The Speaker of the National Assembly (NA), Ms Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula has emphasised the demand for a collective solution to the global food, fuel and financial crisis among the BRICS countries.
She was speaking at the BRICS Parliamentary Forum Meeting, which was held virtually this afternoon and hosted by China.
She said that the food security and nutrition of our vulnerable populations are under threat and that legislatures of all BRICS nations in particular, occupied a unique place to foster cooperation and people-people relations through public diplomacy where there could be strategic direction of multilateralism and mutual development.
She further commended the 14th BRICS Summit Strategy on Food and Security Cooperation, which is aimed at stabilising global food production and contributing positively to global food security infrastructure.
The Speaker lauded the establishment of the BRICS Vaccine Research and Development, saying that it was an important BRICS milestone which will further enhance BRICS countries’ capabilities to respond to future health emergencies.
“Through our oversight function as Parliaments, we have to ensure that the BRICS Vaccine Centre has the resources and the capacity to build a much-needed line of defense against infectious diseases”, said the Speaker.
The Speaker further said that the Forum has a key role to play in strengthening broad BRICS partnership. She said that BRICS countries must reconnect with their objective of strengthening cooperation.
The Speaker stated that it was through sustained parliamentary cooperation that they can create responsive governments to address the current crises.
The BRICS Parliamentary Forum is constituted by the National Congress of the Federative Republic of Brazil, the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, the Parliament of the Republic of India, the National People’s Congress of the People’s Republic of China, and the Parliament of the Republic of South Africa.
It was founded, among other things, to strengthen and promote contacts at the leadership level of chambers, committees and groups of parliamentarians; perform inter-parliamentary exchanges and hold regular expert consultations; and create and develop new inter-parliamentary cooperation mechanisms.
China is currently chairing the forum and South Africa is next in line to chair and host the BRICS Parliamentary Forum in 2023.
ISSUED BY THE PARLIAMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA
