Source document: https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1698931376261.pdf (South Africa)
Wednesday, 21 June 2023] No 88—2023] FIFTH SESSION, SIXTH PARLIAMENT PARLIAMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA _____________________ ANNOUNCEMENTS, TABLINGS AND COMMITTEE REPORTS _____________________ WEDNESDAY, 21 JUNE 2023 _____________________ TABLE OF CONTENTS ANNOUNCEMENTS National Assembly and National Council of Provinces 1.

2.
2.

Bills passed – to be submitted to President for assent .................................................... 2 Draft Bills submitted – Joint Rule 159 ............................................................................ 2 National Assembly 1.

2.
2.

Introduction of Bills ....................................................................................................... 2 Referral to Committees of papers tabled ......................................................................... 3 National Council of Provinces 1.

Referral to Committees of papers tabled ......................................................................... 3 TABLINGS National Assembly and National Council of Provinces 1 1.
Minister of Justice and Correctional Services ................................................................. 4 2.

Speaker and Chairperson (PGIR Reports) ...................................................................... 4 ANNOUNCEMENTS National Assembly and National Council of Provinces The Speaker and the Chairperson 1.
Bills passed by Houses – to be submitted to President for assent (1) Bills passed by National Council of Provinces on 21 June 2023: (a) Eskom Debt Relief Bill [B5–2023] (National Assembly – sec 77).

(b) Appropriation Bill [B3–2023] (National Assembly – sec 77).

2.

Draft Bills submitted in terms of Joint Rule 159 (1) Statistics Amendment Bill, 2023, submitted by the Minister in The Presidency.
Referred to the Portfolio Committee on Public Service and Administration and the Select Committee on Transport, Public Service and Administration, Public Works and Infrastructure, for information.

(2) Public Procurement Bill, 2023, submitted by the Minister of Finance.

Referred to the Standing Committee on Finance and the Select Committee on Finance, for information.

National Assembly The Speaker 1.
Introduction of Bills (1) Dr A Lotriet, MP (a) Electoral Commission Amendment Bill [B15-2023] (National Assembly – proposed sec 75) [Explanatory summary of Bill and prior notice of its introduction published in Government Gazette No 48017 of 10 February 2023, read with Government Gazette No 48429 of 14 April 2023] Introduction and referral to the Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs of the National Assembly, as well as referral to the Joint Tagging Mechanism (JTM) for classification in terms of Joint Rule 160.
2 In terms of Joint Rule 154 written views on the classification of the Bill may be submitted to the JTM.

The Bill may only be classified after the expiry of at least three parliamentary working days since introduction.

2.

Referral to Committees of papers tabled (1) The following paper is referred to the Portfolio Committee on Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs for consideration and report: (a) Annual Performance Plan of the National House of Traditional and Khoi-San Leaders for 2023/24.
(2) The following papers are referred to the Portfolio Committee on International Relations and Cooperation: (a) Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of the Republic of South Africa and the Government of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan on Bilateral Consultations (signed: 25 August 2022), tabled in terms of section 231(3) of the Constitution, 1996.
(b) General Cooperation Agreement between the Government of the Republic of South Africa and the Government of the Republic of Mauritius (signed: 03 May 2023), tabled in terms of section 231(3) of the Constitution, 1996.
(3) The following paper is referred to the Joint Standing Committee on Financial Management of Parliament for consideration: (a) Monthly Financial Statements of Parliament – May 2023, tabled in terms of section 54(1) of the Financial Management of Parliament and Provincial Legislatures Act, 2009 (Act No 10 of 2009).

National Council of Provinces The Chairperson 1.


Referral to Committees of papers tabled (1) The following paper is referred to the Select Committee on Security and Justice for consideration: (a) Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of the Republic of South Africa and the Government of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan on Bilateral Consultations (signed: 25 August 2022), tabled in terms of section 231(3) of the Constitution, 1996.
(b) General Cooperation Agreement between the Government of the Republic of South Africa and the Government of the Republic of Mauritius (signed: 03 May 2023), tabled in terms of section 231(3) of the Constitution, 1996.

3 TABLINGS National Assembly and National Council of Provinces 1.
The Minister of Justice and Correctional Services (a) Proclamation No 123, published in Government Gazette No 48754, dated 09 June 2023: Referral of matters to existing Special Investigating Unit: In respect of the affairs of the Office of the Free State Province, in terms of the Special Investigating Units and Special Tribunals Act, 1996 (Act No 74 of 1996).

2.

The Speaker and the Chairperson DELEGATION REPORTS ADOPTED BY THE PARLIAMENTARY GROUP ON INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS (PGIR) ON 05 MAY 2023.
(Continuing from 19 June 2023).

(a) Report of the South African delegation to the 27th Session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP27/CMP17/CMA4) and related meetings, 06 – 20 November 2022.
4 REPORT OF THE SOUTH AFRICAN PARLIAMENTARY DELEGATION TO THE 27TH SESSION OF THE CONFERENCE OF THE PARTIES TO THE UNITED NATIONS FRAMEWORK CONVENTION ON CLIMATE CHANGE, THE 17TH SESSION OF THE CONFERENCE OF THE PARTIES SERVING AS THE MEETING OF THE PARTIES TO THE KYOTO PROTOCOL AND THE 4TH SESSION OF THE CONFERENCE OF THE PARTIES SERVING AS THE MEETING OF THE PARTIES TO THE PARIS AGREEMENT (COP27/CMP17/CMA4) SHARM EL-SHEIKH, EGYPT 06 – 20 NOVEMBER 2022 1 5 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The South African Parliamentary Delegation to COP27 attended a number of parliamentary meetings and other side events that provided parliamentarians with critical opportunities to discuss the various dimensions of the climate change phenomenon, such as the effects of climate change on sustainable development while providing parliamentarians with an opportunity to obtain first-hand information on the main issues and orientations of COP27 and to learn from experts.
The main parliamentary meetings were the GLOBE COP27 Legislators Summit and the Inter-Parliamentary Union meeting.

Delegates to the GLOBE Legislators Summit unanimously agreed that for most countries, public funding is not enough to address the devastation that is caused by climate change in their respective countries; and emphasised the need for collaborations with the private sector and in the case of developing countries, assistance and cooperation from developed countries.
They also stressed the need for legislators to actively engage financial institutions and Finance Ministers so that they can fully understand climate change and its impact on society.
The Inter-Parliamentary Union meeting concluded by adopting an Outcome Document that emphasises the need for concrete action by governments and Parliaments around the world to address the urgency of the climate crisis, calling for additional and separate funding for loss and damage and a threefold increase of the USD100 billion per annum by 2020 that was pledged in COP15 in 2009, in light of the increased frequency and intensity of extreme climate events.
The noteworthy and significant outcome of COP27 was the agreement to establish a dedicated fund for responding to loss and damage, along with a Transitional Committee to work out the details and identify opportunities and gaps so it can be operationalised at COP28 that will be held in the United Arab Emirates in December 2023.
COP27 also called for the reform of multilateral development banks and international financial institutions to ensure that their operational models and instruments are fit for adequately addressing the global climate emergency.

And for the first time, agriculture and food security featured in the main text with an agreement to establish a four-year joint work on implementation of climate action on agriculture and food security.
It is against this background that the work of the newly established Parliament’s Steering Committee on Climate Change will be most crucial to ensure that oversight on climate action and financing of climate change activities is well coordinated and strengthened.
Parliament should also continually engage the executive on the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) and its Investment Plan while strengthening oversight on the disbursement of funds that have been pledged for the implementation of just transition.

Just transition should take place at a pace and scale that South Africa can afford and should not exacerbate the country’s debt situation.
The processing of the Climate Change Bill should be expedited without compromising public participation and stakeholder engagement as the Bill, once signed into law, is expected to be central in operationalising the country’s just transition.

It is of critical importance that just transition should not jeopardise the country’s development path and livelihoods of communities.

Most importantly, it should be inclusive and not lead to economic exclusion of the wider population while benefiting a few.

2 6 1.
2 6 1.

INTRODUCTION The 27th Session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), commonly called COP27, is the annual conference that brings together countries that 30 years ago, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, signed the UNFCCC, an environmental treaty dealing with climate change.

The first conference (COP1) took place in Berlin, Germany in 1995.
South Africa ratified the UNFCCC in 1997, which was followed by the accession to the Kyoto Protocol in 20021 and signing of the Paris Agreement in 2016.2 It is now seven years since the Paris Agreement was agreed to at COP21 in France.

According to the UNFCCC, "the Paris Agreement is a legally binding international treaty on climate change that was adopted by 196 Parties at COP21 in Paris, on 12 December 2015, and entered into force on 4 November 2016.
Its goal is to limit global warming to below 2°C, and ideally to 1.5°C, of warming above pre-industrial levels.

"3 This was a landmark deal under which each country was to submit its own pledges on emissions reductions and adaptation measures.

Every year (except during the Covid-19 period in 2020), almost 200 countries meet to discuss how to jointly tackle the climate crisis and its impacts.
The United Nations Summit is an important platform for world leaders, experts, negotiators, businesses, observers, international organisations, civil societies and the media to all attend, discuss and accelerate global efforts to confront the climate crisis.

As South Africa is party to and actively involved in the UN Climate Change Convention, for more than a decade, Parliament has been sending delegations of legislators to attend the COP and parliamentary events that often take place during COPs.
This report of the South African Parliamentary Delegation to the 27th Session of the Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC (COP27) first captures the various parliamentary functions, bilateral engagements and key events that were attended by the South African legislators, including those in which they played an important role.
The key main parliamentary functions were the COP27 Legislators Summit of the Global Legislators Organisation for a Balanced Environment (GLOBE) that was held in Cairo, Egypt and the parliamentary meeting on the occasion of the UNFCCC’s COP27 in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt that was organised jointly by the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and the Arab Republic of Egypt’s House of Representatives.
The parliamentary delegation also attended a number of side events that took place during COP27 including events that were held at the South African Pavilion; and also had an engagement with the South African Ambassador to the Arab Republic of Egypt, His Excellency, Mr Mashimbye.
Secondly, the report provides an overview and outcomes of the 27th Session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP27), the 17th Session of the Conference of Parties serving as the Meeting of Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (CMP17); 4th Session of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Paris Agreement (CMA4); and the 57th sessions of the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA 57) and the Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI 57), that was held in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt from the 6th to 20th November 2022 under the Presidency of the Arab Republic of Egypt.
1 Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (2004).

A National Climate Response Strategy for South Africa, Pretoria, 39pp.

2 Department of Environmental Affairs (2016).

South Africa signs the Paris Agreement.

Media Statement, 22 April 2016.

3 UNFCCC (undated).

The Paris Agreement.

[Internet] Available from < https://unfccc.int/process-and-meetings/the-paris- agreement/the-paris-agreement> Accessed on 28 November 2022.
3 7 1.1 The South African Parliamentary Delegation Participation on COP27/CMP17/CMA4 The Parliament of the Republic of South Africa was represented in the COP27/CMP17/CMA4, including the aforementioned Parliamentary events that took place on the occasion of COP27/CMP17/CMA4 in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, by the following Members of Parliament from both the National Assembly and the National Council of Provinces: 1) Mr CT Frolick, MP – National Assembly (NA) House Chairperson: Committees, Oversight and ICT, Leader of the Delegation 2) Mr MLD Ntombela, MP – NA House Chairperson: International Relations and Protocol 3) Mr AJ Nyambi, MP – National Council of Provinces (NCOP) House Chairperson 4) Ms TC Modise, MP – Chairperson: Select Committee on Land Reform, Environment, Mineral Resources and Energy 5) Mr PMP Modise, MP 6) Ms TVB Mchunu, MP 7) Ms N Gantsho, MP 8) Ms SGN Mbatha, MP 9) Mr DW Bryant, MP 10) Mr MN Paulsen, MP 11) Mr CFB Smit, MP The Delegation was supported by: 1) Ms Siphokazi Mhlambiso: Logistical and administration support (International Relations and Protocol Division – IRPD) 2) Mr Mzuvukile Ngese: Research support (IRPD) 3) Ms Nokuzola Mgxashe: Content support (Committee Section) 4) Ms Belinda Trout: Office of the NA House Chairperson for Committees, Oversight & ICT 5) Mr Nhlanhla Mabaso: Office of the NCOP House Chairperson Over and above the main Parliamentary events (GLOBE Summit and IPU meeting), the delegation also attended other parliamentary engagements and side events pertinent to the
 strengthening of parliamentary law-making and oversight functions in respect of executive action, which included events that took place at the South African Pavilion (a partnership between government and the National Business Initiative).
The Pavilion showcased the collaboration between government and business in the fight against climate change, including South Africa’s efforts towards co-creating and implementing a Just Transition to net zero emissions by 2050.

2.

GLOBE COP27 LEGISLATORS SUMMIT The Global Legislators Organisation for a Balanced Environment (GLOBE) International is a cross-party network of parliamentarians dedicated to improving governance for sustainable development.
As it has been the norm with past Climate Change Conferences, GLOBE held a Legislators Summit that coincided with COP27.

The GLOBE COP27 Legislators Summit was held at Sheraton Hotel, Cairo, Egypt from 07 – 09 November 2022.
Legislators from Africa, Asia, Europe, South America and North America converged at the 2-day GLOBE COP27 Legislators Summit to discuss ways in which the implementation of the three Rio Conventions, namely, the United Nations (UN) Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (UNCBD) and the UN Convention to 4 8 Combat Desertification (UNCCD), the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and disaster risk reduction can complement each other.
A number of legislators joined the Summit in person in Cairo and many more joined via the Let’s Get Digital Online Platform.

GLOBE International noted that while the Climate Convention (UNFCCC)'s Paris Agreement and Glasgow Climate Pact have captured global attention, the Biodiversity Convention’s post- 2020 Global Biodiversity Framework and the Desertification Convention’s land restoration agenda are less known, but equally vital to prevent further unravelling of planetary boundaries.
As the world struggles with the interlocking climate and nature crises, global pandemics, geopolitical conflict and resulting impacts on food, energy and water security, all of which have taken their toll on development and economic stability, it is essential to improve alignment among the three Rio global sustainability frameworks and integrate a risk-informed approach to policy making, as required under the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction that is championed by the UN agency for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR).
The Summit, with the theme "Delivering on the Rio Conventions: an integrated approach to climate, nature, desertification and risk governance," focused on the need to ensure implementation of existing commitments by governments and non-state actors, as well as new and innovative financial mechanisms to enable delivery of transition plans, support climate adaptation, and address climate impacts, including loss and damage.
In keeping with COP27 being labelled as an ‘African COP’, day 1 of the Summit focused on Africa with a ‘Call to Action’ for COP27 from African legislators.

South Africa participated through a presentation in a session on “A holistic approach to African drylands’ challenges: The Great Green Wall” that was introduced by Dr Elvis Paul Tangem, Great Green Wall Coordinator for the African Union Commission.

Country experiences were presented by Hon.


Toby Okechukwu of the Nigerian Parliament whose presentation was made on his behalf by a country representative as he had to rush home due to a family emergency, Hon.

Demba Keita of the Senegalese Parliament, Hon.

Cedric Frolick of the South African Parliament and Pierre-Yves Guedez, Senior Climate Finance Specialist, International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).

Hon.
Hon.

Frolick’s presentation titled “Successful Drylands Governance: Best practice from South Africa on benefit-sharing and inclusive governance” outlined that South Africa, as a signatory to all three Rio Conventions, illustrates the need for an integrated approach to their implementation using Ecosystem-based Adaptation.
He highlighted the country’s Strategic Framework and Overarching Implementation Plan for Ecosystem-based Adaptation that recognises and encompasses all the three Rio Conventions and also highlights disaster risk reduction.
He articulated that South Africa, as a semi-arid country with an average annual rainfall of 464 mm, strengthening synergies between the UNCCD, UNFCCC & UNCBD at institutional and programmatic levels to derive mutual benefits in preserving dryland ecosystems, conserving wetlands, combating drought, desertification and land degradation is necessary to effectively implement the UNCCD.
His presentation showcased examples of benefit-sharing and inclusive governance through the establishment of private, community- based and co-managed wildlife reserves, which offer opportunities for poverty relief through conservation and nature-based tourism.

Hon.

Frolick cited as an example, the Manyeleti Game Reserve and the Makuleke Concession, arising from a successful community land claim on part of the Kruger National Park (KNP).
The Concession is a community-owned and managed protected area in the Greater KNP.

