ORDER PAPER

THURSDAY 13 JULY 2017

Orders of the Day

 Motion for the Adoption of the Report of the Standing Committee on Human and Social Development and Special Programmes

“That the Report of the Standing Committee on Human and Social Development and Special Programmes be adopted by the 41^st Plenary Assembly Session”

Mover:      Honourable Ahmed Munzoor Shaik EMAM, MP, South Africa

Seconder: Honourable Jasmine TOFFA, MP, Zimbabwe

Motion for the Adoption of the Report of the Standing Committee on Democratisation, Governance and Human Rights 

“That the Report of the Standing Committee on Democratisation, Governance and Human Rights be adopted by the 41^st Plenary Assembly Session”

Mover:      Honourable Maneesh GOBIN, MP, Mauritius

Seconder: Honourable Getrude P. Mwanza JERE, MP, Zambia

 Motion on Harnessing Demographic Dividend in SADC through Investment in Youth

Question Proposed: That the 41^st Plenary Assembly Session of the SADC PF:-

RECALLING that the theme of the 41^st Plenary Assembly Session of the SADC PF is on “Harnessing the Demographic Dividend in SADC through Investment in Youth,” which emanates from the decision of the SADC PF 40^th Plenary Assembly Session of November 2016, following a recommendation by the Standing Committee on Gender Equality, Women’s Advancement and Youth Development (GEWAYD), and the deliberations thereof by Parliamentarians during the Deliberative Session;

ACKNOWLEDGING the sixth aspiration as defined in the African Union Agenda 2063, stating that it is Africa’s desire of shared prosperity and well-being, for unity and integration, for a continent of free citizens and expanded horizons, where the full potential of women and youth, boys and girls are realised, and with freedom from fear, disease and want;

RECALLING that the African Heads of States and Governments devoted the year 2017 to “Harnessing the Demographic Dividend through Investment in Youth” and requested the African Union Commission develops a roadmap with key deliverables and milestones (Assembly/AU/Dec.601 (XXVI);

FURTHER RECALLING that the Executive Council of the African Union endorsed the Demographic Dividend Roadmap and accompanying matrix and key activities as the guiding framework for the commemoration of the 2017 theme of the year and called on Members States and Regional Economic Communities (RECs) to help position Africa towards harnessing the demographic dividend (EX.CL/Dec.921(XXIX);

ENDORSING the recognition by the African Union Heads of States and Governments, of a country-level demographic dividend as central to the continent’s social economic transformation in the context of the Agenda 2030 and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the AU Agenda 2063 - the AU’s global strategy for socioeconomic transformation within the next 50 years;

TAKING NOTE of the meeting, discussions and recommendations on “Harnessing the Demographic Dividend through investment in Youth” by the SADC-PF Standing Committee on Gender Equality, Women’s Advancement and Youth Development (GEWAYD) in Johannesburg, South Africa, 4^th April 2017”;

ACKNOWLEDGING that in 2015, the President of the United Nations General Assembly hosted a high-level event on the demographic dividend and youth employment with the support of UNFPA, ILO and other development partners, providing a crucial opportunity for Member States and duty bearers to evaluate investments needed to reap demographic dividend;

ENDORSING the subsequent UN resolution on Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals which acknowledged the potential for demographic dividend to advance development;

RECOGNISING the requirement by the SDGs endorsed by the UN General Assembly on 25 September 2015 and the AU Agenda 2063, in particular the role of youth investments in realisation of both development frameworks;

WELCOMING the hosting by the UNFPA, of a high-level dialogue on strengthening partnership to accelerate Africa's Demographic Dividend during the UN General Assembly in 2016;

FURTHER WELCOMING the reaffirmation during the high-level dialogue on strengthening partnership to accelerate Africa's Demographic Dividend, by the UN Secretary-General and other African Heads of States and Governments, that young people are the African continent’s greatest asset and their commitment to make the right investments and a nurturing environment for young people; 

