundation Fonction Phone number +223 76 44 00 12 +223 76 36 24 05 E-mail haidarala@yahoo.fr beridogo@yahoo.fr kiassou01@yahoo.fr modiere@yahoo.fr +223 76 43 56 39 +223 20 22 444 nabysiaka@yahoo.fr Resident Representative Programme Manager Disseminating Best Practices in ECOWAS Member States info@fes-mali.org info@fes-mali.org Name and surname UZOECHINA Okey Country/ Organisation DCAF ANDERSSON Lena SANGARE Nouhoum OKECH Awino Member of the ASSN Member of the ASSN KEITA Oulie Member of the ASSN N’DIAYE Boubacar Member of the Executive Committee of the ASSN IPU KOALA KABORE Aline AFOUDA Akiyo IPU GACOND JeanJacques DCAF GRENET Aurélie DCAF Fonction Phone number Speakers Representative to +234 803 668 the ECOWAS 2174 Independent consultant Colonel Major +223 70 21 52 55 Researcher, African Gender Institute at the University of Cape Town SSR Gender Advisor to the African Union Organisers Associate Professor at The College of Wooster Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of Burkina Faso Human Rights Programme Manager Deputy Head Africa and the Middle East Division Project Officer E-mail okeysoffice@yahoo.com lena.andersson@ balkansanalysis.org nsangareml@yahoo.fr awino@fahamu.org +223 66 54 71 24 +1 330 749 0192 bndiaye@wooster.edu +226 70 20 83 64 tinsomde@yahoo.fr +41 22 919 4123 aa@mail.ipu.org +41 22 741 7713 j.gacond@dcaf.ch +41 22 741 7748 a.grenet@dcaf.ch Disseminating Best Practices in ECOWAS Member States 13 Concept Note Introduction Parliaments in West Africa are expected to enact and monitor implementation of security, intelligence, public order and defence-related legislation. They are also expected to scrutinize and approve the budget of the defence and security sector and to ensure that security policies reflect the needs and aspirations of the citizens they represent. Such parliamentary oversight is vital to democratic security sector governance. However, the capacity of parliaments, and in particular parliamentary defence and security committees, to deliver on these expectations is usually limited. This may be due to combinations of any of the followings reasons: Follow-up regional workshop in Bamako, Mali Focus and objectives DCAF, IPU and ASSN are now joining forces to organize a two-day follow-up regional workshop, to be hosted by the Parliament of Mali, which will look more closely at how parliaments and their members can apply principles and mechanisms of parliamentary oversight in specific areas such as: : - Poor appreciation by parliamentarians of the scope of their constitutional roles and powers; The politics of security sector oversight: making allies - Oversight of defence and security budgeting/ arms procurement - Lack of capacity by parliamentarians to fully exercise their roles; - Gender-mainstreaming of security sector reform policies and programmes - Lack of parliamentary research or advisory support capacity; - Inadequate incentives and resources required for effective parliamentary oversight; - A legacy of executive monopoly on security and defense matters. The seminar will draw on the recommendations of the ECOWAS Parliament-DCAF Guide for West African Parliamentarians “Parliamentary oversight of the security sector”, which is modeled on the IPU-DCAF Handbook for parliamentarians entitled “Parliamentary oversight of the security sector: Principles, mechanisms and practices” issued in 2003. Various experts in the field of security sector governance, many of whom are members of the ASSN, have contributed to the guide for West African parliamentarians which is tailored to the realities of the region. The guide was unanimously endorsed by the plenary of the ECOWAS Parliament on 29 September 2010. - The Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces (DCAF), the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and the African Security Sector Network (ASSN) have conducted a number of activities in different West African countries aimed at building the capacity and expertise of defence and security committees and their staff so as to strengthening the role of parliaments and enable them to carry out effective oversight of the security sector. The seminar on Parliamentary Oversight of the Security Sector in