Halfway through the 146th Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Assembly and related meetings in Bahrain, IPU Secretary-General Martin Chungong said he was pleased with their smooth process. The global organization of national parliaments is bringing together representatives of parliaments from across the world for deliberations on the overall theme of “Promoting peaceful coexistence and inclusive societies: Fighting intolerance.” At the Bahrain Assembly, held at the Exhibition World Bahrain (EWB), all IPU statutory bodies, including the Governing Council, Standing Committees, Thematic Committees on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians and on Middle East Questions, as well as the Forum of Women Parliamentarians and the Forum of Young MPs, have convened. Chungong, the eighth Secretary General of the IPU since its foundation in 1889, said on Monday that the meetings have been rich and that he is looking forward to the delegates to deliberate, exchange views and galvanize parliamentary action further ahead of the resolutions expected to be adopted. Several parliamentarians have praised Bahrain for the remarkable organization of IPU 146 and lauded the extraordinary efforts put in to ensure its success at all levels. “What Bahrain has done is wonderful. The conditions created by the Bahrain Government and the Bahrain Parliament are impressive, and that covers everything,” Salvador Kikolo from Angola said. Angola is expected to host the 147th IPU Assembly and related meetings in October. Chungong made history twice in 2014 by becoming the first African and first non-European to be elected as IPU Secretary General. With more decades of experience and knowledge of parliaments at national and international level, Chungong has dedicated himself to advancing inclusive democracies worldwide.
Source: Bahrain News Agency