Mr President, in seconding this motion, let me reiterate that the Standing Committee on Human and Social Development and Special Programmes remains grateful to Sweden and Norway for their continued financial support to the Programme in general and to specific projects and activities in particular.

Mr President, while the Programme has experienced some serious challenges in the implementation of its two key project activities as itemised by the mover of this motion, that is the SADC HIV Financing Project and the SRHR, HIV and AIDS Governance Project, it is not all bleak.  We have, Mr President, recorded some success and made progress in some countries.  In terms of some of the success stories relating to the implementation of various project activities, I wish to update this house as outlined below.

In Malawi, some of the key activities undertaken include capacity building workshops for Members of Parliament serving on the Committees responsible for health, budget and gender as well as some civil society organisations working in the area of SRHR, HIV and AIDS.  Further, the Parliament of Malawi has since enacted the Marriage and Divorce Relations Act, which outlawed all forms of child marriage in Malawi.  Notably, the passing of this Act illustrated how ruling and opposition party Members of Parliament could collaborate if they were galvanised around an issue of common interest as the two sides of the House stood together and passed this Act and the subsequent relevant constitutional amendments nemine contradicente.

In the wake of these developments, the Members of Parliament had been undertaking outreach activities within the communities to popularise the provisions of the Act and sensitise the members of the public about it.

In Zimbabwe, two capacity building training activities were held under the two Projects: one targeting Members of Parliament and the other targeting civil society organisations working in the area of HIV and AIDS.  Subsequently, a debate was held in Parliament about child marriage and the call to eradicate child marriage received overwhelming support from both male and female Members of Parliament in equal measure.  Two public hearings were later held in April, 2017 on matters related to SRHR with support under the Project.

The house may wish to note that in Zambia, a number of activities have been undertaken under the two Projects.  Other than the assignment of staff from Parliament and the National AIDS Council to support implementation of the Projects, a Steering Committee was set up, which also served as a Project Monitoring Committee.  Further, a Technical Working Group and Steering Committee were set up, and an orientation and two meetings were held for the said Technical Working Group.  Additionally, in accordance with Outcome 4 of the Project, a National Dialogue over HIV financing gaps was held on 3rd December, 2015.  The outcome of the National Dialogue was a recommendation by stakeholders that Zambia should set ambitious targets and accelerate the delivery of high-impact HIV prevention and treatment services. The participants called for innovative approaches to expand services, bring them closer to the people and focus on the locations and populations with the highest HIV burden while exploring innovative ways to finance these activities.

A second capacity building workshop was held for members of staff of parliament and line ministries’ HIV focal point persons in September, 2016.  Some of the key outcomes of these interventions were, for example, that several Members of Parliament were able to bring up the issue of health and particularly HIV financing in their debate and during the Vice President’s Question Time with the support of the various officials who were capacitated during the workshops alluded to.

Furthermore, arising from these capacity building activities for both staff of Parliament and MPs, the Committee on Health, Community Development and Social Services, with facilitation and support from the capacitated members of staff, adopted a topical issue on Zambia’s preparedness to implement SDG No 3, Target 3.7 in its Programme of Work for the First Session of the Twelfth National Assembly.  Pursuant to this, the Committee engaged various state and non-state actors, including the National AIDS Council, on the issues of SRHR, by asking them to respond to questions which the Committee generated in relation to, among other things, HIV financing.  The Committee undertook two public hearings in April, 2017, with the outcomes of the public hearings being included in the Committee’s report to Parliament which is expected to be presented in June, 2017.

