The Pan-African Parliament (PAP) is hosting the 4th meeting of Secretaries-General of African Parliaments (ASGAP) from 30 – 31 August at the ongoing August Sittings of the Permanent Committees of the sixth Parliament of the PAP in Midrand, South Africa.
The meeting is guided by the African Union (AU) theme for 2022: “Building resilience in nutrition on the African continent: Accelerate the human capital, social and economic development.”
The Meeting of the ASGAP seeks to promote coordination and harmonisation of parliamentary action and advocacy in relation to the national and regional implementation of the African Union theme of the Year 2022, ratification of African Union treaties, particularly the PAP Malabo Protocol and sustainable responses to the socio-economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In his welcome speech PAP Acting Clerk, Gali Massa Harou said over the past decade, the PAP has institutionalized the annual Conference of Secretaries-General of African Parliaments.
“This meeting serves as a technical platform to contribute to the promotion of the ratification, domestication and implementation of the legal instruments and policies of the African Union, particularly those relating to human rights, democracy, peace and security, good governance, constitutionalism and the rule of law.
“Furthermore, the meeting of Secretaries-General of African Parliaments is an important platform to discuss the coordination of actions and harmonization of legal and policy frameworks by national and regional parliaments of the African Union and the sharing of best parliamentary practices to support our institutions and advance economic integration and development in Africa, which is the raison d'être of PAP,” he added.
Mr. Harou also underscored that the 4th ASGAP serves as a build up to the 11th Annual Conference of Speakers of African Parliaments, slated for 1-3 September. The 11th Annual Conference of Speakers of African Parliaments and the 4th Meeting of the ASGAP are bringing together Speakers of national and regional parliaments, on the one side, and Secretaries-General of National and Regional Parliaments to reflect and proffer parliamentary solutions to contemporary challenges facing the African continent.
These include the issue of food and nutrition insecurity, as borne by the African Union theme for the Year 2022, which is exacerbated by the socio-economic consequences of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, a problem which calls for harmonised and coordinated parliamentary responses and approaches, with support from a more strengthened Pan-African Parliament.
Addressing the meeting, ASGAP Vice President Lydia Tjihimise expressed satisfaction with the resumption of the activities of the ASGAP while calling for commitment from all members of the platform to achieve set targets.
“Due to Covid-19, we have not been able to meet for a long time. I am therefore delighted by the resumption of our meetings. I am impressed by the engagements and submissions we had from various speakers today. We are making progress as we get ready to elect the new leadership tomorrow. We need the support from everyone for this association to see its purpose through,” she said.
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