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The Speaker of the National Assembly, Ms Thoko Didiza, has stressed the importance of using opportunities to network around trade matters, given the prevailing geo-political environment, by member parliaments attending the 150th Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Assembly.

Ms Didiza, who is leading South Africa’s Parliamentary delegation to the 150th IPU Assembly, was elected as the incoming Chairperson of the Africa Group at the Assembly which is currently underway in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

As Chairperson of the Africa Group, her responsibilities will include convening member parliaments. The Africa Group boasts more members than any other IPU Group.

Ms 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.

This is another platform that IPU representatives from African parliaments should seek to use to end conflict on the continent. Ms 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,” Ms 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.”

Ms 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.

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.

For the first time, the Africa Group submitted an emergency item (substantive proposal) proposing a uniform approach to conflict resolution.

Issued by the Parliament of South Africa