Tashkent: The 150th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU-150) was convened in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, with the participation of the Shura Council. HE Speaker of the Shura Council, Hassan bin Abdullah Al Ghanim, led the Shura Council’s delegation at the opening of these significant meetings.
According to Qatar News Agency, the session’s agenda includes numerous topics related to current global issues, focusing particularly on developments in the occupied Palestinian territories, international peace and security, environmental governance mechanisms to combat climate change effects, and revitalizing legislative frameworks for social and economic justice.
Participants are set to evaluate parliamentary initiatives aimed at accelerating the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at both regional and global levels. They will also assess the progress made toward their realization.
HE Al Ghanim chaired the coordinating meeting of the Asian Parliamentary Assembly (APA), which addressed regional cooperation among member states, strengthening the role of Asian parliaments in supporting development and stability, and forming a unified position on the emergency item the Arab Group plans to submit during the General Assembly. This item calls for ending Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip and all occupied Palestinian territories and rejects the displacement of Palestinians.
HE Al Ghanim also participated in the coordinating meeting of the Islamic Parliamentary Group, which discussed key global issues and ways to align positions within the IPU’s General Assembly to amplify the voice of the Islamic world in international legislative forums.
Additionally, the Shura Council, represented by HE Member Dr. Sultan bin Hassan Al Dosari, engaged in a joint meeting between the legislative councils of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states and the Group of Latin America and the Caribbean (GRULAC). The discussions focused on enhancing parliamentary cooperation and aligning positions on issues on the agenda of the 150th Assembly of IPU and the 215th session of the Governing Council, alongside recent parliamentary developments of shared interest.
This assembly occurs amidst rapid regional and global challenges as parliaments aim to enhance multilateral cooperation and strengthen the principles of sustainable peace and development in agreement with the IPU’s objectives. Regional and global crises were central to the opening ceremony’s discussions, with notable contributions from HE Chairperson of the Senate of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Tanzila Narbayeva; HE President of the IPU, Dr. Tulia Axson; and HE Secretary-General of the IPU, Martin Chungong. A visual presentation titled “From Paris to Tashkent: In Celebration of the 150th Assembly of the IPU” was also delivered.