The Vietnamese National Assembly delegation discussed its preparations for hosting the 132nd IPU Assembly in 2015 with the Secretary General of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Martin Chungong in Geneva, Switzerland on October 15.

The delegation proposed a main topic for the event, focussing on the parliament role and the implementation of the sustainable development agenda. The topic was chosen to provide opportunities for parliaments to share their views and present their country and region’s priorities for post-2015 growth.

The theme also aims to mobilise parliaments’ standpoints on the settlement of global issues; enhance their legislative, supervisory and decision-making functions; and devise measures to realise the post-2015 development agenda.

According to the Head of the NA Committee for External Relations Tran Van Hang, a Hanoi Declaration will be issued at the end of the UPI-132, summarising the assembly’s discussions and manifesting the joint efforts of member parliaments to foster peace, democracy, cooperation and sustainable development in line with the Post-2015 sustainable development agenda.

At the same time, Vietnam’s NA suggested a number of discussion topics for the IPU-132, including women and economic rights, sustainable employment and human rights, and the rights of people with disabilities.

Martin Chungong spoke highly of Vietnam’s proposals, saying that the proposed topics showed Vietnam ’s motivation and obligations as an active IPU member to provide input on issues of global and regional concern.

Speaking with the media after the talks, Chungong said he was impressed by Vietnam ’s efforts to organise a successful IPU-132.

He said he hoped to arrive in Vietnam prior to the assembly to continue discussions in a series of important IPU Standing Committee sessions in Hanoi .

Martin Chungong, who is from Cameroon , was elected as the IPU Secretary General on July 30 during this year’s 130 th IPU Assembly. He is the first African national to take charge in the 125-year history of the IPU.-VNA