malvernmugadzikwa
Sunday Mail Reporter
Speaker of the Parliament of Zimbabwe Advocate Jacob Mudenda will this week address the ongoing 149th Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Assembly and Related Meetings in Geneva, Switzerland, on the adoption and use of artificial intelligence (AI) by the country’s Legislature.
The meeting, running under the theme “Harnessing Science, Technology and Innovation for a More Peaceful and Sustainable Future”, commenced yesterday and will end on October 17.
Parliament of Zimbabwe has embraced AI in its legislative business.
In 2023, Adv Mudenda attended the IPU Conference of the Future in Uruguay, where the application of AI for parliamentary processes was adopted.
Since then, he has been spearheading the initiative to establish a Committee of the Future in the country’s parliamentary framework.
In a statement yesterday, the Parliament of Zimbabwe said:
“Speaker Mudenda is expected to articulate the gains and milestones the Parliament of Zimbabwe has made to entrench AI within its ecosystem and Zimbabwe’s efforts in embracing science, technology and innovation.”
Relatedly, the 149th Assembly is set to adopt a new Charter on the Ethics of Science and Technology, drafted by the IPU’s Working Group on Science and Technology.
The Charter aims at creating a regulatory framework of principles to guide legislation and decision-making to ensure that science and technology sustainably serve humanity and the environmental ecosystem.
Parliamentarians are also expected to adopt an IPU resolution entitled “The impact of artificial intelligence on democracy, human rights and the rule of law”.
The resolution urges parliaments to develop strong legal frameworks and policies for the responsible use of AI technology.
Swiss psychiatrist, renowned explorer and technology pioneer Dr Bertrand Piccard is expected to address the Assembly on the centrality of placing humanity back at the centre of science, technology and innovation.
Zimbabwe’s delegation, led by Adv Mudenda and President of the Senate Mabel Chinomona, arrived in Geneva on Friday.
They were accompanied by Members of Parliament that are Zimbabwe’s representatives to the IPU.
These include Chief Mtshane Lucas Khumalo (member of the IPU Standing Committee on Sustainable Development Goals); Tsitsi Veronica Muzenda (member of the IPU Standing Committee on Democracy and Human Rights); Sengezo Tshabangu (member of the IPU Standing Committee on Sustainable Development Goals); Lusyomo Nyelele (member of the Forum of Young Parliamentarians and IPU Standing Committee on United Nations Affairs); Maureen Kademaunga (member of the Forum of Young Parliamentarians and IPU Standing Committee on United Nations Affairs); Jona Nyevera (member of the Forum of Young Parliamentarians and IPU Standing Committee on Peace and International Security); and Tawanda Karikoga (member of the IPU Standing Committee on Democracy and Human Rights).
The delegation was received at the Geneva International Airport by Zimbabwe’s Charge d’Affaires to the United Nations and other International Organisations in Geneva Mr Nesbert Samasuwo and embassy officials.
The Assembly will also commemorate the 25th anniversary of the entry into force of the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention and its role in reducing the harm caused by anti-personnel mines.
Online Reporter