As a sandveld environment there is no better way to manage the area than for 5 9 biodiversity conservation with significant climate mitigation and adaptation potential, let alone the potential to halt land degradation, relative to other land use types.

Another example he cited is the Richtersveld National Park that is community-owned and managed in conjunction with the South African National Parks (SANParks).
It is part of the |Ai-|Ais/Richtersveld Transfrontier Park, which is a transboundary protected area straddling the border between South Africa and Namibia.

It incorporates the 4 420 km2 |Ai-|Ais Hot Springs Game Park in Namibia and the 1 625 km2 Richtersveld National Park in South Africa.
He highlighted how diamond mining companies wanted to mine this expansive arid area on the South African side, but the local communities chose to commit their land to biodiversity conservation, and in so doing, mitigating land degradation as well as climate change.

Hon.
Hon.

Frolick concluded by calling on fellow legislators to interrogate all the different implementation models that countries use for implementing the three Rio Conventions as well as the SDGs to ensure that they are integrative enough at a strategic level.

In addition to legislators, also invited to the GLOBE COP27 Legislators Summit were senior jurists, business and civil society leaders for their expertise.
As climate-related disasters increase in frequency and intensity worldwide, and issues of loss and damage, risk and resilience moved up the COP27 agenda, the Summit provided an opportunity for legislators to hear from experts and each other on how improved awareness, alignment, resourcing and implementation of the Rio Conventions cannot only help advance COP27, but ultimately help deliver Agenda 2030 and the SDGs.
The Summit built on GLOBE’s ‘Coherence & Convergence’ approach to these global agreements that was adopted in 2015, and showcased work underway in parliaments around the world, in partnership with the UNFCCC, UNCBD, UNCCD, UNDRR, UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Global Environment Facility (GEF).
Delegates to the GLOBE Summit unanimously agreed that for most countries, public funding is not enough to address the devastation that is caused by climate change in their respective countries; and emphasised the need for collaborations with the private sector and in the case of developing countries, assistance and cooperation from developed countries.
They also stressed the need for legislators to actively engage financial institutions and Finance Ministers so that they can fully understand climate change and its impact on society.

The central role that legislators can play in ensuring that collaborations in addressing climate change do take place was also emphasised, i.e., by facilitating the involvement of different government departments/agencies, civil society, academia, private sector and the judiciary.

3.
3.

COMMONWEALTH PARLIAMENTARY ASSOCIATION COP27 SIDE EVENT The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) was involved in the organisation of a Side Event on youth at COP27 in partnership with the World Federation of Engineering Organisations (WFEO) Young Engineers/Future Leaders’ Working Group on SDG 13; International Federation of Consulting Engineers (FIDIC); Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU); Moravian University and the International Water Association (IWA).
The theme of the Side Event, which was held on 10 November 2022, was “Engagement of young engineers, scientists and youth with lawmakers to bridge the science-policy divide and improve access to climate finance to deploy sustainable solutions tailored to local socio- economic needs, including in water and energy.” The CPA invited Hon.

Frolick to be one of the panellists in an intergenerational panel discussion between policymakers and young leaders that also provided case studies from across the world.
The panel discussion was followed by questions from the audience.

6 10 During discussions, Hon.

Frolick emphasised the need for the involvement of youth in events like COP27 and their inclusion in all government programmes, including COP country delegations.
He commended the organisers of the Side Event and also applauded the COP27 organisers as young people in particular were given greater prominence at COP27, through the first-of-its-kind pavilion for children and youth, as well as the first-ever youth-led Climate Forum.

He indicated that in South Africa, youth constitute approximately 36% of the country’s population, which makes them an important and influential constituent.
He further highlighted that considering that it is the youth that have to drive the knowledge and green economy that we aspire to attain, youth and gender mainstreaming are central to South Africa’s policy frameworks and there are set targets for their inclusion and representation in Government programmes; and furthermore, all publicly-funded research by universities and science councils is required to indicate policy relevance.

Hon.
Hon.

Frolick mentioned the policy levers that Parliament uses through its annual budget appropriations and reviews to ensure that certain scientific competences are created or achieved for the benefit of the country.
He also mentioned financial instruments such as bursaries that are offered by Government and private sector to address scarce skills shortages and to encourage young people to take up careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields and further highlighted Parliament’s oversight role to assess the performance of these programmes and their uptake by young people.
In addition to the specific programmes that Government departments, including Parliament implement to ensure youth involvement and participation, Hon.

Frolick highlighted that youth in the country also proactively organise and participate in their own initiatives to highlight matters of importance to them, including delivering petitions in Parliament.
He reflected on their participation in country events on climate change leading up to COP27 and the 2021 initiative in which young people between the ages of 13 and 30 from various schools, universities, organisations and communities drafted and launched the first South African Youth Climate Action Plan.
The aim of the Youth Climate Action Plan is to act as a framework for encouraging youth-led action and guiding the youth, society and stakeholders in transforming South Africa into a climate-resilient country.

Discussions during the Side Event emphasised the need to train youth for careers of the future (investment in science and research); as well as targeted finance for grassroots entrepreneurship.
Young panellists also emphasised proper consultation and bottom-up approaches, comprising training of young people and communities on negotiation skills that are necessary in policy and legislative development.

The importance of citizen-designed science to address community challenges and intensified collaborations among youth were also highlighted.

4.
4.

THE INTER-PARLIAMENTARY UNION MEETING ON THE OCCASION OF COP27/CMP17/CMA4 Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and the Arab Republic of Egypt’s House of The Representatives jointly organised a Parliamentary Meeting on the occasion of the UNFCCC Climate Change Conference (COP27) in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt.

The IPU Meeting was held at Baron Palms Hotel, Sharm El-Sheikh on 13 November 2022.
The meeting in Sharm El- Sheikh, which was attended by more than 150 delegates, was a critical opportunity to discuss the various dimensions of the climate change phenomenon, such as the effects of climate change on sustainable development while providing parliamentarians with an opportunity to 7 11 obtain first-hand information on the main issues and orientations of COP27 and to interact with experts.
It was also an opportunity to follow up on the contributions of young parliamentarians to the Eighth Global Conference of Young Parliamentarians, that was held on 15-16 June 2022 in Sharm El-Sheikh.
The meeting also discussed how to establish justice in addressing climate change and its impacts, in line with the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities, and the as yet unmet commitments of developed countries to provide USD100 billion annually to sustainably finance climate action in developing countries.
Furthermore, the meeting emphasised that ways to promote ambitious global plans to accelerate the transition towards clean energy and green/sustainable economies to reach the objectives of the Paris Agreement, should be discussed and shared national experiences in this regard should be reviewed.
The discussions also focused on the fact that addressing climate change entails giving parliaments a priority role in climate action due to their legislative and oversight tools, their role in budgets, as well as the imperative need to scale up and coordinate global parliamentary efforts to keep pace with the scale of this existential threat.

Inaction would lead to negative repercussions on all human, environmental and economic levels.

While addressing the meeting, Hon.


Frolick from the South African Parliament called for the reform of multilateral lending institutions and their lending policies to increase access to finance to address the climate crisis.

He emphasised “the need to reform multilateral lending institutions and their lending policies.
As things stand, the current policies have the potential to bind developing countries on the African continent and elsewhere into long-term loans that will result in a debt trap for future generations.” As an example, he highlighted that the current financial package of USD8.5 billion from the United States (US), European Union (EU), United Kingdom (UK), France and Germany to South Africa for just energy transition consist of 97% loans and only 3% grants.
He further contented that the nature of the financial packages “places multilateral support out of reach for most developing countries due to its onerous costs and conditionalities; thus making the attainment of the Paris Agreement very difficult and un-implementable.” He further implored fellow MPs from developed countries to hold their country Executives accountable to honour their commitments made at previous COPs.
In his closing address, the Secretary-General of the IPU, Mr. Martin Chungong, made reference to Hon Frolick’s input on financial instruments and also questioned the speed at which developed countries pass emergency budgets for war but are reluctant to meet their financial commitments to combat climate change.
The IPU meeting concluded by adopting an Outcome Document that emphasises the need for concrete action by governments and Parliaments around the world to address the urgency of the climate crisis, calling for additional and separate funding for loss and damage and a threefold increase of the USD100 billion per annum by 2020 that was pledged in COP15 in 2009, in light of the increased frequency and intensity of extreme climate events.
The recommendations of the COP27 parliamentary meeting will be reviewed in the next parliamentary meeting during COP28 that will be held in the United Arab Emirates in December 2023.

4.1 Bilateral meeting with the Netherlands Parliamentarians during the IPU Meeting The South African delegation to the IPU meeting also met with the Netherlands parliamentarians on the side-lines on 13 November 2022.

The main discussion point was loss and damage.


The South African parliamentarians reiterated the position of most developing 8 12 and vulnerable countries on financing for loss and damage, which should be separate from finance for adaptation and mitigation.

The delegation highlighted to the Netherlands that South Africa is not happy with financial loans, but expects grants from developed countries to address loss and damage from climate change related disasters.
It emphasised that whatever assistance that is provided by developed countries to address climate change impacts and for just transition, should not come at a cost and expense to the developmental trajectories of developing countries and their communities.

5.

BILATERAL MEETING WITH THE UNITED KINGDOM PARLIAMENTARY REPRESENTATIVE During COP27, the leader of the South African parliamentary delegation to COP27, Hon.

C Frolick met with Rt Hon.


Edward Miliband who is the Shadow Secretary of State of Climate Change and Net Zero from the United Kingdom (UK) Parliament.

The key points of discussion in the meeting that took place on 15 November 2022 can be summarised as follows: • The fragmentation of parliamentary forums and agendas on climate change, which often take place during COP, as exemplified by the Climate Parliament, GLOBE Summit, IPU event, CPA event, etc.
• Parliamentarians are not included or represented as an important stakeholder in formal COP programmes.

• The need for parliaments to create integrated platforms to enable Members of Parliament (MPs) to be up to speed with climate change discussions.
• The UK proposed the need to have parliaments or their heads involved in climate change discussions through a properly planned conference that will, for example, involve legislatures, business, youth, finance institutions, science community, political leadership and inter-faith groups.

• The idea is to set up a Secretariat to organise and ensure that such a parliamentary conference on climate change takes place as early as COP28 in the United Arab Emirates.

The UK representative was of the view that Hon.


Frolick from the South African Parliament could drive the process forward.

• The meeting agreed that Prof Michael Jacobs from the Sheffield Political Economy Research Institute at the University of Sheffield and Dr Michal Nachmany of the Climate Policy Radar, who were part of the meeting and central to the idea of an integrated climate change conference for parliamentarians, would develop a Draft Concept Document to kick start the process.

6.
6.

MEETING WITH THE SOUTH AFRICAN AMBASSADOR TO THE ARAB REPUBLIC OF EGYPT As part of their engagements during COP27, the parliamentary delegation had a meeting with the country Ambassador to the Arab Republic of Egypt, His Excellency Mr Ntsiki Joseph Mashimbye.

The meeting took place on 16 November 2022.

The Ambassador highlighted that two decades ago, Egypt identified with Europe.
However, the establishment of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCTA) made sense for the country to identify with Africa; and it now has a multitude of bilateral agreements with African countries.

Ambassador Mashimbye also highlighted leadership meetings that took place between South Africa and Egypt earlier in 2022, to foster cooperation between the two countries instead of competing with each other.
He highlighted opportunities for South Africa in respect of: 9 13 • Agriculture – wine grapes, goats and raw material for pharmaceuticals as Egypt is aggressive in the pharmaceutical industry.

• Aquaculture – the Embassy facilitated linkages with aquaculture projects at the Coega Industrial Development Zone (IDZ) and in the Western Cape.

• Financial sector.

• Vehicle manufacturing.


He informed the delegation that the Embassy is organising a South African Expo for South African businesses (big and small) as there is an interest for South African goods and products in the country, particularly from Egyptians who have been to South Africa.

He also highlighted that the country is not keen on imports, but prefer to make their own products, hence they make their own wine from grapes imported from South Africa.
The Ambassador further noted that Egypt also has lessons for South Africa in terms of energy generation, highlighting that 11 years ago, Egypt had an electricity deficit, but currently the country has an electricity surplus.

In this regard, the Embassy has arranged for ESKOM to meet with the Egyptian Energy team that took that country out of an electricity deficit to a surplus.
Upon encouraging visits between the South African Parliament and the Egyptian Parliament, the House Chairperson for International Relations, Hon.

Ntombela enquired about the type of parliamentary system that Egypt has.

The Ambassador explained that Egypt has a similar parliamentary system to the United States of America (USA), with a Congress as a national Parliament; and instead of provinces, it has States that are headed by Governors.

7.
7.

SALIENT FEATURES OF THE COP27 FORMAL NEGOTIATIONS The Climate Change Conference in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, which registered more than 33 000 attendees, was the second most attended COP after Glasgow (COP26).

It was the third COP to be held on African soil after South Africa in 2011 and Morocco in 2016, and was dubbed the ‘African COP’ because of its location and the expectation that African countries' exposure to some of the most severe impacts of climate change would be prominent in the discussions.
The event was of global importance as it was expected to deliver action on an array of issues critical to tackling the climate emergency, particularly after a year of extreme weather that brought home the reality of the climate crisis for many.

Action was expected on inter alia urgently reducing greenhouse gas emissions, building resilience and adapting to the inevitable impacts of climate change, and delivering on the commitments to finance climate action in developing countries.
7.1 Briefings by the Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment As the parliamentary delegation was not part of the formal negotiations, the leader of the South African Delegation to COP27, Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment, Hon.

Barbara Creecy, held briefings with the country Team Delegation during COP27 to provide progress and updates on the formal negotiations.

The briefings by the Minister took place on the 10th and 14th November 2022.
In addition to the Africa Group, South Africa also negotiated as part of the G77 and China group while it is also aligned to the BASIC (Brazil, South Africa, India and China) block.

BASIC was not a negotiating block but a coordinator.
As a point of departure, South Africa and the Africa Group of Negotiators brought a wide range of priorities to COP27, which included acknowledgment of climate vulnerabilities (special needs and circumstance of Africa); the need for sustainable development while 10 14 securing a ‘just transition’ to a new economic paradigm; as well as real progress on finance for adaptation.
The following were the main priorities for South Africa at the Sharm El-Sheikh Climate Change Conference: • More mitigation action by developed countries – mitigation work programme should support Parties to implement their nationally determined contributions (NDCs) and must be informed by equity, historical responsibility, common but differentiated responsibilities (CBDR) and respective capabilities (RC) and national circumstances.
Developed countries should not renege on their ambition in light of new energy challenges; and should not impose new mitigation targets on developing countries that shift the burden or are not backed up with means of implementation support.

• Significantly increased funding for adaptation under the Global Goal on Adaptation – clear adaptation goals and targets linked to required finance and a clear roadmap to deliver on the Glasgow decision to double adaptation finance by 2025.
• Finance – a specific and massively scaled-up new quantified long-term goal for finance that is based on the needs of developing countries and backed up with a collectively negotiated implementation roadmap is needed.

Also, a concrete proposal that the financial commitments and obligations by developed country parties under Article 9.1 of the Paris Agreement, as well as the USD100 billion per annum target, will be met.
• Resolving the multiple options for addressing loss and damage – COP27 to finalise agreement on the governance of the loss and damage under the Convention, including the Santiago Network for Loss and Damage.

• Just Transitions for Africa, starting with energy transitions and finance for Africa – establishment of a Just Energy Transition Financing Framework that is people-centred.
The framework would further enable ambitious climate action by developing countries, while making financial flows consistent with the pathway towards low-emissions and climate-resilient development.

• Advancing negotiations on the post-2025 finance goal to replace the USD100 billion by 2020 that was pledged by developed countries, but failed to deliver for mitigation and adaptation.
7.2 Input by the President of the Republic of South Africa at COP27 His Excellency, President Cyril Ramaphosa represented South Africa at COP27’s Climate Implementation Summit that was convened by His Excellency, Abdel Fattah Saeed Hussein Khalil El-Sisi, President of the Arab Republic of Egypt and attended by over a hundred world leaders.

President Ramaphosa co-chaired the Summit’s Roundtable discussion on Just Transitions and delivered South Africa’s national statement.
He stressed the need for a fundamental transformation and modernisation of the global financial architecture and reform of the multilateral development banks to make them fit-for-purpose in supporting Sustainable Development and Just Transitions.

