From the 17th to the 21st of February 2024, delegations assembled in Luanda, Angola for the 64th session of the Organisation of the African, Caribbean, and Pacific States (OACPS) Parliamentary Assembly and Constitutive sessions of the OACPS-European Union (EU) Joint Parliamentary Assemblies (JPA). Representing Seychelles was Hon. Clifford Andre as Head of Delegation and Desk Officer Ms. Shannon Surman.
The sessions began on Saturday 17th February, with respective regional meetings of the African, Caribbean, and Pacific states. The aim of the meetings was the election of new members to the Bureau of the OACPS Parliamentary Assembly. Seychelles attended the African Regional Meeting where East Africa decided that Uganda would become the Bureau Member representing the African region.
The 64th session of the OACPS-EU was held on Sunday 18th February where the Assembly was addressed by the President of the OACPS Hon. Ana Rita Sithole, who highlighted the transition from the Post-Cotonou Agreement to the Samoa Agreement signed in 2023. Hon. Sithole stressed the importance of ensuring the protection of democratic principles as well as efforts to increase the number of women parliamentarians. Hon. Andre made a poignant intervention that brought attention to the climate change issue and the challenges that Small Island Developing States (SIDS) such as Seychelles faces.
On Monday 19th February, constitutive meetings for the respective regions were held as well as the constitutive meeting of the OACPS-EU JPA. During the constitutive meeting for the Africa-EU regional assembly, the rules of procedure was adopted, after which presentations were made on the topic ‘The People-Led Partnership to Reliable, Affordable, and Universal Access to Energy’. Key points raised concerned Africa’s ability to directly transition to renewable energy, the rise in the level of electrification in Sub-Saharan Africa, as well as the rise in solar energy production.
A special round table discussion on education was held in the morning of Tuesday 19th February. The Seychelles delegation attended the special table at the invitation of the convenor Mr. Andras Szenczi, an advisor to the European Parliament’s European People’s Party (EPP) Spokesperson on development cooperation. The delegates spoke of the challenges in education in their own countries and how the EU could assist. Later that afternoon, the Women’s Forum and Youth forum were both held. The Youth Forum was focused on the potential of youth, ensuring that appropriate platforms are cultivated to foster an open dialogue, and ensuring that youth voices are heard. The Women’s Forum was based on Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and the importance of having increased women parliamentarians was highlighted, with the question of a quota system being raised.
On Wednesday 21st February, the formal opening of the 1st Session of the JPA and OACPS-EU JPA were held. Addresses were made by the Speaker of the National Assembly Hon. Carolina Cerquiera, Co-Presidents of the OACPS-EU Hon. Carlos Zorrinho and Hon. Ana Rita Sithole, and the Vice President of Angola H.E. Esperanca da Costa. The OACPS-EU JPA featured a debate on ‘A new dawn in the OACPS-EU Relations: Towards a People-Led Partnership’. Hon. Andre raised the issues facing SIDS, noting the importance of making considerations to ensure that the unique circumstances of SIDS are considered in global decision-making processes. These meetings marked the last of the series of meetings and sessions attended by the Seychelles delegation.
