Chairwoman of the National Assembly Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan (L) at the 137th Inter-Parliamentary Union Assembly (Source: VNA)Hanoi (VNA) - Chairwoman of the National Assembly Nguyen Thi Kim Nganwill attend the 138th Inter-Parliamentary Union Assembly (IPU-138) and relatedmeetings in Geneva, Switzerland, from March 24-25 in an effort to affirmVietnam’s commitment to multilateral parliamentary diplomacy.
Established in 1889 in Paris, France, the IPUcomprises of 178 members and 12 associate members. The union’s duty is to workwith parliaments to safeguard peace and drive positive democratic changethrough political dialogue and concrete action.
It aims to enhance exchanges and experiencesharing between parliaments and contribute to protecting human rights worldwide.
Since Vietnam joined in April 1979, itsactive participation has been acknowledged by other members. Over the years,relations between the Vietnamese National Assembly and other parliaments havebeen strengthened.
In October 2007 at the 117th IPU Assemblyalso in Geneva, Switzerland, Vietnam’s NA was elected to the IPU ExecutiveCommittee - the forum’s highest body - for the first time.
A representative from the VietnameseNational Assembly was designated as IPU Vice President in 2009.
Notably, in April 2015, Vietnam hosted the132nd IPU Assembly, where the Hanoi Declaration was adopted, contributing todevising the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development.
In October 2016, at the 135th IPU Assemblyin Switzerland, Chairman of the NA’s Committee for External Affairs Nguyen VanGiau was elected to the IPU Executive Committee for 2016-2019.
Vietnam’s participation in IPU activities isone of the most important tasks of the legislative body’s multilateralparliamentary diplomacy to protect Vietnam’s interests, consult internationalpoints of view and show the country’s stance on global issues.
They are also chances for Vietnam to promoteits land and people to the international community, expand its presence andincrease the position the National Assembly and the country in theinternational arena.-VNA
VNA