President Ramaphosa also met with South Africa’s partners on the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP), namely, Germany, France, the European Union, the United States of America and the United Kingdom.
He presented South Africa’s JETP Investment Plan (JETP-IP) whilst indicating that South Africa would need 1.5 trillion US dollars (USD) in the next five years for implementation, and highlighted that the money required should be in the form of highly concessional loans and grants.

The Presidential Climate Commission is still to conduct stakeholder consultation on the JETP’s Investment Plan that was presented at COP27.
11 15 7.3 Key Outcomes of COP27 The major outcomes of the COP27, held in Sharm El-Sheikh in Egypt addressed the following areas: • Loss and Damage Fund - for the first time, countries agreed to recognise the need for finance to respond to loss and damage associated with the adverse effects of climate change.
The agreement was finally reached to establish a dedicated fund for responding to, and addressing, loss and damage, along with a Transitional Committee to work out the details and identify opportunities and gaps so it can be operationalised at COP28 in 2023.

This was a historic achievement following decades-long efforts by small island states and other vulnerable nations.
• Calling for the reform of multilateral development banks and international financial institutions, including in their practices and priorities and to define a new vision, operational models, channels and instruments that are fit for the purpose of adequately addressing the global climate emergency.

The Parties called on the shareholders of these institutions to take decisive action to scale-up climate finance in 2023.
• Establishing a work programme on just transition to discuss pathways to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement while ensuring that the transition will be based on nationally defined development priorities and include social protection so as to mitigate potential impacts associated with the transition.
• Providing operational guidance for scaling up cooperative approaches, specifying modalities for the work programme for non-market approaches and enabling operationalisation of Article 6 (that deals with cooperative approaches to cutting emissions (mitigation), primarily via carbon trading) of the Paris Agreement.
• Agriculture and food security – the establishment of the four-year Sharm El-Sheikh joint work on implementation of climate action on agriculture and food security, which builds upon the Koronivia Joint Work on Agriculture that was set up in 2017 at COP23 in Bonn.
COP27 also saw the joint launch by the Egyptian Presidency, the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and some Agriculture Ministers of the Food and Agriculture for Sustainable Transformation Initiative (FAST) online portal, which aims to improve the “quantity and quality of climate finance contributions” towards food systems by 2030 and to “support adaptation and maintain a 1.5ºC pathway whilst supporting food and economic security.” The agreement on the establishment of the Loss and Damage Fund and plans to operationalise it in the next COP was a noteworthy and significant success for the developing countries, including the Africa Group as these countries are bearing the brunt of climate change impacts despite contributing the least to greenhouse gas emissions that cause global warming.
While the work programme on just transition (JT) is welcomed, more discussions and clearer commitments from developed countries are required to ensure that JT is done in a socially and economically responsible manner.

There is already an outcry about the USD8.5 billion package that has been pledged by developed countries for South Africa’s JETP as more than 95% of the amount will be loans.
Notwithstanding some of the successes of COP27, the Africa Group and BASIC countries were gravely concerned that developed countries are still not showing leadership or responding with a matching progression of effort; and there has been backtracking on finance, particularly for adaptation and pledges by 12 16 developed countries.

Further, the developed countries were not committing to a language that will ensure responsibility particularly for agriculture and gender issues.
Other significant decisions of COP27 included the following: • Progress towards operationalising the Santiago Network on Loss and Damage that was established at COP25 in 2019 through adopting its terms of reference, agreeing on its structure, and launching the selection process for its host Secretariat.

The Network aims to connect developing countries with technical support such as non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and development banks, to help them deal with loss and damage.
• Finalised the details of a work programme to urgently scale-up mitigation ambition and implementation which was a key part of the Glasgow Climate Pact’s efforts to keep global warming at 1.5ºC above pre-industrial temperatures.

The Summit agreed the programme should run until 2026, with a view to extending it further, with outcomes linked to annual decisions at each COP.
• Some progress was made towards defining a "Global Goal on Adaptation," which in addition to finance, would likely include a wider array of tools and cooperation platforms to help countries to adapt.

That could include humanitarian relief, the transfer of technology and early warning systems for climate disasters.

Parties agreed to a long-term and structured framework that will help countries to collectively achieve the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA).
The framework will also review progress towards its achievement and will be reviewed before the second Global Stock-take in 2028.

• Universal coverage of early warning systems against extreme weather and climate change within the next five years and invites development partners, international financial institutions and the operating entities of the Financial Mechanism to provide support for implementation of the Early Warnings for All initiative.

8.
8.

CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS The Parliamentary events in the form of the GLOBE COP27 Legislators Summit and the IPU meeting on the occasion of COP27/CMP17/CMA4, allowed a thorough exchange between legislators, experts and global leaders who have a mutual interest in sustaining the planet and creating prosperity for all.
It was clear after both events that legislators have a crucial role to play in addressing the climate crisis and in environmental protection, with both events emphasising the need to address the climate financing gap by transforming international commitments to finance climate action for both mitigation and adaptation; and recognising the role of science and evidence- based policy decisions in confronting climate change and its effects.
The IPU meeting’s outcomes document also encourages parliaments to adopt laws and legislative models that support climate change mitigation and adaptation and the transition to a green economy, and to fulfil commitments and obligations under the Paris Agreement.

Both parliamentary meetings emphasised the need for proper risk assessment and strengthening capabilities of institutions working on climate-related risk analysis.
They further highlighted the legislators’ roles and responsibilities in advancing human rights and valuing natural capital (environmental protection) through the legislation that parliaments enact to ensure that the lives of poor and vulnerable communities are protected.

The IPU further implored parliamentarians to concretise their commitments to act as role models to society by making clear and public efforts aimed at reducing their carbon footprint.
13 17 8.1 Recommendations to Parliament • Need for a coordinated approach to climate change oversight through the Steering Committee on Climate Change: Climate change is not an environmental issue as factors that lead to climate change, including its impact are crosscutting.
Addressing the impact of climate change requires mainstreaming of climate change across a range of sectors and departments (Environment, Energy and Mineral Resources, Agriculture, Water, Human Settlements, Transport, Local Government, etc.

), which in turn requires considerable coordination to ensure effective oversight of climate action implementation.
In this regard, the newly established Steering Committee on climate change is expected to play a central role by ensuring that its membership is representative of the different sectors; and it has a structured programme to oversee the work of the Executive on climate change activities and impact of legislation.
• Climate change financing: Consistently engage the Executive and other role players on the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP), its Investment Plan (JETP-IP) and the implications for the country of the USD8.5 billion that partners pledged to give to South Africa for realising a just energy transition.

It is of critical importance that the JETP does not exacerbate the country’s indebtedness.
Parliament should further strengthen oversight on the disbursements of the pledged funds and implementation of the just transition, other climate change funds as well as domestic budget for addressing climate change.

While the country’s JETP will be mostly focusing on energy, transport and agriculture should also be taken into account.

In this regard, Parliament should also engage National Treasury and finance institutions regarding specific funding for climate action.
• Processing of the Climate Change Bill: There is a need to expeditiously process the Climate Change Bill because of South Africa’s extreme vulnerability to climate change, including trade- related climate change risks as the country’s major trading partners are far ahead in terms of green economic development.
However, as government has indicated that the country’s just transition will be localised and operationalised through the Climate Change Bill once passed into law, equally important is the need to ensure that public participation and stakeholder engagement in the processing of the Bill is as inclusive as possible to ensure that affected and vulnerable communities including youth and women, are included in discussions and decisions and no one is left behind in the country’s just transition.
• On account of climate change not being an environmental issue and to address fragmentation of parliamentary activities on climate change, Parliament should also consider coordinating and broadening participation on climate change-themed or related international forums to ensure that South African legislators speak in one voice on these and any other international platforms.
For example, the Inter-Parliamentary Union, the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, SADC Parliamentary Forum, the Pan African Parliament and the Global Legislators Organisation for a Balanced Environment (GLOBE).

Report to be considered.

14 18 (b) Report of the 52nd SADC Parliamentary Forum Plenary Assembly, 05 – 11 December 2022.
19 THE 52nd SADC PARLIAMENTARY FORUM PLENARY ASSEMBLY Democratic Republic of Congo, Kinshasa 5 – 11 December 2022 1 20 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY South African Parliament’s multi-party delegation attended the 52nd Plenary Assembly Session of the SADC Parliamentary Forum in the DRC which implored SADC member States to help end instability in the eastern part of the DRC.
The Plenary viewed a video highlighting the brutality and the instability which continues to claim the lives of citizens, particularly women and children, and thwarted socio-economic development in the resource-rich country.
Despite this plea and the video, the EXCO failed to reach a consensus in their several meetings on the 8th of December 2022 for the Plenary to consider and adopt a motion titled ‘Condemning the continued armed conflict in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo’ moved by Zambia and seconded by Zimbabwe.

On this matter, Hon.

Mente recommended that member Parliaments put the DRC issue on the agendas of the upcoming PAP Plenary and the IPU Assembly.
This will ensure that the AU takes action on the matter and there is also international solidarity and support from the IPU membership.

Hon.

Mente also requested the Plenary to resolve to increase membership subscriptions as the Forum cannot be forever looking for handouts.

As if Members want the Forum to work for them, they need to put their resources into it to work.

Therefore, the programmes of the Forum must be costed to inform the resource needed to make it work.
Nevertheless, the outcomes of the meeting require the following pertinent issues for noting/action by Parliament (Presiding Officers and the Secretary to Parliament): • Implementation of the Secondment Policy: Parliaments are encouraged to second staff to the Forum on a full-time basis at their own cost in line with the resolution of the 50th Plenary.
In addition, the Committee of Clerks is requested to align part-time secondments to the existing functions of the Forum’s Programme Managers and Committee Secretaries.
The Plenary was informed that the part-time secondment arrangments have not been successful due to competing priorities of staff at the national level, the absence of an adequate accountability framework, and the lack of prioritisation of the Forum’s duties, which lead to considerable pressure on the Forum’s management to perform committees’ tasks.
• Follow-up on the signing of the SADC Amendment Treaty: South African Parliament is requested to follow up on the process of ensuring that President Cyril Ramaphosa signs the Amendment to the Treaty.

Delays in signing the Amendment Treaty may stall all further transformation initiatives.

Therefore, the Member States, including South Africa who has not yet signed the Amendment do so as soon as possible so that the figure of 12 out of 16 signatures is reached.
• Alignment of the SADC-PF Leadership with the SADC Troika System: The Plenary approved the amendment of the Constitution and the Rules of Procedure of the Forum to accommodate the new system of aligning the Forum’s leadership with the SADC Troika Systems.

In practice, the Presidency and Vice-Presidency of the Forum will be aligned with the Presidency and Vice-Presidency of the SADC Summit.
In this way, when Forum (or eventually the SADC Parliament) is discussed on the Agenda of the SADC Summit, it would be administratively convenient for the Speaker/Presiding Officer of a SADC-PF Member Parliament to engage directly and lobby his or her Head of State.

2 21 • Election of the President and Vice-President of the Forum: Speaker of the Seychelles National Assembly, Hon.

Roger Mancienne was elected as the President of the Forum.
Mauritian MP, Enjoine Sabrinatur was elected the Vice-President of the Forum.

• The next plenary session of the Forum will take place in Arusha, Tanzania, in July 2023.

3 22 1.

INTRODUCTION The 52nd Plenary Assembly Session of the SADC Parliamentary Forum was hosted by the National Assembly of the Democratic Republic of Congo in Kinshasa from the 5th to the 11th of December 2022.
The purpose was to deliberate on the theme ‘The Role of Parliaments In Strengthening Legislative Frameworks for Peace and Security in the SADC Region’ and adopt the Standing Committees’ reports.

Delegation Members: • Hon.

N. Bilankulu, MP.

• Hon.

D. Bergman, MP – Treasurer of the SADC-PF.

• Hon.

V. Mente, MP.

Delegation Secretariat: • Mr. D. Sithole, Divisional Manager: IRPD.

• Ms. M. Monnakgotla, Content Support: IRPD.

• Ms. K. Noah, Media support: PCS.

2.


MEETING OUTCOMES 2.1 Opening Ceremony The 52nd Plenary, which ended on December 10, 2022, drew delegates from Angola; Botswana; Democratic Republic of Congo (host); the Kingdom of Eswatini; Malawi; Mauritius; Mozambique; Namibia; Seychelles; South Africa; United Republic of Tanzania; Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Delegates include Speakers and Clerks of National Parliaments.

Lesotho and Madagascar tendered apologies and did not attend.
2.2 Symposium on the theme ‘The Role of Parliaments In Strengthening Legislative Frameworks for Peace and Security in the SADC Region’.
Officially opening the Plenary, the President of the DRC, His Excellency Félix Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo focused on the theme and spoke on the need to address the DRC situation and requested the immediate and unconditional withdrawal from the DRC of insurgents in line with “the stated will of the African Union founding fathers” based on the inviolability of national borders.
Further noted that the DRC welcomes the support that it is getting from sister African countries and, in particular, from those in the SADC.

Also, noted that his wish is for the Forum to provide renewed support.

In conclusion, he urged the SADC Region’s national parliaments, under the coordination of the SADC PF, to put in place legislative frameworks that ensure the advent of lasting peace and security in the SADC region.
The Speaker of the National Assembly of the DRC, Honorable Christophe Mboso N’kodia Pwanga who is also President of the SADC Parliamentary Forum noted that his country had suffered “genocide and massacres” resulting in serious humanitarian challenges.

The theme was appropriate and timely.


He backed efforts to transform the SADC PF into a SADC Regional 4 23 Parliament and challenged MPs to help their countries deal with food crises, the economic recession caused by the advent of the Covid-19 pandemic as well as the Ukraine-Russia war whose effects were being felt by citizens in the region.

2.3 Plenary Assembly The Plenary Assembly’s business was focussed on the consideration and adoption of the following committee reports.
The Standing Committees met virtually under the theme ‘Consolidating democracy by bringing Parliament to the People’ from the 25th to the 28th of November 2022.

The purpose of the meetings was to hear citizen representations according to the thematic content of each Committee’s mandate.

The 52nd Plenary Assembly considered and adopted Committees’ reports emanating from these virtual meetings.
2.3.1 Presentation of Country Reports The Forum’s member States in attendance presented their respective reports on the progress of the implementation of the decisions of the 51st Plenary Assembly.

In delivering South Africa’s report, Hon.


Bilankula, amongst others, noted that South Africa views the work of the Forum as a necessary stepping stone towards a borderless region, where citizens will have access to its abandoned resources and functional and efficient free decolonised education and health system that prioritise primary healthcare.

On the transformation, noted that Parliament intensified its lobbying efforts to support the Forum’s transformation into a SADC Parliament.
It had regular engagements with DIRCO to ensure parliamentary input into the executive’s interventions before the Summit of Heads of State and Government commenced in August 2022.

Currently, engagements are underway with the SADC Secretariat to determine a suitable date for President Ramaphosa to sign the Amendment Treaty.
Also, emphasised that the SADC Presidents translate the 42nd SADC Summit approval to transform the SADC –PF into a SADC Regional Parliament into action by signing the Treaty and for the respective parliaments to accelerate internal processes to ensure its ratification or accession, once the Treaty is tabled in parliaments.
During deliberations on country reports, a concern was raised that the majority of reports presented focused more on the role and programmes of the Executive and less on the role of parliaments.

The Reports were adopted.


2.3.2 Motion for the Adoption of the Report of the Executive Committee on Policy and Administrative Matters The Report presented the following substantive recommendations to the Plenary Assembly: • Alignment of the SADC-Pf Leadership with the SADC Troika System: EXCO invited the Plenary to consider and approve the amendment of the Constitution and the Rules of Procedure of the Forum to accommodate the new system of aligning the Forum’s leadership with the SADC Troika Systems.
In practice, the Presidency and Vice-Presidency of the Forum will be aligned with the Presidency and Vice-Presidency of the SADC Summit.

In this way, when Forum (or eventually the SADC Parliament) is 5 24 discussed on the Agenda of the SADC Summit, it would be administratively convenient for the Speaker/Presiding Officer of a SADC-PF Member Parliament to engage directly and lobby his or her Head of State.
• Review of the Secondment Policy: The Plenary was informed that the part-time secondment arrangments have not been successful due to competing priorities of staff at the national level, the absence of an adequate accountability framework, and the lack of prioritisation of the Forum’s duties, which lead to considerable pressure on the the EXCO Forum’s management recommends that the Plenary refers this matter to the Committee of Clerks to align the part-time secondments to the existing functions of the Forum’s Programme Managers and Committee Secretaries.
to perform committees’ tasks.

