UNB, Dhaka :
The five-day 136th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) begins here on Saturday which Bangladesh sees as a unique opportunity to brighten its image in the international forum by depicting the country’s ongoing economic progress.
A total of 1,348 delegates, including 53 Speakers, Deputy Speakers and 209 women parliamentarians, of 120 countries will join the assembly, said IPU President Saber Hossain. Prime
Minister Sheikh Hasina will formally inaugurate the IPU Assembly on the Jatiya Sangsad premises in the evening.
The Prime Minister is also expected to release a commemorative stamp and inaugurate IPU website television.
Other programmes of the Assembly will be held at Bangabanadhu International Conference Centre (BICC).
IPU President Saber Hossain Chowdhury, it’s Secretary General Martin Chungong and Speaker of Bangladesh Parliament Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury talked about various aspects of the Assembly at a press briefing held in the city on Friday. “The IPU Assembly will help display the country’s ongoing economic progress to change the perception of international community, which was created following former US Secretary of State Henry Alfred Kissinger’s remarks that Bangladesh is a bottomless basket in 1970s,” Saber said.
Noting that the 136th IPU Assembly will focus on militancy, he said terrorism and militancy has turned as a global problem, which cannot be checked by only the security forces.
“We’ve to find out the root causes behind militancy. There’ll be discussions in the IPU executive committee to prepare a strategy on how Members of Parliament can work to face militancy,” the IPU chief said.
IPU Secretary General Martin Chungong said the assembly will discuss the strategy to curb extremism. “Inequality and injustice are among the main causes behind the rise of extremism across the world. The IPU will address the issues in its Dhaka Assembly,” he added. Speaker Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury dubbed the hosting of the IPU Assembly as ‘a big achievement’ for the democratic progress of Bangladesh.
She said IPU has been playing an important role in making democracy sustainable and exercise of democratic practice. A 17-member delegation of Bangladesh will join the mega event, she mentioned.
Taking decisive actions to end economic, political and social inequality will be the focus of deliberations, according to IPU media release. Parliamentarians, including 53 Speakers of Parliament, will make concrete proposals on a range of issues, from ending rising inequality to promoting women’s access to financing, during the Assembly. Bangladesh Parliament is hosting the Assembly. Nobel Peace Prize laureate and children’s rights activist, Kailash Satyarthi, will be the keynote speaker during the opening session of the debates on April 2. Kailash Satyarthi has spent many years tackling the tragic impact of inequality on children.
He is expected to highlight the role and responsibility of parliamentarians in ending child labour and better protecting children from all forms of exploitation. Together with the IPU, he will also call on nations to end child trafficking and make every effort to protect the fundamental rights of children. New estimates published by Oxfam show that just eight men own the same amount of wealth as 3.6 billion people who make up the poorest half of humanity. According to the IPU, the consequences of inequality are unsustainable, causing instability and undermining human rights. In 2015, the international community agreed to take robust action on inequality. Goal 10 of the Sustainable Development Goals calls on governments to “reduce inequalities within and among countries”.
During the IPU’s Assembly, parliamentarians will concentrate on the impact of inequality on the poor, women and vulnerable groups.
Using the achievement of Goal 10 as the measure of success, they will potentially look at ways to assess the extent of economic, social and political inequalities and to ensure the needs of the poor and marginalised are addressed at all levels of decision-making. IPU Members will adopt a resolution to guarantee the financial inclusion of women as drivers of development. The IPU Standing Committee on Peace and International Security will further examine, and possibly adopt a resolution of the issue of non-interference in the internal affairs of States, in the context of our world today. They will remain engaged in debate on redressing inequalities, women empowerments, health issues and on the role of parliaments in preventing outside interference in the internal affairs of sovereign states during the assembly.
Meanwhile, adequate security measures have been taken to help complete the Assembly smoothly.
The entry of visitors to the arrivals and departure concourse halls of the airport has been banned as part of the tight security measures.
