Luanda – Angola’s National Assembly Speaker Carolina Cerqueira will participate in the 56th Assembly of the Parliamentary Forum of the Southern African Development Community (FP-SADC), which takes place from the 9th to the 15th of this month, in Zambia.
Speaking to the press at 4 de Fevereiro International Airport, Carolina Cerqueira highlighted the importance of launching the Regional Parliamentary Alliance on Agro-food Systems, Food Security and Nutrition, in partnership with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. (FAO), scheduled for this Monday.
The initiative, to be held on the sidelines of the event, will count on the active participation of Angola, as mentioned by the parliamentarian, reaffirming Angola's commitment to promoting food and nutritional security.
“Southern Africa is a region with great agricultural potential due to its abundance of water resources. Therefore, we think that agri-food systems must be developed in an intelligent, modern and rapid way to eliminate hunger and poverty on the continent, as well as guarantee sustainable development”, she declared.
According to the parliamentary leader, within the scope of this alliance, Angola, in coordination with other countries, will contribute to the training of staff, exchange of experiences and create a basis for guidance on the progress to be made, taking into account the post-Malabo results and the Sustainable Development Goals.
She recalled that food is a national security problem, because the mobility of people, hunger and poverty have many effects on human stability and the stability of countries.
Therefore, explained Carolina Cerqueira, parliaments are committed to developing legislative processes, through open debate, intervening and inclusive dialogue with civil society and information sharing partnerships with the executives of all Member States, so that we have a region with more resources to feed its populations.
Smart Parliaments
The 56th Assembly of the SADC Parliamentary Forum will take place under the motto “Harnessing technology and innovation to promote inclusive and caring smart parliaments in the SADC region”.
Regarding this topic, the president of the National Assembly made it known that Angola's vision will be shared, which modernized its entire organic structure at parliamentary level to become more inclusive and intelligent, in order to guarantee the dematerialization of parliamentary processes and procedures.
The event foresees the discussion of various social, political and economic issues that afflict the countries of the region and for which they seek points of consensus, consultation and joint action.
SADC parliamentarians will address, in particular, the Model Law on the Eradication of Early Marriage Involving Minors and the Protection of Children in such Unions.
The Angolan delegation, led by president Carolina Cerqueira, is made up of deputies Pedro Sebastião, Ruth Mendes, Teresa Neto and Diamantino Mussokola. ART/DOJ
