IPU-132: Secretaries General of Parliaments talk public and media relations

Public and media relations came into focus at the conference of the Association of Secretaries General of Parliaments (ASGP) held in the Hanoi National Convention Centre on March 29 as part of the on-going 132nd Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU-132).
Public and media relations came into focus at the conference of theAssociation of Secretaries General of Parliaments (ASGP) held in theHanoi National Convention Centre on March 29 as part of the on-going132nd Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU-132).

Several reports on the matter were presented during the conference,including “Active transparency measures and measures related to citizensright of access to public information in the Spanish Senate” bySecretary General of the Spanish Senate Manuel Cavero, and SecretaryGeneral of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey Irfan Neziroglu’spresentation on public relations of parliaments and the case of TurkishParliament.

In his keynote speech, Chairman ofthe Vietnam’s National Assembly (NA) Office Nguyen Hanh Phuc said thatVietnam’s NA has been making efforts to reform its operations andenhancing their effectiveness, including adopting the amended 2013Constitution.

It is vital for Vietnam’s NA toimprove the capability of its deputies and bodies, particularly inpreparation for the Law on the organisation of the NA, which will comeinto effect in January 2016 and necessitate structural reforms, hestressed.

He hoped that the attending international delegations would share ideas to assist Vietnam in its reforms.

The conference runs through April 1. Participants included ASGP President Doris Katai Katebe Mwinga.

The ASGP, constituted as a consultative body of the IPU, seeks tofacilitate contacts between holders of the office of Secretary Generalin any parliamentary assembly, whether such assembly is a member of theIPU or not. ASGP membership is thus independent of the IPU.

The task of the association is to study the law, procedure, practiceand working methods of different Parliaments and to propose measures forimproving those methods and for securing cooperation between theservices of different Parliaments.-VNA

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