PAP hold workshop on AU Theme for 2022

The Pan-African Parliament on Thursday held a workshop on the African Union (AU) Theme for 2022 which is “Strengthening nutritional resilience and food security on the African continent: Strengthening Agri-food, health and social protection systems for the acceleration of the development of human, social and economic”.

The workshop was organized jointly by the African Union Commission (AUC), African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD) and the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO). It was moderated by Hon. Didier Molisho, Chairperson of the PAP Committee on Rural Economy, Agriculture, Environment and Natural Resources.

During the high-level opening session of the workshop, speeches by various partners were delivered including FAORAF Assistant Director General, Mr. Haile Gabriel Abebe, King of Lesotho and the CEO of AUDA-NEPARD,  Mrs. Nardos Bekele-Thomas.

In his recorded message, the Mr. Abebe highlighted the importance of raising the profile of nutrition in the continent given the high number of people still affected by hunger and malnutrition. He emphasized the important role played by Parliamentarians as advocates for action to ending hunger and all forms of malnutrition in line with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Malabo Targets under the aegis of agenda 2063.

In her keynote speech, the CEO of AUDA-NEPAD reiterated that the agency is mandated to coordinate and promote regional integration towards the accelerated realization of the AU Agenda 2063.

The workshop was officially opened by H. E. Hon. Chief Fortune Charumbira, President of the Pan African Parliament who welcomed all the participants and expressed his happiness to join them in this important workshop. He also expressed his gratitude to the AUC, AUDA-NEPAD, and FAO for their valuable support towards the organization and facilitation of the workshop. He emphasized the importance of political support in the strive to eliminate hunger and all forms of malnutrition in Africa and then noted that Parliamentarians are key actors to influence national policies and legislations to be nutrition sensitive and to be inclusive in the spirit of leaving no one behind.

In attendance at the workshop were all the members of the Permanent Committees of the Parliament, and resource persons from the AUC, AUDA-NEPARD, FAO, Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), African Union International Agency for Girls and Women’s Education in Africa (CIEFFA), World Food Program (WFP) African Union Global Office, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and staff from the  Secretariat of PAP.

The general objective of the workshop was to sensitize and update African parliamentarians on the AU Theme of the Year, Nutrition and Food Systems Strategy, and their contribution towards the achievement through food and nutrition security.

It provided the African parliamentarians with a platform to discuss their expected roles to contribute towards the popularization of the theme at national levels. The parliamentarians were also able to share experiences and best practices of key partners related to the issue of and nutrition security as well as synergize and explore possible means of collaboration to promote the AU nutrition agenda.

The workshop recommended the inclusion of Parliamentarians in multisectoral approaches to sustainably transform nutrition and food systems to deliver healthier diets. It also recommended multisectoral action and coordination in the implementation of nutrition programs and initiatives at all levels affirming that, eliminating under nutrition cannot be fought by a single actor but by joining fores and strategizing for concerted integrated multi-sectoral actions.