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Bilateral Visits -- Namibia and South Africa Report of the Canadian Parliamentary Delegation respecting its participation at the Bilateral Mission to the Republic of Namibia and the Republic of South Africa Canada-Africa Parliamentary Association Windhoek, Namibia and Cape Town, South Africa February 28 to March 5, 2016 Report MEMBERS OF THE DELEGATION The Canada-Africa Parliamentary Association (“the Association”) was represented by the Honourable Mauril Bélanger, P.C., M.P., Co-Chair of the Association; the Honourable Raynell Andreychuk, Senator, Co-Chair of the Association; the Honourable Jim Munson, Senator, Vice-Chair of the Association; David Christopherson, M.P., Vice- Chair of the Association; Robert Oliphant, M.P., Vice-Chair of the Association; and Dave Van Kesteren, M.P. The delegation was accompanied by David Andrés Novoa, Association Secretary, and Brian Hermon, Analyst of the Association. MISSION OBJECTIVES The Association conducted bilateral visits to Windhoek, Namibia and Cape Town, South Africa, from 28 February to 5 March 2016. This was the Association’s second bilateral visit to both Namibia and South Africa, following initial bilateral visits to these countries in 2009 and 2006 respectively. In Namibia, the Association had the following objectives: to follow-up on its 2009 bilateral visit and to reinforce parliamentary relations between Canada and Namibia; to exchange views with parliamentarians from both the government and opposition on how they fulfil their roles as representatives, and in the business of Parliament; to strengthen relations with the Southern African Development Community Parliamentary Forum; to acquaint parliamentarians – both Canadian and African – with Canada’s involvement in the region, including its development support and business activity; and, to discuss the issue of corporate social responsibility with business groups involved in the extractive industry sector. In South Africa, the Association’s objectives were the following: to build upon previous visits by the Association to South Africa and recent visits by South African parliamentarians to Ottawa; to gain a parliamentary perspective on the current political situation in South Africa and to discuss how the global economic outlook is affecting the country; to engage parliamentarians on issues of democracy, governance, the rule of law, human rights, regional security; and, to learn about how South Africa is addressing development challenges, including public health issues, such as HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis. To reach its objectives, the Association met with parliamentarians from the governing and opposition parties, government officials, international and regional organizations, including the World Food Programme and the Southern African Development Community Parliamentary Forum, civil society organizations, the media and the private sector. In addition, the Association visited a local school in Namibia, as well as a vocational training centre and a health clinic in South Africa. THE REPUBLIC OF NAMIBIA1 The Republic of Namibia is located in southwest Africa. It is bordered by Angola to the north, Zambia to the northeast, Botswana to the east, and South Africa to the southeast. Namibia is sparsely populated with many of its inhabitants living in rural areas, often beyond the reach of road infrastructure and basic services. The population of Namibia is approximately 2.2 million. The capital, Windhoek, is the largest city in the country, with about 370,000 inhabitants. Despite its small population, Namibia is made up of a diverse number of ethnic, religious and linguistic groups. A. System of Government Namibia is a multi-party unitary republic. Executive power is vested in the president and the cabinet. The president, who is both head of state and head of government, as well as being commander of the military forces, is elected by universal suffrage for a five- year term. Legislative power is vested in the National Assembly. In August 2014, the National Assembly adopted a constitutional amendment which increased the number of seats in that body; it is now composed of 104 members, 96 of whom are directly elected and are voting members, and eight of whom are appointed by the president and are non-voting members. The mandate of the National Assembly is five years and elections are held under a proportional representation system. The National Council – the upper house of Parliament – consists of three members from each of the 14 regions, elected by regional councils from among their members for five-year terms. The National Council considers bills passed by the National Assembly and forwards bills that affect regional concerns to that body. Namibia’s most recent presidential and legislative elections took place in November 2014. In the presidential election, Hage Geingob of the South West African People’s Organization (SWAPO) obtained approximately 86% of the votes cast. In the legislative elections, SWAPO received 80% of the votes, gaining control of 77 of the 96 elective seats in the National Assembly. Namibia’s elections were described as peaceful and transparent by regional observers, including the Southern African Development 1 Unless otherwise indicated, this section of the report contains information retrieved from the following sources: Global Affairs Canada, the Economist Intelligence Unit, the United States Department of State, the Central Intelligence Agency World Factbook, the Inter-Parliamentary Union, and Europa World. Community (SADC) and the African Union. Namibia will hold its next presidential and legislative elections in 2019. B. Economic and Social Development The World Bank classifies Namibia as an upper-middle-income economy. The country’s total gross domestic product (GDP) was estimated to be US$23.48 billion on a purchasing power parity (PPP) basis in 2014, representing the 139th largest economy in the world. At approximately US$10,000 on a PPP basis, Namibia’s GDP per capita is significantly above average for sub-Saharan Africa. However, this wealth is distributed very unevenly. Namibia’s Gini coefficient – a measurement of inequality – is one of the world’s highest. Moreover, despite solid economic growth over the past decade, the unemployment rate – estimated at 28% in 2014 – remains high. Namibia’s progress toward achieving the Millennium Development Goals by the target date of 2015 was mixed. Namibia made significant progress in reducing extreme poverty; the proportion of the population living on US$1.25 per day on a purchasing power parity basis fell from 49% in 1993 to 23.5% in 2009. Namibia has also made significant progress in achieving universal primary school enrolment and increasing rates of literacy. At the same time, hunger continues to be a major challenge in Namibia, owing to repeated droughts and structural poverty compounded by a high HIV/AIDS prevalence rate. According to UNAIDS, at approximately 16%, Namibia had the world’s 6th highest HIV/AIDS adult prevalence rate (adults aged 15–49) in 2014. Overall, Namibia ranked 126th out of 188 United Nations (UN) – recognized territories on the United Nations Development Programme’s (UNDP) 2015 Human Development Index. C. Governance and Human Rights Namibia is one of the top performers on the 2015 Ibrahim Index of African Governance – an annual report that assesses the governance of every African country – ranking 5th out of 54 African countries. Only Mauritius, Cape Verde, Botswana and South Africa rank higher on the index than Namibia. Free speech, freedom of the press, and freedoms of assembly and association are guaranteed by the country’s constitution and are generally respected in Namibia. One area of concern identified by international organizations relates to the rights and safety of women in Namibia. There have been reports that some women face discrimination with respect to customary law and other traditional practices. The issues of violence and discrimination against women and children, including rape, child abuse and child labour, were also identified as areas of concern in the United States Department of State’s Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2014. D. Canada-Namibia Relations Canada's relations with Namibia date back to the country’s efforts to achieve independence. Canada participated in the 1977–1982 negotiations on the United Nations Settlement Plan and actively supported Namibian independence in 1989–1990, providing military peacekeepers, police monitors, election supervisors and technical experts to the country. Today, Canada and Namibia cooperate on multilateral issues, including the Kimberley Process to control the trade in conflict diamonds and on initiatives to control high seas overfishing. Canada does not maintain a bilateral development assistance program with Namibia. However, Namibia is eligible for funding through various Global Affairs Canada development assistance delivery channels. Local organizations can also apply for support from the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives pool of funding. In 2014–2015, Canada provided $2.34 million in development assistance to Namibia, mainly through multilateral channels. Total two-way merchandise trade between Canada and Namibia was $135.6 million in 2015, making it Canada’s 96th largest merchandise trading partner. Despite a modest trading relationship, the potential for stronger economic relations between Canada and Namibia exists. Namibia presents investment opportunities for Canadian companies, particularly in the natural resources sector. Canada negotiated a Double Taxation Agreement (DTA) with
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