Luanda - The 55th Plenary Assembly of the SADC Parliamentary Forum (SADC-PF), which closed Friday in Luanda, has recorded significant progress towards the transformation of this interparliamentary body into a regional parliament.
The Chairperson of the SADC-PF, Roger Macienne, highlighted the fact that, at this Plenary Meeting, the Republic of Zambia became the 11th Member State to sign the protocol transforming the SADC-PF into a regional parliament. The protocol requires a minimum of 12 signatures to come into force.
He noted that the lobbying team will advocate to persuade other Member States to join the agreement, namely the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Seychelles, Mauritius and Botswana. "This Plenary Assembly had decisive and impressive milestones, as we recorded significant progress towards the transformation of the SADC Parliamentary Forum into a Regional Parliament. This is an issue that is very close to our hearts", he emphasized.
He reported that the Angolan Head of State, João Lourenço, current Acting Chairman of the Community of Southern African Countries (SADC), expressed his full support for the objective of transforming the SADC-PF into a regional parliament.
Launch of the Strategic Plan
Roger Macienne noted that the second milestone of the SADC-PF’s Plenary Assembly was the launch of its Strategic Plan for the 2024-2028 period, "which shows a clear roadmap for achieving the objectives of the Parliamentary Forum, aligning resources, coherence and focus at all levels".
According to the parliamentarian, the Luanda meeting essentially served to harmonize the collective interests of the regional interparliamentary organization. This Plenary Assembly was a success, he assured, adding that there was justice to the mention of the regional Organization. “It served as a platform for us to be the voice of the citizens of the region we represent".
The 55th Parliamentary Assembly adopted, among others, the reports of the SADC women parliamentarians' committee on administrative and financial matters, the latter known as the treasurer's report.
The 55th Plenary Assembly of the SADC-PF took place under the motto "The role of parliaments in promoting renewable energy policies in the SADC region and creating a single regional energy market".
Visits to Benguela and Cabinda
The delegates of the 55th Plenary Assembly will travel this Saturday to the provinces of Benguela and Cabinda, to learn about the socio-economic potential of those regions.
Established in September 1997, the SADC Parliamentary Forum, based in Windhoek, Namibia, provides a platform for dialogue between the parliaments of the region's 15 Member States on issues of regional interest and concern.
It has the support of more than 3,500 parliamentarians from Angola, Botswana, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Eswatini, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Seychelles, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. DC/SC/TED/jmc
