A Bahraini parliamentary delegation has arrived here to take part in the 137th Assembly of Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and related meetings, due to begin tomorrow and run until October 18, with the participation of most IPU member states’ parliaments.
 
Speaker of the Council of Representatives, Ahmed bin Ibrahim Al-Mulla, said that the delegation would participate actively in the sessions which will would discuss the political, economic and social situation in the world, under the theme “Promoting cultural pluralism and peace through inter-faith and inter-ethnic dialogue”.
 
They will also participate in the discussions of the Standing Committees on Peace and International Security on the role of parliaments in striking a balance between national security and the human security, individuals’ freedom and removing risks to democracy, he said.
Members of the delegation will also take part in the Standing Committee on Democracy and Human Rights’ draft resolution on “Sharing our diversity: The 20th anniversary of the Universal Declaration on Democracy.”
 
He added that the Standing Committee on Peace and International Security would discuss a number of topics, including the Sustaining peace as a vehicle for achieving sustainable development, the role of parliament in monitoring the action of national armed forces participating in UN peacekeeping operations and implementation of a previous resolution on cyber warfare.
 
As to the Standing Committee on United Nations Affairs, it will discuss during its plenary sessions the “Role of the UN General Assembly in international governance: What path forward?”,  as well as the “parliamentary dimension to the United Nations – 20 years in the making”
 
Regarding the Forum of Women Parliamentarians, it will discuss gender-related activities, as well as contributing to the work of the 137 th Assembly from a gender perspective, and the fifth anniversary of the Plan of Action for Gender-sensitive Parliaments.
 
The Forum of Young Parliamentarians of the IPU will review countries’ experiences on youth participation in public life, as well as their successes and the challenges facing them.
 
The Speaker said that Bahrain’s participation in IPU’s assembly stems from its democratic project based on cooperating with other countries in a way that would achieve the kingdom’s interests.
 
He added that through its participation in international gatherings, the kingdom aims to present itself as a constitutional monarchy with its constitutional establishments such as the elected Council of Representatives and the Shura Council, as well as its democratic openness strides that guaranteed freedoms of expression and opinion for everybody without any restrictions.

Source: BNA