President Jakaya Kikwete expected to officiate at special 2-day forum on MDGs and habitat on Aug 19, 2013. The East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) is expected to resume business next week holding its Plenary Session in Arusha, Tanzania. The Plenary which takes place from August 19th 2013, through to August 30th, 2013 is the First Meeting of the Second Session of the Third Assembly.
Prior to the actual Plenary, President Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete is expected to address a special EALA conference on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) that also marks the Silver Jubilee of the Global Parliamentarians on Habitat (GPH) on August 19, 2013 at the EAC Headquarters. The two day (August 19th and 20th, 2013) meeting brings together about 150 legislators from the EAC region and the continent, representatives from the civil society, environmentalists and the UN-Habitat.
The GPH is an international organization of Parliamentarians whose members are committed to sustainable urban development. Its membership is composed of legislators from different Parliaments.
The objectives of the meeting is to celebrate 25 years of GPH’s existence and to showcase significant achievements, challenges and come up with feasible solutions on the way forward. The meeting further seeks to bring influence to bear on decision making processes in order to foster co-ordinated action by governments, communities the private sector and NGOs, and to raise awareness on adequate habitat.
According to the EALA Speaker, Rt. Hon Margaret Nantongo Zziwa, who also doubles up as the President of the GPH, Africa Chapter, the ‘clock is ticking fast’ with the period set to have realized the MDGs expected to lapse in 2015.
‘One appreciates that there are intricacies in realizing the MDGs. Are we doing enough to enable the globe realize Shelter for all by 2015 among others? I think we can do more’, Rt. Hon Zziwa noted.
She remarked that some governments had left the role entirely to local governments with little or no tools, meager resources and inadequate human capacity to handle the challenge.
The meeting shall feature presentations discussing a wide spectrum of issues on MDGs with each region expected to share their experiences in the subject matter. Presentations from Civil Society Organisations on Global Habitat issues including urban planning and settlement and challenges the continent is facing are Africa is facing are also on the card.
Under the GPH umbrella, Parliamentarians have set themselves the goal of ensuring that their respective Governments increasingly address issues in the attainment of the Habitat Agenda by mainly focusing on areas of housing, sustainable urban and city development, human settlement, water and sanitation. Efforts to support MDG goals are actively encouraged. The UN launched a process of assessing the performance of Member States in attaining these goals and for respective stakeholders to make input in the post 2015 MDG agenda. EALA wishes to use this conference to propose recommendations to UN on the post 2015 MDG (MDG + 2015) agenda.
On its part, the main EALA Assembly to be presided by the Speaker, Rt. Hon (Dr) Margaret Nantongo Zziwa, shall discuss matters of legislative business. The Sitting expects to debate on the following:
- receive and debate reports of the Committees of EALA
- Consider the EAC disaster Risk Reduction and Management Bill, 2013 and the EAC Public Holidays Bill, 2013
- Pose questions to the Council of Ministers, debate and adopt Motions and Resolutions.
NOTE TO EDITORS ABOUT GPH
The Global Parliamentarians on Habitat (GPH) functions as the international Parliamentary forum that is committed exclusively to promoting sustainable human settlements and development. Founded in 1987 in Yokohama (the year of International Shelter for the Homeless), GPH has maintained close co-operation with UN-HABITAT, culminating in its participation both at 2nd UN Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II) in June 1996 and at the Istanbul+5 Meeting in New York in 2001. Since its inception to date, GPH has held five Global Forum of Parliamentarians and several regional council meetings.
The President is supported in the discharge of functions by four Vice Presidents, who are simultaneously the Presidents of the regional councils by continent of the GPH. There are regional GPH groups for the continents of Africa, America, Asia, the Caribbean and Europe.
The Vice Presidents are Rt. Hon Margaret Nantongo Zziwa, Speaker of the East African
Legislative Assembly, Hon. Ricardo Fidel Pacheco Rodriguez, Senator from Mexico, Hon. Ronald Kiandee, MP from Malaysia and Hon. Jerko Rosin from Croatia.
-ENDS-
For more information, contact
Bobi Odiko, Senior Public Relations Officer, East African Legislative Assembly. Tel: +255-27-2508240 Fax: +255-27-2503103, Cell: +255-787-870945 +254-733-718036 Email: BOdiko@eachq.org, Web: https://www.eala.org
