Hon Chairperson, hon Ministers and Deputy Ministers, colleagues, hon members, it's just a pity that the DA lost the opportunity to put across their view on this very important topic today. [Interjections.] I think they used this space as an electioneering campaign rather than focusing on the topic of today. The time will come when we will really put forward our policy proposals before the electorates. That's when you can test your policy proposals.
Today, it will be helpful to briefly remind ourselves of the importance of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, IPU, particularly in light of its more focused and strategic path for the next five years up to 2017.
The IPU is the world's only global forum for parliamentary dialogue. This means that developing countries have an opportunity to influence the policy direction of governments, including those of regional and continental parliaments. In addition, the IPU participates in enhancing the development objectives of the United Nations. The theme for this year's General Assembly reflects a number of global concerns that have arisen in the last decade and relate to both economic and global governance concerns. It also reflects a degree of dialectical confusion in that growth and development are mutually reinforcing concepts and principles which underpin any growth in society. Therefore, to suggest that we move from one to the other negates the dialectics of development itself. I hope the DA is listening.
The debates on the global economy have equally, over the past decade, brought to the fore the dangers of purely relying on what the theme calls, for namely unrelenting growth, at the expense of its related components. Most economies that have gone in this direction soon reached a stage of recession, precisely because economies are driven by a multiplicity of factors, and mere growth alone does not lead to the requisite development, which in turn drives the gross domestic product of any country.
The second concern regarding the theme is on global governance. The use of the concept Buen Vivir, in addition to what the Deputy Minister has indicated, refers to a powerful principle meaning life in harmony and equilibrium between men and women, between different communities and above all, between human beings and the natural environment of which they are part.
This concept, applied to global governance around the world, critiques the disequilibrium we see in the increased inequality amongst nations. Buen Vivir represents a break from the past, the old and untransformed - a paradigm shift in the ways of doing things.
This break from the past is directed by the sense of urgency we see in the need to prevent and respond innovatively to continental conflicts, climate change, poverty, unemployment, and by linking economic development to sustainable development.
For the South African delegation attending the 128th Assembly in Ecuador, we have a shining example of how the philosophy of Buen Vivir can be articulated in the debates of the Assembly and the many fringe meetings that will take place. It is our own Bill of Rights enshrined in the Constitution of the Republic and the vision of the National Development Plan, including other frameworks that we have developed. I quote the vision:
The country we seek to build by 2030 is just, fair, prosperous and equitable. Most of all, it is a country that each and every South African can proudly call home.
My focus is, however, on our responsibility as parliamentarians in this, since that is what the IPU is about. Parliaments are responsible for safeguarding the rights of vulnerable communities by enabling political discussions on how to improve the lives of civilians in the face of rising inequality, narrowing growth margins and greater monopoly capital control over economies.
Among some of the Buen Vivir moments that we must advance is the work of the Southern African Development Community Parliamentary Forum where all 15 national parliaments of the SADC are represented. This body serves as an instrument for consolidating democracy and deepening purposeful development for the entire region.
The key role played by the SADC Parliamentary Forum is that of uniting regional parliaments with the outlook to the near future of a fully constituted regional parliament with powers and regional oversight on matters such as growth and development, which are central to the future of SADC and also a reflection of what the 128th IPU Assembly is looking at in developing countries.
The oversight role played by both regional and the Pan-African parliaments over the expansion of regional economic markets is an opportunity to influence the direction of development and the flow of finances and resources. This requires and inspires innovation because the priorities of our continent differ from the more developed economies and, as such, strategies must speak to these differences.
Through influencing global trade negotiations, parliaments can mobilise support for necessary trade reforms that benefit developing nations.
Parliaments assume a pivotal role in mitigating conflicts and supporting democracies in transition by providing a platform for all voices to be heard. The IPU supports this initiative by implementing technical assistance projects focused on assisting parliaments to improve accountability and transparency. These projects include capacity-building, enhancing transparency and combating corruption.
Central to the IPU's development agenda is its growing scope for international co-operation on development. The fact that there is now greater demand for the IPU to interact more closely with organisations like the United Nations, signifies a call for all member states to prioritise the interactive relations that the theme of this 128th Assembly calls for.
In this regard, the IPU shares internationally agreed development commitments with the United Nations and, as such, it assists parliaments in meeting the Millennium Development Goals.
A new vision for development has emerged in the IPU. This includes greater representation and participation of parliaments in crafting sustainable development goals. As a result, fewer gaps in overarching development goals, resulting in more focused and more sustainable development plans from member states, have taken place over the past years.
Representation of women in the legislature and the mainstreaming of gender are integral to the IPU's vision for equitable development. The IPU itself shares information and good practices for advancing gender equality. At a regional level, the SADC Parliamentary Forum promotes awareness of vulnerable, minority and special groups in the business of Parliament.
To address the potentially irreversible threat to our planet, the IPU mobilises its members to take urgent climate-related action. Climate change has proven the unsustainability of the current production and consumption model. The philosophy of Buen Vivir encompassed in the government's call for a better life for all challenges the 128th Assembly of the IPU to look at alternatives to unrelenting growth.
South Africa is one such country that has responded to this call to move away from unrelenting growth into the era of sustainable development. Our values, our principles and our plans for the country have now been documented comprehensively in the National Development Plan - a development- oriented vision taking us up to 2030.
On growth and development, South Africa will foster state intervention that promotes equitable distribution of resources. Government, labour, business and civil society will have to work together to make this project succeed. Specific details will be shed on this overarching plan by the ANC speaker that will follow me.
People-centred development upholds the highest ethical standards and involves and attracts the participation of different communities. The IPU serves to enhance the protection of human rights by actively calling on governments to mainstream national development that is in tandem with regional interests.
This momentum of harmony with people, harmony within the economy in a globalised world, and harmony with the environment is kept alive through the participation of parliaments in influencing policy and decision-making in the direction that respective governments seek to develop.
I will urge our colleagues on the left-hand side to really try that, by influencing this particular Parliament. I thank you. [Applause.]