The SADC Parliamentary Forum and the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to consolidate democracy in southern Africa. SADC PF Secretary-General Boemo Sekgoma and International IDEA Secretary-General Kevin Casa-Zamora signed the MoU at SADC PF headquarters in Windhoek, Namibia.
This MoU builds on years of collaboration between SADC PF and International IDEA. They have previously worked together on gender quotas through capacity building and resources like “The Implementation of Quotas: African Experiences” published in 2004. Other initiatives included strengthening political parties in Africa and creating a Model Law on Elections. They also developed guidelines on parliament and human rights, corruption, and technical cooperation to support election observation.
The new MoU covers various areas of collaboration, including electoral reforms, gender equality, peace and security, youth political empowerment, inter-political party dialogue, climate change governance, and natural resource management. Casa-Zamora emphasized the potential to address youth and women’s political participation issues jointly. He also noted the existing instruments to support member parliaments, stating, “We have good possibilities for collaboration.”
Acknowledging the importance of resources, Casa-Zamora said the initial focus would be on “small concrete things that do not need a lot of resources but provide a basis for our collaboration to grow.” The next step is to mobilize resources to implement the agreed activities.
Casa-Zamora highlighted a global trend from predominant political party models to more fragmented systems, necessitating better negotiation skills among political elites. He remarked, “To the extent that we can contribute to that transition, we would be providing a very good service to democracy in southern Africa.”
Sekgoma expressed optimism about the MoU, noting its potential to attract resources for peace and security, climate action, electoral management, and democratic accountability. She praised the history of collaboration, saying, “It is exchanging and knowledge sharing that will strengthen us to deliver as institutions and open our eyes to what democracy means nowadays and to what citizen participation can be.”
The MoU between SADC PF and International IDEA marks a significant step in reinforcing democracy in southern Africa. By focusing on practical, resource-efficient initiatives, the two organizations aim to enhance democratic practices and governance in the region.
Source: Newsday
