The 132nd Assembly of the Inter-Parliament Union (IPU-132) is an opportunity for Vietnamese nationals and the National Assembly (NA) to show its friendship, solidarity and cooperative spirit with parliamentarians and people from all over the world, said NA Chairman Nguyen Sinh Hung.

He co-chaired an international press conference with IPU President Saber Chowdhury in Hanoi on March 26 to introduce the event’s agenda.

The IPU-132 is an important milestone in Vietnam’s diplomatic history as well as a significant political event showing the country’s active international integration as a responsible member of the world community, he said.

He revealed that thus far, Vietnam has received attendance confirmation from more than 160 delegations from member, associated and observation parliaments as well as international organisations.

Chowdhury said Vietnam is playing an increasingly important role in the world and has been widely recognised for its achievements in realising the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

The IPU currently has 166 members with over 47,000 parliamentarians representing 6.5 billion people in the world, he noted, adding that the IPU-132 hosted by Hanoi will contribute to fostering partnership among parliaments around the globe and helping to realise the common global goals of peace and development.

Expressing his strong impressions of the people and nation of Vietnam, especially the organisation of the event, both Chowdhury and IPU Secretary-General Martin Chungong held that Vietnam set a strong example for hosting the IPU-132.

The event also manifests great contributions of Vietnam to the growth of the union, they agreed while lauding the event’s content and agenda prepared by the host.

Regarding the event’s potential for success, Chowdhury stated that the IPU’s objective is to bring parliaments closer and enhance their cooperation for a peaceful and prosperous world through strengthening dialogues.

The most important thing is to implement common inter-parliamentary agreements, he said.

NA Chairman Nguyen Sinh Hung said the IPU-132 organisation was approved by Vietnam’s top leaders with the active support of the NA, ministries, localities and the IPU Secretariat.

The event, themed “Sustainable development goals: Turning words into action”, will be a chance for Vietnam to review its implementation of MDGs and discuss post-2015 sustainable development goals, he said.

Meanwhile, the event will also focus on improving gender equality through increasing women’s engagement in politics and other areas, as well as improving the living standards of women globally, he said.

He also revealed that the Vietnamese NA plans to promote women in at least 30 percent of total parliament seats.

Another international press conference is scheduled to be held after the IPU-132 concludes to discuss the outcomes of the event.-VNA