Luanda – The Secretary-General of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), Martin Chungong, said on Wednesday in Luanda Province that the 148th General Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) is scheduled to take place in Geneva, Switzerland, in March 2024.
Uzbekistan, a country located in Central Asia, has offered to host the meeting scheduled for March 2025.
According to the official, who was speaking at the Board of Directors of the IPU in the capital city of Angola, before the 2025 event it is scheduled another General Assembly of the IPU in October 2024, but the host country has yet to be decided.
The city of Geneva will also host the Summit of the Speakers of the European Parliament in 2025. This event, which brings together the leaders of parliaments from around the world, takes place every five years. The IPU will organise this meeting in collaboration with the UN services in Geneva.
General Debate
Speakers from parliaments around the world spoke this Wednesday at the IPU's general debate on parliamentary action related to peace, justice and strong institutions.
Angolan parliamentarian Idalina Valente, who is also the spokesperson for the 147th IPU General Assembly, presented the countries' declaration.
Speaking about the motto of the general assembly corresponding to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), she praised Angola's role in the peace process that has been consolidated over the years and the importance of parliaments in making peace lasting and sustainable.
The work of the IPU's Commission on Democracy and Human Rights was suspended on Wednesday due to the meeting of the Socialist International (SI), a parallel event attended by delegates to the IPU General Assembly and special guests from the People’s Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) party.
The Socialist International (SI), founded in 1951, is an international organisation that seeks to spread and implement democratic socialism through the union of social democratic, socialist and labour political parties.
The event on gender equality was attended by Angolan MP Florbela Malaquias, who works on gender issues within the IPU General Assembly.
The Commission on Human Rights and Parliamentarians will present its draft resolution on Friday.
On the other hand, the four candidates for the IPU presidency continue to work on publicising their programmes and establishing lobbies for their election, scheduled for the last day of the General Assembly (Friday).
This Thursday (26), in addition to the continuation of the General Debate, several parallel discussions of the IPU's standing committees are scheduled.
Founded in 1889, the IPU is one of the oldest political organisations in the world and currently has more than 46,000 members from 179 national parliaments, promoting peace and democracy.
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