The Speaker of the National Assembly and Chairperson of the Parliamentary Network for Women’s, Children’s and Adolescents’ Health, Ms Thoko Didiza, has urged Commonwealth parliamentarians to turn commitments into concrete and measurable action that improves the health and well-being of women, children and adolescents.
Speaking on the sidelines of the 69th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference in Cape Town this week, Ms Didiza called on each participating parliamentarian to identify at least one action they can implement in their legislature over the next 12 months.
The Executive Director of the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health, Mr Rajat Khosla, warned that progress in reducing maternal, newborn and child mortality has slowed and, in some contexts, is reversing. He said Africa carries a disproportionate burden, with approximately 70% of maternal, newborn and child deaths occurring on the continent. He also raised concern about declining development assistance, rising out-of-pocket healthcare costs and the closure of health programmes.
The Chairperson of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, Dr Christopher Kalila, said the Commonwealth’s diversity creates an important opportunity for parliaments to learn from one another and strengthen parliamentary action on health. He noted that health has been added as a new focus area in the Association’s strategic plan, opening opportunities for greater collaboration between parliamentary networks, committees and other structures.
The engagement also highlighted practical interventions undertaken by parliaments in different Commonwealth jurisdictions. The Speaker of the Parliament of Botswana, Mr Dithapelo Keorapetse, outlined legislative and policy interventions aimed at addressing challenges affecting women, children and adolescents, including period poverty, parental leave, national health insurance, child marriage and child labour.
The Speaker of the Yukon Legislative Assembly in Canada, Ms Yvonne Clarke, highlighted the importance of listening to communities and creating meaningful opportunities for people to engage with Parliament. She said health outcomes cannot be considered in isolation from housing, childcare, education, safety and economic security, particularly for Indigenous communities and people living in remote areas.
The South African civil society perspective highlighted a critical implementation gap, noting that the challenge is not necessarily a lack of progressive policies and commitments, but the extent to which these are implemented and translated into meaningful improvements in people’s lived experiences. Representing the Clinton Health Access Initiative, Dr Gugulethu Ngubane noted that South Africa has a strong policy framework and provides free primary healthcare for women and children, yet barriers to access and fragmented responses continue to affect outcomes.
The discussion also emphasised the importance of involving young people from the outset in decisions affecting their health and well-being. It considered the role of parliamentarians in strengthening accountability for health expenditure, protecting essential health budget lines and ensuring that communities and civil society can track how commitments and resources translate into services.
Ms Didiza said the discussions should inform concrete parliamentary action and contribute to the outcomes of the 69th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference. She called on parliamentary leaders across the Commonwealth to join the Network and strengthen collective parliamentary action, saying resilient communities begin with healthy individuals and strong democracies safeguard the dignity and well-being of every generation.
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