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Compiling an official Country Report (Stage 3)

Based on the materials prepared for them by the APR Secretariat, as well as the submitted Country Self-Assessment Report and the findings of its visit to the country during the Country Review Mission, an APR Team begins to prepare the country's official report to be submitted to the APR Forum. During this process, the APR team normally employs the services of a number of technical experts who were part of the official mission to draft a report which the full country team then examines.

There are three major components which a CRM draws upon in order to compile an official country report:

  1. Background materials prepared for the mission by the APR Secretariat;
  2. The Country-Self Assessment Report & draft Programme of Action;
  3. Information gathered during the missions visit to the country, via consultations and other presentations to the mission.

A CRM is always lead by a member of the APR Panel, who is usually supported by staff with expertise in each of the four governance themes (for more on these see Review Criteria (continued)) that are examined under the APRM. The extent to which the Country Review Team includes the views and opinions gathered through any one of the three major components of the report is at the CRM's sole discretion. The Country Review Team can therefore choose to give greater consideration to a country's self-assessment report, provided that it was satisfied during its visit to the country that the process of self-assessment was satisfactory, than the other submissions. Alternatively, the team can also draw upon additional resources available, including any other governance indicators and assessments available on the country, should they feel that the information captured in the three major components is insufficient to produce a comprehensive report on the country's status in the four thematic areas.

Once the report has been drafted, it is submitted to the APR Secretariat, which forwards the report to the country's national government for consideration. The government is then asked to comment on the report, and these comments are appended to the draft.