DULY NOTING the comprehensive details contained in National Demographic Dividend profile studies undertaken by the various Governments in the SADC Region with support the of UNFPA and other development partners, in consultations with duty bearers, and the commitment by Governments to utilise the findings in their policy and programme interventions to advance the harnessing of the greatest resource that Africa has, which is the large proportion of its youthful population;

NOW THEREFORE:

Calls upon National Parliaments and Governments in the SADC Region to:

1. Promote widely the concept of demographic dividend in order to make sure that duty bearers, especially Members of Parliament at national and SADC level, are adequately informed about it so that they get positively involved;
2. Facilitate the allocation of resources to undertake national and sub-national demographic dividend researches, and national roadmaps in each Member State within SADC which will identify viable areas where investments to harness demographic dividend will be made.
3. Develop and adopt a SADC Roadmap and Action Plan on Harnessing Demographic Dividend through investment in Youth covering activities for the years to come as a matter of urgency;
4. Enact laws that ensure universal ratification, domestication and full implementation of all the African Union Shared Values instruments, including the African Youth Charter (AYC) and the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance (ACDEG) by all Member States within SADC as a matter of priority;

In the area of Employment and Entrepreneurship

Enact laws and develop and implement policies that:

1. Improve access to credit facilities for youth and establish and operationalise national and regional Youth Funds to increase young people’s access to business capital;
2. Promote engagement with private sector partners to expand internships, apprenticeships and on-the-job training opportunities for women and youth;
3. Create a conductive environment for corporate social responsibilities with the aim of supporting youth entrepreneurship;
4. Enhance access of young people to Government procurement and financial services, including special considerations for youth-led businesses and measures to reduce the challenge of starting and/or doing business within and across African countries;
5. Promote Africa youth volunteer and Junior Professional Programmes and other internship opportunities to enhance capacity and grant exposure to young Africans in regional and international organisations.

In the area of Education and Skills Development

1. Enact laws and develop and implement policies that:
2. Enforce continental policies like the Science, Technology and Innovation Strategy for Africa (STISA 2014-24); and the Continental Education Strategy for Africa (CESA 2016-25), in order to facilitate review curriculum of educational institutions to increase quality and relevance to labour market and national developmental needs, particularly through emphasis on skills development and a greater focus on science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM);
3. Ensure expansion of vocational training opportunities for skills acquisition for young people to enhance their employability (including self - employment), productivity and competitiveness in line with the Continental Strategy for Technical, Vocational Education and Training (TVET CS);
4. Aim to improve inclusive access to education at all levels and provide viable alternatives for the many young people, particularly adolescent girls, who drop out of the formal educational system, by facilitating re-entry, revamping informal education and training through standardised certification within and between African countries;
5. Promote a life-course approach to learning that encompasses a wide range of subjects and topics, including livelihood skills, age appropriate and culturally sensitive comprehensive education about sexual and reproductive health and address sexual harassment affecting young women in the education system;

In the area of Health and Well-being

1. Enact laws aiming at promoting integrated adolescent and youth friendly health services in public and private health facilities, school clinics and other venues, with adequate services for sexual and reproductive health;
2. Eliminate preventable maternal mortality and neonatal mortality through ensuring that births are attended by skilled health personnel, and that there is universal access to prenatal and postnatal care and family planning, emergency obstetric and neonatal care, and management of pregnancy-related complications and preventable complications arising from unsafe abortion in order to protect the health and safeguard the lives of women, adolescent girls and neonates;
3. Support the increasing of national budget allocated to reproductive health commodity security to ensure universal access to family planning services, including expanding the use of modern contraceptives as stated in the Extended Maputo Plan of Action on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (2016-2030) and reiterated by Article 14(g) of the Maputo Protocol on the Rights of Women;
4. Enact laws that promote sustainable investments in health systems, including in human resources and infrastructure, with the goal of enhancing access to quality health services for all and guaranteeing adequate financing for the health sector in line with the Abuja commitments and address morbidities that undermine quality of life and productivity of the workforce;
5. Support the institutionalisation of age-appropriate and culturally sensitive comprehensive education on sexual and reproductive health in order to avert many complications and challenges associated with unintended pregnancies, sexually transmitted infections and its consequent impact on the development and wellbeing of young people, for in and out of school youth;
6. Create an enabling environment by empowering constituencies and strengthening the role of men in improving access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights services;

