The Forum’s participation reinforced the Forum’s commitment to strengthening collaboration between parliaments, civil society and regional institutions.
Mr Kurasha shared the Forum’s experience in building effective partnerships with development partners, particularly Oxfam.
He noted that the SADC PF–Oxfam collaboration has demonstrated how partnerships between parliaments and civil society organisations can yield sustainable results when anchored within parliamentary structures.
“Our experience with Oxfam shows that partnerships between parliaments and civil society are most effective when they are institutionalised, strategically aligned and embedded within parliamentary processes,” he said.
He emphasised that collaborative initiatives should be integrated into parliamentary committee work and plenary processes to ensure that advocacy efforts translate into concrete legislative and policy outcomes.
The meeting, which brought together representatives of the Forum of Parliaments of the Member States of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (FP-ICGLR) and Oxfam in Africa, focused on developing a joint work plan and coordination mechanisms for implementing their Memorandum of Understanding.
Discussions also highlighted the growing cooperation between SADC PF and FP-ICGLR, with engagements towards a Memorandum of Understanding between the two regional parliamentary forums reported to be at an advanced stage.
Mr Kurasha stressed that collaboration among regional parliamentary bodies strengthens parliamentary diplomacy and enables coordinated responses to shared challenges across the continent.
“Regional parliamentary forums play a critical role in bridging national legislative processes with regional policy priorities,” he said. “Working together allows our institutions to amplify the voice of parliaments in shaping solutions to shared challenges across Africa.”
The engagement explored opportunities for strengthened collaboration between parliamentary institutions and development partners in advancing governance, accountability and development priorities across the region.
