1^st Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly Hon Catherine Namugala, MP welcomed His Excellency Mr. Onyango Kakoba, Secretary General of the International Conference Great Lakes Region when he paid a courtesy call on her on Monday, 4^th June, 2018, at Parliament Building.

His Excellency Mr Kakoba expressed his gratitude to the Zambian Parliament for according him an opportunity to visit the Parliament and further said he came for a familiarization  visit as he was newly elected Secretary General of the Great Lakes in December, 2017. He alleged that, his mission was to share programs, ideas and activities of the Great Lakes with the Member Parliaments. He said that Zambia has been very supportive of the process of the Great Lakes and is very committed with the activities of the Forum. Great Lakes activities are Statutory and conducted through Committees which are in line with the main stream, some of them being, the Committee on Peace and Security, Democracy and Governance, Social and Economic Integration and Women, Children and other Vulnerable Groups.

He further said the Committees face challenges of Gender issues, mainly few women representation in most Member parliaments. He also said that the forum depends on funds from the Member states to carry out its activities and for operational costs.

The 1^st Deputy Speaker in her closing remarks reiterated the need for the forum to create partnerships outside Member State to raise funds for operational costs and look for other avenues to raise finances. She also said that she hoped that laws would be introduced to increase female representation in Parliaments such as a quota system as in some Parliaments.