Namibia has become the 10th SADC Member State to sign the Agreement amending the SADC Treaty to transform the SADC Parliamentary Forum into a SADC Parliament.

The agreement was signed on behalf of Namibia by the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation (MIRCO), Hon. Dr. Peya Mushelenga on Wednesday.

The agreement amending the SADC Treaty was adopted by the SADC Heads of State and Government Summit at its meeting held in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo on 17 August 2022

According to a statement from MIRCO, the newly established SADC Parliament will serve as a consultative and deliberative body, lacking law-making or other binding authority.

To enter into force, the agreement requires the endorsement of two-thirds of SADC Member States, totaling eleven (11). Currently, ten (10) member states have signed the agreement, including Angola, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe.

The decision to amend the SADC Treaty was made at the 41st SADC Summit in August 2021 in Lilongwe, Malawi. The SADC Parliamentary Forum, originally established on September 8, 1997, in Windhoek, Namibia, under Article 9(2) of the SADC Treaty, will now transition into the SADC Parliament.

The SADC Parliamentary Forum currently engages parliamentarians from 15 Southern African countries, encompassing over 3500 members. Its role includes facilitating dialogue on regional issues of mutual interest among member states and fostering cooperation and integration within the SADC region.