Vietnam attends opening of 207th session of IPU Governing Council

Hanoi (VNA) – A delegation of the National Assembly (NA) led by Standing Vice Chairman Tran Thanh Man attended the opening of the 207th session of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Governing Council via videoconference on May 24.

The session, chaired by IPU President Duarte Pacheco, was attended by IPU Secretary General Martin Chungong and representatives of 135 member parliaments.

Opening the two-day event, Pacheco said this is the second time the IPU Governing Council has met via videoconference, following the 206th session in November 2020.

On January 18, the IPU Executive Committee decided that given the COVID-19 pandemic’s complex developments and impacts, the 142nd IPU Assembly on May 26 will be teleconferenced under the theme of “Overcoming the pandemic today and building a better tomorrow: the role of parliaments”.

Pacheco stressed that despite the complicated COVID-19 situation around the globe, the IPU and member parliaments have still maintained their normal activities.

He called on member parliaments to enhance cooperation to seek solutions to defeat the pandemic and boost socio-economic recovery.

The IPU President held that it is necessary to promote the IPU’s presence and effectiveness, complete its strategies to increase women’s participation in the IPU, and consolidate the democracy and strength of parliaments around the world.

During the session, delegates are set to adopt the session’s agenda, the special rules of procedure for the virtual sessions of the Assembly and standing committees, the summary records of the Governing Council’s 206th session, the vision of the IPU President and report on his activities since the 206th session of the Governing Council, the Annual IPU Impact Report by the Secretary General on the activities of the IPU in 2020, and the financial results for last year.

The Governing Council will also elect additional members to the Executive Committee and other IPU bodies./.