In the areas of Rights, Governance and Youth Empowerment

1. Proscribe any laws posing barriers to the full exercise and enjoyment of the fundamental rights of young people to fully participate in the democratic governance processed at continental, regional, national and grass-root levels;
2. Review, revise, amend or abolish all laws, regulations, policies, practices and customs that have a discriminatory impact on youth especially girls and young women, without distinction of any kind, and ensure that the provisions of multiple legal systems comply with international human rights regulations and laws. These must include protection from all harmful practices like, but not limited to, child marriage, sexual and gender-based violence, female genital mutilation (FGM); and
3. Eliminate legal barriers to active participation of youth in nation building including in political spaces and put in place mechanisms to facilitate their meaningful participation in political parties, parliaments, judiciary, cabinets and civil service structures of Member States.

Mover:         Honourable Patricia KAINGA, MP, Malawi

Seconder:    Honourable Sikhumbuzo NDLOVU, MP, Swaziland 

Motion on Gender-Based Violence in the Southern African Development Community

Question Proposed: That the 41^st Plenary Assembly Session of the SADC PF:-

NOTING that all SADC Member States have signed and ratified or acceded to the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) (1979), thereby recognising that gender equality and equity is a fundamental human right;

FURTHER NOTING that SADC Member States undertook, in the SADC Treaty (Article 6(2)), not to discriminate against any person on the grounds of gender, amongst others;

RECALLING that the SADC PF adopted the SADC Model Law on Eradicating Child Marriages and Protecting those Already in Marriages in June 2016;

RECOGNISING the adoption of the revised SADC Protocol on Gender and Development in June 2016, which aligns the Protocol with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Beijing plus Twenty and the African Agenda 2063;

RECALLING that SADC Member States, through the adoption of the revised SADC Protocol on Gender and Development, reaffirmed their commitment to: i) the Nairobi Forward Looking Strategies (1985); ii) the Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989); iii) the African Platform for Action; iv) the Beijing Declaration and its Platform for Action (1996); v) United Nations Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security (2000); and vi) the SADC Declaration on Gender and Development (1997) and its Addendum on the Prevention and Eradication of Violence Against Women and Children (1998), and thus resolved to ensure the elimination of all gender inequalities in the Region and the promotion of the full and equal enjoyment of rights;

APPRECIATING that Part Six of the revised Protocol commits all SADC State Parties to (a) enact and enforce legislation prohibiting all forms of gender based violence; and (b) develop strategies to prevent and eliminate all harmful social and cultural practices, such as child marriage, forced marriage, slavery and female genital mutilation;

ACKNOWLEDGING that Article 25 of the revised Protocol calls for SADC Member States to adopt integrated approaches, including institutional cross sector structures, with the aim of eliminating gender based violence;

DEEPLY CONCERNED that studies continue to prove that the levels of gender based violence in the SADC Region remains high and embedded in cultural practices such as child marriage, forced marriage, slavery and female genital mutilation and perpetuated by inequitable gender norms;

NOW THEREFORE:

Calls upon the 41^st SADC-PF Plenary Assembly to deliberate on the prevalence of gender based violence in the SADC Region, with a view to develop a harmonised strategy on how SADC Parliaments, as the representative institution of all SADC citizens, can:

