Panama, 19 – 20 May, 2023 - The Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean (PAM) participated in the 37th Ordinary Assembly of the Latin American Parliament (Parlatino). PAM President H.E. Sen. Enaam Mayara (Morocco), President of the House of Councillors of the Kingdom of Morocco, and Hon. Joana Lima (Portugal), President of the PAM Women Parliamentary Forum (PAM/WPF), represented PAM at the event.
More than 200 parliamentarians and special guests from all over the world attended the Parlatino Assembly.
This year’s theme of the Parlatino was "Women and Girls, necessary protagonists for the development of Latin America and the Caribbean”.
In address at the opening ceremony, PAM President highlighted the common challenges that both the Euro-Mediterranean & Gulf, and the Latin America & the Caribbean regions face, including migration and climate change, as well as the fight against transnational organized crime, and he proposed the two assemblies sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to strengthen cooperation.
Hon. Lima, during her speech, focused on how women and girls face many barriers in their emancipation, including domestic violence, sexual exploitation and child marriage, as well as limited access to education, maternal and child health care and new technologies.
With only 22.88% women Members of Parliaments and 8 women speakers in the PAM regions, legislators have a key role to play in working towards gender parity, and PAM remains committed to work, mainly through its Women Parliamentary Forum, to reduce the gender gap, protect and support GBV survivors, and promote equality in decision-making.//