The 145th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) will be taking stock of progress made in the work of its constitutional structures and making determinations of how best to make the desired impact for a better developed and safer world.
The South African Parliament’s high-level delegation to the 145th Assembly of the IPU, led by National Assembly Speaker, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, has arrived in Kigali, Rwanda.
The five-day session, taking place from 11 to 15 October 2022, brings together delegates from 178 Member Parliaments, and will see global parliaments engaging on the overall theme “Gender equality and gender-sensitive parliaments as drivers of change for a more resilient and peaceful world”.
The IPU will facilitate exchanges on good practices to make parliaments more gender-sensitive as well as encourage parliaments to pledge transformative action.
According to the latest IPU rankings of 186 countries, South Africa is ranked 12th in the world among parliaments with the highest number of women representation.
Parliamentary spokesperson, Moloto Mothapo, said the 145th Assembly is meeting amid a series of global challenges on which world Parliamentarians are increasingly expected to make a difference to build a safer and a better world.
The IPU has made interventions in trying to resolve global challenges that include the war in Ukraine, women’s representation and Gender-Based Violence (GBV), and mainstreaming of young people through among others, improved representation.
The interventions also include climate changes whose impact is felt most by poorer and underdeveloped nations, rising terrorism and threats of war, exponentially growing international migration and related problems.
Mothapo said the IPU Task Force for the peaceful resolution of the war in Ukraine, whose formation was resolved at the March 2022 144th Assembly in Indonesia, will report to the entire membership (Assembly) on the outcome of its mission and the steps ahead.
The Task Force is led by its President, Dr Ali Rashid Al Nuaimi, IPU Vice-President and Member of the Federal National Council of the United Arab Emirates.
Other Task Force members include Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula of South Africa, Speakers of Parliament from Namibia, and Uruguay, as well as prominent MPs from Indonesia, Israel and Kazakhstan.
The Task Force was established to undertake direct engagements with the parliaments of Ukraine and Russia to help achieve a complete ceasefire and to contribute to confidence-building measures that may achieve a long-term cessation of hostilities and the organization of humanitarian assistance.
A series of constitutional structures of the IPU established to deal with the issues facing the world today, such as forums, standing committees, task forces, as well as the Association of Secretaries Generals of Parliament (ASGP), will be meeting during the week, and also present for deep engagements to the IPU plenary sessions for resolutions to be taken on the way forward.
The IPU is a global body of world parliaments established to facilitate parliamentary diplomacy and to empower parliaments and parliamentarians to promote peace, democracy and sustainable development around the world.
The South African Parliament delegation, which is led by the National Assembly Speaker, also includes:
National Assembly Speaker, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula: Leader of the multi-party delegation;
Deputy Chairperson of the NCOP and African National Congress MP, Sylvia Lucas:
House Chairperson for International Relations and African National Congress MP, Madala Ntombela;
Deputy Chief Whip of the Majority Party – African National Congress MP, Dorris Dlakude;
Democratic Alliance MP, Dr Annelie Lotriet; and
Chief Whip of Economic Freedom Fighters MP, Floyd Shivambu.
Source: South African Government News Agency