Over 1,000 MPs to participate in IPU General Assembly in Angola

 Luanda – At least 1,400 parliamentarians from 172 countries are expected to take part in the 147th General Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), to be held in October in the Angolan capital, Luanda.

The information was disclosed  to the press on Monday by the president of the National IPU Follow-up Group, Idalina Valente, at the end of a meeting of the event Organizing Committee chaired by the National Assembly Speaker , Carolina Cerqueira.

The organizing committee comprises three working sub-commissions, namely the sub-commission of organization, documentation, assurance, communication and press, the sub-commission of finance, logistics, protocol and transport, the sub-commission of events, as well as an executive secretariat that will support these sub-commissions. 

Idalina Valente, who is also spokeswoman for the event, emphasised the fact that this is the second time that a Portuguese-speaking country is organising this meeting, after the one held 63 years ago in Brazil.

The politician said the General Assembly is to elect a new IPU president that is to come from the African Group, adding that a candidate from the sub-Saharan Africa has been identified, although no name was disclosed. 

"So we are going to elect an African to preside over the organisation for the next three years, which has not happened for some time", the MP said.

Ms Valente said it is going to be a big challenge for the country to host about 1,400 MPs from all the member parliaments of the IPU. 

"There are about 172 countries, plus some observer members, which means that, in fact, between now and October we have a big job to do in several aspects, but we will certainly benefit from this great work that we are going to do," she explained.

Theme on the benefits of peace

Idalina Valente said the host country has the possibility to choose the main theme of the event.

The MP added that, in negotiations with the IPU secretariat, the theme has not yet been defined and that the proposal made by the IPU secretariat and the host country itself, would like it to be a theme related to the benefits of peace and the achievement of sustainable development goals.

According to the spokeswoman, the country has the great challenge of creating the technical, material and human conditions to ensure the smooth running of an event of this nature, from press equipment, photography, information and communication technologies, among others. 

Ms Valente also stressed the fact that the country has sufficient capacity to accommodate the delegates in three, four and five star hotels and that it will have to make sure that these hotels are fully operational. 

The spokeswoman informed also that in June, the Angolan National Assembly Speaker, as coordinator of the event, will send the invitation letters to the 172 members of the organisation and about 43 observers to be present at the great event.

The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), founded in June 1889 by Frédéric Passy and William Randal Cremer, is the international organisation of parliaments.  

As such, it is the only organisation that represents the legislative branch of governments on a global scale. Unlike other international organisations, it is not intergovernmental but an institution for the promotion of cooperation among parliaments.  

It works under the United Nations system, and its fundamental purpose is to achieve peace, cooperation among peoples and the consolidation of representative institutions through political dialogue.  

It is considered the pioneer international political organisation, it has more than 170 affiliated national parliaments and 12 associated regional parliamentary assemblies. 

Today, the IPU is the main parliamentary interlocutor of the United Nations and brings the voice of parliaments to the decision-making processes of the United Nations by regularly presenting its resolutions in the General Assembly, making statements, participating in debates and organising parliamentary meetings on the main issues on the UN agenda. 

In recognition of this important role, in 2002 the United Nations granted it permanent observer status.