Secretary General Mehmet Süreyya Er took part at the 147th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and related meetings hosted by the National Assembly of Angola from 23 to 27 October 2023 in Luanda.
The event was attended by some 700 parliamentarians from 130 countries and representatives of IPU observer and partner organizations.
Inaugural Ceremony was addressed by the President of the Republic of Angola João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço, Speaker of the National Assembly of Angola Carolina Cerqueira, President of the IPU Duarte Pacheco, Secretary General of the IPU Martin Chungong and Special Representative of the Secretary General of the UN Parfait Onanga-Anyanga.
The overall theme of the General Debate was "Parliamentary action for peace, justice and strong institutions" which was closely linked to United Nations SDG 16. The 147th IPU Assembly provided a platform for the participants to discuss and exchange views on the critical role of the good governance to achieve sustainable development, actions to strengthen trust between public and governance structures and to make public institutions more effective and representative.
All IPU bodies, including Executive Committee, Governing Council, four thematic Standing Committees, Forum of Women Parliamentarians, Forum of Young Parliamentarians, Committee on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians, Committee on Middle East Questions and Committee to Promote Respect for International Humanitarian Law held their meetings within the framework of the IPU Assembly. The program also included meeting of the Association of Secretaries General of Parliaments (ASGP) and a series of side events organized by partner organizations.
Parliament of the Bahamas joined IPU and became its 180th member parliament during the Assembly. The Governing Council elected Tulia Ackson, a parliamentarian from the United Republic of Tanzania, as the new President of the IPU to replace Duarte Pacheco whose three-year mandate concluded at the end of the 147th IPU Assembly. Tulia Ackson is the third woman President of the IPU and the first woman from Africa to hold the position. The IPU launched a number of new products and publications to support parliaments.
The 147th IPU Assembly concluded with the adoption of outcome document of the General Debate.
On the sidelines of the event, Secretary General Mehmet Süreyya Er met with the IPU delegations of the TURKPA member parliaments.
IPU is the global organization of national parliaments established in 1889. As a multilateral political organization, the IPU promotes cooperation and dialogue among parliamentarians from all over the world. Currently, IPU has 180 member parliaments. TURKPA has been taking part in the IPU activities as a permanent observer since 2010.
