By Moses Magadza in Johannesburg

Angolan parliamentarian Honourable Luísa Damião has been elected unopposed as Chairperson of the Sweden-funded Human and Social Development and Special Programmes (HSDSP) Standing Committee of the SADC Parliamentary Forum for the 2026–2028 term.

The elections took place on the sidelines of the Joint Sitting of Standing Committees held in Johannesburg ahead of the 59th Plenary Assembly Session of the Forum.

In remarks delivered following her election, Damião pledged to place public health financing, sexual and reproductive health and rights, prison oversight, mental health, women’s economic empowerment and the domestication of SADC model laws at the centre of the committee’s work over the next two years.

She described her programme as a “political orientation declaration” grounded in the work already undertaken by the committee, resolutions adopted by the Forum’s Plenary Assemblies, and the structural challenges continuing to affect Southern Africa.

Among her foremost priorities, Hon Damião said the committee would intensify advocacy for increased public health financing in SADC member states, noting that many countries were still failing to meet the Abuja Declaration target of allocating at least 15 percent of national budgets to health.

She said national parliaments must strengthen oversight over health budgets while exploring innovative financing mechanisms, including earmarked taxes and sustainable health insurance systems aimed at reducing direct household medical costs.

On Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR), Damião warned that the sector remained chronically underfunded despite its centrality to gender equality and human development.

She said the impending conclusion of Swedish funding support for the SADC PF SRHR, HIV and AIDS Governance Project made it urgent for the Forum to secure alternative funding sources and strategic partnerships to sustain gains already achieved in the region.

“Under my presidency, the Forum will act proactively in identifying new partnerships and diversified international and regional financing sources to safeguard the achievements already attained,” she pledged.

Hon Damião also linked climate change to growing public health vulnerabilities, particularly among women, young people and rural communities exposed to climate-induced outbreaks such as malaria and cholera.

Turning to prison oversight and detainees’ rights, the newly elected chairperson said the ongoing development of the SADC Model Law on Prison Oversight would remain a priority area for the committee.

She expressed concern over overcrowding, deteriorating prison infrastructure and prolonged pre-trial detention in several member states, saying such conditions often violated international standards including the Nelson Mandela Rules and the Bangkok Rules.

Hon Damião called for stronger parliamentary oversight of correctional facilities, including prison visits by legislators and greater exchange of experiences among SADC parliaments.

On emerging epidemics and health systems resilience, she said the region continued to grapple with HIV and AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and newer threats such as mpox, while mental health remained inadequately prioritised in national budgets.

She pledged to promote an integrated parliamentary response encouraging member states to include structured responses to emerging diseases and dedicated investment in mental health within national health strategies.

Hon Damião further highlighted women’s financial inclusion and economic empowerment as essential to sustainable development and improved access to healthcare.

She said discriminatory cultural norms, low financial literacy, limited access to credit and digital technologies continued to undermine women’s socio-economic advancement and access to quality healthcare services.

The new chairperson also committed herself to strengthening cooperation between the HSDSP Committee and development partners including the UNICEF and the Clinton Health Access Initiative, saying technical partnerships were vital in supporting evidence-based parliamentary oversight.

Hon Damião placed particular emphasis on accelerating the domestication of SADC Model Laws in national legal systems, arguing that regional instruments would only have real impact if effectively adapted and implemented by member states.

She also called for stronger advocacy towards the ratification of key SADC protocols, notably the SADC Protocol on Employment and Labour and the SADC Protocol on Education and Training.

Highlighting Angola’s position as the only SADC member state to have ratified the Employment and Labour Protocol, she urged other countries in the region to follow suit.

Hon Damião will lead the HSDSP Standing Committee for the next two years as the committee continues its oversight and advocacy work on health, education, labour, social protection and special programmes across the SADC region.

-Moses Magadza is the Media and Communications Manager at the SADC Parliamentary Forum