By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The Speaker of the National Assembly, Thoko Didiza has been elected the Chairperson of the Africa Group at the 150th IPU in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
The IPU is a global organisation of national parliaments that facilitates parliamentary diplomacy and empowers parliaments and parliamentarians to promote peace, democracy and sustainable development worldwide.
The IPU’s work is concerned with building strong democratic parliaments; advancing gender equality and respect for women’s rights; and protecting and promoting human rights.
Speaking at the 150th IPU Assembly in Uzbekistan, she reaffirmed SA’s commitment to gender equality in decision-making.
The speaker is leading a high-level multiparty delegation to the Assembly.
Didiza said her election coincides with South Africa’s convening of the P20 Summit in October. Parliament is hosting the Speakers’ Summit (P20) of the G20 national parliaments.
These P20 Summits play a crucial role in injecting a parliamentary perspective into global governance, raising awareness, building political support for international commitments, and ensuring effective implementation at the national level.
Didiza said the Africa Group should be action-driven, with tangible and achievable results.
South Africa’s chairship of the African Caucus will ensure that parliaments contribute to making Africa the best-performing continent in human rights, democracy, and conflict resolution. “We look forward to receiving our colleagues at the P20 Summit in Cape Town from 3 to 6 October,” Didiza said.
“These platforms need to be exhaustively utilised to resolve some of the issues with which this gathering is consumed. African Parliaments in the IPU must use membership to these gatherings in a manner that benefits their people, that strengthens inter-state relations and deepens the culture of human rights, democracy and development.”
Didiza said African parliaments will struggle to develop their nations in situations where women’s rights, democracy and development are not valued. Parliaments need to forge common goals and recommit to end the conflicts. She said conflicts in Africa holds the continent back and lead to governance instability.
Meanwhile the ANC Parliamentary Caucus congratulated Didiza following her election as the Chairperson of the Africa Group.