• Raise awareness about gender based violence at both regional and national levels through Parliaments’ public participation mechanisms;
• Facilitate the domestication and monitor the implementation at national level, of the SADC Model Law on Eradicating Child Marriages and Protecting those Already in Marriage;
• Through their legislative mandates, determine whether their respective countries’ domestic legislation are in line with the provisions of the revised SADC Protocol on Gender and Development – particularly those related to gender based violence – and where necessary, facilitate the amendment of domestic legislation to ensure alignment with the revised Protocol;
• Through their oversight mandate, ensure that budgets for gender based violence are ring-fenced and that the executive engages in gender responsive budgeting in this regard;
• Through their oversight mandate, ensure that budgets are set aside for sexual offences courts that deal exclusively with sexual offences matters; and
• Through their oversight mandates, scrutinise and monitor the implementation of the revised Protocol’s provisions on gender based violence through a cross-sectoral approach that mirrors the Executive’s obligations in terms of Part Six of the revised Protocol.

Mover:       Honourable Masefele MORUTOA, MP, South Africa

Seconder:  Honourable Ponde C. MECHA, MP, Zimbabwe

Motion On the African Union Decision on the Institutional Reform of the African Union (ASSEMBLY/AU/DEC.635(XXVIII))  

Question Proposed: That the 41^st Plenary Assembly Session of the SADC PF:-

NOTING the Report on “The Imperative to Strengthen our Union: Proposed Recommendations for the Institutional Reform of the African Union” submitted by H.E. Mr. Paul Kagame, President of the Republic of Rwanda, to the 2^nd Retreat of Heads of State and Government at the African Union (AU) Headquarters, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia held on 29 January 2017;

FURTHER NOTING the AU Assembly Decision (Assembly/AU/Dec.635(XXVIII)) on the outcome of the retreat of the Assembly of the AU on the institutional reform of the AU;

WELCOMING the recommendations in the Report, as adopted by the AU in terms of Decision Assembly/AU/Dec.635 (XXVIII), in the following five areas: (a) focus on key priorities with continental scope; (b) realign AU institutions in order to deliver against those priorities; (c) connect the AU to its citizens; (d) manage the business of the AU efficiently and effectively at both the political and operations levels; and (e) finance the AU sustainably with the full ownership of the Member States;

EMPHASISING in particular the recommendation to focus on key priorities with continental scope, including, inter alia, economic integration through, amongst others, the Continental Free Trade Area, as well as a clear division of labour and effective collaboration between the AU, the Regional Economic Communities (RECs), the Regional Mechanisms (RMs), the Member States, and other continental institutions, in line with the principle of subsidiarity;

RECALLING the objectives of the AU as per its Constitutive Act to include the acceleration of the political and socio-economic integration of the continent through, amongst others the coordination and harmonisation of policies between the existing and future RECs;

FURTHER RECALLING Aspiration 2 of the AU’s Agenda 2063 strategy which envisions an Africa that, by 2063, will be a continent where the necessary infrastructure will be in place to support its accelerated integration and growth, technological transformation, trade and development through high-speed railway networks, roads, shipping lines, sea and air transport, as well as well-developed ICT and the digital economy, which in turn will be a catalyst for manufacturing, skills development, technology, research and development, integration and intra-African trade, investments and tourism;

NOTING that the revised SADC Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan (RISDP) 2015 – 2020 regards infrastructure in support of regional integration as a priority for the SADC region;

NOW THEREFORE:

1. Calls upon the 41^st SADC-PF Plenary Assembly to:
2. Request, in terms of the Memorandum of Understanding between the SADC-PF and SADC Secretariat, an update from the SADC Secretariat regarding the implementation of the revised SADC RISDP 2015 – 2020, particularly vis a vis the operationalisation of AU Decision (Assembly/AU/Dec.635(XXVIII)) in relation to continental economic integration and the need for a clear division of labour and effective collaboration between the AU and the Regional Economic Communities (RECs); and
3. Engage on the development a harmonised oversight strategy for SADC Parliaments to employ in overseeing their respective Governments’ implementation of the revised SADC RISDP 2015 – 2020 in a coordinated manner.

