Bahraini parliamentary delegation reiterates commitment to active participation in IPU programmes
Geneva, July 31 (BNA): Bahrain’s parliamentary delegation participated in a joint meeting with Martin Chungong, Secretary General of the Inter Parliamentary Union (IPU), held on the sidelines of the Sixth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament in Geneva from July 29 to 31.
The meeting was attended by Jamal Mohammed Fakhro, First Deputy Chairman of the Shura Council and Head of the Delegation; MP Abdulnabi Salman Ahmed, First Deputy Speaker of the Council of Representatives; Dr. Bassam Ismail Al Binmohammed, member of the Shura Council; and Ambassador Abdulla Abdullatif Abdulla, the Permanent Representative of Bahrain to the United Nations Office in Geneva.
The First Deputy Chairman of the Shura Council reiterated the legislative authority’s commitment to continued engagement with the IPU’s programmes and initiatives, highlighting Bahrain’s parliamentary progress and its active contribution to global discussions on development goals, peacebuilding, youth and women’s empowerment, and human rights.
The discussions highlighted the importance of exchanging expertise in legislative development, particularly regarding policy making and laws that address national development goals and public aspirations. The delegation also outlined the essential role of the general secretariats of the Shura Council and the Council of Representatives in providing technical and administrative support to enhance parliamentary effectiveness.
The meeting also addressed means to enhance cooperation between Bahrain’s Council of Representatives and the Shura Council and the IPU, including improved coordination and communication mechanisms to reinforce Bahrain’s parliamentary presence internationally.
The discussion included the strong partnership between the IPU and the King Hamad Global Center for Coexistence and Tolerance, established through a cooperation agreement focused on capacity building, legislative development, education and training programmes, and promoting values of tolerance, coexistence, and peace, while upholding human rights and sustainable development.
Secretary General Chungong commended Bahrain’s advanced parliamentary performance and its active engagement in IPU goals and initiatives. He described Bahrain’s parliamentary delegation as a model of constructive engagement with international parliamentary efforts, particularly in shaping the union’s regional and global agenda.
He also commended the institutional development of the general secretariats of both legislative chambers in Bahrain and the role they play in supporting effective legislative practices. He emphasised the participation of the King Hamad Global Centre for Peaceful Coexistence in all IPU general assemblies to share Bahrain’s experience in promoting coexistence and tolerance, and to deliver awareness sessions aimed at strengthening parliamentarians’ role in advancing social cohesion, human rights, rule of law, and countering hate speech.
