The Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Foreign Affairs, today announced that the Honourable Robert Oliphant, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, will visit South Africa, Malawi and Tanzania from May 22 to May 27, 2022.
In Pretoria and Johannesburg, South Africa, Parliamentary Secretary Oliphant will engage with key government officials on shared priorities, including, global health, democracy, climate cooperation, and multilateralism. He will also meet with representatives of civil society organizations and think tanks to discuss gender equality, women's leadership and peace and security.
In Lilongwe, Malawi, he will meet with government officials and parliamentarians to discuss Canada and Malawi's growing political, economic and commercial partnership, as well as gender equality. Parliamentary Secretary Oliphant will also engage with representatives of civil society organizations, the private sector and international partners regarding human rights and the Sustainable Development Goals.
In Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, Parliamentary Secretary Oliphant will exchange with several ministers to explore greater collaboration between Canada and Tanzania on mutual priorities, including global and regional peace and security, gender equality, health, inclusive governance and media freedom. He will also discuss these issues with representatives of civil society organizations, including development partners.
During his visits, Parliamentary Secretary Oliphant will also raise the impacts of the Russian regime's illegal, unjustifiable, and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. He will also reaffirm Canada's commitment to international cooperation on global issues, democratic resilience, conflict prevention, human rights and economic cooperation.