Mover: Honourable Siphosezwe MASANGO, MP, South Africa

Seconder:  Honourable Balamage Nkolo BONIFACE, MP, DRC

 Motion on the Status Quo of National Women’s Caucuses in SADC Parliaments

Question Proposed: That the 41^st Plenary Assembly Session of the SADC PF:-

RECOGNISING that the first step in the political empowerment of women is to ensure a critical mass of them are elected to a Parliament during general elections;

UNDERSCORING that once women are elected to Parliament, the necessary supporting political, administrative and financial mechanisms should be availed to promote women’s empowerment from within the institution of Parliament;

ACKNOWLEDGING that one the most important tools for the empowerment of women in Parliament is the Multi-Party Women’s Caucus (MPWC), what SADC PF commonly refers to as the National Women’s Parliamentary Caucus (NWPC);

RECOGNISING that Multi-Party Women’s Caucuses offer women Parliamentarians a vital platform to meet and deliberate on matters of common interest;

NOTING that the structure and operations of Multi-Party Women’s Caucuses varies from Parliament to Parliament in the SADC Region, ranging from being an “unofficial” group of women MPs (as compared to an official Parliamentary Portfolio Committee) to those that are institutionalised and receive the necessary support from Parliament in  the same way that Portfolio Committees do;

FURTHER NOTING that in some National Parliaments, Multi-Party Women’s Caucuses are set up as independent entities that do not fall under the Speaker’s Office, while in some, they operate as Sub-Committees of Portfolio Committees on Gender or other such;

ACKNOWLEDGING that Multi-Party Women’s Caucuses are a strategic platform for women MPs to meet regularly and discuss issues of concern regarding being women MPs in various political parties in Parliament; advocate for women’s issues in general; and access to support and knowledge to improve their capacity as women MPs;

FURTHER ACKNOWLEDGING the strategic role of the Multi-Party Women’s Caucuses in ensuring the domestication and effective monitoring of the implementation of SADC Member States’ obligations arising from the SADC Gender Protocol on Gender and Development, signed by all Heads of State and Government;

RECALLING that Article 33 of the SADC Protocol on Gender and Development on, Financial Provisions states that, “State Parties shall ensure gender sensitive budgets and planning, including designating the necessary resources towards initiatives aimed at empowering women and girls.” 

DEEPLY CONCERNED that out of the 14 SADC National Parliaments, only six Parliament are understood to have established fully-functioning NWPCs, with robust programme of action and the necessary resources, which have allowed them to successfully mount programmes such as the heforshe sign-up events;

NOW THEREFORE:

Calls upon the 41^st SADC-PF Plenary Assembly to, in light of the foregoing, reflect and deliberate on the status quo of Multi-Party Women’s Caucuses in SADC National Parliaments, in particular the following:

1. The relevance and impact of Women Caucuses on decision-making in our Parliaments?
2. Share and learn from each other’s experiences, in particular the best practices;
3. Explore the alternatives to working with Women Caucuses;
4. Highlight the progress markers and indicators on the Women’s Caucuses’ impact on national development in their respective countries;
5. Assess whether Women Caucuses have contributed to the enactment of development-sensitive legislation and positively influenced development indicators; and
6. Whether national development strategies have benefited from the presence and work of Women’s Caucuses?

Urges SADC National Parliaments, specifically political heads of the Legislatures to ensure that:

1. NWPC are established and/or strengthened so that they are robust and visible in their operations;
2. NWPC’s are established on a cross-party basis and not as appendages for political parties;
3. NWPC are appropriately placed within the structures of Parliament so that they have sufficient mandate and resources to undertake their activities;
4. Initiatives and projects of the NWPC are endorsed and supported by the Speakers of Parliaments;
5. All activities pertaining to women empowerment with active involvement and participation of the NWPC;
6. NWPC are established and operate as independent bodies and not as sub-committees of a portfolio committee of Parliament; and
7. Adequate funds are availed for Chairpersons of NWPC to participate in missions that are aimed at strengthening NWPCs as well as lobbying for 50/50 political representation prior to general elections in SADC Member States.

