The President of the Pan-African Parliament (PAP), H.E. Chief Fortune Charumbira, today addressed the Third Edition of the South-South Parliamentary Dialogue Forum, hosted by the House of Councillors in Rabat, Kingdom of Morocco.
The high-level event, held under the theme "Interregional and Continental Dialogues Among Global South Countries as a Key Lever for Addressing New Challenges to International Cooperation and Achieving Peace, Security, Stability, and Shared Development", brings together key parliamentary leaders from across the Global South.
Accompanied by the First Vice President Hon. Dr. Fatimetu Habib, the Third Vice President Hon. Lucia Dos Passos and the Fourth Vice-President Hon. Abba Djidda Mamar Mht, H.E. Chief Charumbira underscored the critical role of parliaments in fostering integration, peace, security, and sustainable development.
He emphasised the PAP’s mandate to represent African peoples’ voices in continental decision-making processes and called for stronger parliamentary cooperation to address persistent challenges such as food insecurity, conflict, youth unemployment, and barriers to intra-African trade.
Highlighting the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) as a game-changer for Africa’s development, the PAP President urged national parliaments to accelerate ratification and implementation processes. He also stressed the urgent need for infrastructure connectivity, visa-free movement across the continent, and leveraging parliamentary diplomacy to resolve conflicts and advance stability.
Chief Charumbira lauded Morocco’s leadership, particularly the Trans-Sahara Highway and Atlantic Initiative, as transformative projects that will drive regional integration and shared prosperity. He called on parliamentary institutions to create enabling legislative environments that promote economic cooperation, technological innovation, and equitable development across the Global South.
The Forum, taking place from 28–29 April 2025, continues to serve as a strategic platform for parliaments to strengthen solidarity and craft collective solutions to global challenges. This initiative also reaffirms the urgency of strengthening South-South cooperation and fostering joint action among legislative institutions, especially in light of the successive crises facing the world today.
It is driven by a firm conviction that interregional and continental dialogue, alongside increased cooperation among Global South nations, represents a vital tool for achieving economic integration, enhancing the global positioning of Southern economies, and contributing meaningfully to the realization of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
