APA Members Debated Several Key Issues of Interest at Their Meeting
Delegates from 25 APA Member Parliaments joined collective commitments at their one-day Standing Committee meeting last Wednesday (14 July) to further close their positions on the issues of common grounds as part of their mission under the Charter of their Organization.
Hosted in virtual format under the auspices of the Islamic Parliament of Iran, the Meeting of APA Standing Committee on Social and Cultural Affairs focused on several key issues facing people in the Continent of Asia.
The meeting opened with the message of Parliament Speaker, H.E. Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, who welcomed the initiative of the Iran’s APA Parliamentary Group to organize this event in cooperation with the Secretariat of the Asian Parliamentary Assembly.
In part of his message, Dr. Qalibaf referred to Asia as the center of social and cultural diversity and highlighted the critical role of parliamentarians in Asia in their efforts for stronger synergy and coherence to promote cultural diversity and protect cultural heritage across the Continent.
He also touched on the important role that APA can play in bringing together the Asian Parliamentarians to cherish common grounds for dialogue and consultation in pursuit of the lofty goals sought by the people in the region.
Also, Chair of the meeting, Ms. Pashaee made a short remark in the opening session to welcome the participants in her capacity as Vice-President and Head of the APA Group in the Parliament of Iran..
In her remarks, Ms. Pashaee highlighted the importance of Asia as the cradle of human civilization with rich social and cultural wealth.
In part of her statement she underlined that cultural and social cooperation can pave the grounds for strengthening integration among various Asian communities in light of common religious and cultural values.
Head of the APA Delegation in the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (GNAT) Ms. Asuman Erdoğan, who represents the APA President, began her statement with expression of some words of thanks to the organizers of the meeting.
She then stated that Covid-19 pandemic has been one of the grave calamities currently facing the globe and struggle against it calls for robust and resolute regional and international cooperation.
She expressed hope for a better future for all the people around the globe following full containment of this deadly virus crisis.
During the opening session, APA Secretary General, Dr. Majidi delivered an inclusive report on the activities of the Secretariat and the programs to be pursued in future APA Meetings.
Dr. Majidi stated that restrictions posed in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic during the past two years slowed down APA regular programs and called on the APA member parliaments to get prepared for a more active and lively post-pandemic era.
This event also provided a good opportunity for the participating women parliamentarians to consider situation of female MPs in Asia under Item 5 of the Agenda. Under this Item, several participants expressed their perspectives on the status of women and programs they are pursuing in their respective countries. Then the report of the virtual meeting on Women and Family-Centered Economy was read to the Meeting.
In another development, participants present at this Standing Committee meeting considered over 13 draft resolutions which encompassed nearly all the issues of their interest.
The meeting had before it large number of amendments submitted within the statutory deadline on a good number of the resolutions. There was fruitful deliberation among the participants who sat for several hours debating the pros and cons in defense of their proposed amendments.
In light of the consensual atmosphere governed over the meeting, participants could cover all the agenda items and successfully bring the session to a close through their interactive contributions.
- 17 July 2021
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