Avocate Jacob Mudenda meets delegates at the IPU Assembly in Bahrain
By Dickson Bandera
A delegation from the Parliament of Zimbabwe is in Manana, Bahrain for the 146th edition of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Assembly and related meetings.
The Speaker of Parliament, Hon Advocate Jacob Mudenda is leading the delegation which comprises other 4 parliamentarians; Hon T Muzenda, Hon V Tsvangirai , Hon T.M Mnangagwa and Hon S Mukunyaidze.
As a member of the IPU Executive Committee, Hon Mudenda will attend the Executive Committee meeting on the 9th and 10 of March, before the start of the main Assembly which will run from the 11th to the 15th of March 2023.
The Executive Committee will deliberate on legal issues around the main assembly, and gives counsel where applicable.
Hundreds of parliamentarians from 110 jurisdictions are expected to attend the deliberations on the overall theme of ‘Promoting peaceful coexistence and inclusive societies: Fighting intolerance’.
The IPU notes that online hate speech continues to sow division and is increasing against minorities, trust in government and the media is diminishing, religious freedoms are being curtailed, and religious discrimination, racism and xenophobia are rising.
Against the foregoing, Parliaments, as guardians of the rule of law, citizenship, human rights and justice, are part of the solution.
During the Assembly, the IPU will offer opportunities for exchanges on good practices to promote inclusion and support peaceful coexistence as a prerequisite of resilient, cohesive and democratic societies.
The Assembly will also attract delegations from countries in conflict situations, where deliberations on the conflict resolution strategies will be made.
The IPU Task Force for the peaceful resolution of the war in Ukraine will meet high-level parliamentary delegations from both the Russian Federation and Ukraine to continue to explore options for a peaceful resolution of grievances, in strict observance of international law.
The IPU Committee on Middle East Questions and the IPU Group of Facilitators on Cyprus will also meet to take stock of and propose measures to resolve the situation in those regions.
The Assembly will see the launch of a new IPU campaign, “Parliaments for the Planet, ” designed to mobilize parliaments and parliamentarians to act on the climate emergency.
The campaign will encourage parliaments and those who work in them to reduce their carbon footprints and become greener institutions.
It will also support parliaments in their efforts to implement the Paris Agreement on climate through legislation, budgeting and scrutiny of government action.
The Assembly is also expected to adopt resolutions on Cyberattacks and cybercrimes: The new risks to global security and Parliamentary efforts in achieving negative carbon balances of forests.
All the IPU’s parliamentary bodies will meet, including its four thematic standing committees, the Forum of Women Parliaments, the Forum of Young Parliamentarians and the Committee on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians.
The venue for the conference is the Exhibition World Bahrain.