Mover:         Honourable Dr Jessie KABWILA, MP, Malawi

Seconder:    Honourable Candida CELESTE, MP, Angola  

 Motion on the Severe Increase of Non-Communicable Diseases as a Result of Overweightness, Obesity and the Excessive Consumption of Sugary Foods and Beverages as Potential Risk to the SADC Region’s Full Harnessing of its Demographic Dividend

Question Proposed: That the 41^st Plenary Assembly Session of the SADC PF:-

NOTING the World Health Organisation (WHO) findings that globally, in 2014, more than 1.9 billion adults aged 18 years and older were overweight. Of these over 600 million adults were obese;

CONCERNED that the worldwide prevalence of obesity more than doubled between 1980 and 2014 – once considered a high-income country problem, overweightness and obesity are now on the rise in low- and middle-income countries, particularly in urban settings;

DEEPLY CONCERNED that in Africa, the number of children who are overweight or obese has nearly doubled from 5.4 million in 1990 to 10.6 million in 2014;

ACKNOWLEDGING that the fundamental causes of obesity and overweightness is consumption  of energy-dense foods that are high in fat; a decrease in physical exercise for children; the increasingly deskbound nature of many forms of work for adults; changing modes of transportation; and increasing urbanisation;

RECOGNISING that these changes in dietary and physical activity patterns are often the result of environmental and societal changes associated with a disjuncture between economic development and lack of supportive policies in sectors such as health, agriculture, transport, urban planning, environment, food processing, distribution, marketing, and education;

CONCERNED that overweightness and obesity increases the risks for non-communicable diseases including cardiovascular diseases, some cancers, and diabetes;

EMPHASISING that all types of diabetes in particular can lead to complications in many parts of the body and can increase the overall risk of dying prematurely through heart attack, stroke, kidney failure, leg amputation, vision loss and nerve damage;

STRESSING that diabetes brings about substantial economic loss to people with diabetes and their families, as well as to health systems and national economies through direct medical costs and loss of work and wages, which ultimately puts strain on government budgets;

NOTING the 2016 WHO report titled “Fiscal policies for Diet and Prevention of Non-communicable Diseases (NCDs)” that regards drinks and foods high in free sugars as a major source of unnecessary calories in people’s diets – particularly in the case of children, adolescents and young adults – and proposes fiscal policies that should target foods and beverages for which healthier alternatives are available, such as taxation of food and drinks that are high in free sugars;

REITERATING that the 41^st SADC-PF Plenary Assembly is convened under the theme “Harnessing the Demographic Dividend in SADC through Investment in Youth”;

STRESSING that the prevalence and rise of overweightness, obesity and  non-communicable diseases such as diabetes in Africa and SADC among our children and youth – the future workforce of our continent – poses a serious threat to the SADC region’s ability to fully harness the demographic dividend that the region and Continent are projected to gain from; 

NOW THEREFORE:

1. Calls upon SADC Parliaments to seriously note the severe risks posed by overweightness, obesity and non-communicable diseases and, as the representative arms of SADC governments, create awareness thereof through national parliamentary debates and other relevant public participation mechanisms; and
2. Urges SADC Parliaments to, in line with their legislative and oversight mandates engage their governments on their national medium to long term strategies – including fiscal policies – to address overweightness, obesity and their associated risks, particularly in terms of the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3: “Good health and well-being” that emphasises the need to reduce premature mortality from non-communicable diseases by one third by 2030, and the SADC Protocol on Health (1999) which specifically provides for non-communicable disease control in Article 13 for diseases such as diabetes.

Mover:      Honourable Ahmed Munzoor SHAIK EMAM, MP, South Africa

Seconder:  Honourable Faustina ALVES, MP, Angola