The Speaker of the National Assembly of the Parliament of the Republic of South Africa, Ms Thoko Didiza, on Monday challenged parliamentarians from across the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) to ensure that political commitments on the health of women, children and adolescents have measurable outcomes, writes Rajaa Azzakani.
Ms Didiza addressed a gathering of the Parliamentary Network for Women’s, Children’s and Adolescents’ Health (WCAH) on the sidelines of the 69th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference (CPC) underway in Cape Town this week.
The CPC brings together parliamentary leaders, civil society, youth representatives and international partners under the theme, “Strengthening Parliamentary Action for Women’s, Children’s and Adolescents’ Health: Commonwealth Leadership for Resilient Communities in a Changing World Order.”
The Speaker said escalating conflicts, economic pressures, climate-related shocks and persistent inequalities were threatening to reverse hard-won developmental gains, with women, children and adolescents often bearing the greatest burden during periods of crisis. She said the strength of any democracy should ultimately be measured by its ability to uphold human dignity and protect vulnerable communities. “This means ensuring that women have access to quality maternal and reproductive healthcare, that children grow up in safe environments and that adolescents transition into adulthood with dignity and hope.”
Ms Didiza further emphasised that health equity is fundamentally linked to governance and human rights, and that this requires parliamentarians to use their legislative, budgetary and oversight mandates to protect these rights. She called on legislators to enact protective laws, support targeted and sustainable health budgets, strengthen committee oversight and ensure that the experiences of frontline workers and vulnerable communities inform decision-making. She also highlighted the importance of domestic resource mobilisation, stating that countries must provide sustainable funding for essential health services from their own budgets rather than relying too heavily on foreign aid.
Reflecting on the development of the WCAH Parliamentary Network, she challenged every delegation participating in the gathering to commit to at least one concrete and measurable legislative action in its home Parliament within the next 12 months. Among the proposed actions are convening public hearings with civil society, reviewing health sector expenditure and strengthening fiscal transparency around public health allocations.
Following Ms Didiza’s address, Mr Rajat Khosla, Executive Director of the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health, provided a global perspective on parliamentary leadership in advancing WCAH. Mr Khosla said the network, which complements the Global Leaders Network chaired by President Cyril Ramaphosa, seeks to place the health of women, children and adolescents and the benefits of investing in it at the centre of parliamentary agendas at national, regional and global levels.
Ms Didiza chairs the network, which includes representatives from Kenya, Botswana, Liberia, Namibia and South Africa, as well as health-focused parliamentary representatives.
The Chairperson of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA), Dr Christopher Kalila, said the body had recently expanded its work to include health, creating an opportunity for parliaments to strengthen their contribution to health outcomes.
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