The opening ceremony was chaired by House of Councillors Speaker and President of ASSECAA Enaam Mayara, and President of the Equatorial Guinean Senate Teresa Efua Asangono, attended by Prime Minister of Equatorial Guinea Manuel Osa Nsue and Presidents of the Pan-African Parliament Fortune Charumbira, and the Arab Parliament Adel bin Abdulrahman Al Assoomi, as well as African and Arab political figures.

The meeting, held under the theme “Strengthening the Joint Parliamentary Action of the Global South Countries to Face Environmental, Technological and Development Challenges”, aims in particular to bolster parliamentary action and cooperation between countries of the South within parliaments in order to meet technological, environmental and development challenges, in an international context marked by successive multidimensional crises.

The conference, to be attended by the Presidents of the Senates of Eswatini, DRC, Gabon, Congo, Zimbabwe and Nigeria, is also intended to pave the way for joint parliamentary action alongside governments and sectors concerned, in particular by exploring means of promoting parliamentary action and cooperation between countries of the South.

In her opening address, Efua Asangono noted that this meeting was taking place in an international context of multidimensional security crises, particularly in Africa and the Arab world, underscoring the need for joint parliamentary cooperation to meet the various challenges facing the region.

In this respect, she pointed out that the choice of theme for this event is to contribute alongside the governments of member countries to finding a solution to current crises and challenges, affirming that the ASSECAA is aware of its essential role in strengthening South-South cooperation.

The President of the Equatorial Guinean Senate also praised Morocco for supporting Equatorial Guinea's proposed memeberhsip to the ASSECAA in 2022, as well as its contribution to the successful organization of this important event in Malabo.

The programme of this meeting concerns issues linked to strengthening coordination and consultation, exchanging visions and experiences, and improving joint parliamentary action by countries of the South, in particular Arab and African countries.

The meeting will focus on three main themes: “Inter-regional initiatives and partnerships: opportunities for integration and development”, “Artificial intelligence in global south countries: challenges and opportunities” and “Strengthening and upgrading means of combating desertification and soil erosion”.

The Moroccan delegation accompanying Mayara includes President of Moroccan Labor Union (UMT) Noureddine Soulaik and member of General Confederation of Moroccan Companies (CGEM) Mohamed El Amouri.

ASSECAA is a regional parliamentary organization working to promote bicameralism and strengthen economic, political, social and cultural cooperation between African and Arab regions, as well as to promote dialogue, coordination and exchange of expertise and experience between member countries.