Therefore, • Review of the issue of quotas for the Forum Staff: Although geographical representation is an important aspect of staff servicing and will continue to remain so, EXCO is requested to consider instilling flexibility in the formula such that a candidate may be considered notwithstanding the quota system.
For instance, once the quota is met, EXCO could consider applications on a case-to-case basis and approve them based on merit, if the position is really necessary to the Forum’s organogram.

EXCO would then be able to conduct a balancing exercise based on the quota system and all other interests concerned.
Another alternative is to apply a quota system with a maximum ceiling instead of a minimum formula, for instance by simply providing that one country should not have more than three regional staff at any given time.

This would ensure that all countries can participate in a selection exercise, however bearing in mind that at any given time, there should not be more than a total of three regional staff from the same country.
• Update on implementation of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) Project (2019-2023): EXCO is requested to note that due to the good ongoing work of the Forum under the Sexual and Reproductive, HR Project, Sweden has approved a project proposal is made by the Forum for the next phase which is to run from 2023-2026.

In this regard, a Concept Note has already been approved and the Forum is in process of submitting a Project Proposal to Sweden by the end of October 2022.
Based on the Chairperson's report, it is clear whether the Forum met this submission deadline.
• Update on Procedures leading to the Establishment of the SADC-PF and its successors: Plenary was invited to note that a meeting was convened by Namibian Speaker, Prof. Katjavivi in November 2022 with the Attorney General’s Office as part of concluding on queries that were submitted for the consideration of EXCO related to administrative efficiency clauses and governance related clauses contained in the Trust Deed.
The parties were able to clarify the issues and resolved to finalise their input in due course.

Therefore, the Parliaments of Angola, DRC, and Namibia are encouraged to nominate persons to serve as Trustees in readiness for the signing of the Trust Deed and facilitate its registration once the consultations between the Attorney General and ENSAfrica are concluded.
Implementation of the Recommendations emanating from the Job Evaluation: Parliaments are encouraged to second staff to the Forum on a full-time basis at their own cost in line with the resolution of the 50th Plenary.

• • Staff Movement: Mr. Pedro Lusakalalu, an Angolan national who has been serving as Language Services Officer at the Forum, was due to retire from the Forum on 2nd 6 25 November 2022 on attaining the retirement age of 65 years.
In this respect, the Joint Committee recommends that EXCO approve that: o The Forum invests in language services given that it is a constitutional requirement under Article 29 of the Forum’s constitution to have more than 1 official language (currently 3 working languages are official).

o Mr. Lusakalalu is kept on the database of language service providers, whilst the Forum considers adequate recruitment or secondment of the regional post.
In this regard, consideration may be given for financial resources to be allocated for recruitment despite the high costs involved given that the Forum needs language services permanently.

replacement through o To ensure a smooth transition, Mr. Lusakalalu is engaged by the Forum for a further period of between one and two years so that he can continue to coordinate language services in the Forum until a replacement is found for him, and to support his successor, once identified, to settle in the new role.
• Update on the disposal of Property at 66, Erosweg, Eros, Windhoek, Namibia: Due to the absence of the compliance certificate issued by the Namibian Municipality, the property cannot be sold.

Therefore, the Secretariat is instructed to fully comply with the directives of the Municipality to redress the illegalities surrounding the property.
• Update on the transformation of the SADC PF: Given that the Amendment to the SADC Treaty has not yet been signed by the majority of Member States, it is resolved that EXCO intensify lobbying through the Lobby Missions of the Forum to engage Heads of State and Government of the SADC who have not yet signed the Amendment to the Treaty.
It is noted that if the majority is not obtained after circulation by the SADC Secretariat of the request to sign the Amendment, this may stall all further transformation initiatives.

There is, thus, a need to ensure that Member States who have not yet signed the Amendment do so as soon as possible so that the figure of 12 out of 16 signatures is reached.
Regarding the arrangements for South African President Cyril Ramaphosa’s signature of the Amendment Treaty, DIRCO informed the IRDP that it has requested suitable dates from the Presidency to sign the Treaty.

THE 41ST SADC Summit approved the transformation of the SADC –PF into a SADC Regional Parliament to ensure broader citizen participation in regional affairs.
It will also facilitate more extensive debate on regional issues and thus accelerate the implementation of SADC protocols that need to be ratified and domesticated into national legislation.

This can become a key driver of integration and development, bridging the gap between citizens and policymakers.

The Report was adopted.


2.3.3 Treasurer’s Report - Executive Committee Report on Financial Matters The Report presented the following substantive issues to the Plenary Assembly • The SADC-PF Financial Position: The Financial Position as of 31st March 2021 is healthy with equity of N$11,188,607 represented by Total Assets of N$48,290,119 and Total Liabilities of N$37,101,512.

There is no identified threat to the going concern status of the institution.
ü Total Operating Expenditure to N$23,959,094 in the previous financial year.

The increase was due to increased the year was N$35,747,142 compared for 7 26 expenditure under the Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) Project due to an increase in the implementation of activities.

ü The Operating Surplus was N$3,646,614, while the Total Comprehensive Surplus for the year was N$ 3,364,109 after adding investment income (N$162,477) and deducting finance costs, (N$444,982).
• Plenary was requested to note the proposal to discontinue the consolidation of SADC PF Main Financial Statements with Donor Funded Financial Statements.

Due to, amongst others, to address the lack of information and reporting on grants and project funds.

This situation has since been addressed as the Treasurer’s Report is now more comprehensive, with financial reports for donor funding and other external funding included.
• Mode of Operations/Implementation of Activities for 2023/2024: According to the resolution of the Executive Committee, at its meeting on 13th November 2021, in Johannesburg, South Africa, it is proposed that some of the statutory meetings of the institution be held physically while others are held virtually as follows: o Both the 53rd and 54th Plenary Assemblies are proposed to be held physically.
o Two Executive Committee meetings are proposed to be held physically, with any additional EXCO meetings to be held virtually.

o The budget provides for 2 physical and two virtual meetings.

o All the EXCO Sub-Committee meetings will take place virtually (FSC, HR & PCD, Legal, & Parliamentary Business).

o The budget provides for 2 virtual meetings for each Sub-Committee.
o Standing Committee, RPMLOC, and RWPC meetings are all proposed to be held virtually unless external funding is available for physical meetings.

In this regard, EXCO may wish to note that some Standing Committees may hold physical meetings while others will only be able to hold virtual meetings.

o The budget provides for 2 virtual meetings each for the five Standing Committees, the RPMLOC, and the RWPC.
o For all physical meetings, a provision will be made to facilitate participation through a virtual platform (hybrid system).

• Member Parliaments’ in-kind Contribution: As per SADC PF's established policy, the costs of participation of the membership in the physical meetings shall be borne by their Member Parliaments unless external funding is made available.
• Mandatory Contributions: N$21,148,050 The Mandatory Member Contributions stand at N$21,148,050 in the Financial Year 2023/2024, with each of the fourteen Member Countries contributing an amount of N$1,501,500 per annum.

Seychelles' contribution is pegged at N$127,050 per annum.

• Going concerns with 2023/2024 Budget: The proposed budget for 2023/2024 has a minimal projected surplus compared to previous years.
It is therefore imperative that the Membership considers the financial position of the institution because of the resolution not to increase Member Contributions vis-à-vis the ever-increasing costs due to inflation, depreciation of the local currency, rising interest rates, and absence of donor funding.

By 2026, a strategy must already be executed to address the risks to the going concern.
• Major Risk - Staff Emoluments: It is projected that the salary bill, in the absence of increases in Member Contributions, will be at 99% of Contributions by 2026.

• Seconded Staff: Regarding seconded staff, it is envisaged that the key position of Director of Programmes will be seconded by a Member of Parliament on a full-time basis.
It is important to note that, although the seconded staff enabled significant savings to 8 27 be made, those seconded on a part-time basis understandably prioritised their national Parliaments before the Forum, and hence the need for full-time secondments in respect of key positions.
• Networking and Visibility: As the Forum transitions into a Regional Parliament, there has been an increasing demand for the Forum to participate in the meetings of other regional and global Parliamentary bodies such as the SADC, PAP, CPA, and the IPU to promote collaboration and visibility.
In addition, the Task Team on Transformation composed of the SADC Secretariat and SADC PF Secretariat staff will also continue to meet, according to the resolution of the 41st SADC Summit of Heads of State and Government and the Council of Ministers which met in August 2021 in Malawi.

• Contributions to Election Observation Missions from Member Parliaments: During the Financial Year 2023/2024, the following countries are expected to hold elections: DRC, Eswatini, and Zimbabwe.
The budget requires specific contributions from Member Parliaments towards the Election Observation Missions, pegged at US$5,000 per Parliament per Mission, with an expected participation of about 9 Parliaments per Mission based on the total expected cost of approximately N$2.4 million for the three EOMS.

This proposed contribution is, however, not reflected in the budget as the funding source is not confirmed.
The funds will be treated as supplementary and accounted for as received following the Election The Report was adopted.

2.3.4 Motion for the Adoption of the Report of the Standing Committee on Democratisation, Governance, and Human Rights (DGHR) The Committee received presentations from the various citizen representatives and partners and it resolved the following for all Member States : • To ratify the UN Human Rights Treaty and fully engage with its related mechanisms.
• To adopt a more transparent system as a way of reducing corruption.

• To put mechanisms that ensure technocrats that work closely with politicians are accountable to deal with corruption.

• To adopt laws for the protection of human rights defenders and whistle-blowers as an anti- corruption tool.
• To implement measures to facilitate the inclusion and leadership of young people in sectors such as Information Technology, Tourism, and Sports to address the high unemployment which is worsened by exclusion.

• To adopt Youth Quotas in institutions of governance including Parliament to increase youth participation and representation in governance processes.
• To formulate and implement National Action Plans on Albinism in line with the AU Action Plan on Albinism to create a conducive environment for the protection of the rights of people with albinism and equal access to economic opportunities.

The Report was adopted.


2.3.5 Motion for the Adoption of the Report of the Standing Committee on Trade, Industry, Finance, and Investment 9 28 The Committee received presentations from the various citizen representatives and partners and it resolved the following for all Member States: • To explore joint initiatives and research with other SADC countries to scale up the production of condoms and close up the prevailing annual deficiency of 3 billion condoms and improve access to condoms.
• To build resilient competitive and resilient pharmaceutical value chains to guarantee commodity security given the current status of most of the SADC countries being net importers of medical and pharmaceutical products and the risk it places on the health of the regional population.

• To ensure full and meaningful engagement of young people in all discussions about regionalisation and domestication of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement.
• To place concrete measures and mix of interventions that directly address cross-border trade challenges such as infrastructure, security, and cumbersome trade requirements which have a direct impact on the cost of trade.

• To intensify the flow and exchange of information among traders to eliminate unnecessary delays at border posts.

Also, enhance elimination and reporting mechanisms for non-tariff barriers at regional level.
• To aggressively build capacities in value addition and mineral beneficiation to minimise economic costs as a result of exporting unfinished products and in turn capitalise on the intrinsic benefits such as employment opportunities, and development of related industries among others.
2.3.6 Motion for the Adoption of the Report of the Standing Committees on Food, Agriculture, and Natural Resources The Committee received presentations from the various citizen representatives and partners and it resolved the following for all Member States: • To collaborate and utilize local capacities vested in institutions of higher learning to conduct extensive research to inform decision-making in the deployment of renewable energies.
This will assist to determine the best and most effective methods of deploying renewable energies in the SADC region.

• To lobby Governments to put in place deliberate measures such as renewable energy tax rebates, duties, and tax holidays to attract the participation of local investors.

• To review school curricula at primary/secondary, and tertiary levels to ensure that there is practical content on agriculture and sustainable energy issues for the learners.
• To support the creation of a special purpose regional investment fund for renewable energy and energy-efficient projects.

• To come up with deliberate policies and legislation that can make it easy for youths and women to acquire land for agriculture and renewable projects such as mini-grid systems.

• To leverage the potential job creation that will result from the energy transition.

• To undertake to involve citizens at an early stage in renewable energy projects to create a sense of ownership.
• To strengthen laws on the vandalism of renewable energy infrastructure to deter perpetrators and to protect the infrastructure that is costly to replace.

10 29 The Report was adopted.


2.3.7 Motion for the Adoption of the Report of the Standing Committee on Gender Equality, Women Advancement, and Youth Development The Committee received presentations from the various citizen representatives and partners and it resolved the following for all Member States: • To increase funding for child protection services and to organisations that protects and safeguard children.
• To strengthen preventive and positive disciplinary measures to curb violence in schools, particularly bullying.

• To reform legislation on children and create awareness through increased sensitisation of national laws.
Enact legislation that criminalises the practice of getting children on the pretext of enrolling them in school and using them in domestic work; ban child marriage and abuse of children, and ban the withdrawal of reported cases of sexual abuse and exploitation until they are heard by a competent court of law.

• To formulate policies and laws that eliminate the different hurdles that young women face when seeking employment.
• To eliminate the gender gaps that exist in the labour market by ensuring that young women access different commodities and services, especially loans and capital for entrepreneurship.

• To support re-entry policies that seek to improve educational opportunities for girls and young women who fall pregnant while in school.

• Consider heightening Comprehensive Sexuality Education programmes and Sexual Reproductive Health services in schools as a way of reducing teenage pregnancy.
• To put appropriate programmes and policies to ensure that every girl-child in school has access to free sanitary wear.

• To put in place stiffer laws to govern how judicial systems in the region handle cases of sexual harassment and sexual exploitation and establish special courts to deal with cases of sexual exploitation in a fast-track manner.
• To formulate programmes and associations that will train young women in entrepreneurial skills to enable them to earn income for empowerment and increase development programmes for young women.

• To enhance coordination and dialogue with different stakeholders such as civil society organisations, women’s and youth rights organisations, particularly adolescent girls for a unifying voice to end the practice of Female Genital Mutilation.
Further, to seriously engage with religious and traditional leaders on issues around Gender Mutilation and for Parliament to enact laws to address gender mutilation.

• To continue raising awareness against discrimination and stigma against people living with HIV/AIDS.

The Report was adopted.


2.3.8 Motion for the Adoption of the Report of the Standing Committee on Human and Social Development and Special Programmes 11 30 The Committee received presentations from the various citizen representatives and partners and it resolved the following for all Member States: • To update the SADC Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan 2020 – 2030 so that it encapsulates specific issues relating to Sexual Reproductive Health Rights issues.
• To increase investment in psycho-social support using both traditional funding mechanisms such as the national budget and non-traditional sources of funding such as development partner support.

To ensure that at least 20% of the national budget is channeled to education as a way of keeping girls in schools.

• • To review and reform laws to remove barriers to accessing contraceptives and safe abortions.
• To prioritise the rolling out of publicly funded insurance programmes that target vulnerable groups.

• To enhance budget and financial oversight so that there is prudential use of budgetary resources in the public sectors, specifically targeting procurement systems to curb corruption.

• To raise awareness on laws relating to child marriages so that publicity goes beyond the statutory gazetting of statutes.

The Report was adopted.


2.3.9 Motion for the Adoption of the Report of the Regional Women’s Parliamentary Caucus (RWPC) The Caucus meeting resolved the following for Member States: • To work towards the attainment of 50-50 gender parity by domesticating the SADC Protocol on Gender and Development.

• To put in place mechanisms to monitor and review national progress on the domestication and implementation of the mentioned Protocol to ensure compliance.
• To work with Electoral Management Boards and other stakeholders to ensure that the electoral processes are favorable to women’s participation at all levels of the electoral process and to collect gender-disaggregated data to ensure that the region harnesses the demographic dividend of its women and youth population.
• To work with law enforcement agencies to combat election-motivated violence, and other electoral malpractices that prevent women from participating in politics and to make the political space safe for women to participate effectively.

• To strengthen oversight in the budget process to ensure accountability and transparency in the allocation of resources.
Further, to undertake gender impact analysis of budgets and develop mechanisms and methods for developing gender-sensitive budgets so that budget formulation and implementation processes are engendered.

• To develop legislation common to all political parties to encourage compliance with gender parity in the top leadership and the nomination of candidates.
• To work with civil society organisations and other stakeholders to engage the youth, particularly young women, including those living with a disability on sexual and reproductive health issues and harmful cultural practices that have the potential to limit their meaningful participation in governance structures and in other areas that affect their lives.

