Senate president hail IPU

Source: The Herald – Breaking news.

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 Cde Mable Chinomona

Farirai Machivenyika

Senior Reporter

Senate president, Cde Mable Chinomona has hailed the Inter Parliamentary Union’s (IPU) Forum of Women Parliamentarians for its contribution to Zimbabwe’s promulgation of laws that advance gender equality and protection of women and girls.

Cde Chinomona said this during celebrations to mark the 40th anniversary of the IPU Women’s Forum at the ongoing IPU Assembly being held in Uzbekistan.

The Assembly began on Friday with participants drawn from 181 countries.

Parliament said Cde Chinomona had commended the IPU Women’s Forum during its celebrations marked under the theme; “Let’s celebrate-40 years of action, 40 years of impact.”

“Honourable on Chinomona lauded the significant contribution of the IPU’s Forum of Women Parliamentarians to Zimbabwe, particularly in legislative initiatives that protect women and girls, such as the Domestic Violence Act and the Education Amendment Act which ensures access to education for pregnant girls.

“Furthermore, she called for collaboration within networks of women parliamentarians to advance gender equality as well as empowering women in leadership. Such collaborations are an imperative towards strengthening women leadership and representation in the decision-making processes,” reads the statement .

Cde Chinomona shared specific initiatives that Zimbabwean women parliamentarians will champion during the Assembly, such as community engagement programmes, mentorship for young women and lobbying for gender-responsive budgeting in the national budget.

“She also reaffirmed Zimbabwe’s commitment to International Agreements and the need for collaborating with regional counterparts to enact legislative laws that align with global gender equality standards,” further reads the statement.

Meanwhile, Speaker of Parliament Advocate Jacob Mudenda who is leading Zimbabwe’s delegation at the IPU Assembly, led a successful drafting meeting of the Africa Geopolitical group, as mandated by the Africa Geopolitical Group plenary whose terms of reference were to draft and synchronise an emergency item incorporating the Arab Group.

The Committee held a joint Meeting with representatives from the Arab Group’s proposal which culminated in an agreement to co-sponsor an Emergency Item for possible inclusion on the IPU Assembly Agenda.

The IPU Assembly was officially opened on Saturday by Speaker of the Legislative Chamber of Uzbekistan, Mr Nuriddinjon Ismailov.

He welcomed all delegates to the historic IPU Assembly and underscored its significance to the region particularly as it is the first IPU Assembly hosted by a country in Central Asia.

He added that the 150th Assembly marked a milestone in the country’s engagement with the global community in its quest to promote regional and international cooperation through Parliamentary diplomacy.

In this context, the Mr Ismailov called for collaborative efforts to ensure sustained global peace and stability for sustainable development.