Speaker of the National Assembly of Zambia, Hon. Amusaa Mwanamwambwa, MP on Monday, November 15, 2010, urged Zambian female parliamentarians to ensure that the various political parties find a formula to increase the membership of the Zambian Parliament in terms of women representation.
Hon. Mr Speaker said this at Parliament Buildings when he conferred with female parliamentarians from the Southern African Community (SADC) region, who paid a courtesy call on him as part of their programme during the Standing Committee on the Regional Women's Parliamentary Caucus (RWPC) Advocacy and Lobbying Mission, held from 15 to 18 November 2010.
The Mission is in line with the SADC-PF's institution framework to follow up on the political commitments on the equal participation and representation of women in positions of power and decision-making at all levels as espoused in the SADC Protocol on Gender and Development adopted in 2008.
Hon. Mr Speaker said the 14% composition of women in the Zambian Parliament by far falls short of the original 30% adopted by the SADC states and now 50% declared by both SADC and the African Union.
At same occasion, Hon Biata Nyamupinga, MP from Zimbabwe thanked the Hon. Mr Speaker for the hospitality extended to the visitors. She further said, the movement from achieving 30% representation of women in decision making was not going to be easy, but that as women, they have had harder struggles than this one.
She said, it would be easier if those involved would start working right away to try and ensure that more women be involved in decision-making positions.
Furthermore, Hon. Cesaltina Major of Angola, MP said, before the elections in Angola in 2008, there was a 15% women representation in Parliament, but that they have now achieved 39% of those in Parliament being women.
Lastly, Hon. Cesaltina Major, MP wished her Zambian counterparts the best in their effort to lobby for increased women representation in Parliament.
