By Moses Magadza

The Parliament of Lesotho, in partnership with the Southern African Development Community Parliamentary Forum (SADC PF) and the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), has convened a two-day capacity-building workshop aimed at strengthening parliamentary scrutiny of laws, budgets and policies at the intersection of climate change and Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR).

Held from 4 to 5 February 2026, the workshop on SDG-informed legislative scrutiny: focus on SRHR and climate change brings together Members of Parliament and parliamentary officials to deepen their understanding of how cross-cutting challenges such as climate shocks, health, gender and development interact and how parliaments can respond more effectively through legislation and oversight.

The Deputy Speaker of the Parliament of Lesotho, Hon. Ts’epang Matlhohonolofatso Ts’ita-Mosena, officially opened the workshop and underscored the strategic role of parliaments in translating global commitments into real change for citizens.

She reminded participants that constitutional mandates for lawmaking, oversight, representation and budget scrutiny place legislatures “uniquely at the intersection of national priorities and international commitments.”

She said, “To translate those commitments into real improvements in the lives of our citizens, Members of Parliament and parliamentary staff must be equipped with a sound understanding of how cross-cutting challenges interact with health, gender and the environment.”

The Deputy Speaker acknowledged the role of the Southern African Development Community Parliamentary Forum through its Sweden-funded SRHR HIV and AIDS Governance Project.

She announced that the Parliament of Lesotho had formally signed an agreement to implement the initiative. She stressed that strengthening parliamentary capacity on SRHR should not be seen merely as a health or gender issue, but as “a development imperative that supports climate resilience and economic recovery.”

Hon Mosena expressed appreciation for the Inter-Parliamentary Union, describing its training on SDG-informed legislative scrutiny as “invaluable in helping MPs apply global frameworks such as the SDGs within our national lawmaking, oversight and budgeting processes.”

According to her, the combined support of SADC PF and the IPU ensures that parliamentary deliberations are informed by international best practice while remaining firmly grounded in Lesotho’s realities.

Setting the tone for the discussions, the Deputy Speaker warned that climate-related shocks that include droughts, floods and food insecurity, disproportionately affect women, adolescents and other marginalised groups.

These shocks, she noted, disrupt access to essential SRHR services, exacerbate gender-based violence, increase early and forced marriages and fuel unsafe migration, while women’s under-representation in environmental decision-making continues to weaken climate responses.

She said the workshop seeks to “deepen our understanding of those interlinkages, enhance our capacity to conduct SDG-informed legislative scrutiny, and produce practical recommendations for aligning legislation, oversight and budgets with our commitments,” particularly Sustainable Development Goals 3 (Good Health and Well-being), 5 (Gender Equality) and 13 (Climate Action).

In a video message delivered at the opening, IPU Secretary General Mr Martin Chungong urged parliaments to confront climate change not only as an environmental crisis, but as a profound human rights and development challenge that must be addressed alongside SRHR through national legislation and oversight.

“Climate change is a global reality. But its impacts on the ground are deeply unequal,” he said, noting that in Lesotho and across Africa, recurring droughts, erratic rainfall and extreme weather events are eroding livelihoods, deepening poverty and widening existing inequalities.

“These realities remind us that climate change is not only an environmental issue; it is also a human rights and development challenge,” Mr Chungong added.

He pointed to disrupted access to maternal health care and family planning, heightened risks of gender-based violence and harmful practices, and growing climate-induced migration.

He welcomed the Parliament of Lesotho’s decision to become the first legislature to apply the IPU’s SDG-informed legislative scrutiny toolkit and commended participants for “breaking new ground and setting an example for other parliaments to follow,” while pledging the IPU’s continued support.

SADC Parliamentary Forum Secretary General, Ms Boemo Sekgoma called for climate-responsive legislation to be placed at the centre of democratic governance. She argued that SDG-informed legislative scrutiny is no longer optional but imperative.

“It is now generally accepted that climate change is a daily struggle, with warmer summers, colder winters, and weather events which are extreme and unexpected,” she said. She cited Cyclone Dineo in 2017 and Cyclone Eloise in 2021 as disasters that plunged Lesotho into “sheer difficulty.”

Ms Sekgoma emphasised that legislation remains Parliament’s most powerful tool in addressing climate change.

“Laws duly enacted by Parliament, and enforced fairly by the Executive, remain the best guarantee of citizens for a cleaner and safer environment that is gentle to the climate,” she said, adding that SDG-informed scrutiny helps ensure such laws are responsive, targeted and inclusive.

She urged parliaments to recognise the interlinkages between climate action, gender equality and health and called for women’s voices to be elevated in climate governance in line with SDG 5, while safeguarding comprehensive SRHR services under SDG 3, even as countries respond to climate change.

“There is but one world and we got only one shot at making it right,” Ms Sekgoma cautioned. She reaffirmed confidence in democratic institutions, saying, “We turn to Parliament today because we believe democracy can still make a difference.”

The workshop brings together between 35 and 40 Members of Parliament and parliamentary officials drawn from key committees, including the Social Cluster, SDGs, Pandemics and Natural Resources Committees, as well as Research, Legal Services and Committee Support departments.

Over two days, participants are examining the interlinkages between climate change, SRHR and the SDGs, while building practical skills in both ex-ante and ex-post legislative scrutiny through case studies and group work.

The discussions take place against a backdrop of escalating climate-induced shocks in Lesotho and across the SADC region, which increasingly undermine access to essential SRHR services and deepen gender and social inequalities.

A concept note shared ahead of the workshop shows that by strengthening SDG-aligned, gender-responsive and climate-resilient parliamentary processes, organisers hope the initiative will position the Parliament of Lesotho to lead by example, demonstrating how legislative action can protect the most vulnerable and build long-term resilience in the face of climate change.

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