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2nd LD-Writethru: 132nd Assembly of Inter-Parliamentary Union kicks off in Vietnam

Xinhua, March 28, 2015 Adjust font size:

An opening ceremony is held to inaugurate the 132nd Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union ( IPU-132) in the venue of Vietnam's National Assembly in capital Hanoi on Saturday night.

"Established in 1889 and well before the United Nations and League of Nations, IPU is the oldest political multilateral institution in the world. It stands proud and strong today with 166 Member parliaments having around 45,000 member of parliaments representing 6.5 billion people round the world and it continues to strive for universal membership," said IPU President Saber Chowdhury in his speech.

The 132nd Assembly provides participants with a great opportunity to network and engage with fellow parliamentarians from around the world, share and enhance perspectives and knowledge on best practices and finally use this to enrich the lives and livelihoods of the people they represent, said the IPU President.

As the theme of the IPU-132 is "Sustainable Development Goals: Turning Words into Action", Nguyen Sinh Hung, chairman of Vietnam' s National Assembly said in his opening remark that it is of significance to discuss a new agenda for post-2015 development when the Millennium Development Goals is going to end this year.

The theme for discussion shows a strong commitment of parliaments around the world on effectively implementation of sustainable development goals, Hung added.

In addition, the IPU-132 will also work on issues of internet security, water governance, national sovereignty, human rights, gender equality, as well as healthcare for women and children among others, said Hung.

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. Established in 1889 on the initiative of two parliamentarians and men of peace, William Randal Cremer (United Kingdom) and Frederic 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.

Over 1,300 delegates from members and associate members of IPU are to join the IPU-132 and related meetings in Vietnam, which will last from Saturday to next Wednesday.

This is the first time Vietnam has ever hosted the event. The Vietnam's National Assembly (NA) officially became a member of the IPU in April 1979.

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. Endi