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To kick-start the General Debate on the theme of the Assembly entitled “Parliamentary Action for Social Development and Justice”, held a special segment with keynote speakers. In her address on this occasion Rt. Hon. Dr. Tulia Ackson, President of the IPU, identified three key aspects of social development, namely, fighting poverty, ensuring decent livelihoods, and strengthening social bonds. In this context, she urged Governments and Parliaments to strengthen the public sector to implement social protection policies that improve the livelihoods of citizens.
Hon. D. Carden, the President of the Forum of Young Parliamentarians, referred to the significant shift in the global political landscape as well the myriad of challenges that undergird Parliaments’ responsibility to reflect on the role of multilateral institutions to ensure that they serve the interests of the people. He opined that it has become imperative to engage in meaningful dialogue and action to resolve global challenges.
Furthermore, Hon. Carden emphasized that employment is a source of profound human dignity, and as such youth employment creation is an agent imperative that needs strengthened social bonds. He welcomed the lowered age of youth from 45 years to 30 years which appropriately disaggregates the youth dividend.
Speaking on the same occasion, Hon. Cynthia Lopez Castro, the President of the Forum of Women Parliamentarians, noted with concern that gender inequality still exists in socio-economic and political spheres. Accordingly, she opined that gender equality is key to unlocking sustainable development and is, therefore, a precondition to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). To that extent, she called on Parliaments to identify priority areas that stimulate gender equality for more resilient and inclusive societies.
Speaker Mudenda addresses the plenary on the theme of the IPU Assembly
Hon. Advocate J.F.N. Mudenda addressed the IPU 150th Assembly Plenary concerning the General theme of the Assembly, aptly entitled, ‘PARLIAMENTARY ACTION FOR SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT AND JUSTICE.’
Speaker Mudenda’s departure point was conveying cordial and convivial felicitations to the Plenary and the people of Uzbekistan in general, from the Head of State and Government, His Excellency, Cde Dr. E.D Mnangagwa. Thereafter, Speaker Mudenda moved to accentuating the crucial theme, highlighting the responsibility of elected representatives to ensure that the tentacles of development spread equally amongst all geographic areas as well as all societal levels, aligning with Zimbabwe’s commitment to “LEAVING NO ONE AND NO PLACE BEHIND,” as the espoused Presidential mantra of His Excellency, President, Cde Dr. E.D. Mnangagwa.
Speaker Mudenda underscored that social development is a fundamental human right as recognized by the 1995 Copenhagen World Summit for Social Development, which also called for addressing the root causes of poverty and inequality through social justice. To that an extent, Speaker Mudenda posited that parliamentary action—encompassing law-making, oversight, and representation—should focus on equitable development, ensuring every individual has equal access to opportunities and resources thereby fostering social justice as a catalyst for equitable development in any country. To exemplify the foregoing, Speaker Mudenda mentioned Zimbabwe’s establishment of two designated banks to empower youth and women entrepreneurs, to bridge the inequality gap among these marginalised groups.
Speaker Mudenda also bemoaned the worldwide inequality gap by noting that despite the remarkable global technological advancements, the inequality gap continues to widen. For instance, the richest 1% of the world’s population now owns 45.6% of global wealth, while nearly 700 million people remain ensnared in the tenacious grip of extreme poverty. Speaker Mudenda went on to highlight that this immoral inequality disparity undermines parliamentary collective aspirations for sustainable social development and justice.
To that extent, the African Union’s visionary Agenda 2063 is laudable as it articulates an audacious blueprint for “an integrated, prosperous and peaceful Africa, driven by its own citizens and representing a dynamic force in the global arena.” However, the average continental GDP of 3.4% between 2018 and 2023[1], has not translated into commensurate poverty reduction in Africa, added Speaker Mudenda. Lastly, Speaker Mudenda highlighted that, approximately 490 million Africans still live below the poverty datum line while youth unemployment in Africa remains alarmingly high at 19.8% across the continent, more than twice the global average.
Looking ahead to the November 2025 Second World Summit on Social Development in Qatar, Speaker Mudenda called for a focus on justiciable socio-economic development to address inequalities between the Global North and South. On that score, Speaker Mudenda stressed that without global peace, security, and robust multilateralism, effective parliamentary action for social development and justice cannot be achieved.
In conclusion, Speaker Mudenda called for collective action from all parliaments to confront contemporary challenges bedevilling humanity and to foster a fairer, more equitable world ultimately.
Following Hon. Speaker Mudenda’s eloquent delivery, the IPU convened a special segment on gender equality. The IPU announced its new gender campaign for 2025 entitled “Achieving gender equality, action by action”. The campaign aims to mobilise the global Parliamentary community to accelerate progress in achieving gender equality in the public and private sectors. It promotes 10 key actions structured around three key thematic areas, namely,
- Promoting parity in Parliament and politics;
- Encouraging gender-sensitive institutions, and
- Combating gender–based violence and discrimination.
In addition to announcing the campaign, the IPU celebrated the 40th Anniversary of the IPU Forum of Women Parliamentarians and applauded its critical role in bringing women Parliamentarians together so that they can celebrate their successes while finding ways to mitigate common challenges.
Finally, the IPU launched new gender publications which can be used as a reference source. These publications are on the IPU website.