The Report was adopted.

12 31 3.

CONCLUDING REMARKS President of the Forum, Hon.


Mboso N’kodia Pwanga, closed the Plenary and amongst others noted the successes of the Forum including the adoption of two model laws, capacity-building activities for parliamentarians and officials; the holding of virtual and face-to-face statutory meetings, the project to transform the Forum into a SADC parliament and the adoption of the reports of the various standing committees of the Forum.
In this regard, he made some recommendations, in particular, the finalisation of the project to transform the Forum into a SADC Parliament.

4.

RECOMMENDED ISSUES FOR NOTING AND/OR ACTION BY PARLIAMENT: • Implementation of the Secondment Policy: Parliaments are encouraged to second staff to the Forum on a full-time basis at their own cost in line with the resolution of the 50th Plenary.
In addition, the Committee of Clerks is requested to align part-time secondments to the existing functions of the Forum’s Programme Managers and Committee Secretaries.
The Plenary was informed that the part-time secondment arrangments have not been successful due to competing priorities of staff at the national level, the absence of an adequate accountability framework, and the lack of prioritisation of the Forum’s duties, which lead to considerable pressure on the Forum’s management to perform committees’ tasks.
• Follow-up on the signing of the SADC Amendment Treaty: South African Parliament is one of the parliaments requested to follow up on the process of ensuring that President Cyril Ramaphosa signs the Amendment to the Treaty.

Delays in signing the Amendment Treaty may stall all further transformation initiatives.

Therefore, the Member States, including South Africa who has not yet signed the Amendment do so as soon as possible so that the figure of 12 out of 16 signatures is reached.
Regarding the arrangements for South Africa, the Department of International and Cooperation (DIRCO) informed the IRPD that it (DIRCO) has requested suitable dates from the Presidency to sign the Treaty.

• Alignment of the SADC-PF Leadership with the SADC Troika System: The Plenary approved the amendment of the Constitution and the Rules of Procedure of the Forum to accommodate the new system of aligning the Forum’s leadership with the SADC Troika Systems.
In practice, the Presidency and Vice-Presidency of the Forum will be aligned with the Presidency and Vice-Presidency of the SADC Summit.

In this way, when Forum (or eventually the SADC Parliament) is discussed on the Agenda of the SADC Summit, it would be administratively convenient for the Speaker/Presiding Officer of a SADC-PF Member Parliament to engage directly and lobby his or her Head of State.
• Election of the President and the Vice President of the Forum: Speaker of the Seychelles National Assembly, Hon.

Roger Mancienne, has been elected as the President of the Forum.

Mauritian MP, Enjoine Sabrinatur was elected the Vice- President of the Forum.

• The next plenary session of the Forum will take place in Arusha, Tanzania, in July 2023.

END 13 32 (c) Report of the Pan African Parliament Statutory Committee Meetings, 06 – 17 March 2023 Midrand, Gauteng.
33 REPORT OF THE PAN AFRICAN PARLIAMENT STATUTORY COMMITTEE SITTINGS 06 - 17 MARCH 2023 REPORT OF THE PAN AFRICAN PARLIAMENT STATUTORY COMMITTEE SITTINGS HELD ON 06-17 MARCH 2023 34 The Pan African Parliament (PAP) convened its Committee Sittings from 06-17 March 2023, in the Midrand, Gauteng Province.

The Committee Sittings were held under the African Union Theme for year 2023, “Accelerating the implementation of African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA)”.
These Committee Sittings were attended by the PAP Members serving in the following 11 PAP Permanent Committees: 1.

The Committee on Rural Economy, Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environment; 2.

The Committee on Monetary and Financial Affairs; 3.

The Committee on Trade, Customs and Immigration Matters; 4.

The Committee on Cooperation, International Relations and Conflict Resolution; 5.

The Committee on Transport, Industry, Communications, Energy, Science and Technology; 6.
The Committee on Health, Labour and Social Affairs; 7.

The Committee on Education, Culture, Tourism and Human Resources; 8.

The Committee on Gender, Family, Youth and People with Disability; 9.

The Committee on Justice and Human Rights; 10.

The Committee on Rules, Privileges and Discipline; and 11.

The Committee on Audit and Public Accounts (CAPA).


The Guest of Honour of the Opening Ceremony of the Sitting of the Pan African Parliament Committees and other Pan African Parliament Organs was Her Excellency Hon Candith Mashego-Dhlamini, South Africa’s Deputy Minister of the Department of International Relations and Cooperation.
The following Honourable Members from the Parliament of the Republic of South Africa attended and participated in the Statutory Sitting of the Pan African Parliament: • Hon Mr Amos Masondo, MP, Leader of the South African Delegation; • Hon Dr Mathole Motshekga, MP; • Hon Ms Pemmy Majodina, MP; and • Hon Mr Thembekile Majola, MP.

In accordance with the practices of the Pan African Parliament, the Regional Caucuses met on the sidelines of the Statutory Committee Sittings of the Pan African Parliament.
In addition to the above, new Members were sworn in and designated to various Committees of the Pan African Parliament.

The Pan African Parliament also celebrated the International Women’s Day (IWD) on 08 March 2023, under the theme, “For an inclusive digital world: innovation and technologies for gender equality”.

Moreover, the Pan African Parliament also celebrated the Pan African Parliament Day on 17 March 2023, on the sidelines of the Statutory Committee Sittings.
The Pan African Parliament was formed on 18 March 2004 to represent and serve as a voice for the multitude of the voiceless African people.

The objective of the Committee Sittings was to discuss the Committee programs and to prepare for the next Ordinary Session, which will be held in May 2023.
The Pan African Parliament also held Plenary Sessions during the Committee Sittings to discuss amongst other issues: • The mandate of Permanent Committees and Expected output from African Citizens; 2 35 • Unpacking the AU theme for 2023 and the Role of the PAP in implementing AfCFTA; • Presentation on Committees’ Areas of Focus in conjunction with AU Strategic Thrust; • The Expected Outcomes of Committee Sittings by Committee Chairpersons.
Furthermore, the Pan African Parliament Committee Sitting also witnessed the Presentations to the Finance Committee of the 2023 Work plans and 2024 Programme Budgets for the Regional Caucus and all the PAP Permanent Committees.

In addition to meetings of individual Committees, there were joint Committee Programmes which included: • The Joint Capacity Building Workshop on signing and ratification of the selected AU Protocols and Charters.
This was a Joint Capacity Building Workshop for the Committee on Gender, Family, Youth and People with Disability, and the Committee on Health, Labour and Social Affairs; • Joint Capacity Building Workshop on Migration/Labour Migration Governance in Africa.
This workshop was attended by the following Pan African Parliament Committees: o Committee on Trade, Customs and Immigration Matters; o Committee on Transport, Communication, Energy, Science and Technology; o Committee on Justice and Human Rights; o Committee on Gender, Family, Youth and People with Disability; o Committee on Health, Labour and Social Affairs; o Committee on Education, Culture, Tourism and Human Resources; and o Committee on Cooperation, International Relations and Conflict Resolution.
• The Joint Workshop on the Place of Traditional Medicine in African Health Systems.

This Joint Workshop was attended by the following Committees: o Committee on Gender, Family, Youth and People with Disability; o Committee on Health, Labour and Social Affairs; o Committee on Rural Economy, Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environment; and o Committee on Education, Culture, Tourism and Human Resources.
The comprehensive report on the work of the Committee Sitting will be presented, adopted and debated during the Plenary Session in May 2023.

The Joint Capacity Building Workshop on Migration/ Labour Migration Governance in Africa and the Joint Workshop on the Place of Traditional Medicine in African Health Systems resulted in the adoption of Joint Communiques which are attached separately as part of this report.
3 36 (d) Report of the 146th Inter Parliamentary Union Assembly and related Meetings, 11 – 15 March 2023 Manama, Bahrain.

37 REPORT OF THE 146th INTER-PARLIAMENTARY UNION ASSEMBLY AND RELATED MEETINGS 11 – 15 March 2023 38 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY A delegation from the South African Parliament participated in the 146th IPU Assembly under the theme ‘Promoting peaceful coexistence and inclusive societies: Fighting intolerance’.
Participating in this engagement supported Parliament’s constitutional mandates as follows: • Law-making and oversight: The Assembly’s adoption of two resolutions, that is, Cybercrimes: The new risks to global security and Parliamentary efforts in achieving negative carbon emission balances of forests can assist relevant parliamentary committees in identifying any legislative loopholes in South Africa that require strengthening.
Both resolutions also recommend various oversight strategies for these committees to consider regarding these two subject areas.

In this light, The Parliamentary Group on International Relations (PGIR) is advised to refer the resolutions as follows: o Resolution on Cybercrimes: The new risks to global security to the Portfolio Committee on Justice and Constitutional Development and the Select Committee on Security and Justice for consideration.
o Resolution on Parliamentary efforts in achieving negative carbon emission balances of forests to the Portfolio Committee on Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment and the Select Committee on Land Reform, Environment, Mineral Resources, and Energy for consideration.
• Deepening international engagement: Parliaments international engagements were deepened through the following: o Submitting substantive proposals for amendments to the above resolutions, in line with South Africa’s interests, of which the majority were adopted into the final texts.

o Hon.
o Hon.

Speaker Mapisa-Nqakula’s inputs into the Manama Declaration: Promoting peaceful coexistence and inclusive societies: Fighting intolerance afforded Parliament the opportunity to share recommendations with parliaments of the world based on South Africa’s experiences of dealing with intolerance, including as part of its transition to democracy.
o The delegation had bilateral engagements with parliamentarians from Canada and India with a view of strengthening parliamentary relations, including at IPU Assemblies.

The Manama Declaration online https://www.ipu.org/event/146th-assembly-and-related-meetings#event-sub-page-29336/.
resolutions available and two are at OTHER NOTEWORTHY DECISIONS / DEVELOPMENTS • Action on humanitarian crises – The Assembly adopted an emergency item resolution on ‘Raising awareness and calling for action on the serious humanitarian crises affecting the peoples of Afghanistan, the Syrian Arab Republic, Ukraine, Yemen, and other countries, and on the particular vulnerability of women and children’.
The resolution calls on the international community to collaborate to protect human lives, alleviate suffering, safeguard the dignity, and guarantee access to basic services such as food, medical care, water, and shelter for all persons, regardless of their origins, through legal and policy measures at the national level.
2 39 • Follow-up on the divisive voting on the African Group emergency item – Madam Speaker and the NCOP Deputy Chairperson may need to engage with their counterparts during the Meeting of the IPU Speakers of Africa Geopolitical Group concerning the divisive voting on an emergency item at the 146th Assembly.
On the 10th of March 2023, the Group endorsed the tabling of an emergency item entitled ‘Creation of a global fund for countries vulnerable to natural disasters to address loss and damage from climate change’.

However, during the voting, some Members decided to endorse emergency items proposed by other countries/ or regions.

Engagement at the level of Speakers of Africa may assist in ensuring the decisions taken by the Group are honoured in future.
• Human rights of parliamentarians – The IPU Committee on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians examined several cases of alleged human rights violations against MPs in 14 countries, including South Africa Cambodia, Eswatini, Iraq, Uganda, Libya, and Venezuela.
• Peacebuilding – The IPU Task Force for the peaceful resolution of the war in Ukraine met again with high-level delegations of MPs from both the Russian Federation and Ukraine, separately, to keep parliamentary diplomatic channels open for future peacebuilding.

The United Arab Emirates and South Africa stand ready to host the Parliaments of Ukraine and Russia for further discussion on the ongoing conflict.
• Note the IPU Committee on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians’ verdict on South Africa – A complaint to the IPU Committee by the Economic Freedom Fights concerning the 9 February 2023 State of the Nation Address incident was deemed inadmissible.
• An update on the establishment of IPU Regional Offices: Madam Speaker and the NCOP Deputy Chairperson should note that in the case of Uruguay, the Governing Council decided that: • • The first step would be for a host country agreement to be concluded between the IPU and the Government of Uruguay.

This would be followed by an agreement between the Host Parliament and the IPU.
In the case of Egypt, the Secretary General of the Egyptian Parliament committed to providing the IPU Secretariat with comments from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the template provided by the IPU.

Both the African and Arab Geopolitical Groups have given their support for the establishment of a regional office in Cairo for the Arab region.

In this light, Algeria has offered to host a Regional Office for the African region.
• End of the mandate for the SADC Group representative in the Executive Council – The mandate of the SADC Group representative, Mr. J Mudenda in the Executive Council is ending in October 2023.

• Note a new IPU member – The Governing Council has endorsed the re-affiliation of the Parliament of Liberia.
• Reminder - Capacity-building opportunities for parliamentarians and staff – African parliaments are encouraged to take advantage of the various opportunities available for capacity-building for both MPs and staff as well as engaging the IPU on the implementation of specialised activities in national parliaments.
• Reminder - IPU Presidency election in October 2023 – As per the geopolitical rotational practice, the African and Eurasian geopolitical groups are eligible to occupy the IPU presidency position in 2023 for a non-renewable three-year term.

The election for the IPU Presidency will take place during the 147th Assembly in Angola in October 2023.

3 40 1.
3 40 1.

INTRODUCTION Purpose of the meeting: To deliberate on the theme ‘Promoting peaceful coexistence and inclusive societies: Fighting intolerance’, draft resolutions, and consider Standing Committee and other reports.

Around 1 223 delegates, of whom close to 699 were MPs, representing 136 countries, attended the meeting.

Just over 33% (236) were women and 21% (150) were young MPs.

Delegation Members: • National Assembly (NA) Speaker, Hon.

N. Mapisa-Nqakula, MP – Leader of the delegation.


• National Council of Provinces Deputy Chairperson and the Convener of the IPU Focus Group, Hon.

S. Lucas, MP.

• NA House Chairperson on Committees, Hon.

C. Frolick, MP.

• Hon.

Dr. Lotriet, MP.

• Hon.

D. Dlakude, MP.

• Hon.

F. Masiko, MP.

• Hon.

F. Shivambu, MP.

• Hon.

N. Kwankwa, MP.

• Hon.

N. Singh, MP.


Delegation Secretariat: • Ms. N. Nojozi (Adviser to the Speaker) • Ms. Z Kula (Support to the Speaker) • Dr. S. Mvulane (Office Manager: Office of the NCOP Deputy Chairperson) • Ms. Z.
De Bruyn (Personal Secretary to NCOP Deputy Chairperson) • Ms. B. Trout (Executive Assistant to NA House Chairperson on Committees) • Mr. D. Sithole (IRPD Division Manager) • Ms. M. Monnakgotla (Content support to the delegation) • Dr. N. Leibrandt-Loxton (Content support to the delegation) • Mr. M. Wolela (Media support) • Ms. F. Ndenze (Media support).

2.

MEETINGS PRECEDING THE 146TH ASSEMBLY The 146th IPU Assembly was preceded by the following meetings: 2.1.
The SADC and Africa Geopolitical Group meetings The SADC and Africa Geopolitical Groups met on 10 March 2023 to adopt common positions on some of the items on the agenda of the 146th Assembly and other substantive issues, including: • Emergency Item: The Group endorsed the tabling of an emergency item entitled ‘Creation of a global fund for countries vulnerable to natural disasters to address loss and damage from climate change’.
However, during the Assembly’s voting on the item, some African Members endorsed other emergency items proposed by other countries/ or regions, resulting in the item entitled ‘Raising awareness and calling for action on the serious humanitarian 4 41 crises affecting the peoples of Afghanistan, the Syrian Arab Republic, Ukraine, Yemen and other countries, and on the particular vulnerability of women and children’, obtaining the most votes.
• An update on the establishment of IPU Regional Offices: Madam Speaker and the NCOP Deputy Chairperson should note that in the case of Uruguay, the Governing Council decided that: o o The first step would be for a host country agreement to be concluded between the IPU and the Government of Uruguay.

This would be followed by an agreement between the Host Parliament and the IPU.
In the case of Egypt, the Secretary General of the Egyptian Parliament committed to providing the IPU Secretariat with comments from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the template provided by the IPU.

Both the African and Arab Geopolitical Groups have given their support for the establishment of a regional office in Cairo for the Arab region.

In this light, Algeria has offered to host a Regional Office for the African region.
• • Approval of Al QUDS IPU Observer Status: The Group endorsed the IPU Observer Status application of the League of Parliamentarians for Al-Quds (LP4Q).

The League is a foundation established in October 2015 at the initiative of parliamentarians who support Palestinian rights.

