National Assembly Speaker Baleka Mbete is leading a high-powered parliamentary delegation to the 139th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) in Geneva, Switzerland.
The IPU is being held from today until Thursday, under the theme: Parliamentary leadership in promoting peace and development in the age of innovation and technological change.
Yesterday, Parliament said the delegation included the deputy chairperson of the National Council of Provinces (NCOP), Raseriti Tau; House chairperson for international relations, Mmatlala Boroto; chief whip of the NCOP, Seiso Mohai; and members of Parliament Pumzile Mnguni, Peace Mabe, Michael Waters and Ntombovuyo Mente.
The delegation is joining 1300 delegates from more than 130 countries, who will deliberate on a number of critical issues affecting the development of people across the world, including science, technology and innovation; human rights; violence against women; disarmament; sustainable development goals; and migration.
A special IPU session marking the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights (UDHR) will take place on Tuesday, which will include an event celebrating the Madiba Centenary.
The programme will start with a video clip featuring Mbete and material on Mandela, and continue with an interactive debate with academics and human-rights victims.
It will conclude with the adoption of a declaration by world parliaments recommitting themselves to advance the UDHR principles and the values embodied by Mandela.
During the five-day programme, the IPU will also unveil a ground-breaking report on violence against women in European parliaments that corroborates a 2016 IPU study that found that 82% of women MPs had experienced gender-based psychological violence.
Parliament said these engagements were expected to give impetus to the #MeToo movement established to help break the silence on abuse against women, and help fight the global scourge.
There will also be a panel discussion by MPs, members of the media and academics on how parliaments can deal with, and regulate fake news that has been enhanced by, among others, the exponential growth of information and communication technologies and social media.
The assembly is expected to adopt a resolution on the advancement of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration.