South-South Parliamentary Cooperation and the ASSECAA’s Women Parliamentarians Network in the spotlight in Rabat

FAO joined the Parliamentary Conference on South-South Cooperation in Rabat in February, where the focus was on the “Role of National Parliaments and Regional and Continental Parliamentary Unions in Africa, the Arab World, and Latin America in Enhancing Strategic Partnerships and Achieving Joint Integration and Development”.

The conference was attended by more than 260 participants from 40 countries in Africa, the Middle East, Latin America and the Caribbean, including 30 presidents of national parliaments and regional and continental parliamentary unions. Held at the initiative of the House of Councillors of Morocco in collaboration with the Association of Senates, Shoora, and Equivalent Councils in Africa and the Arab World (ASSECAA) and the South-South Dialogue Forum, the Conference is part of the implementation of the Rabat Declaration on South-South Cooperation (March 2022).

Discussions focused on three main topics: strengthening political dialogue and regional security in Africa, the Arab world and Latin America and the Caribbean; achieving economic transformation, regional integration and joint development; and managing the triad of sustainable development, environment and energy. The conference reaffirmed the need to strengthen South-South cooperation ties and the common action of legislative institutions, highlighting South-South cooperation as a strategic option for sustainable development and addressing multifaceted global challenges.

FAO’s partnerships with parliamentary networks focus on the critical role parliamentarians play in ensuring that food security and nutrition remain high on political and legislative agendas, and FAO supports parliamentarians in developing national and regional framework laws, accessing technical knowledge and exchanging good practices and lessons learnt. The Second Global Parliamentary Summit against Hunger and Malnutrition, held in June 2023, and the resulting Global Parliamentary Pact against Hunger and Malnutrition are key references for FAO's work with parliamentarians towards the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and achieving global food security and nutrition.

A Meeting of Women Parliamentarians in Africa and the Arab World

On 16 February 2024, women parliamentarians from Africa and the Arab world met at the House of Councillors headquarters in the Kingdom of Morocco for an event focusing on "Empowering Women Parliamentarians to Support Development and Good Governance in Africa and the Arab World” and the launch of the ASSECAA’s Women Parliamentarians Network.

Women parliamentarians play a vital role across political, economic, social, and cultural domains and parliaments have a responsibility to formulate and review laws that advance women's empowerment and inclusion in development processes. More effort should be made to boost women's engagement at all levels across various spheres, and the event highlighted proactive contributions to development and good governance.

The executive bureau leadership of the ASSECAA’s Women Parliamentarians Network was elected, ensuring representation from Africa and the Arab world, including the Kingdom of Bahrain, the Kingdom of Eswatini, the Kingdom of Morocco, the State of Libya, and the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire.