P20: Didiza issues strong call for fundamental reform of international institutions

KLEINMOND - National Assembly Speaker Thoko Didiza has made a strong call for the fundamental reform of international institutions, saying they are outdated and don’t reflect contemporary realities. 

She's rallied her counterparts from G20 parliaments to advocate for change while lamenting the decline of multilateralism. 

Didiza is hosting the speakers and representatives of G20 and African Union parliaments in the Western Cape this week, where a strong focus has been placed on the use of parliamentary diplomacy to achieve justice, equity and sustainability.

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Speaker Thoko Didiza has encouraged delegates to make this 11th P20 Summit a turning point for parliaments to transform from reactive institutions to proactive engines of global solidarity. 

She said the weakening multilateral system was an uncomfortable reality that must be faced, with geopolitical fragmentation circumventing established order and testing global institutions. 

"Critical bodies such as the United Nations Security Council and the World Trade Organization remain mired in procedural paralysis. Meanwhile, the Global South continues to face systematic underrepresentation in institutions such as the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, a governance deficit that perpetuates historical injustices and undermines legitimacy."

Didiza said that political diplomacy needed to be a catalyst for multilateral renewal.

"Parliamentary diplomacy is more than ceremonial protocol. It is a strategic instrument for building consensus, harmonising legislative frameworks, and safeguarding democratic principles."

Didiza said parliaments must respond to global challenges not merely with aspirational rhetoric but with substantive legislative action.