Mr. Asaf Hajiyev, PABSEC Secretary General, participated in the Fifth World Conference of Speakers of Parliaments, which took place in Vienna on 6-8 September 2021.
The Conference was attended by 100 speakers of parliaments and leaders of many international and regional parliamentary assemblies. The event is organized by the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) in cooperation with the United Nations (UN) and the Austrian Parliament.
At the opening ceremony, the participants were addressed by Mr. Duarte Pacheco, President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, Mr. Wolfgang Sobotka, the President of the National Council of the Republic of Austria, and Mr. Martin Chungong, Secretary General of the Inter-Parliamentary Union.
At the two-day Conference, which is organised every five years, parliamentarians exchanged views on post-pandemic development, reforming the economy to combat climate change and ensure environmental sustainability.
The Fifth World Conference of Speakers of Parliaments adopted a high-level declaration on parliamentary leadership for a more effective multilateralism that delivers peace and sustainable development to people and the planet. The Declaration underlines the importance of international solidarity and cooperation between parliaments in recovery efforts from the COVID-19 pandemic. The Document states that these efforts to uphold the rule of law, democratic principles and universal human rights. It emphasizes that the recovery must be inclusive, sustainable and green, and include innovative solutions to the climate crisis.
On the side-lines of the Conference, the PABSEC Secretary General had a short meeting with Ms. Margareta Cederfelt, President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, Mr. Gennaro Migliore, President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean, and Mr. Sergio Piazzi, Secretary General of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean. Special concern was expressed about the large number of refugees in the region due to the events in Afghanistan. The expediency of holding a joint event on refugee issue with the participation of representatives of international parliamentary organizations was emphasized.
Mr. Asaf Hajiyev, PABSEC Secretary General, met with the Secretary General of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Ms. Delfina Chatzivassiliou-Tsovilis. The issues regarding further cooperation between the PABSEC and PACE and the activities of the two assemblies in the post-pandemic period were discussed.
During the meeting of the PABSEC Secretary General with Mr. Altynbek Mamayusupov, Secretary General of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Turkic Speaking Countries (TURKPA), information was exchanged on the activities of the two assemblies. The Secretary General of TURKPA invited the PABSEC Secretary General to the TURKPA General Assembly, which will be held in Kazakhstan on 27-28 September 2021.
During the meeting of the PABSEC Secretary General with Mr. Dmitry Kobitsky, Secretary General of the Interparliamentary Assembly of the CIS, Mr. Asaf Hajiyev briefly informed his colleague about the PABSEC activities and the future plans. The Secretary General of the IPA CIS invited the PABSEC Secretary General to the IPA CIS General Assembly, which will be held in St. Petersburg on 25-26 November 2021.
Within the framework of the Conference, the PABSEC Secretary General met with Mr. Martin Chungong, Secretary General of the Inter-Parliamentary Union. The PABSEC Secretary General informed about the current and planned activities of the Parliamentary Assembly and noted the special role of the parliamentary organizations in mobilizing political will and resources to solve global problems. The importance of joining efforts of the public at large through the organization of joint parliamentary events was also underlined.
The Fifth World Conference of Speakers of Parliaments was followed on 9 September 2021 by the First Global Parliamentary Summit on Counter-Terrorism, jointly organized by the Inter-Parliamentary Union and the United Nations.
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