Manama, March 10 (BNA): The Kingdom of Bahrain’s hosting of the 146th General Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union and its accompanying meetings on March 11 and 15 is an important event given the Union’s status as a global center. An organization with wide international weight and presence.
The hosting also reflects the local, regional and international success of the Kingdom’s parliamentary reputation.
The national parliaments of 178 countries are members of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, while 13 regional parliaments are associate members.
The primary objective of the IPU is to promote democratic governance, accountability and cooperation among its members; Other initiatives include promoting gender parity among legislative bodies, empowering youth participation in politics, and sustainable development.
It also advocates for the human rights of parliamentarians through an ad hoc committee made up of MPs from around the world.
The IPU meets twice a year for more than 1,500 parliamentary delegates and partners in a global assembly, bringing a parliamentary dimension to global governance, including the work of the United Nations and the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
The Inter-Parliamentary Union was established in 1889 as the Inter-Parliamentary Conference. Its founders were the statesmen Frédéric Passy of France and William Randall Cremer of the United Kingdom, who sought to create the first permanent forum for multilateral political negotiations.
Initially, IPU membership was reserved for individual parliamentarians, but it has since shifted to include the legislatures of sovereign states.
The Confederation was initially based in Bern, Switzerland (1892-1911). They were later transferred to Brussels, Belgium (1911-1914), Oslo, Norway (1914-1920) and Geneva, Switzerland (1921-present).
The IPU has facilitated the development of international law and institutions, including the Permanent Court of Arbitration, the League of Nations, and the United Nations.
It also sponsors and participates in international conferences and forums, and enjoys permanent observer status in the United Nations General Assembly.
The organs of the Inter-Parliamentary Union are:
Assembly: It meets twice a year, and the assembly consists of parliamentarians appointed by the members as delegates. The association is assisted in its work by permanent committees whose numbers and terms of reference are determined by the Board of Directors. Standing committees usually prepare reports and draft resolutions for the assembly. No single delegate may register more than ten votes.
Board of Directors: The Board of Directors usually holds two sessions per year. The Board of Directors consists of three representatives from each member. The term of office of a member of the Board of Directors continues from one association to another and all members of the Board of Directors must be members of Parliament. The Governing Council elects the President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union for a period of three years. He also elects the members of the Executive Committee and appoints the Secretary-General of the Federation.
Executive Committee: The Executive Committee consists of the President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, 15 members belonging to different parliaments (elected by the Governing Council; no less than 12 members elected from among the members of the Board of Directors) and the Chairman of the Coordinating Committee for the Meeting of Women Parliamentarians.
The 15 elected seats are reserved for geopolitical groups. Parliamentarians from countries where women have the right to vote and the right to stand for election are eligible for membership in the Executive Committee.
The Executive Committee is the governing body of the Inter-Parliamentary Union.
Secretariat: The Secretariat constitutes the entire staff of the Organization under the direction of the current Secretary-General Martin Chungong who was unanimously re-elected for a third term of four years as Secretary-General of the IPU at the 143rd Assembly of the IPU in Madrid.
Chongong, eighth Secretary General of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, Cameroonian. He is the first non-European and the first African to be elected Secretary General of the Inter-Parliamentary Union. He took office on July 1, 2014.
Assemblies of the Inter-Parliamentary Union are held twice each year in Geneva, or in any other city around the world. The 146th session will be held in Bahrain under the title “Promoting Peaceful Coexistence and Inclusive Societies: Fighting Intolerance”.