For more details on this click on the attached document.

The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) has welcomed several positive developments on three cases involving the abuses of the human rights of MPs in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Iraq. IPU’s Committee on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians has been working on the cases to seek redress and protection of the MPs.

The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) has marked  Commonwealth Day 2016  both in London at the CPA Secretariat and across the CPA regions and branches.

On Wednesday, April 6th, 2016, in Gaborone, His Honour the Vice President of Botswana, Hon. Makgweetsi Masisi and Parliamentary leadership committed to strengthening conservation governance by formally launching the all-party Botswana Conservation Parliamentary Caucus (BOCOPAC).

On Tuesday, March 15th, members of the Namibian Parliament officially launched the Namibian Conservation Parliamentary Caucus (NACOPAC), a multiparty collaboration of parliamentarians committed to strengthening conservation governance and sustainable economic development in Namibia and the region. Namibia suffered a major spike in rhino poaching in 2015, and combatting this crisis will be a key area of focus for NACOPAC. Hon. Prof. Peter H. Katjavivi, Speaker of the National Assembly of Namibia, chaired the launch meeting and announced that he would be the official patron of NACOPAC.

31 March, 2016

SPEECH BY HIS EXCELLENCY MR EDGAR CHAGWA LUNGU PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF ZAMBIA ON THE OCCASION OF THE OFFICIAL OPENING OF THE 134TH IPU ASSEMBLY HELD AT GOVERNMENT COMPLEX IN LUSAKA SATURDAY, 19th MARCH, 2016

•    THE IPU PRESIDENT, HON SABER CHOWDHURY,

Speaker of the National Assembly of Zambia Hon. Dr Patrick Matibini, SC with his Chinese counterpart, H.E. Zhang Dejiang, the Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, which is the equivalent of Speaker of National Assembly. The two met on the sidelines of  the 134th International Parliamentary Union (IPU) Assembly in Lusaka, Zambia.

 In the last few days there have been reports in some sections of the  media that the Zambian Government has received unsolicited offers from
 foreign investment agents popularly known as ³Vulture Funds² to buy  off the country¹s external debt. The media reports have made specific
 reference to the already contracted debt particularly the Eurobonds.
 
 
 
 Government would like to categorically state that it has no plans for  any sale of its debt to any investor. The Government is fully

OPENING REMARKS BY THE SPEAKER OF THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY OF ZAMBIA, THE HONOURABLE  JUSTICE DR PATRICK MATIBINI, SC, MP, SPEAKER OF  THE  NATIONAL ASSEMBLY OF ZAMBIA,AT THE IPU GLOBAL CONFERENCE OF YOUNG PARLIAMENTARIANS HELD FROM 16TH-17THMARCH, 2016, AT MULUNGUSHI INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE CENTRE (MICC) LUSAKA, ZAMBIA.