The President of the National Assembly, Carolina Cerqueira, said this Thursday in Brussels (Belgium), that the Angolan parliament is prioritizing the agenda of peace, stability, security and the promotion and preservation of the culture of peace, as based on development and social justice.
According to carolina Cerqueira, who was speaking at the Summit of Political Women Leaders, the AN has promoted debates at a high level and with civil society in favor of promoting peace, gender equality, denouncing violence against women and girls.
Carolina Cerqueira noted that, through parliamentary diplomacy, initiatives in favor of peace in the Great Lakes Region are evident, where the conflict situation in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is worrying.
“The intervention of parliamentarians in favor of peace and stability in the region is intense, through permanent dialogue and the laying down of arms by the rebel forces, whose military actions have provoked inhumane crimes against defenseless civilian populations, cross-border crimes and the violation of of human rights”, asserted the parliamentary leader.
The official added that the National Assembly (AN) is also monitoring the situation of instability in northern Mozambique, with women parliamentarians playing an important role in defending peace, protecting conflict victims and denouncing the consequences of the same in increasing the fragmentation of social and family stability, harming, above all, the safe and healthy growth of children and the future of young people, particularly young girls, victims of physical and sexual violence, victims of forced marriages and deprivation of their rights and fundamental freedoms.
For Carolina Cerqueira, the reinforcement of solidarity between institutions, understanding and friendship between them are fundamental so that women can be the generators and promoters of changes at a local and global level in favor of peace, reconciliation and the construction of a world better.
The action of women politicians around the world, she said, must be felt in favor of women’s rights, non-violence, to denounce political, economic and social discrimination, in the adoption of policies in favor of equality and to promote legislative initiatives that guarantee more opportunity to access education, decision-making in various domains, the well-being and prosperity of families.
“The future must be one of peace, lasting development and justice, integration and social inclusion, respecting fundamental human rights and equal opportunities for men and women”, defended Carolina Cerqueira.
In her view, women are the fundamental support of democratic societies and uncompromising defenders of justice and the law.
“In Angola, female activism is dynamic and the advances of women in politics are encouraging. We have a unicameral parliament that has the representation of 5 political parties and that is composed of 38% of women in a universe of 220 deputies. Our Parliament reflects diversity and generational and gender balance,” she stressed.
The mission, he asserted, is to continue to denounce the obstacles that prevent the total and free exercise of women’s freedom, to promote initiatives for the permanent education of young women, to contribute to promoting equal opportunities for all women, more solidarity, and above all more recognition of the important role in favor of a better future.
The Annual Summit of the “Women Political Leader” (WPL) took place from the 7th to the 8th of this month, in Brussels (Belgium), with a focus on sharing experiences among women leaders from around the world and analyzing advances and challenges in order to strengthen equity, participation and opportunity for women globally. VM
