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Roselyne Sachiti in MIDRAND, South Africa
THE upcoming 12th Annual Conference of Speakers of African National and Regional Parliaments will reflect on and proffer parliamentary solutions to contemporary challenges facing the African continent, Pan-African Parliament (PAP) president, Chief Fortune Charumbira, said yesterday.
The conference runs from tomorrow to Friday.
In his address during the official opening of the plenary session for the sitting of permanent committees, Chief Charumbira said the annual conference would bring together over 25 Speakers of National and Regional Parliaments.
Vice President Kembo Mohadi, who is expected in South Africa today, is scheduled to deliver a keynote address at the annual conference tomorrow.
The Annual Conference of Speakers of African National and Regional Parliaments, Chief Charumbira said, served as a vital platform for coordinating and harmonising the legal and policy frameworks of national and regional parliaments within the African Union and facilitated the sharing of best parliamentary practices that promoted and enhanced African economic integration and development.
He noted that Speakers of National and Regional Parliaments would review the peace and security situation on the continent to harness parliamentary diplomacy to silence the guns and guarantee durable peace.
“They will also assess progress in the implementation of the continental development blueprint, Agenda 2063, and what national and regional parliaments can do to accelerate continental development,” Chief Charumbira said.
The Speakers will review the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement (AfCFTA) and the critical role that parliaments play in fostering an enabling legislative and policy environment.
Over the last decade, PAP has institutionalised the Annual Conference of Speakers of African National and Regional Parliaments as a platform for the promotion of ratification, domestication and implementation of African Union legal and policy instruments.
These include those on human rights, democracy, peace and security, good governance, constitutionalism and the rule of law.
The sitting is convening under the African Union theme for 2024: “Educate an African fit for the 21st Century: Building resilient education systems for increased access to inclusive, lifelong, quality and relevant learning in Africa.”
Online Reporter