Simon Nare
National Assembly Speaker Thoko Didiza has called on G20 countries to work together to ensure that the aspirations of citizens are translated into reality, and that a bridge is created between government and civilians.
Addressing the G20 Speakers Summit in Cape Town, Didiza said the Parliamentary G20 (P20) was a unique platform for strengthening global collaboration and for countries to exchange ideas, network and contribute substantively to resolving pressing issues.
“As the institutional anchor of democracy, parliaments play a number of mutually reinforcing roles. The first is representation. Parliaments are the voices of the people and as such aspire to reflect the diversity of their respective societies.
Didiza said the summit must be a call to action for parliaments to work together to advance solidarity, equality and sustainability. She added that the Speakers were meeting at a time when the world was beset by various challenges, including conflicts and war, climate change, digital disruption, geopolitical instability, pandemics and other global health crises.
She said as institutional anchors of democracy, parliaments played a number of mutually reinforcing roles — the first being representation.
“Parliaments are the voices of the people and as such aspire to reflect the diversity of their respective societies. The data of the Inter-Parliamentary Union indicates notable progress worldwide with respect to the representation of young people, women, persons with disabilities and minorities.
“Secondly, parliaments are tasked with creating the enabling legal frameworks for the progressive realisation of equality and for passing laws that align with the international commitments of their respective countries,” she said.
Didiza said other commitments of parliaments included giving effect to international treaties, incorporating human rights standards and advancing the Sustainable Development Goals.
Parliaments were tasked with holding government accountable to both domestic and international commitments, she said, ensuring budgets reflected these priorities. The destiny of nations was chartered in parliament, she added.
For many, global solidarity was far removed from their everyday realities of access to employment, healthcare, education and to a decent quality of life and in many parts of the world, rising populism, xenophobia and extreme forms of nationalism threatened to undermine solidarity.
It was therefore incumbent upon parliaments, Didiza said, to bring these institutions closer to the people, to restore the bonds of trust and to make all citizens part of the effort to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.
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