Shura Council takes part in inaugural ceremony of IPU assembly in Luanda

The Shura Council has taken part in the inaugural ceremony of the 147th General Assembly of Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), hosted by the Angolan capital, Luanda. HE Council Member, Chairman of the Inter-Parliamentary Union's Permanent Committee on Peace and International Security, Mohamed bin Mahdi al-Ahbabi, represented the Shura Council in the inaugural ceremony.During the ceremony, Angolan President Joao Lourenco delivered a remark in which he touched on the developments of the situation in the occupied Palestinian territories, stressing the importance of securing the access of assistance to Gaza Strip to alleviate the plight of Palestinians.For her part, President of the National Assembly in Angola, Carolina Cerqueira, underscored the significance of IPU's meetings hosted by Angola. She expressed her aspiration that the General Assembly and the accompanying meetings would contribute to coming out with results that reinforce parliamentary co-operation among IPU's members.Additionally, the Shura Council participated in the keynote session of the 147th General Assembly of Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) which discussed the topic of the current session that revolves around the parliamentary action for peace, justice, and strong institutions as the Goal 16 of UN Sustainable Development Goals.The IPU's Standing Committee on Peace and International Security held a meeting chaired by HE al-Ahbabi, Chairman of the committee. The discussions focused on a range of issues related to regional and international peace and security. The meeting included a hearing session for experts on the topic of addressing the social and humanitarian impact of autonomous weapons systems and Artificial Intelligence (AI).A panel discussion was also held on the role of parliamentarians in dialogue, legislation, oversight, and the endeavor to achieve peace. In a related context, the Shura Council took part in the meeting of the 212th IPU's session of the Governing Council which discussed the reports of the council's activities during the past period, in addition to discussing matters pertinent to the membership requests, as well as the quest for observer designation in IPU.