The five-day 136th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) begins here on Saturday which Bangladesh sees as a unique opportunity to brighten its image in the international forum by depicting the country’s ongoing economic progress.
A total of 1,348 delegates, including 53 Speakers, Deputy Speakers and 209 women parliamentarians, of 120 countries will join the assembly, said IPU President Saber Hossain. Prime
Minister Sheikh Hasina will formally inaugurate the IPU Assembly on the Jatiya Sangsad premises in the evening.
The Prime Minister is also expected to release a commemorative stamp and inaugurate IPU website television.
Other programmes of the Assembly will be held at Bangabanadhu International Conference Centre (BICC).
IPU President Saber Hossain Chowdhury, it’s Secretary General Martin Chungong and Speaker of Bangladesh Parliament Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury talked about various aspects of the Assembly at a press briefing held in the city on Friday. “The IPU Assembly will help display the country’s ongoing economic progress to change the perception of international community, which was created following former US Secretary of State Henry Alfred Kissinger’s remarks that Bangladesh is a bottomless basket in 1970s,” Saber said.
Noting that the 136th IPU Assembly will focus on militancy, he said terrorism and militancy has turned as a global problem, which cannot be checked by only the security forces.
“We’ve to find out the root causes behind militancy. There’ll be discussions in the IPU executive committee to prepare a strategy on how Members of Parliament can work to face militancy,” the IPU chief said.
IPU Secretary General Martin Chungong said the assembly will discuss the strategy to curb extremism. “Inequality and injustice are among the main causes behind the rise of extremism across the world. The IPU will address the issues in its Dhaka Assembly,” he added. Speaker Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury dubbed the hosting of the IPU Assembly as ‘a big achievement’ for the democratic progress of Bangladesh.
She said IPU has been playing an important role in making democracy sustainable and exercise of democratic practice. A 17-member delegation of Bangladesh will join the mega event, she mentioned.
Taking decisive actions to end economic, political and social inequality will be the focus of deliberations, according to IPU media release. Parliamentarians, including 53 Speakers of Parliament, will make concrete proposals on a range of issues, from ending rising inequality to promoting women’s access to financing, during the Assembly. Bangladesh Parliament is hosting the Assembly. Nobel Peace Prize laureate and children’s rights activist, Kailash Satyarthi, will be the keynote speaker during the opening session of the debates on April 2. Kailash Satyarthi has spent many years tackling the tragic impact of inequality on children.
He is expected to highlight the role and responsibility of parliamentarians in ending child labour and better protecting children from all forms of exploitation. Together with the IPU, he will also call on nations to end child trafficking and make every effort to protect the fundamental rights of children. New estimates published by Oxfam show that just eight men own the same amount of wealth as 3.6 billion people who make up the poorest half of humanity. According to the IPU, the consequences of inequality are unsustainable, causing instability and undermining human rights. In 2015, the international community agreed to take robust action on inequality. Goal 10 of the Sustainable Development Goals calls on governments to “reduce inequalities within and among countries”.
During the IPU’s Assembly, parliamentarians will concentrate on the impact of inequality on the poor, women and vulnerable groups.
Using the achievement of Goal 10 as the measure of success, they will potentially look at ways to assess the extent of economic, social and political inequalities and to ensure the needs of the poor and marginalised are addressed at all levels of decision-making. IPU Members will adopt a resolution to guarantee the financial inclusion of women as drivers of development. The IPU Standing Committee on Peace and International Security will further examine, and possibly adopt a resolution of the issue of non-interference in the internal affairs of States, in the context of our world today. They will remain engaged in debate on redressing inequalities, women empowerments, health issues and on the role of parliaments in preventing outside interference in the internal affairs of sovereign states during the assembly.
Meanwhile, adequate security measures have been taken to help complete the Assembly smoothly.
The entry of visitors to the arrivals and departure concourse halls of the airport has been banned as part of the tight security measures.