Mr President, it was noted that a number of Parliaments often do not respond timely to communication from the office of the Secretary General regarding various issues, including the SRHR, HIV and AIDS Governance Project.  Let me reiterate the appeal made at successive Plenary Assembly Sessions by the Chairperson of the Standing Committee on Human and Social Development and Special Programmes that in many cases, the correspondence from the Secretary General is very time sensitive.  Accordingly, failure by National Parliaments to respond timely may mean that the Forum loses an opportunity to benefit from one measure or another.  By way of example, as a result of their failure to respond timely, many Parliaments had been disadvantaged in that they are not able to participate in various activities, such as the SRHR, HIV and AIDS Governance Project itself, since they did not communicate their commitment and willingness to participate in these activities at the time they were required to do so.  In this light, may I take this opportunity to implore all Member Parliaments of the Forum to ensure implementation of the resolution passed at several Plenary Assembly Sessions that National Parliaments are under obligation to respond timely to requests and calls to action by the secretariat.  Short of this, the Forum will continue to experience the challenges I have highlighted above.

Mr President, I beg to second and I thank you.

Mr President, I beg to move that this House do adopt the report of the Committee on Human and Social Development and Special Programmes for the 41^st Plenary Assembly Session of the SADC Parliamentary Forum, laid on the Table of the House on…, 2017.

Mr President, in moving this Motion, I wish to inform this august house that the Standing Committee on Human and Social Development and Special Programmes convened on Friday, 7^th April, 2017 at Southern Sun O R Tambo International Airport, Johannesburg, South Africa in accordance with its mandate under Rule 41(e) of the Rules of Procedure.  In attendance at the meeting were twelve of the fourteen member Parliaments of the Forum, with apologies recorded only from the National Parliaments of Lesotho and Mauritius.    As chairperson of the Standing Committee, I wish to pay tribute to all Members for taking time to attend the meeting in spite of other pressing commitments.  This is a testament to their determination to make a difference in the lives of SADC citizens through the Programme. 

Mr President, the Plenary Assembly may wish to note that after a lengthy period of careful planning, the Programme undertook a Mid-Term Review of the Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights, HIV and AIDS Governance (SRHR) Project in May, 2017.  The Mid Term Review was a holistic, independent evaluation of the methodology of the Project, including key aspects such as the level of engagement and coordination, among other things.  The Mid Term Review generated information that will be used to inform future Project activities or indeed future Projects with particular regard to capacity enhancement for Members of Parliament on SRHR, HIV and AIDS governance.  It also shed light on various aspects of the implementation process which required improvement, in order to attain the Project objectives and ultimately make a difference in the lives of the Project’s beneficiaries.  The commissioning of the Mid-Term Review is a strong signal to all its stakeholders that the Project is goal-oriented and that we are open to introspect on the performance of the Project for improved delivery of the Project outcomes.  

As regards ongoing activities in the period since our last report to this Plenary Assembly, I wish to inform this august house that a need was identified to support the Researchers working on the SRHR, HIV and AIDS Governance Project with laptops.  To this end, seven laptops were procured for all the SRHR Project Researchers in the participating Parliaments to facilitate their work on the Project.  The laptops have since been distributed to the participating Parliaments, with each Parliament receiving one laptop.

Further, Mr President, this 41^st Plenary Assembly is requested to note that the HSDSP has been running two Projects, namely; the SADC HIV Financing Project and the Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights, HIV and AIDS Governance Project.  Under the SADC Financing Project, the Forum was availed a total sum of US $500,000 to be applied towards capacitating Parliamentarians in the oversight of commitments made at the African Union Summit of Heads of State and Government held in July, 2013 by their governments on domestic financing of the HIV and AIDS response.  A number of activities have since been undertaken under the two Projects, although there were considerable challenges recorded in some Parliaments.  The SADC HIV Financing Project Agreement, came to an end in December, 2016. 

Mr President, allow me now to briefly highlight some of the key challenges that have been experienced in implementing the SADC HIV Financing Project in some of the member countries.

• Lesotho

The Standing Committee on Human and Social Development and Special Programmes noted with concern that at the time of its sitting, the Parliament of Lesotho was dissolved pending general elections which were due to be held in that country on 3^rd June, 2017.  Similarly, the Committee sadly observed that the political instability in that country, which had necessitated that the country go to elections twice in a period of two years in 2015 and 2017, had made it difficult to implement the Project as planned activities repeatedly had to be suspended.  Further, because of frequent elections, some Members of Parliament who had been capacitated under the Project were lost.  Be that as it may, the Standing Committee noted that the Parliament of Lesotho remained committed to continuing with implementation of the Project activities as soon as the new Parliament settled down after the June, 2017 elections.