IPU Financial Questions: While most Members are paying their subscriptions timeously, arrears from Members had increased to over 2 million Swiss Francs.
Accordingly, the Executive Committee called on defaulting Members to pay their dues.

In particular, five Member Parliaments (Congo Brazzaville, Guinea-Bissau, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, and Venezuela) and one Associate Member (Andean Parliament) are all in three years’ arrears and are liable for loss of their IPU membership rights in 2023.

• Future Meetings of the IPU: The Executive Committee endorsed the invitation for the Parliament of Angola to host the 147th Assembly in October 2023.
2.2.

The 35th Session of the Forum of Women Parliamentarians The 35th Session of the Forum of Women Parliamentarians met on 11 and 14 March 2023.

It brought together 228 participants, including 186 parliamentarians (161 women and 25 men) from 66 countries.

Amongst others, it considered the following: • Contributions to the work of the 146th Assembly from a gender perspective – on the draft resolution on Cybercrime.
The discussions highlighted how women and girls were likely to be targeted by and fall victim to certain types of cybercrimes such as human trafficking and sexual exploitation via the internet, as well as technology-facilitated gender- based violence, including sexual harassment threats, stalking, bullying, and sexist hate speech.
The Forum agreed that such cybercrimes should be prevented and addressed through gender-sensitive comprehensive and victim-centric legislation covering prevention, legal protection, and adequate support and remedies for victims as well as sanctions for perpetrators.

Hon.

Lotriet noted that women and the girl-child are subjected to online violence that impedes their equal and meaningful participation in public life.

They are shamed, humiliated, and silenced by online violence.
In this light, South Africa proposed an amendment of the resolution’s operative paragraph 6 to read as follows: 5 42 (6) Encourages parliaments to make full use of their oversight function to ensure that governments have the tools including comprehensive support to victims in the form of technological support for digital content deletion to control the rapid increase in cybercrime and cyberattacks and to protect the digital security, identity, privacy and data of citizens, especially the most vulnerable; • Panel discussion on the theme of ‘Parliamentary leadership in addressing insecurity and crises: putting gender equality at the centre of water security, climate resilience, and peace sustainability’: The discussion highlighted that women are more likely to suffer the negative effects of water insecurity which is being exacerbated by climate change, and conflict situations.
Yet they continue to be excluded from decision-making processes in these and too many others areas.

In this regard, Hon.

Masiko noted that during the ongoing pandemic, the consistent message is that female leaders are outperforming their male counterparts in crisis response, particularly due to a compassionate approach.
The UNDP- UN Women COVID-19 Global Gender Tracker showed that governments with higher women’s representation in parliaments adopted a higher number of gender-sensitive policy measures in response to the pandemic.

All these suggest that the presence of more women in Parliaments and the Executive positively contributes to more balanced, gender-sensitive, environmentally considerate policies.
Amongst others, called upon parliamentarians to break the cycles of underrepresentation, hunger, abuse, exploitation, and negligence by investing in and prioritising women’s and girl-child rights by adopting gender quotas and targets in public and private organisations to ensure women’s equal representation.
• Elections to the Bureau of Women Parliamentarians: The Forum elected the following Members in the Bureau of Women Parliamentarians: Ms. C. López Castro (Mexico) for the post of the President; Ms. F. Ilimi (Algeria) to the post of First Vice-President, and Ms. A. Nassif Ayyoub (Egypt) to the post of Second Vice-President of the Forum.

2.3.
2.3.

Forum of Young Parliamentarians The Forum of Young Parliamentarians met on 12 March 2023 to reflect on youth participation in parliaments, contribute to the work of the 146th Assembly from a youth perspective, and elect a new Board of the Forum.

It brought together 100 participants, including 60 parliamentarians (22 young women and 38 young men) from 58 countries.
Concerning these and other substantive items on its agenda, the following transpired: • Youth participation in parliaments: In advancing the implementation of the I Say Yes to Youth in Parliament!

campaign, the young MPs shared experiences and good practices on how to engage youth in parliament through both formal and informal means.

Hon.

Masiko shared that plans are afoot to establish Youth Caucus.
• Contribution to the work of the 146th Assembly: On the General Debate of the Assembly Promoting peaceful coexistence and inclusive societies: Fighting intolerance’, the Forum discussed the key leadership role that youth and Young MPs must play, including in decision- making and peace negotiations.

They emphasised the importance of accessible education, which promotes peace, inclusion, and tolerance as a cornerstone of more peaceful coexistence.
They emphasised the power of legislation to combat hate and discrimination as highlighted by Hon.

Masiko.

On the draft resolution on Cybercrime, the young MPs highlighted the importance of special measures to protect young people from harm online, including education and awareness-raising.

On the Parliamentary efforts in negative carbon 6 43 emission balances of forests, they called for greater financial investment to help protect and strengthen the environment.
• Elections of the new Board: The Forum approved nominations made by the geopolitical groups for members of the Forum’s Board for the period 2023-2025: Mr. D Carden (UK) as the President.

3.

MEETING OUTCOMES OF THE 146th ASSEMBLY AND THE GOVERNING COUNCIL 3.1.
The Assembly The following are some of the items considered during the 146th Assembly: intolerance’: The Assembly adopted • General debate on the theme of the Assembly ‘Promoting peaceful coexistence and inclusive societies: Fighting the Manama Declaration on the theme in which parliamentarians from around the world pledged to fight inequality through rights-based economic and social policies that put people before profit and the weak before the strong, and that uphold the equality and dignity of every person.
The Declaration also urges parliamentarians to implement the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030 – leaving no one behind – as the best hope for peace, democracy, and sustainable development for all.

It also calls for parliamentarians to make hate-motivated acts and all forms of violence linked to religion, belief, xenophobia, racism or intolerance of marginalized groups an offence under the law.
During the debate, Madam Speaker Mapisa-Nqakula noted, among others, that peaceful co- existence in societies is fundamental for human development, progress, and prosperity, and therefore, parliaments must hold themselves accountable for these outcomes, and seek ways to arrest and reverse these trends.
She also emphasized the need for parliaments to appreciate fully their role as premier strategic institutions of their respective societies that carry on their shoulders the hopes and aspirations of all the people of that society in their diversity.

She highlighted the need for parliaments across the globe to fight intolerance and shoulder the responsibility of being teachers of love in their respective countries.
She urged parliaments to fight intolerance by creating platforms for dialogue and negotiation, establishing mechanisms for truth and reconciliation, amending or abolishing legislation that promotes intolerance through a democratically elected parliamentary assembly, ensuring Parliament serves as a platform for public debate and that it holds government accountable in implementing international human rights agreements, related laws, and policies.
Adoption of the emergency item: The Assembly adopted an emergency item resolution on ‘Raising awareness and calling for action on the serious humanitarian crises affecting the peoples of Afghanistan, the Syrian Arab Republic, Ukraine, Yemen, and other countries, and on the particular vulnerability of women and children’.
The resolution calls on the international community to collaborate to protect human lives, alleviate suffering, safeguard the dignity, and guarantee access to basic services such as food, medical care, water, and shelter for all persons, regardless of their origins, through legal and policy measures at the national level.

3.2.
3.2.

The Governing Council The following are some of the reports adopted by the Governing Council: 7 44 • Report on the work of the IPU Task Force on the peaceful resolution of the war in Ukraine.
Madam Speaker Mapisa-Nqakula delivered the report and amongst others, noted that the Parliaments of Ukraine and Russia welcomed the work of the Task Force and that the next step of the Task Force involves engaging the two Parliaments on the following: o Sending a letter detailing avenues to mitigate the humanitarian consequences of the war in four areas: (nuclear safety, food security, protection of environmentally vulnerable sites and access to and exchange of prisoners of war).
o Engaging with other parties to help bring about positive change in the ongoing escalation of conflict.

o Endeavoring to find possible avenues of convergence and invite both delegations to convene in a suitable venue for discussion.

In this regard, The United Arab Emirates and South Africa stand ready to host such meetings.
• The Report of the Committee on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians examined several cases of alleged human rights violations against MPs in 14 countries, including South Africa, Cambodia, Eswatini, Iraq, Uganda, Libya, and Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of).

The Committee held 11 hearings with complainants and the relevant parliamentary authorities on the sidelines of the Assembly.
It also organized a special session on parliamentary solidarity to encourage other MPs to support their peers who are facing human rights abuses.

Regarding the South African case, following a complaint by the Economic Freedom Fights on 9 February 2023 State of the Nation Address incident, the IPU Committee ruled the complaint inadmissible.

4.

MEETINGS OF THE STANDING COMMITTEES 4.1.


Standing Committee on Peace and International Security • The Committee considered proposed amendments and endorsed the draft resolution titled Cybercrimes: The new risks to global security available at https://www.ipu.org/event/146th- assembly-and-related-meetings#event-sub-page-29336/.

South Africa submitted 12 amendments, of the number 7 (full and amended versions) was included in the final resolution adopted by the Assembly.
The resolution’s development entailed a long consultative process, including a record of 320 amendments received from Member Parliaments, often with opposing views.

The resolution shows that there is a growing appetite to include the voices of parliamentarians, as representatives of the people, in United Nations processes and conventions.

4.2.
4.2.

Standing Committee on Sustainable Development • The Committee considered proposed amendments and endorsed the draft resolution titled Parliamentary efforts in negative carbon emission balances of forests available at https://www.ipu.org/event/146th-assembly-and-related-meetings#event-sub-page-29336/.

South Africa submitted 13 amendments, of the number 9 (full and amended versions) was included in the final resolution adopted by the Assembly.
The Parliamentary Group on International Relations is advised to refer the resolutions as follows: 8 45 o Cybercrimes: The new risks to global security to the Portfolio Committee on Justice and Constitutional Development and the Select Committee on Security and Justice for noting and action.
o Parliamentary efforts in achieving negative carbon emission balances of forests to the Portfolio Committee on Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment and the Select Committee on Land Reform, Environment, Mineral Resources, and Energy for noting and action.

4.3.
4.3.

Standing Committee on Democracy and Human Rights The Committee, amongst others, discussed the following items: • Preparatory debate on the next resolution of the Standing Committee: ‘Orphanage trafficking: The role of parliaments in reducing harm’: The discussion revealed that orphanage trafficking takes place when children are recruited into orphanages for exploitation and profit.
Orphanages undertaking orphanage trafficking generate profits from international donations and by allowing tourists and volunteers to visit and interact with children for a fee.

During this discussion, Hon.

Lucas noted that research shows that the loss of parental support during childhood can have a long-lasting impact on mental and physical well-being.
Such children are more likely to fall into the clutches of malicious people in exchange for basic needs such as food and shelter or to satisfy emotional needs, like a sense of belonging.

In this context, she recommended that parliamentarians must ensure that the capacity of family-based care and social protection systems is strengthened as they are critical to enhancing family resilience and helping to prevent any recourse to institutional care.
This is significant as studies show that children raised in family-based care arrangements have better physical, cognitive, and social development outcomes than those raised in institutions.
• Debate on ‘Parliamentary impetus in favour of the fight against disinformation and hateful and discriminatory content in cyberspace’: The discussion revealed that disinformation distributed online has increasingly been used by state and non-state actors to serve purposes - to exert influence, create a profit or secure political gain, confuse or manipulate, create distrust in institutions and international norms, disrupt elections or create skepticism in contested scientific, health and education areas.
During this discussion, Hon.

Lucas noted that South Africa supports the notion that disinformation should be counteracted through regulation, but not at the cost of free speech.

She shared South Africa’s experiences is regulating disinformation, including through the South African Constitution and the relatively new Cybercrimes Act that was passed in 2020 that consolidates South Africa’s cybercrime laws into one place.
She emphasized the significance of this Act as it gives authorities and the judiciary concrete legal grounds on which to investigate and prosecute cybercrimes more than ever before.

4.4.
Standing Committee on United Nations Affairs The Committee, amongst others, discussed the following item: • Proposed new modalities and methods of work for the Committee: Prompted by a review of the IPU Political Project at the United Nations and the corresponding implementation roadmap, the Committee endorsed that its mandate shall be exercised through five distinct areas of work: o Mobilising parliamentarians around select UN reform issues, such as improving the gender balance of the General Assembly; 9 46 o Supporting the reform of the Security Council to be more representative of the international community (proposed by Hon.
Frolick), and making the UN budget more transparent.

o Promoting parliamentary oversight of the UN and its system agencies.

o Promoting parliamentary engagements in key accountability processes of the UN.

o Promoting stronger relations between UN Country Teams and national parliaments about key government-led processes for development and peacebuilding.
Working methods: The Committee shall pursue its mandate through regular sessions held at the IPU Assemblies, in particular through: o Holding panel discussions and hearings with UN officials.

o Promoting parliamentary campaigns around selected UN issues.

o Conducting site visits to explore how the UN system operates within countries and with national parliaments.

o Organising a special meeting on ‘the role of parliaments in multilateralism’ at the level of Speakers.
The Bureau of the Committee shall review the Committee’s mandate and working methods every two years.

5.

BILATERAL ENGAGEMENTS The delegation had bilateral engagements with fellow parliamentarians from Canada and India with a view of strengthening parliamentary relations, including at IPU Assemblies.

6.
6.

OBSERVATIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS The South African Parliament is invited to note the following key issues: • Note the IPU Committee on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians’ verdict on South Africa: Presiding Officers and Parliamentarians should note that following a complaint by the Economic Freedom Fights on 9 February 2023 State of the Nation Address incident, the IPU Committee ruled the complaint inadmissible.
• Follow-up on the divisive voting on the African Group emergency item: Madam Speaker and the NCOP Deputy Chairperson may have to follow up with their counterparts on the divisive voting on an emergency item during the Meeting of the IPU Speakers of Africa Geopolitical Group to ensure that the decisions taken by the Group are honoured in future.
On the 10th of March 2023, the Group endorsed an emergency item entitled ‘Creation of a global fund for countries vulnerable to natural disasters to address loss and damage from climate change’ however during the voting on the item, some Members decided to endorse other items proposed by other countries/ or regions.
• An update on the establishment of IPU Regional Offices: Madam Speaker and the NCOP Deputy Chairperson should note that in the case of Uruguay, the Governing Council decided that: o The first step would be for a host country agreement to be concluded between the IPU and the Government of Uruguay.

This would be followed by an agreement between the Host Parliament and the IPU.
In the case of Egypt, the Secretary General of the Egyptian Parliament committed to providing the IPU Secretariat with comments from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the template provided by the IPU.

Both the African and Arab Geopolitical Groups have o 10 47 given their support for the establishment of a regional office in Cairo for the Arab region.

In this light, Algeria has offered to host a Regional Office for the African region.
• End of the mandate for the SADC Group representative in the Executive Council: Madam Speaker and the NCOP Deputy Chairperson should note that the mandate of the SADC Group representative, Mr. J Mudenda in the Executive Council is ending in October 2023.

• Note a new IPU member: Madam Speaker and the NCOP Deputy Chairperson should note that the Governing Council has endorsed the reaffiliation of the Parliament of Liberia.
• Referral of resolutions to the parliamentary committees: The Parliamentary Group on International Relations is advised to refer the resolutions (1) Cybercrimes: The new risks to global security to the Portfolio Committee on Justice and Constitutional Development and the Select Committee on Security and Justice for noting and action.
(2) Parliamentary efforts in achieving negative carbon emission balances of forests to the Portfolio Committee on Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment and the Select Committee on Land Reform, Environment, Mineral Resources, and Energy for noting and action.
• Reminder - Capacity-building opportunities for parliamentarians and staff: Presiding Officers and the Secretary to Parliament should note that African parliaments are encouraged to take advantage of the various opportunities available for capacity-building for both MPs and staff as well as engaging the IPU on the implementation of specialised activities in national parliaments.
• Reminder - IPU Presidency election in October 2023: Madam Speaker as the leader of the delegation and the NCOP Deputy Chairperson as the convenor of the IPU Focus Group should note that as per the geopolitical rotational practice, the African and Eurasian geopolitical groups are eligible to occupy the IPU presidency position in 2023 for a non- renewable three-year term.

The election for the IPU Presidency will take place during the 147th Assembly in Angola in October 2023.
END 11 48 (e) Report of the 2nd Conference of the Non-Aligned Movement Parliamentary Network (NAM PN), 13 March 2023 Manama, Bahrain.

