By Moses Magadza in Luanda, Angola

The 55th Plenary Assembly Session of the SADC Parliamentary Forum ended in the Angolan capital Luanda on Friday, with indications that the 12^th and final signature to amend the SADC Treaty establishing the SADC PF and form a SADC Parliament would be secured soon.

The SADC Parliamentary Forum (SADC PF) was established in 1997 as an institution of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) in accordance with Article 9 (2) of the SADC Treaty. For more than 10 years, it has been working towards transforming into a SADC regional parliament.

For the Forum to transform into a SADC Parliament, 12 SADC Member States are required to sign the Agreement to amend the Treaty establishing the SADC PF.

Last week, Zambia became the 11^th SADC Member State to sign the Agreement after President of Zambia, His Excellency Hakainde Hichilema, delegated his Minister of Justice, Honourable Princes Kasune, to sign it.

That made the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Mauritius, Madagascar and Botswana the only countries yet to sign the Agreement.

At the end of the 55^th Plenary, SADC PF President Honourable Roger Mancienne raised great expectations by telling anxious delegates that remarkable progress had been made towards securing the 12^th signature “soon”.

He said the President of Angola, João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço, had assured Speakers from SADC when they paid him a courtesy call that week that he was also seized with the matter.

Although Honourable Mancienne did not give further details, well-placed sources said a 12^th SADC Member State would most likely sign the Agreement this week.

Honourable Mancienne, who is also the Speaker of the National Assembly of Seychelles, said the 55^th Plenary Assembly received and adopted Country Reports detailing progress made on the implementation of resolutions of the 54^th Plenary Assembly that took place in Port Louis, Mauritius from 22-26 November 2023.

He described the Plenary as a success and said another highlight was the launch of the SADC-PF Strategic Plan for the period 2024-2028.

“This plan provides a clear roadmap for the Forum to achieve its long-term goals, aligning resources and ensuring coherence and focus across all levels,” he said.

Outlining other resolutions, Honorable Mancienne said pursuant to its mandate, the Plenary Assembly had comprehensively deliberated and adopted reports of the Standing Committees and the Regional Women’s Parliamentary Caucus containing various resolutions on themes that were discussed by the committees.

He added that the Plenary had also adopted two reports of the Executive Committee – one on Policy and Administrative Matters and the other on Financial Matters, usually known as the Treasurer’s Report – containing various aspects relating to policy, administrative and financial matters.

The Plenary received and noted a statement from Hon Nelly Kashumba Mutti, Speaker of the Parliament of Zambia, on the 148^th IPU Assembly and related meetings held from 21^–28 March 2024 in Geneva, Switzerland.

“In the spirit of enhancing collaboration between the SADC-PF and its cooperating partners, Hon Warren Mwambazi, MP from Zambia, and chairperson of the SADC Organisation of Public Accounts Committees (SADCOPAC), addressed the assembly on Strengthening the Partnership between SADC PF and SADCOPAC”.

Ms Grace Kibunja, head of advocacy at the African Population Health and Research Centre (APHRC), delivered solidarity remarks alongside Mr. Machinda Marongwe, Oxfam Programme Director for Southern Africa.

In her address titled “Commitment to Partnership with SADC-PF to Enhance Parliamentary Effectiveness in SADC Region”, Ms Kibunja said APHRC is dedicated to supporting the work of the SADC-PF and national parliaments.

“We congratulate you on the Strategic Plan 2024-2028 and look forward to collaborating through our key pillars: evidence generation for decision making, capacity strengthening, policy engagement and communication and financial sustainability,” she said.

She added: “As a leading African-led research and policy institution working in over 35 countries, we seek to transform the continent through developing partnerships to promote evidence-informed decision-making, strengthen capacities in research and advocate African interests.”

Ms Kibunja said APHRC recognises the significant strides SADC-PF has made in passing laws related to child marriage, gender equality and the prevention of gender-based violence.

“We have also noted several areas that contribute to addressing climate change, food, agriculture, gender-based violence and harmful practices such as female genital mutilation which align to our work. Other areas of our work are fundraising, institutional effectiveness and professional development for the Secretariat,” she stated.

Mr. Marongwe also congratulated the SADC-PF on the five-year Strategic Plan and committed to collaborate with the Forum in its implementation.

He said the plan provides for the continuation of the key work streams Oxfam has collaborated with the Forum in previous years.

This includes addressing the impacts of poverty in the region, building on the recommendations of the Inequality Report to address tax leakages such as tax avoidance by large corporates and the super-rich, whose impact is to stifle fiscal space for SADC member states.

“This limits member states’ investment in social protection for the most vulnerable due to reduced allocations to health, education, and community development,” he noted.

Mr Marongwe said Oxfam had explored how to enhance greater transparency and resource allocation by national parliaments through CSO collaborations, using innovative tools such as budget expenditure tracking and shadow reporting.

“This work stream aligns with the SADC Model Law in Public Financial Management and Oxfam intends to continue collaborating with the Forum under this work stream during the new strategy period,” he reassured his audience.

According to Mr Marongwe, Oxfam country offices are implementing gender justice programmes focused on addressing the burden of Unpaid Care Work endured by women, support increased access to education for girls, ending all forms of violence against women and girls, and SRHR.

He said the new SADC PF Strategic Plan came at the right time and shall be the rallying point for extended cooperation with donors and development partners.

“Oxfam commits to consolidating on the gains achieved jointly in the past and identified new thematic areas of work to contribute towards attainment of the SADC Vision 2050 and the Africa Agenda 2063,” Mr. Marongwe said.