The UA Permanent delegation is taking part in the 138th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union
The Ukrainian delegation is led by Borys Tarasiuk, MP. The 138th Assembly of the IPU is taking place in Geneva, Switzerland, from 24 till 28 March, 2018. All IPU statutory bodies, including the Governing Council, Standing Committees, Committees on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians and on Middle East Questions, as well as the Forum of Women Parliamentarians and the Forum of Young MPs, will meet on this occasion.
The agenda is rich and comprehensive, covering key issues such as strengthening the parliamentary contribution to the global compact for migration, sustaining peace as a vehicle for achieving sustainable development, tackling women’s under-representation in politics, engaging the private sector in the development of renewable energy, and building sustainable and resilient societies.
All the issues, including draft resolutions, amendments to statutory documents, definition of further topics for consideration, are primarily considered within the framework of geopolitical groups.
Ukraine is among the most influential geopolitical group, which consists of representatives of 47 member countries, mainly from the European continent, along with Canada, New Zealand and Australia.
On March 23, the Ukrainian representatives took part in a meeting of the Group 12+, where issues of the Assembly agenda, reports of standing committees, amendments to the Charter, and potential membership of Azerbaijan were discussed.
The Assembly sessions will continue until March 28, 2018.
Worthy of note
IPU is a unique organization made up of national parliaments from around the world. It protects and builds global democracy through political dialogue and concrete action. It is a vibrant and growing group. Currently, it has 178 Member Parliaments and 12 Associate Members, working closely with the United Nations and other partner organizations whose goals are shared. More than 6.5 billion of the world’s 7 billion people live in states whose parliaments are members of the IPU — and it is their elected representatives who engage in and steer the IPU’s policies. By bringing parliaments together, IPU brings people together. IPU is financed primarily by the Members out of public funds. IPU’s headquarters are in Geneva, Switzerland.
The Inter-Parliamentary Union was created in 1889, in an era when there were no established means for governments, parliaments or MPs to work together internationally. It took two 19th century men of vision—Englishman William Randal Cremer and Frenchman Frederic Passy — to lay the foundations for all that has followed. They set up an association of MPs which has been transformed into the thriving global organization of today.
The men were from vastly different social backgrounds, but were united in their belief in solving international disputes through peaceful means. Lifelong, tireless campaigners for peace, both went on to win the Nobel Peace Prize.
Their work led to the world’s first permanent international political organization and provided the origins for multilateral cooperation between nations today. The IPU was instrumental in setting up the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague in 1899, and its calls for an international institution linking governments helped lay the foundations for the creation of the League of Nations in 1919 and the United Nations in 1945.
IPU is made up of a complex group of bodies with specific mandates and functions.
Member parliaments:
- Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan
- Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belgium, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia (Plurinational State of), Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi
- Cabo Verde, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic
- Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominican Republic
- Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Estonia, Ethiopia
- Fiji, Finland, France
- Gabon, the Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, Guyana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau
- Haiti, Honduras, Hungary
- Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy
- Japan, Jordan
- Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan
- Lao People's Democratic Republic, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg
- Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Micronesia (Federated States of), Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar
- Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway
- Oman
- Pakistan, Palau, Palestine, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal
- Qatar
- Republic of Korea, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Russian Federation, Rwanda
- Saint Lucia, Samoa, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Syrian Arab Republic
- Tajikistan, Thailand, The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu
- Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United Republic of Tanzania, Uruguay, Uzbekistan
- Vanuatu, Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of), Viet Nam
- Yemen
- Zambia, Zimbabwe