• Tanzania

Members may wish to note that only two activities had been implemented in Tanzania since inception of the Project.  The first one was a capacity building activity for Members of Parliament serving on Committees and the second for civil society organisations involved in HIV and AIDS work in that country. Needless to say, more could have been done, given the length of time since the beginning of the Project.  However, some administrative challenges had caused delays in implementation.

• Seychelles and Namibia

Regrettably, no updates were received by the Standing Committee from Seychelles and Namibia on the implementation of the Project. 

Being concerned about the status quo, the Standing Committee resolved that each participating Parliament be required to submit a progress report on the Project to the Standing Committee on HSDSP every three months.  The Reports should highlight any implementation challenges and impediments being faced in order to facilitate timely intervention and guidance by the Committee where necessary.  This will contribute to smoother implementation of the Project in the National Parliaments.

I wish to further report to this august house, Mr President, that the Committee under the auspices of the SADC PF SRHR, HIV and AIDS Governance Project, and in collaboration with the Regional Women’s Parliamentary Caucus, co-hosted the first ever Women’s Parliament on the occasion of the 41^st Plenary Assembly Session in Mahé, Seychelles from 5^th to 6^th July, 2017. This international event focused on Resolution 60/2, championed by the SADC region and passed by the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW).  The deliberations during the Women’s Parliament centred around four thematic areas, namely:

1. Gender Based Violence
2. Women Girls and HIV/AID
3. Access to Abortion Service
4. Access to Information and SRHR Services.

The Women’s Parliament was aimed at identifying and prioritising what needed to be done going forward in order to achieve the goals contained in the said Resolution 60/2.  A full report on the proceedings during the Women’s Parliament will be presented by the RWPC, during this sitting.

Mr President, the Standing Committee expressed concern over the fact that in most Parliaments, the Members of Parliament serving as delegates to SADC PF do not have information on the Projects being undertaken under this Programme.  This is because most of the country delegations do not meet regularly to exchange notes on what activities the respective SADC PF Standing Committees on which they serve were undertaking, hence they have little, if any, knowledge on the activities being undertaken by their counterparts serving on other Standing Committees of the Forum.  As a result, the members are not able to track SADC PF activities such as the SRHR, HIV and AIDS Governance Project, and provide timely interventions where necessary.

In light of the foregoing, the Standing Committee on Human and Social Development and Special Programmes does hereby resolve to recommend to the 41^st Plenary Assembly as follows:

1. The Forum should, yet again, implore all participating Parliaments, through the Offices of Speakers, to take the Project very seriously and ensure that the Project activities are implemented timely in order to ensure that the Forum maintains its good standing with its cooperating partners, but more importantly in order that the intended beneficiaries, the citizens of SADC, can begin to enjoy the benefits of the Project;
2. The Forum should appeal to all Speakers of SADC parliaments to institute mechanisms for MPs serving on SADC PF Standing Committees to meet regularly within their countries to share information about the work of the respective Committees on which they serve and the Forum in general. It was noted that regular meetings among SADC PF delegates in all the Member Parliaments would allow for easy flow of information and smooth handovers where these became necessary for various reasons.
3. The Forum should appeal to all SADC Member Parliaments to take the resolutions of the Mahe Declaration, an outcome document from the Women’s parliament seriously and advocate for their implementation within their legislative mandate and within the context of the respective countries
4. The Forum record its gratitude to all the participating Parliaments under the SRHR, HIV and AIDS Governance Project for their cooperation and facilitation of the Project Mid Term Review, which was successfully undertaken.

In concluding, sir, allow me to place on record the gratitude of the Standing Committee to the SADC PF Secretariat for convening and coordinating the meeting and to Sweden and Norway for providing continued funding for the SRHR, HIV and AIDS Governance Project.  Tribute also goes to all other partners who, through their support, made it possible for the meeting to be held.

