George Sanzila

Speaker of the National Assembly Professor Peter Katjavivi and National Council deputy chairperson Victoria Kauma recently signed a cooperation agreement with the IPU secretary general, Martin Chungong, at the just concluded 146th Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) assembly and related meetings held in Manama, Bahrain from 11 to 15 March 2023. 

The cooperation agreement will enable the IPU Secretariat to fund and facilitate capacity-building undertakings at the Namibian parliament aimed at advancing gender equality in Namibia. 

The training will target women MPs and staff members and will look at important issues such as strategic planning and future functioning of the joint women’s parliamentary caucus, lobbying, advocacy, gender mainstreaming and gender-responsive budgeting among many other areas of interest.

During the signing, both presiding
officers commended IPU for its continued support noting that although Namibia has made progress in terms of gender mainstreaming and inclusion, more still needed to be done. 

In his address to the IPU general assembly, held under the theme ‘Promoting Peaceful Coexistence and Inclusive Societies: Fighting Intolerance’, Katjavivi repeated the same sentiments by outlining Namibia’s legislative interventions aimed at protecting the rights of all individuals without discrimination, notably enacted laws such as the Combatting of Domestic Violence Act, the Combatting of Rape Act, and amendments to the Criminal Procedure and High Court Acts. 

He further said the Namibian government has also implemented policies that ensure equal representation of women and youth in government and decision-making positions and as a result, women’s representation in Namibia’s parliament has increased to 48%, while youth representation stands at 5%. Additionally, Namibia has created a
children’s parliament, providing a platform for young people to engage with each other and discuss issues of tolerance and promotion of human rights.

Katjavivi led a delegation of MPs from both houses that included, Tobie Aupindi, Emelia Nuyoma-Amupewa, Jennifer van den Heever, Olivia Tuyenikelao Hanghuwo, Longinus Iipumbu and Deriou Andred Benson.  

The IPU is a global organisation of parliaments that brings together lawmakers to identify international challenges and make recommendations for action. It comprises 179 national parliaments and 14 regional parliamentary bodies.