Zambia: Agreement to Create Southern African Parliament Signed
The Chairperson of the PF-SADC and Speaker of the Seychelles National Assembly, Roger Mancienne, highlighted the addition of the Seychelles, which brings the mechanism to the point of reaching the required number of member states to turn the forum into a parliament (12 are needed).
On Tuesday, Zambia became the eleventh country to sign the Agreement amending the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Treaty to establish the regional Parliament.
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During the 55th Plenary Assembly of the SADC Parliamentary Forum (SADC-PF) in Luanda, Zambian Justice Minister Princess Kasune executed her government’s mandate and initialled the protocol.
The Chairperson of the PF-SADC and Speaker of the Seychelles National Assembly, Roger Mancienne, highlighted the addition of the Seychelles, which brings the mechanism to the point of reaching the required number of member states to turn the forum into a parliament (12 are needed).
“This milestone is worth celebrating and represents an important step forward in our collective quest to strengthen parliamentary cooperation and regional integration through the establishment of the SADC Parliament,” he stressed.
He called, however, not to be complacent about what has been achieved, as the goal is for all 16 SADC countries to sign the agreement.
“National parliaments must maintain the determination we have shown over the years and continue to engage those member states that have not yet ratified,” Mancienne insisted.
He added that it is crucial to urge them to come together to make the SADC Parliament a reality and accessible to all citizens in the region.