The Deputy Speaker of the Ugandan Parliament, Rt Hon Thomas Tayebwa, has been elected member of the bureau to represent East Africa to the Organization of African, Caribbean, and Pacific States (OACPS) – European Union General Assembly.
Tayebwa was elected during the 64th Session of the OACPS Parliamentary Assembly and Constitutive Sessions of the OACPS-EU Joint Parliamentary Assemblies happening in Luanda, Angola, between 17 and 21 February 2024.
He will be representing Mauritius, Seychelles, Djibouti, Comoros, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi.
In his acceptance speech, Tayebwa pledged to focus on the implementation of the Samoa Agreement which has replaced the Cotonou Agreement that had been running for over 20 years, etc.
“Thank you, colleagues, for the trust in me to represent East Africa on the Organisation of Africa, Caribbean and Pacific Countries Parliamentary Group at the ongoing Assembly in Luanda, Angola. I will be a voice of the global south as we engage with our colleagues from the European Parliament,” he stated.
He also thanked the Speaker of Parliament, Rt Hon Anita Among, for the encouragement to go for it, and the Uganda delegation for the coordination.
“We shall be engaging strongly with European Union coalitions to deal with climate change, gender parity, energy transition, human rights, Peace and Conflict Resolution, and democracy which are cornerstones of the international framework,” he said.