Bhubaneswar, 17 September (H.S.): Odisha Legislative Assembly Speaker Surama Padhy is on a visit to South Africa to participate in the 69th Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) Conference being held in Cape Town.

The four-day conference, which began on September 14 and concludes on September 17, is being held at the International Convention Centre in Cape Town. Representatives from 56 countries, including Speakers, ministers, parliamentarians, legislators and parliamentary officials, are participating in the conference.

Addressing the conference, Padhy said India’s approach is to move forward by pursuing development alongside sustainability. She stressed that development and climate resilience cannot be pursued separately, as climate-related challenges are closely linked with agriculture, water, energy, healthcare, urban development, infrastructure, forests, coastal areas and disaster management.

She said state and local institutions play an important role in identifying solutions suited to local environmental conditions and available resources. As climate resilience is an integral part of development, pollution and climate change need to be addressed together, she said.

According to Padhy, greater adoption of clean energy, energy efficiency, improved waste management and circular economic practices can contribute to better climate outcomes, public health and quality of life.

Referring to Odisha’s experience in dealing with natural disasters, the Speaker said the state has been able to mitigate their adverse impact through early warning systems, cyclone preparedness, shelters, evacuation mechanisms, institutional coordination and community participation.

She said climate change is not merely an environmental or scientific challenge. Addressing it requires legislative measures, budgetary provisions, monitoring and accountability. Community participation, she added, is essential for building climate resilience.

Padhy emphasised the important role of legislatures in ensuring that development decisions make communities safer in the future and safeguard people’s lives and livelihoods as well as the interests of communities and future generations.

More than 200 delegates, including Speakers from 17 states, are participating in the conference under the leadership of Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh Narayan Singh.

During the conference, Padhy also participated in the Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians programme and took part in discussions on the participation of persons with disabilities in parliamentary institutions.

Odisha Legislative Assembly Deputy Speaker Bhawanishankar Bhoi and Assembly Secretary Satyabrata Rout are also participating in the conference.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Monalisa Panda