Rafael Hangula
ARUSHA – A Namibian parliamentary delegation, led by Phillipus Katamelo, is in Arusha, Tanzania, to attend the 53rd SADC-Parliamentary Forum (SADC-PF) Plenary Assembly, taking place from yesterday until 8 July 2023.
Katamelo, who is a member of the executive committee of SADC-PF, is leading the Namibian delegation on behalf of the Speaker of the National Assembly Peter Katjavivi.
Other members include Agnes Kafula, Vipuakuje Muharukua, Utaara Mootu, Paula Kooper, Lonia Kaishungu and Paulus Mbangu.
Namibia’s High Commissioner to Tanzania Lebbius Tobias received the delegation over the weekend.
The 53rd Parliamentary Forum takes place under the theme ‘Modernising Agriculture to Address Food Insecurity and Youth Unemployment in the SADC Region: Role of the Parliaments’.
The plenary is expected to consider avenues for parliamentary interventions to modernise smart agricultural production whilst ensuring that gender gaps are duly filled, and that opportunities in agriculture are available to all without discrimination.
Members of Parliament (MPs) from SADC national parliaments are further expected to deliberate on prompt implementable measures on food insecurity and youth unemployment in line with climate change impacts towards agriculture, consider adaptation strategies that can be achieved by SADC Member Parliaments on substantial gains to sustainable agriculture that can influence food security and youth employment creation, amongst others. According to SADC-PF, high youth unemployment rates, inadequate social welfare systems and high HIV/Aids infection rates contribute to food insecurity in the region, adding that food security challenges in SADC countries are partly due to historical injustices regarding access to land, resources and policies that fail to promote smallholder agriculture and rural development.
SADC national parliaments are also expected to give country reports on the recommendations of the 52nd SADC-PF Plenary Assembly, held in DRC last year.
The Plenary Assembly advises the SADC summit on matters of regional policy issues and promotes the objectives and programmes of SADC SADCPF.
It is a regional inter-parliamentary body composed of 15 parliaments, representing over 3 500 parliamentarians in the SADC region.
It was established in 1997 in accordance with Article 9 (2) of the SADC Treaty as an autonomous institution of SADC.
Its member parliaments are Angola, Botswana, Democratic Republic of Congo, eSwatini, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Seychelles, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
* Rafael Hangula works for the National Assembly in the Division: Research, Information, Publications and Editorial Services.
Photo: MPs
Caption:
Leading… Head of the Namibian Parliamentary delegation to the 53rd SADC-PF Plenary Assembly Phillipus Katamelo.
Photo: Contributed