49 THE SECOND CONFERENCE OF THE NON-ALIGNED MOVEMENT PARLIAMENTARY NETWORK (NAM PN) The Second Conference of the NAM PN took place on 13 March 2022 in Manama, Bahrain, on the side-lines of the 164th IPU Assembly.

Parliamentarians from more than 60 NAM countries were in attendance.

South Africa’s delegation was constituted as follows: Delegation Members: • Hon.
S. Lucas, MP and Deputy Chairperson of the NCOP (Leader of the delegation) • Hon.

D. Dlakude, MP • Hon.

N. Singh, MP • Hon.


N. Kwankwa, MP Delegation Secretariat: • Mr D. Sithole: Division Manager – International Relations and Protocol (IRPD) • Dr S. Mvulane: Office Manager – Office of the Deputy Chairperson • Mr M. Wolela: Section Manager – Media and Stakeholder Relations • Ms M. Monnakgotla: Researcher – IRPD • Dr N. Leibrandt-Loxton: Researcher – IRPD • Ms F. Ndenze: Principle Communications Officer • Ms Z.
De Bruyn: Personal Assistant (Office of the Deputy Chairperson of the NCOP) The meeting’s agenda entailed the following: • Receiving an Annual Report of the NAM PN’s activities and achievements for the period 2022 – 23, presented by the Chairperson, Ms Sahiba Gafarova, Speaker of the Milli Majlis of the Republic of Azerbaijan; • Receiving the statements from: o A Presiding Officer from the Parliament of the Kingdom of Bahrain; o The President of the IPU; and o The Secretary-General of the IPU.
o Receiving statements from Leaders of Delegations on (a) Parliamentary support to the national and global efforts on post-pandemic recovery or (b) Exchange of views on further institutionalisation of the NAM Parliamentary Network: Hon.
Lucas presented a statement on behalf of South Africa, amongst others calling on parliaments of NAM member states to remain resolute in strengthening cooperation and collaboration within the network to promote and protect their interests against hegemony and dominance in international relations.

She noted that such collaboration is necessary to achieve relative stability, prevent major power wars and manage regional conflicts to minimise human suffering.
• Outcomes: o The Manama Declaration of the Second Conference of the NAM PN which, amongst others, expressed the Network’s serious concern over complex global challenges such as climate change, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, armed conflicts, geopolitical tensions, sustainable development, food and energy crisis as well as the global economic uncertainty that requires a global response 50 based on unity, solidarity and renewed multilateral cooperation.
In this light, the Declaration reiterates the Network’s resolve to provide parliamentary support through diplomacy to the activities of NAM in overcoming these challenges of concern to all NAM Member States; o The Decision of the Manama Conference of the NAM PN to amend certain provisions of the Statute on Working Modalities of the NAM Parliamentary Network.

The key issue decided upon entailed changing voting modalities to be based on consensus instead of two-thirds majority.
o Decision of the Manama Conference of the NAM PN to grant observer status to International Parliamentary Organizations.

At this particular meeting, the Asian Parliamentary Assembly (AP), and Parliamentary Union of the OIC Member States (PUIC) were granted observer status.

(APA), Arab Parliament __________________________________ 51 (f) Report of the 84th CPA-Africa Region: KZN Provincial Legislature, 02 - -6 April 2023 Durban, South Africa.
52 anf REPORT OF THE 84TH CPA - AFRICA REGION: KWAZULU NATAL PROVINCIAL LEGISLATURE, DURBAN, South Africa, 02nd - 06th April 2023 1 53 Report of the 84th Executive Committee of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, Africa Region 1.

Context The Parliament of the Republic of South Africa together with the Provincial Legislatures is affiliated and participates in the political activities of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association at both Africa Region and International level.
This participation fulfils one of Parliament strategic objective premised on deepening and enhancing parliamentary international engagement and cooperation.

Parliament’s Strategic Plan places prime importance on increasing its capacity to represent the interests of South Africa in the international arena.
It further seeks to promote and facilitate the transformation of undemocratic governance structures and participate in rules based system that seeks to democratize multilateral institutions, processes, building strategic partnerships around mutual interests and promote 2 54 internationalism and solidarity through the interconnectedness of challenges amongst African countries in particular and developing nations in particular.
The 84th Executive Committee Meeting of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Africa Region was convened in accordance with Article 28 of the CPA of the constitution of the CPA to afford the Executive Committee Members and Office Bearers of the Association, Secretariat and Branch representatives in different sub-regions of the Association reflect on their activities as they relate to Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians, Programming Planning and Finance Committee matters and political developments emerging from Regional Representative Committees.
This 84th CPA Africa Region EXCO was organized in South Africa, Kwazulu Natal from the 1st -06th April 2022.

The Sub-committee Meetings were convened from the 4th April to reflect on the state of the organization.

Key amongst the pertinent issues deliberated on include the following.

2.

Solidary Messages The official opening session of the 84th Executive Committee Meeting, commence with messages of solidary from the Office Bearers of the Association such as the Speaker of the Kwazulu Natal Legislature.
The Speaker appreciated the gesture from the CPA Africa Region Secretariat for granting the opportunity to host the 84th CPA Africa Region EXCO in the South African shores and Kwazulu Natal in particular.

She further noted that this meeting takes place during the Freedom month in South Africa characterized by important historical events marking 29 years since the 1994 dispensation that brought about elections which gave birth to the South Africa`s democracy.
This opportunity also marked Kwazulu Natal commitment to contribute towards strengthening the CPA as a multilateral voice in pursuing development in Africa, strengthening democracy and ensure arrival at decision in a rules based system.

The EXCO also took place during the month to which South Africa lost many struggle Stalwarts for liberation of South African freedom.

These include President Olive Tambo, and Chris Hani.
The Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly further endorsed the sentiments raised by the Speaker of the National Assembly confirming the appreciation of South Africa in 3 55 upholding democratic values and thereby contributing in the transformation of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association mandate of advancing parliamentary democracy through sharing experiences of democratic system with the Commonwealth community and beyond.
The Chairperson of the Executive Committee, who is equally the Speaker of the Parliament of Malawi, reminded the meeting of the objectives to which the organization must be focused on.

These included the development of Benchmarks to guide the hosting of the Headquarters of the new Association with the changed legal Status of the Association.
The Chairperson of the Executive Committee further appealed to the Members of the EXCO and Branch Representatives to consider Hosting the 53rd conference of the CPA Africa Region to afford the Association platform to thourouly prepare for the 66th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference to be held in Ghana August 2023.

It was also stated that many Branches in the Africa Region have not been able to pay for the 2022 annual subscription fees.
It was further reiterated that the upcoming CPA International Meeting to be held in Gibraltar will be the first International forum to determine the future of the CPA International owing to the fact that all the Regions of the Association are expected to table their Benchmarks for the Hosting of the new Headquarters of the Association.

The Chairperson of the Association further reiterated that the CPA International Headquarters Benchmarks are not entirely different to those developed by the Africa Region.
It is against this background the Chairperson of the Executive Committee appealed for unity amongst the delegates and ensure that Africa takes the driving seat in the world affairs that had to do with the development and fundamental transformation of our multilateral institutions off which the 66th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference to be held in Ghana will be the relevant platform to demonstrate that unity.

3.
3.

Key Issues Emanating from the Regional Representatives Sub-Committee Meetings: 3.1 Activities undertaken by Regional Representatives 4 56 THE 66TH COMMONWEALTH PARLIAMENTARY CONFERENCE: The 66th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference (CPC) will be hosted by the CPA Ghana Branch in Accra, from 30th September to 6th October 2023.

The Sub-Committee noted that preparations for the 66th CPC are at an advanced stage with the Secretariat working closely with the Branch.
The Mid-Year Executive Committee Meeting shall consider and approve the proposed programme, theme and topics after which formal invitations will be extended to Branches.

The Executive Committee will also consider a report of the working group on CPC Modalities, containing the recommendations on how future CPCs would be held.

The Sub-Committee calls upon all Branches to attend the 66th CPC.
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING OF THE CPA INTERNATIONAL: The Executive Committee Meeting of the CPA International shall be held in Gibraltar from 17th – 21st April 2023.

Invitation letters have already been sent to Members of the Executive Committee and Regional Secretaries by the CPA Secretariat.

THE 67TH COMMONWEALTH PARLIAMENTARY CONFERENCE: The 67th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference (CPC) will be hosted by the CPA New South Wales Branch in Sydney, Australia in November 2024.
3.1.1 Workshops, Seminars and Conferences • Branches from the CPA Africa Sub-Regions attended the 2nd Commonwealth Parliamentarians with Disabilities (CPwD) Africa Region Conference hosted by CPA Tanzania Branch in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania from 14th – 18th November, 2022.

The theme of the Conference was “Parliamentarians and Persons with Disabilities as champions of inclusion and accessibility to the public and private sectors”.
• The CPA Africa Sub-Regions participated at the CWP Africa Region Sensitization Workshop held in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania from 19th – 22nd October 2022.

The theme of the Workshop was “Women Parliamentarians in Leadership and Politics”.
• The Southern Africa Regional Representative participated in the Global Science Forum in which a declaration was developed whose aim was to encourage and 5 57 support organizations of the World Science Forum, United Nations, Education, Scientific and Cultural Organizations.

The declaration is attached hereto as Annexure II.

• The Southern Africa Regional Representative participated in the Annual Judicial Report Session delivered by the Chief Justice of South Africa.
The Session reflected on the complimentary role of other organs of the State through legislative and other measures aimed at promoting the Courts to ensure the independence, impartiality, dignity and effectiveness of Courts.

• CPA South Africa Branch had a bilateral engagement with the CPA United Kingdom Branch which was aimed at strengthening the relations between the two Branches.
• CPA Namibia Branch in collaboration with the CPA SoCATT Africa Region hosted the 6th Professional Seminar from 1st – 6th August 2022 in Windhoek.

The theme of the seminar was “Re-engineering parliamentary service delivery: An opportunity to enhance and sustain performance of parliaments”.

The seminar was attended by Parliamentary officials from Africa Branches and Sub- Branches.
§ The Branch also held a seminar on International Parliamentary Bodies (IPBs) on 20th February 2023 to introduce the aims and objectives, structures, statutes and related documents of the IPBs.

Further, the Branch participated in the 71st Westminster Seminar on Effective Parliaments held from 13th – 17th March 2023 at the UK Parliament.
§ The Chairperson of the National Council of Namibia attended the 26th Conference of Speakers and Presiding Officers of the Commonwealth (CSPOC) held from 3rd to 6th January 2023 in Canberra, Australia.

o The National Assembly of Kenya organized a Post-Election Seminar from 29th January to 4th February, 2023 for Members of the 13th Parliament.
In addition, the Branch commemorated the Commonwealth Day on 15th March 2023. o Visits to National and Sub-national Branches 6 58 • The Regional Representative from Southern Africa presented a brief to the Southern Africa Speakers Forum on the outcomes of the CPC International Conference held in Canada and the implementation of its resolutions which amongst others included the development of the Benchmarks relating to the implementation of the Legal Status.
• iii) The Regional Representative for Southern Africa is engaging the Lesotho Branch to nominate a representative; following the conclusion of the country’s national elections.

In addition, efforts are being made to have Eswatini Branch to re-ignite their participation in the activities of the Association.

3.1.3 Update on International Issues Change of the Legal Status of the CPA: The CPA Africa Region a meeting on 21 August 2022 during the 65th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference.
The Meeting resolved to constitute an Adhoc Committee to discuss the implementation of the resolution to change the legal status of the Association from charity to under the United Kingdom law to an international Organization.
Understanding, other related the resolutions of the CPA Africa Region that if the United Kingdom is stalling to implement the resolutions of the General Assembly, a consideration of the decision to relocate the Headquarters of the CPA to a country that will be will to host a transformed to organization with no charitable laws and policies linked to a particular country was endorsed.
To this end, Adhoc- Committee met in Johannesburg, South Africa on the 1st September 2022 to develop Benchmarks to guide the hosting of the Headquarters of the New Commonwealth Parliamentary Association.

The Sub-Committee also reported that discussions on the Status with the United Kingdom Government through the Commonwealth Minister are ongoing.

To this end, a meeting has been scheduled with 7 59 the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office on the 5th April 2023 to discuss the matter further.
At the same time, as mandated by the General Assembly in Halifax, Canada, the Secretariat is progressing with plans for relocation and the Headquarters in an event that the discussions stall.

Africa Region continues to discuss and formally engage Countries will be willing to host the Secretariat of the Headquarters of the CPA, these include Malaysia, Botswana and possibly Rwanda.
Executive Committee Meeting of the CPA International: The CPA International scheduled to take place in Gibraltar on the 17th -21 April 2023 will be the first platform to table the report on the Benchmarks developed by the CPA International Governance Committee and well as reports on the ones developed by all the regions of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association.
It was further reported that the are lot of similarities on the form and content of the Benchmarks developed by the CPA International as well as the ones developed by Africa Region.

It is therefore expected that the Executive Committee of the CPA International will be the precursor towards the ultimate ratification of the resolution of the General Assembly in the upcoming 66th of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference scheduled to take place in Ghana in September 2023.
Host for the 53rd CPA Africa Region Conference: Following the unavailability of the country to host the 53rd Africa Region conference, it was further emphasized that the conference must understood from the significant point of view that it will provide a platform that will better coordinate Africa Region before its International conference and strengthen its resolve on the preparedness of changing outlook and character of the programmes of this Association for future.
To this end, compromises were made to meet halfway the financial commitments of the countries willing to host the conference.

It is against this background that the Parliament of the Republic of Uganda had promised to give consideration on hosting if the Association is able to meet its financial obligations.

4.
4.

Matters Emanating From Programming Planning and Finance Sub-Committee Update on Payment of Annual Subscriptions Fees by National and Sub-National Branches: The Sub-Committee on Planning Programming and Finance noted that a few 8 60 Branches had paid 2023 subscription fees.

Note should be taken that with exception of the National Parliament, all the Sub-National Branches have already paid their annual subscription fees for the year 2023.
4.1 PROPOSAL ON HOSTING OF 53RD ANNUAL REGIONAL CONFERENCE The Sub-committee noted that one major activity in the Calendar of Events for the Association for the year 2023 is the 53rd Annual Regional Conference to be held between the months of July and August.

Unfortunately, the Association has not received offers from any of its Members to host the Conference despite appeals from the Chairperson of the Executive Committee of the Association.
The Sub-committee noted that per the provisions of Article 29(h) of the Constitution, the Executive Committee may convene and transact business of the Annual General Meeting where the Annual General Meeting is unable to convene provided that the business shall not relate to policy matters of the Region.

The Sub-committee is also aware that in 2019, the Association could not find a volunteer to host the 50th Annual Conference.
The Executive Committee accordingly directed the Regional Secretariat to host the conference which was held in Zanzibar.

The Conference was funded by the Association.


The Sub-committee is accordingly recommending as follows:- • That the Executive Committee should provide Branches a final opportunity to volunteer to host the Conference; • That in the event that no Branch volunteers to host the Conference, the Executive Committee should to consider the above two (2) options and to make consequential directives on the recommended option for implementation by the Regional Secretariat.
9 61 4.1.1 CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT SEMINAR FOR MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT : The CPA Africa Region at its Annual General Meeting in Gaborone, Botswana directed the Secretariat to continually develop programmes to build the capacity of Members of Parliament.

Pursuant to the above directive, the first capacity development seminar was held in March, 2022 and was hosted by Tanzania Branch in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
In accordance with the decision of the AGM in Gaborone, the Sub-committee proposes the following two (2) topics for the 2023 Seminar:- • • Land Tenure System in Africa and its Impact on Development; Impact of Climate Change on African Economies; and It is proposed that two (2) Resource Persons should be selected for each topic with the Host Branch providing one of the Resource Persons.
The Sub-committee is further recommending that a third topic “Socio-economic Interventions by African Governments for Persons with Disabilities” should be considered at the 3rd Commonwealth Parliamentarians with Disability (CPwD) Conference scheduled for Seychelles in November, 2023.
The Sub-committee recommends that the Seminar be hosted by The Gambia Branch in line with the decision of AGM that programmes and activities of the Association should as far as practicable be rotated among Sub-regions and Branches.

The previous Seminar was hosted by Tanzania from East Africa Sub- region.

The estimated participants for the Seminar are hundred (100) with Branches allotted two (2) Members each, one of whom should be a woman, and Sub- branches allotted one (1) Member each.
Sub-branches are advised to give fair 10 62 consideration to women in their selection.

