President of SADC Parliamentary Forum presides over 53rd Plenary Assembly |15 July 2023
President of Tanzania was the guest of honour at the opening ceremony
Hon. Roger Mancienne, the President of SADC Parliamentary Forum (SADC PF) and Speaker of the National Assembly of Seychelles, presided over this organisation’s 53rd Plenary Assembly held in Arusha, Tanzania from July 1 to 8, 2023.
Hon. Mancienne led a parliamentary delegation, including Hon. Regina Esparon, the chairperson of the Regional Women Parliamentary Caucus (RWPC), Hon. Rosie Bistoquet, the chairperson of the Gender Equality and Women Advancement, Youth Development (GEWAYD) and Tania Isaac, a member of the Committee of Clerks of SADC PF.
The guest of honour at the opening ceremony was the Tanzanian president, Dr Samia Suluhu Hassan, who is the first ever female head of state to grace the opening of a Plenary Assembly session in the history of the Forum.
Speeches were also delivered by Speaker Mancienne as President of SADC PF and Hon. Regina Esparon as chair of RWPC, among others.
This Plenary Assembly was held under the theme ‘Modernising agriculture to address food security and youth unemployment in the SADC Region: Role of the Parliaments’.
The theme was particularly relevant, given the prevailing severe food situation in the SADC region.
Members of Parliament from SADC National Parliaments were invited to consider areas for parliamentary interventions through innovation and modern agricultural production aimed at enticing the youth in this sector.
The issue of gender gaps and opportunities for all without discrimination were also at the core of the debate.
During the course of the 5-day gathering, Speaker Mancienne presided over the Plenary Assembly where the National Assembly of Seychelles and other countries provided details of progress made on the implementation of the Resolutions of the 52nd Plenary Assembly.
Efforts being made by parliaments to domesticate resolutions proved that activities of the forum have an impact on the lives of the citizens of member countries.
Hon. Bistoquet, Hon. Esparon and other Standing Committee chairpersons moved motions for the adoption of their Committee reports, which were insightful, relevant, and dealt with a myriad of issues cutting across the entire spectrum of the thematic areas covered by the Standing Committees.
In his closing remarks, Hon. Mancienne urged members of parliament to follow up on implementations of resolutions of this plenary with the aim of improving the lives of the people that they serve in their respective countries.