Mr President, I beg to move.

His Excellency Danny Faure President of the Republic of Seychelles on the Occasion of The 41st Plenary Assembly Session of the SADC Parliamentary Forum, 10th July 2017, Victoria, Seychelles.

President of the SADC Parliamentary Forum and Speaker of the National Assembly of Angola, Honourable Fernando de Piedade Dias dos Santos

The SADC PF Vice President, Senator Monica Mutsvangwa

The Host Speaker, Hon. Patrick Pillay and fellow Speakers of SADC National Parliaments

Honourable Leader of the Opposition of Seychelles, Hon.Wavel Ramkalawan

Honourable Leader of Government Business of Seychelles, Hon.Charles Decommarmond

Chairperson of the Regional Women’s Parliamentary Caucus, Dr Jessie Kabwila

Honourable Members of Parliament from SADC National Parliaments

The Secretary General of SADC PF, Dr Esau Chiviya

Distinguished invited Guests and Observers

Staff of SADC PF Secretariat

Staff of National Parliaments here present

Members of the Media

Ladies and gentlemen

I want to express a warm welcome to all of you, distinguished parliamentarians to this 41st Plenary Assembly Session of the SADC Parliamentary Forum. May I extend a special word of welcome to those visiting Seychelles for the first time. I trust that you will have a memorable stay in our country and we look forward to your next visit.

We thank the SADC Parliamentary Forum together with the Seychelles National Assembly for having chosen Seychelles as the venue for this most important Plenary Assembly Session and it is indeed an honour for us to host this auspicious event for the first time.

I was once privileged to serve as a member of Seychelles National Assembly. Since that time, I have reserved a special place in my heart for this most important institution, and its pivotal role in amplifying the voice and will of the people.

I have no doubt that during your stay in our country you will be able to feel the pulse and heartbeat of our young evolving democracy and the dynamics of our nation as we continue to shape our future and our destiny as one People.

Honourable Members, Ladies and Gentlemen,

Africa is in the middle of a process of massive transformation. The continent is home to about seven of the world’s 10 fastest growing economies. It has rich natural resources , a young population and scope for growth. Around the globe, companies and countries alike are turning to Africa’s promise. It is a continent of hope with immense potential.

However, the continent still has many developmental challenges to overcome. In the context of globalization, regional integration is imperative for Africa. But effective implementation of regional frameworks will only take root in healthy and democratic environments where economic management is transparent and accountable. Building this kind of political and economic security requires that we think and act regionally and continentally in the spirit of solidarity and shared commitment.

Indeed, the globalized world economy demands that we act as organized regions to give ourselves the best chance of turning that hope into tangible improvements in the quality of lives of our population – including the reinforcement of the values of democracy and good governance.

In a well-cited quote, former United Nations Secretary-General, Kofi Annan,   noted ‘’that good governance is perhaps the single most important factor in eradicating poverty and promoting development’’.  In our specific case, it has definitely reaped dividends and catalyzed our progress towards High Income status.

Seychelles relationship and cooperation with SADC draws its strength from our collective solidarity, these democratic values, nurtured by a common purpose for progress; peace; security; freedom; social justice and prosperity for the peoples of Southern Africa.

In this context, Seychelles reaffirms its commitment to the vision, objectives and programmes of SADC towards regional integration. We are undertaking the process of regional integration in order to achieve strong, sustainable economic growth and to become major and effective actors in world governance.

In order to achieve an effective and transparent regional integration process, we purposefully need to ensure the meaningful participation of the people and institutions of SADC. Parliament is the embodiment of representative democracy and its untapped potential to deepen SADC’s regional integration should be appreciated and recognised.  The recognition we can give to the SADC Parliamentary Forum for its contribution in advancing the region’s democracy, governance peace and development agenda is to earnestly consider its quest for transformation into a Regional Parliament.

