Backgrounder: 132nd Assembly of Inter-Parliamentary Union

The 132nd Assembly of the Inter- Parliamentary Union (IPU) will be held in Vietnam's capital Hanoi from March 28 to April 1, 2015.

The 132nd IPU Assembly will be held under the theme " Sustainable Development Goals: Turning Words into Action". According to Anders B. Johnsson, IPU secretary general, the theme chosen by Vietnam is important and at a right time as the world is in need of a new development agenda after fulfillment of millennium development goals.

Over 1,300 delegates from some 163 members and associate members of IPU are expected to join the 132nd IPU in Vietnam.

The Inter-Parliamentary Union Assembly (formerly known as the Inter-Parliamentary Conference) is the principal statutory body that expresses the views of the Inter-Parliamentary Union on political issues. It brings together parliamentarians to study international problems and make recommendations for action.

The IPU is the international organization of Parliaments. It was established in 1889 on the initiative of two parliamentarians and men of peace, William Randal Cremer (Britain) and Frdric Passy (France). The Inter-Parliamentary Union was the first permanent forum for political multilateral negotiations.

There are currently 166 Members and 10 Associate Members of the Inter-Parliamentary Union.

The Governing Council (formerly called Inter-Parliamentary Council) is the plenary policy-making body of the Inter- Parliamentary Union. A number of committees and working groups are subordinated to it and report to the council on their work.

In accordance with the Union's Statutes, the 17-member Executive Committee oversees the administration of the Inter- Parliamentary Union and provides advice to the Governing Council.

The president of the Inter-Parliamentary Union is the political head of the organization and is elected to the post by the IPU Membership through its Governing Council. Upon election for a three-year mandate, the president is also the ex officio President of IPU's Governing Council and the Executive Committee. The current IPU president is Bangladesh MP Saber Chowdhury who took office on Oct.16, 2014.

Under the terms of Assembly Rule 11.1, any member of the union may request the inclusion of an emergency item in the assembly agenda. Seven emergency items for discussion have been submitted to IPU-132 so far by Australia, Belgium, Chad, Iran, Jordan, Morocco and Syria.

The event will run 67 sessions to discuss and finalize several draft resolutions on cyber warfare, water governance and international law of national sovereignty.

Various meetings are to be held during the 132nd IPU, including those by Assembly Governing Council, Standing Committee on Peace and International Security, Standing Committee on Sustainable Development, Finance and Trade, Standing Committee on Democracy and Human Rights, Standing Committee on UN Affairs, Meeting of Women Parliamentarians and Forum of Young Parliamentarians of the IPU.

A joint declaration, if being adopted at the IPU-132 assembly, will be submitted as an official document to the United Nations General Assembly in September 2015.

Finding ways to curb the growing threat of terrorism and ensuring the success of a new set of development goals to be adopted later this year will be the key priority of delegates at the 132nd IPU in Vietnam. Endi