Vietnamese parliament joins APPF Executive Committee

Hanoi (VNA) – The National Assembly (NA) of Vietnam was selected to join the Executive Committee of the Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum (APPF) in the next four-year term at the final plenum of the forum’s 29th annual meeting (APPF-29) on December 15 afternoon.

Aside from the Vietnamese parliament, those of Japan and New Zealand were also approved to be members of the Executive Committee for the new term, which will last from the APPF-30 to the APPF-33.

At the plenum, the meeting adopted a joint communiqué showing the member parliaments’ determination to enhance multilateral parliamentary cooperation and boost solidarity for post-pandemic recovery.

They also welcomed the Legislative Council of Brunei, from an observer, becoming a member of the APPF. Meanwhile, the parliament of the Republic of Korea handed over the APPF chairmanship to the Thai counterpart, which is scheduled to host the APPF-30 in 2022.

Earlier the same day, the member parliaments discussed the Asia-Pacific cooperation at the third plenary session.

They stressed that the region and the world are facing unprecedented challenges which have severely affected socio-economic development. They pointed out the need to strengthen parliamentary cooperation among the APPF members to cope with these issues and work towards sustainable development.

Le Thu Ha, standing member of the NA’s Committee for External Relations, said the parliament of Vietnam, a country highly vulnerable to climate change, has approved many legal documents creating the legal basis for efforts against this global phenomenon, enhanced ties with other legislatures, and coordinated with international organisations.

Attending the APPF-29, the Vietnamese NA delegation contributed many important ideas to the meeting, and the opinions were reflected in the event’s joint communiqué./.