West Africa, hosted by the Senegalese National Assembly in Dakar in September 2010, was the first joint activity organized by DCAF and the IPU at the regional 14 level aimed at analysing the relevance of general principles and mechanisms of parliamentary oversight of the security sector in West Africa. Programme set-up The workshop will start with a plenary session. Participants will subsequently take part in working group sessions with a view to discussing challenges to the full implementation of the recommendations contained in the ECOWAS Parliament-DCAF Guide and ways of addressing the challenges. Each working group will focus on Disseminating Best Practices in ECOWAS Member States one topic and will be facilitated by an expert on the topic to be discussed. Each working group will report back to plenary on day-2 on the outcomes of their discussion. The workshop will also allow further discussion on policy development around parliamentary oversight over the security sector. In that perspective, it will constitute a valuable opportunity for participants to network, share experiences and exchange ideas and best practices. Participants The ECOWAS Parliament and parliaments of ECOWAS member states will be invited to send a delegation, preferably comprised of members of defence and security committees as well as parliamentary staffers, to take part in the seminar. Parliaments will be requested to cover the costs of participation of their delegations. The host Parliament will be requested to provide on-site logistical support. Representatives of civil society, including the media and contributors to the ECOWAS ParliamentDCAF Guide, will participate in the event. Partner organisations will be invited to contribute to the organisation of the seminar or be invited as observers. Disseminating Best Practices in ECOWAS Member States 15 Agenda 28 November 2011 8:30-9:00 Registration of participants 9:00-10:00 Welcome address Mrs Kombi Aline Koala, Representative of the IPU Dr. Boubacar N’Diaye, Representative of the ASSN Dr. Jean-Jacques Gacond, Representative of the DCAF M. Natié Plea, Minister of Defence of Mali H.E. Mrs Muriel Berset Cohen, Ambassador of Switzerland in Mali H.E. Honorable Dioncounda Traoré, Speaker of the National Assembly of Mali 10:00-10:30 Coffee break 10:30-11:15 Presentation of the ECOWAS Parliament-DCAF Guide for West African parliamentarians “Parliamentary oversight of the security sector” Speaker: Mr. Okey Uzoechina, DCAF representative to the ECOWAS 11:15-12:30 Presentation and discussion : “The politics of security sector oversight: making allies” Speaker: Prof. Boubacar N’Diaye, Associate Professor at The College of Wooster, Ohio and member of the Executive Committee of the ASSN 12:30-13:45 Lunch 13:45-15:45 Presentation and discussion : “Financial oversight of the security sector: strengthening the role of parliaments” Speaker: Mrs Lena Andersson, independent consultant “Defence budgeting in Mali” Speaker: Colonel Nouhoum Sangare, Head of Finances, Ministry of Territorial Administration, Mali and member of the ASSN 15:45-16:15 16 Coffee break Disseminating Best Practices in ECOWAS Member States 16:15-17:30 Presentation and discussion : “Integrating gender into parliamentary oversight of the security sector” Speakers: Ms Awino Okech, Researcher, African Gender Institute at the University of Cape Town, and member of the ASSN Ms Oulie Keita, SSR Gender Advisor to the African Union and member of the ASSN 17:30-17:45 Introduction of the working group session: objectives and organisation (discussion and formation of three working groups) 29 November 2011 8:30-9:00 Executive summary of the previous day’s work and breakdown of participants in 3 working groups 9:00-10:30 Working group discussion 10:30-11:00 Coffee break 11:00-12:30 Working group discussion 12:30-13:30 Lunch 13:30-15:00 Working group discussion 15:00-15:30 Coffee break 15:30-17:30 Reporting back to plenary of the group discussion (20 minutes to report and 20 minutes for discussion) 17:30--18:00 Summary, evaluation and closing address Reception Cocktail buffet offered Disseminating Best Practices in ECOWAS Member States 17 18 Disseminating Best Practices in ECOWAS Member States