*Opening attended by HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa al-Thani, several ministers, Shura Council members and heads of diplomatic missions
*Advisory Council Speaker Ahmed bin Abdullah bin Zaid al-Mahmoud, IPU president Gabriela Cuevas Barron, secretary-general Martin Chungong, under-secretary for the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Office, Vladimir Voronkov also spoke.
*Delegates from more than 160 countries participating in the five-day conference

His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani graced the opening of the 140th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) held at the Sheraton Doha on Saturday.

HE the Advisory Council Speaker Ahmed bin Abdullah bin Zaid al-Mahmoud, president of IPU Gabriela Cuevas Barron, secretary-general Martin Chungong and the under-secretary for the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Office, Vladimir Voronkov spoke at the opening ceremony.

The opening was also attended by HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa al-Thani, several ministers, Advisory Council members and heads of diplomatic missions in Qatar, among other dignitaries.

Parliament speakers and heads of delegations, as well as members of the union's executive committee and representatives of regional and international organisations were also present. The assembly will last until April 10.

Addressing the gathering, His Highness the Amir noted the importance of education and the steps taken by Qatar in promoting education globally. “Investing in quality education is one of the most important elements of building the economy, advancing societies, and achieving growth and prosperity. But ignorance is one of the most important obstacles to peoples’ growth and renaissance. It also stokes intolerance and racism, and facilitates the dissemination of preconceived notions against the different other,” the Amir said.

“Qatar has paid special attention to international co-operation in the field of education and provided support to some developing countries in various regions of the world, as well as international organisations operating in this field. Our country has also launched numerous initiatives in the field of supporting and promoting education in collaboration with national and global partners such as the initiatives: "Educate a Child ", the World Innovation Summit for Education and other initiatives,” the Amir highlighted.

Welcoming the gathering, HE al-Mahmoud stated that the assembly will be a major milestone and hoped fruitful discussions and deliberations will be conducted during the course of the event.

President Barron pointed out that IPU has played a big role in the 20th century and it is continuing the same in the 21st century through effective and sustainable solutions for the challenges that the world is facing.

“When we look at how the world is going today we are going to see a world full of contradictions. We have all the information but we are not sure of what is real news or fake news, though we are going through the fourth Industrial Revolution, hunger is still She expressed appreciation for Qatar's hosting of the 140th assembly, highlighting the participation of more than 160 countries in the five-day meetings.

The official also noted that there was one percent of increase in the number of women in the parliaments in the last three years and more has to be done in increasing the number of women in parliaments. She also pointed out that there should be more youngsters in parliaments.

Chungong stated that the assembly will discuss a number of important topics and will come out with forward looking conclusions. “There will be fruitful deliberations during the course of the assembly which will reaffirm the founding values of the union. We expect to have several forward looking conclusions and recommendations during the course of the meetings,” he said.

Voronkov, representing the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, said the United Nations has a strategic partnership with Qatar. He said: “This assembly is crucial for all of us. In the area of counter terrorism which is one of the main topics in this assembly, we expect to have some concrete discussions.”

Guterres addressed the gathering through a video message that highlighted the fruitful cooperation the UN and the IPU share on topics such as countering terrorism and preventing extremism.

Full text of His Highness the Amir's speech : https://www.gulf-times.com/story/628024/Amir-IPU-meeting-s-objectives-reflect-entire-manki

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