National Assembly Speaker Mapisa-Nqakula Leads a Parliamentary Delegation to the Non-Aligned Movement Parliamentary Network Conference in Baku – Azerbaijan Taking Place from 30[...]

Parliament, Wednesday, 29 June 2022 - The Speaker of the National Assembly, Ms Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, leads a high-level multi-party delegation of the South African Parliament to the two-day Parliamentary Network Conference of the Non-Alignment Movement (NAM) scheduled for the 30 June to 1 July 2022 in Buka - Azerbaijan.

The Buka Parliamentary Network Conference is the second following a resolution made by NAM Heads of State and Governments at their 2019 Conference, to recognise the strategic value of Parliaments in translating international protocols and policies to national frameworks. They acknowledged that with growing parliamentary diplomacy, Parliaments must help domesticate the protocols and assist in ensuring their execution through effective executive oversight and broader government accountability. The conference theme is: "Boosting the Role of National Parliaments in Promoting Global Peace and Sustainable Development."

The SA parliamentary delegation led by Speaker Mapisa-Nqakula includes the Deputy Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) Ms Sylvia Lucas, the Deputy Chief Whip of the Majority Party the ANC Ms Dorris Dlakude, the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee for Higher Education, Innovation and Technology, Ms Nompumelelo Mkhatshwa, Member of Parliament for the Democratic Alliance Mr Mergan Chetty, and the Member of Parliament for the United Democratic Movement Mr Nqabayomzi Kwankwa.

The Non-Aligned Movement was formed by Heads of State and Government in 1961 to organise countries that were not aligned with the superpowers involved in a protracted cold war, to determine their policies and programmes as sovereign states with territorial integrity and peace, and to advance independence and colonialism and racism.

Egypt and Ghana were part of the NAM founding member states and since then all but two African countries are affiliated, with South Africa and Eritrea being the last countries to an affiliate in the 1990s. Both Presidents Nelson Mandela and Thabo Mbeki had served as Chairpersons of the NAM between 1998 and 2003, and the current Chairpersonship is held by the President of Azerbaijan since 2019.

The Parliament of Azerbaijan is the host of the Parliamentary Network Conference to be held in Baku, the Capital of Azerbaijan.

Issued by Parliament of the Republic of South Africa
Enquiries: Moloto Mothapo