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A Parliamentary delegation led by Harivansh, Deputy Chairman, of Rajya Sabha, will leave for Geneva, Switzerland, from March 23-27 to attend the 148th Assembly of Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU)
Rajya Sabha Sources told ANI that Deputy Chairman Rajya Sabha Harivansh is visiting Geneva, Switzerland, to attend the 148th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU). The delegation, led by Harivansh, is accompanied by five Rajya Sabha members, namely S Niranjan Reddy, Kartikeya Sharma, Ashok Mittal, Prashanta Nanda, and Sumitra Balmik, along with PC Mody, Secretary General, Rajya Sabha. "The IPU has a membership of 180 countries. The Deputy Chairman will be delivering an address during the General Debate on the theme of 'Parliamentary Diplomacy: Building Bridges for peace and understanding,'" Sources told ANI Rajya Sabha Sources further said that during the conference, Harivansh will also be participating in a discussion on different items on the agenda, such as the meeting of the BRICS Parliamentary Coordination Forum along with other bilateral meetings on the sidelines of IPU. The delegation will participate in a number of meetings of different standing committees, namely the Standing Committee on Peace and International Security, the Standing Committee on Sustainable Development, the Standing Committee on Democracy and Human Rights, and the Standing Committee on United Nations Affairs, in addition to forums of young parliamentarians and women parliamentarians of the IPU. Besides, there are several other subjects that are before the nations at the global level on which members of the delegation will participate in putting forth India's role and contribution in those areas. The Inter-Parliamentary Union is an international organisation of national parliaments. Its primary purpose is to promote democratic governance, accountability, and cooperation among its members; other initiatives include advancing gender parity among legislatures, empowering youth participation in politics, and sustainable development. The organisation was established in 1889 as the Inter-Parliamentary Congress. Its founders were statesmen Frederic Passy of France and William Randal Cremer of the United Kingdom, who sought to create the first permanent forum for political multilateral negotiations. Initially, IPU membership was reserved for individual parliamentarians but has since transformed to include the legislatures of sovereign states. As of 2020, the national parliaments of 180 countries are members of the IPU, while 13 regional parliamentary assemblies are associate members. (ANI)
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