This is an aim and objective which the Government of Seychelles shares and fully support. In this context, the setting up of a SADC Regional Parliament will build more stable foundations for peace and security, better promote the implementation of policies, democratic standards and best practices resulting in greater political stability, more sustainable economic development and increased regional integration.

The Leaders, Governments, and people of southern Africa will use the SADC Regional Parliament to share best practice and developments in governance and socio-economic advancements.

Honourable Members, Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is heartening to note that the 41st Plenary Assembly Session is meeting under the theme ‘’HARNESSING THE DEMOGRAPHIC DIVIDEND IN SADC THROUGH INVESTMENTS IN YOUTH.’’ This theme is in line with the Commemoration of the of the African Union’s 54th anniversary and in line with the Orgainsation’s vison 2063. The adoption of this vision is a colossal milestone towards inclusive development of our continent and empowerment of our people.

Today, the theme provides us with the opportunity to continue valorizing our youth with more vigour and dynamism. The involvement of youth in the development of our continent and indeed in southern Africa will mean more inclusive participation and development. Our youth are an extraordinary asset to our region.

The theme therefore reminds us of the urgency to provide platforms, opportunities, support and resources to enable them to be true drivers for continued and increased sustainable development, progress, peace and advancement of our region. There is need to open new horizons, new avenues for our youth’s development. We are here to help them shape a better future and in doing so harness the potential of the next generation.

Our youth will change southern Africa. Our youth will make Africa better. Our youth will make the world better.

I have no doubt that it is in this spirit that you will deliberate on this most important theme as well as on other issues of regional importance.

It is now my honour and privilege to declare this 41st Plenary Assembly Session of the SADC Parliamentary Forum officially open.

I wish you fruitful deliberations.

I THANK YOU.

The challenges faced by national parliaments and governments in the region are enormous given the rising demands of citizens and the unpredictable effects and impacts of globalization. It is the aim in this strategic plan for the period, 2011- 2015, to make sure that the SADC-Parliamentary Forum membership develop capacity and confi dence to cope with the challenges. In doing so, the Forum will assist parliaments through leadership development, training, research, best practice and information sharing, improved cooperation, timely documentation and advisory services, quality publications, and legislative support to perform their oversight, legislative, representational and advocacy roles more effectively and to exercise responsible stewardship over public resources.

Through this strategic plan, the Forum’s broader membership, management and stakeholdership have articulated a realistic set of strategies and programmes to achieve the mandate given to it by the SADC Summit of Heads of State and Government in 1997. These programmes have been divided into four strategic thematic areas to provide clarity and focus, and to facilitate better resource utilization, improved effi ciency and accountability. As the SADC-PF moves toward its ultimate goal of being transformed into the Region’s Parliament, it is expected that Member Parliaments and parliamentarians will play their part to see that the processes and commitments are kept on track. As the incumbent chairperson of the SADC Parliamentary Forum, I share a certain delight and enthusiasm as we move this 5-Year Strategic Plan into implementation mode.

I look forward with great hope to the Forum’s timely transformation, and between and then, to its strong performance, positive results and outstanding achievements.

We, the Representatives of the people of Southern African Development Community, having solemnly resolved to constitute a Parliamentary Consultative Assembly to be known as the Southern African Development Community Parliamentary Forum with a view to developing into a regional Parliamentary structure, for the purpose of strengthening the capacity of the Southern African Development Community by involving Parliamentarians of Member states in its activities:

Determined:

• to promote respect for the rule of law, gender equality and equity1, individual rights and freedoms, including the promotion and development of cooperation in the economic field in the SADC region based on the principle of equity and mutual benefit;
• to promote peace, democracy, security and stability on the basis of collective responsibility and supporting the development of permanent conflict resolution mechanisms in the SADC sub-region and strengthening regional solidarity and building a sense of common destiny among the peoples of SADC; and
• to promote dialogue and cooperation among Member States on socio-economic development issues in order to enhance economic welfare.

