Luanda - The president of the National Assembly, Carolina Cerqueira, on Monday defended that the focus on peace, stability and security should continue to be a priority at the level of parliaments of the Southern African Development Community (SADC).
The leader of the Angolan Parliament was speaking on the occasion of the launch of the Strategic Plan of the SADC Parliamentary Forum for the period 2024-2028, on the sidelines of the 55th Parliamentary Plenary Assembly of this regional body taking place in Luanda.
Carolina Cerqueira noted that the Southern region was, until recently, the most stable on the continent, 'but we are experiencing symptoms of some conflict situations that could affect the lives of populations, the resilience and inclusion that must be made by parliaments'.
She said it was necessary to work together to have strong, inclusive and resilient parliaments.
She noted that the more than three thousand 500 SADC parliamentarians have a sacred duty to represent their electorate, the citizens of the community, with dignity.
He recalled that the work of a Member of the Parliament involves issues as diverse as maternal and child health, education, public financial management, youth development, technological advances (including artificial intelligence), agriculture and food security, industrialization, land and water management, climate change, disaster management, gender equality, good governance, among others.
'Literally, people's lives depend on us and the work we do. Therefore, we have a duty to carry out this enormous responsibility in the best possible way,' she stressed.
PF-SADC Strategic Plan
Carolina Cerqueira expressed satisfaction with the fact that one of the main aspirations of the FP-SADC Strategic Plan is to revitalize parliamentary involvement based on the functions of Parliament, namely legislation, representation, control and oversight.
She emphasized that the vision contained in the Strategic Plan is that of a unified SADC, focused on socio-economic development, innovation and peace, all of which are supported by strong parliaments.
According to the source, the Strategic Plan highlights the organization's commitment to promoting inclusive, cohesive and effective parliamentary institutions, ultimately contributing to the advancement and prosperity of the Southern African region.
'In short, this Strategic Plan is a nexus of all our contributions, it represents our hopes and aspirations as representatives of the people of the region and how we hope to achieve them', she stressed.
She highlighted that the Strategic Plan recognizes an imperative demand from citizens to bring Parliament closer to citizens through public hearings, in order to consolidate participatory democracy.
Transformation of FP-SADC into regional parliament
The president of the National Assembly hoped, on the occasion, that the transformation of the FP-SADC into a regional parliament would take place soon.
She was pleased that Namibia had days ago ratified the protocol for the institutionalization of the SADC Parliament.
She noted that this fact 'represents the maturity of our countries and our parliaments in relation to the need to create a SADC Parliament to provide solutions to the many problems that exist at the level of our countries'.
Angola, which has always led this transformation process, defends the involvement of all members in advocacy with their countries for the long-awaited transformation of the SADC Parliamentary Forum into a Regional Parliament.
Currently 11 countries have signed the treaty, with only one remaining to authorize the SADC treaty for the creation of the regional Parliament.
SADC is a regional community made up of 16 Member States, namely Angola, Botswana, Comoros, Democratic Republic of Congo, Eswatini, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, United Republic Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
The organization's mission is to promote sustainable and equitable economic growth and socioeconomic development, through efficient production systems, deeper cooperation and integration, good governance and lasting peace and security, so that the region emerges as an actor competitive and effective in international relations and the world economy. DC/VIC/DOJ