It is recommended that two (2) Office Bearers participate in the Seminar to observe and guide the discussions.

The proposed date is 7th to 10th May 2023 (inclusive of arrival and departure dates) and the estimated budget is US$80,000.00.
4.1.2 CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOP FOR SECRETARIAT STAFF AND SCHEDULE OFFICERS The Sub-committee noted that the Secretariat of the CPA Africa Region and schedule officers from Member Branches play important role in the effective and efficient work of the CPA and its Organs and Members.

These officers provide technical and administrative support and other information needs to the CPA and Members.
It is therefore imperative that the Association builds the capacity of these officers to enable them deliver on their respective mandates.

The Sub-committee therefore recommends that a Capacity Development Workshop be held for the above-mentioned officers.

The training will focus on team building, work coordination, developments within the CPA and other related organizations, report writing and research, among others.

The Workshop should be facilitated by three (3) Resource Persons.

5.
5.

Key Issues Emanating From the Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians (CWP) The CWP Sub-Committee was convened to reflect on the activities relating covering the period of July 2022 to date.

Equally, the sub-committee deliberations included the planned activities for 2023.
These include the following; • Sensitization Workshop; The Committee noted that in October, 2022, the CWP Africa Region hosted the Regional Workshop in in Tanzania under the theme 11 63 “Women Parliamentarians in Leadership and Politics”.

The workshop was attended by 11 National Branches and 3 Sub-Branches.
The Committee commended the CPA Africa Region for successfully hosting the Workshop which played a pivotal role in operationalizing the CWP Strategic Plan which sought to respond to the objective increasing women`s representation in Parliament, conduct advocacy on gender related programmes aimed at dismantling patriarchy and uphold women participation.
• Development of the CWP Africa Region Communication Strategy: The Executive Committee noted with satisfaction the status on the development of Communication Strategy for CWP Africa Region.

The Committee was informed that the Consultant embarked on the task in March 2023 and is expected to present the 1st draft of the communication strategy before the Steering Committee for the consideration and inputs of Members of the CWP.
The Executive Committee further endorse workplan of the activities comprising of the gender sensitization workshops to be conducted in the 2023 financial year.

• Consideration for CWP Planned Activities for 2023: Members Urged the Secretariat to assist Branches to embark activities constituting, Election Sensitization Workshops before primary to enable interventions with political parties at an earlier stage.
Exchange visits should be included in the CWP Annual activities, this is crucial for knowledge exchange and experience sharing especially on issues regarding women participation in political leadership.

The 2024 CWP Annual work-plan should include visits to Parliaments with the lowest numbers of Women MPs.
• The CWP Roaster for Leadership: Members noted that four Sub-Regional Representatives as well as the Chairperson and Vice Chairperson will rotate out during the Annual General Conference in August 2023.

The Incoming Sub- Regional Representatives for the period of 2023-2026 are- o Zambia Central Africa o Kenya: East Africa o Ghana : West Africa o Eswatini: Southern Africa 12 64 6.
Proposed Theme and Sub-Themes for the 53RD Africa Region Annual Regional Conference Main Theme: African Parliaments at the forefront of Addressing Existential Global Challenges: Food Security, Climate Change and Youth Employment a.

Gender: Beyond Numbers, Re-examining the Contribution of Women in Parliaments b.
Economic: Harnessing Abundant renewable energy sources in Africa to speed up Industrialization: Opportunities and Challenges c. Political: Reforming the Education system in Africa to address a Mounting crisis of mistrust in Political Institutions d. Youth: Reforming Education System in Africa to Address Youth unemployment on the continent e. Social, Health, Education and Environment: An assessment of preparedness to cope with the effects of climate change and African Parliaments 13 65 (g) Report of the meeting of the South African Parliamentary Delegation and the European Parliamentary International Trade (INTA) Delegation, Parliament of RSA, Cape Town, South Africa 5 April 2023.
66 19 April 2023 REPORT MEETING OF THE SOUTH AFRICAN PARLIAMENTARY DELEGATION AND THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENTARY INTERNATIONAL TRADE (INTA) DELEGATION1 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1.

Introduction .................................................................................................................. 1 South Africa and European Union Delegations ....................................................... 2 2.
Discussion .................................................................................................................... 3 3.

Observations ................................................................................................................ 6 4.

References ................................................................................................................... 7 1.
Introduction In line with the South African Parlimant’s mandate of international participation, Parliament has several strategic partnerships including one with the European Union Parliament.

The South African Parliament's relationship with the European Parliament was cemented by the Joint Declaration of February 2008, signed by the two Parliaments, as a commitment to regular engagement on issues of mutual interest and to share views on global issues.
On 5th April 2023, a multi-party South African Parliament Delegation met with the European Parliamentary International Trade Committee (INTA) Delegation to discuss issues of mutual interest in the South African Parliament in Cape Town.

This was the first of its kind in the sixth term of Parliament mainly due to the COVID-19 pandemic which restricted the movement of people and included the SA-EU Focus Group which had not met during this period.
Both delegations had in previous parliaments met regularly to give effect to their commitment to having Inter-Parliamentary Meetings (IPMs) so as to discuss matters of mutual interest as articulated in the Joint Declaration of February 2008.
The purpose of the meeting was to discuss issues of mutual interest to both South Africa and the European Union, in particular, the: a) Operalisation and impact of the EU-SADC Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA); b) Trade and Sustainable Development chapter of the EPA; c) State of Trade and Investment relations between the EU and South Africa; d) Investment climate and ease of doing business in South Africa; e) Trade and social/ labour rights in South Africa; 1 Author: Zokwanda Madalane – Parliamentary Research Unit (PRU): Drafted 19 April 2023 1 67 f) Implementation of public procurement regulations, empowerment and localisation; g) Green and digital transition; and h) Partnership on critical raw materials.
South Africa and European Union Delegations including black economic The South African Delegation comprised of the Deputy Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces, Ms S Lucas, as the leader of the Delegation, Members of the Focus Group on South Africa-European Union, Members of the Portfolio Committee of Trade, Industry and Competition and Members of the Select Committee on Trade, Industry, Economic Development, Small Business Development, Tourism, Employment & Labour.
(i) SA-EU Focus Group: • Mr M Dangor, MP (Convenor of the SA-EU Focus Group) • Mr CH Sibisi MP • Mr SH Mbuyane, MP • Mr MJ Wolmarans, MP • Mr W Thring, MP (ii) Portfolio Committee on Trade, Industry & Competition: • Ms J Hermans, MP (Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Trade, Industry & Competition) • Ms R Moatshe, MP • MEP Mr M Cuthbert, MP • Ms N Hlonyana, MP (iii) Select Committee on Trade, Industry, Economic Development, Small Business Development, Tourism, Employment & Labour: • Mr MK Mmoiemang, MP (Acting Chairperson of the Select Committee on Trade, Industry, Economic Development, Small Business Development, Tourism, Employment & Labour) • Ms ML Mamaregane, MP • Ms S Boshoff, MP On the European Union side, the Delegation was led by Mr B Lange, the International Trade Committee Chairperson, and Ms M Adamowicz, the Chairperson of the Delegation for relations with SA.
The delegation also included: • HE Ms S Kramer, Ambassador: EU Delegation to South Africa • Ms I Rodrĺguez-Pinero, MEP • Ms S Rafaela, MEP • Mr O Lancini, MEP • Ms S Bricmont, MEP • Mr M Hoogeveen, MEP 2 68 2.

Discussion In her opening remarks the Deputy Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces, Ms S Lucas, accentuated the importance of the Strategic Partnership which was established on 14th May 2007 to strengthen the relationship between South Africa and the European Union.
She further noted that as a result of the strategic partnership, relations and engagements between South Africa and the European Union have significantly increased.

Engagements have been on several issues that are of importance and mutual interest to both parties at bilateral, regional, continental and global levels.
As an instrument of that strategic partnership, she noted that the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) is important not only for South Africa, it is also important for other SADC countries in improving market access to the EU market.

In his introductory remarks, the leader of the EU Delegation, Mr Lange highlighted there has been close relations between South Africa and the European Union.
According to Mr Lange, this close relationship became more evident as the European Union supported South Africa at the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

In 2020, South Africa and India led an initiative at the WTO for a temporary waiver on Trade- Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) for patents on COVID-19 vaccines and other medical interventions.
The initiative requested WTO members to waive certain categories of Intellectual Property rights under the TRIPS Agreement, including copyrights; industrial designs; and patents.

The purpose of the waiver was to enable developing countries to manufacture vaccines, without having to pay for licences, thus increasing access to vaccines during a pandemic especially for developing countries.
At the time, few pharmaceutical companies were able to produce COVID-19 vaccines and these companies were located in developed countries.

The result was low volumes of vaccines being available to the developing world, as the pharmaceutical companies' priority had been the servicing of their home countries first.
Furthermore, Mr Lange highlighted challenges pertaining to climate change, therefore, highlighting the need to ensure that the issue of climate change and sustainable development are included as new issues on the agenda during the review of the EPA.

Issues raised by the delegations included the following: 2.1.

South Africa-European Union Parliaments’ Strategic Relations: A key concern raised by the EU Delegation was the collaboration between the South African Parliament and the European Parliament.
It was noted that the EU established a standing Delegation for relations with South Africa in 1994.

It emphasised that as a result, it had always been ready and willing to meet with its South African counterparts, notwithstanding the elections in 2019 and the COVID-19 pandemic from 2020.

The EU Delegation noted that it was concerned that the SA-EU Parliamentary Meetings (IPMs) have not been convened since 2018 due to South Africa not being able to constitute an SA-EU Focus Group.

3 69 2.2.

2.3.
3 69 2.2.

2.3.

The South African Delegation stated that it is committed to attending the planned engagement with the European Union as part of the SA-EU IPMs in October 2023.
Lack of diversification of South Africa’s trade with the European Union: The South African Delegation highlighted to its counterparts its concerns on the trade deficit and the skewed nature of South Africa’s trade with the European Union towards more minerals and natural resources rather than manufactured exports from South Africa to the European Union.

The South African Delegation called for more concerted efforts to diversify trade between South Africa and the European Union.
Trade’s contribution to industrialisation and employment: The Delegation stated that given that the SA-EU relationship was intended to be developmental, thereby enhancing industrialisation and job creation.

However, it has not translated as such for South Africa which continues to be a natural resource exporter.
The South African Delegation urged the European Union Delegation to work together in ensuring that the development envisioned in the Trade, Development, and Co-operation Agreement (TDCA) is realised.

2.4. Review of the Economic Partnership Agreement: In terms of the EPA agreement, the South African delegation informed the EU Delegation that it was of the view that the process to review the agreement was stalling.
Furthermore, South Africa noted the European Union as an important trading partner, therefore, called on the European Union to consider its strategic relations with South Africa in the context of it being a sovereign country with global partners such as Russia and Ukraine as this may impede on the relations between South Africa and the European Union.

2.5.
2.5.

Partnership for development: the South African Delegation emphasised that it supports the principles of the EPA agreement to facilitate trade, protect infant industries and support development.

However, it was of the view that there are several trade-related impediments, in particular, Sanitary and phytosanitary measures (SPS) which are barriers to access to the European Union market in sectors including citrus, horses and steel.
The Delegation also highlighted the impact that such barriers have on the South African market and its development.

In terms of citrus, meditating measures for Citrus Black Spots (CBS) and False Codling Moth (FCM) are estimated to cost the industry approximately R3,28 billion annually.

While the impact of the African horse sickness has adversely impacted South Africa’s ability to export live horses thereby limiting transformation and employment in the sector.
Lastly, the delegating highlighted the issue of steel in which a 25 percent duty imposed by the European Union on some steel products as a safeguard measure came into force in May 2022 and the impact this would have on employment in the sector.

2.6.

Carbon Border Adjustment Measures: The EU has adopted Carbon Border Adjustment Measures (CBAM) as one of the elements of the EU Green Deal which aims to reduce carbon emissions by 55 percent by the year 2023.
The CBAM is a "tool to put a fair price on the carbon emitted during the production of carbon-intensive goods that are entering the EU, and to encourage cleaner industrial production in non- 4 70 EU countries.

"2 This means that the EU aims to use environmental and sustainability requirements to limit market access by setting carbon emission standards from non- EU markets including South Africa.
While the EU emphasised that climate change needs to be addressed within the EPA which is a challenge for South Africa.

South Africa stated that the implementation of the CBAM will adversely impact South Africa’s exports of products that are energy intensive in their production including steel products.
In addition, the delegation also informed the European Union that South Africa was implementing measures to reduce its carbon footprint including phasing out coal power stations and that by 2051, South Africa would have merely three (3) power stations, namely Medupi, Kusile and Thabametsi.

On the other hand, the South African Delegation was of the view that the actions of the EU are not consistent.
While the EU is advocating for green energy and the reduction of carbon emissions, its imports of coal from South Africa had increased in the recent period.

2.7.

Sustainable Development: Secondly, in terms of sustainability, the EU articulated its interest in South Africa's natural resources.

This was emphasised by the EU Delegation with specific mention of steel and coal.
However, the South African Delegation advanced its views that its natural resources should be primarily used to advance its industrialisation drive through local beneficiation.
In addition to the issues raised by the South African Delegation, the delegation also exchanged views on its policies including Ease of Doing Business (in particular steps that the country has taken to improve its ease of doing business); local procurement including the recent amendments to Preferential Procurement Regulations which made local content requirements no longer mandatory, however, reiterated government’s commitment to developing local industries and micro, small and medium enterprises; and the Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment policy.
In terms of the Preferential Procurement Regulations, the SA Delegation enquired whether the European Union had taken any measure to ensure EU companies operating in South Africa comply with the B-BEE policy and legislation.

Furthermore, enquired on how the EU had ensured the development of its trading partners, especially countries which are challenged by high levels of unemployment and low incomes.
While the EU Delegation did not provide specific measures or interventions, it states that it supports the country’s policies.
Other issues raised by the EU Delegation included: a) The improvement of trade and economic relations between the EU, South Africa and other African countries; b) Participation of women in trade, specifically, the EU Delegation expressed its interest in sharing views with South Africa around how to support female entrepreneurs and consumers as well as ensuring that the youth participate and benefit from trade; 2 European Union (2023) 5 71 c) Approach to civil society – how civil society could be involved in political work.
In this regard, the EU Delegation also expressed its interest in engaging the SA Delegation on how this could be done; and d) Improved trade and elimination of trade barriers between the European Union and South Africa.

3.

Observations There were constructive engagements between the South African Members of Parliament (MPs) and the European Union Members of Parliament (MPs).
The topics identified were of importance for both parties, however, it was observed that because of the time constraints, not all the issues could be properly engaged on by both delegations.

There is a need for regular engagement between South African and the European Union Parliament, particularly on issues of trade which are the pertinent issues for South Africa's relations with the European Union.
Regular engagements would ensure that Parliament contributes to strengthening the Executive's efforts and negotiations by engaging its counterparts on important issues and making recommendations to resolving such issues when necessary.

For the SA-EU meetings to be effective, there should be proper engagement with the executive both in South Africa and in the EU to ensure that decisions result in implementation.
In this regard, Parliament should meet with the respective departments regularly to receive an update on issues discussed in the SA-EU meeting.

This could be done with collaboration between the SA-EU Focus Group and the Portfolio Committee on Trade, Industry and Competition as the oversight committee of the SA-EU EPA and other trade agreements.

The Portfolio Committee already receives quarterly updates on the implementation of the country’s trade agreements and current trade negotiations.

5.
5.

RECOMMENDATIONS The approved Report of The Meeting of The South African Parliamentary Committees And The European Parliamentary International Trade Committee (INTA) Delegation should be submitted to the Parliamentary Group on International Relations (PGIR).

The PGIR to consider recommending the tabling of the report and recommendations to the Houses of Parliament.

Active follow-up and report back to PGIR on issues the Delegations engaged on should be undertaken.
Report approved by: ____________________________ Leader of the South African Delegation 6 72 4.

References Parliament (2023).

Meeting of the South African Parliamentary Committees And The European Parliamentary International Trade Committee (Inta) Delegation.

5 April 2023.

Parliament, Cape Town.

(2023).

Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism.


European Union https://taxation-customs.ec.europa.eu/green-taxation-0/carbon-border-adjustment- mechanism_en#:~:text=The%20EU's%20Carbon%20Border%20Adjustment,production%20 in%20non%2DEU%20countries.

Assessed 17 April 2023 Internet.

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