DO HEREBY GIVE TO OURSELVES THIS CONSTITUTION.

The Southern African Development Community (SADC) Parliamentary Forum is implementing the Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR), HIV and AIDS and Governance program through seven SADC member parliaments. Namibia only joined the initiative in October 2016. The SRHR, HIV and AIDS and Governance program aims to strengthen the capacity of SADC National Parliaments to advocate for, and influence responses to sexual and reproductive health and rights, HIV and AIDS and Governance challenges in the SADC region.

As part of the implementation of the program, the SADC Parliamentary Forum in collaboration with the National Assembly of Namibia convened a Multi-stakeholder Consultative Workshop on 13^th and 14^th October 2017 at Out of Africa Lodge in Otjiwarongo, Namibia. The workshop was attended by forty six participants including Members of Parliament (MPs) and staff, representatives of government ministries, key populations and Civil Society Organization (CSOs) responsible for gender,education, health and youth. In attendance was also Honourable Petrina Haingura, the Chairperson of the Women Parliamentary Caucus of Namibia.

The workshop was aimed at strengthening the understanding of stakeholders and engaging participants regarding the implementation of the SRHR, HIV and AIDS and Governance program and clarifying the different roles they play and should play in its coordination.

The SADC Parliamentary Forum (SADC PF), the regional organization of the national Parliaments of SADC Member States announces the arrival on 23 August 2012, of its 22- member delegation to observe the 31 August 2012 General Elections in the Republic of Angola. The arrival of the delegation is at the invitation of the Electoral Commission of Angola. This is the 28th.

SADC PARLIAMENTARY FORUM

TERMS OF REFERENCE For Rapporteur "LEADERSHIP AND POLITICAL REPRESENTATION OF WOMEN" RWPC Advocacy and Lobbying Missions to Malawi, Namibia, Swaziland and Zimbabwe

These Terms of Reference will serve as the contractual agreement for rapporteuring during the RWPC Advocacy and Lobbying Missions, which will be undertaken in Malawi, Namibia, Swaziland and Zimbabwe

INTRODUCTION

The project seeks to bring more women into political and decision making positions by engaging political parties to review their manifestos and constitutions to see to it that they appreciate and articulate gender equality issues and to facilitate the review of the existing status quo in order to accelerate the achievement of the objectives of the SADC Protocol on Gender and Development.

It is hoped that the ultimate results of this intervention will be that political parties and national parliaments create conditions that promote women political participation and ascension to leadership positions and a strong and well functioning multi-party Women Parliamentary Caucuses.

The Regional Women's Parliamentary Caucus as an established organ of the SADC Parliamentary Forum, provides an institutional framework to follow up on the political commitments on the equal participation and representation of women in positions of power and decision making at all levels as articulated in the SADC Protocol on Gender and Development (2008).

All the evidence from the SADC region and experiences around the globe demonstrates that the political participation and effective representation of women in positions of power and decision making at all levels has not yet happened. Rather, it is accelerated by multi dimensional strategies that build and inculcate the democratic governance ideal which implies the participation and contribution of all parts of the population without regard to class, sex, gender, ethnic or religious background.

The political participation and representation of women, who constitute more than half of the populations of SADC countries will necessarily imply an important democratic advance which is worthy of the SADC Parliamentary Forum to pursue in line with its 2011-2015 Strategy. This is premised in the Forum's recognition that attention to the political participation and representation of women in positions of power and decision making is essential to achieving gender equality and sound democratic governance in the region

Due to the fact that progress is slow and in some instances the small gains are being eroded, the SADC Parliamentary Forum has adopted measures that accelerate the transformation of electoral systems, political parties' constitutions and intra-party democracy processes from a gender perspective. The advocacy for women's political participation and representation in elective positions through political parties' constitutions and policies reforms, electoral reforms targeting electoral laws and systems reviews from a gender perspective, especially in the countries scheduled to have elections is expected to contribute to conducive environments that facilitate women's political participation and representation in the SADC region towards the goal of gender equality in parliament by 2015.