For soundbite by Speaker Mapasa-Nqakula, please follow the link: https://iono.fm/e/1166934
Parliament: Monday, 21 March 2022 - The Speaker of the National Assembly, Ms Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, has today urged heads of the world parliaments gathering at the 144th Plenary Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, currently underway in Indonesia, Bali, to undertake all necessary efforts to deal with climate change through oversight and other interventions with the constitutional powers of the institutions they lead.
The Speaker, who is leading a multiparty delegation of senior Members of the South African Parliament to the IPU Assembly, said that the theme of the 144th Session, “Getting to Zero, Mobilizing Parliaments to Act on Climate Change”, enjoined the IPU to reflect on the question of ‘climate change’ and the need to mobilise parliaments to act swiftly in reducing its negative effects. She said tackling climate change had far-reaching implications for socio-economic development, production and consumption patterns.
Climate change remained a serious global threat to national and international development, and its impact has continued to exacerbate at the time when the world is also dealing with the aftermath of Covid-19 pandemic. The poor and the most vulnerable, on the other hand, have borne the greatest brunt and suffered the most due to the impact of climate change.
“It is worth mentioning that the manner in which climate change affects us depends on where we are located on the global map. As it could be expected, the hardest hit population groups are poor people. These are, in the main, inhabitants of developing countries who are predominantly farmers who depend on rain-fed and basic mechanisms for tilling the land and earning a livelihood. The only way their conditions can change is through policy shifts. Critical to this, is dedicated action on the part of policy-makers and the people who represent them, like legislators and Members of Parliament. Great changes throughout history have been born out of crisises − we should therefore not waste this moment,” the Speaker said.
The Speaker confirmed South Africa’s appreciation of the outcome of the ‘Glasgow Climate Change Conference’, which called upon the international community to rally behind a shared objective to inject a greater sense of urgency, on the basis of international equity and the latest available science.
South Africa’s main priorities, she said, remained focused on securing an ambitious and progressive finance and adaptation package to support the African region and other developing countries to alleviate the negative impact of climate change.
“In South Africa, we support the government’s view articulated by the President on the green recovery for our country. It is our view, Mr. President, that the Rome COP 26 legislative prescripts can and must safeguard the planet’s ecosystems, reduce emissions of greenhouse gases, and limit global temperature increases. In this instance, we call on the high income countries to step up and take responsibility given the fact that they continue to benefit most from the use of fossil fuels,” she said.
She said tackling climate change had far-reaching implications for socio-economic development, production and consumption patterns.
The 144 Assembly of the IPU kicked off on Sunday and is scheduled to conclude on Thursday with the adoption of a wide range of resolutions. The IPU is a global organisation of national parliaments that facilitates parliamentary diplomacy and empowers parliaments and parliamentarians to promote peace, democracy and sustainable development worldwide. The IPU’s work is concerned with building strong democratic parliaments; advancing gender equality and respect for women’s rights; protecting and promoting human rights; contributing to peace-building, conflict resolution and security; fostering inter-parliamentary dialogue and cooperation; promoting youth empowerment; mobilising parliaments around the global development agenda; and bridging the democracy gap in global governance.
The South African Parliament delegation to the 144th IPU includes Speaker Mapisa-Nqakula, NCOP Deputy Chairperson Sylvia Lucas, National Assembly House Chairperson Mr Cedric Frolick, ANC Deputy Chief Whip Ms Doris Dlakude, ANC MP Ms Fikile Masiko, DA MP Dr. Annelie Lotriet, and EFF Chief Whip Mr Floyd Shivambu.
ISSUED BY THE PARLIAMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA
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