Meera Al Suwaidi presents Sustainable Development Committee's progress report to IPU’s 147th General Assembly in Angola

Meera Sultan Al Suwaidi, Vice-President of the IPU's Standing Committee on Sustainable Development, presented the committee's report to the IPU’s 147th General Assembly meetings, which held yesterday in Luanda, Angola.

During the meeting, Al Suwaidi reviewed the committee's efforts in regard to the draft resolution entitled ‘’Partnerships for climate action:

Promoting access to affordable green energy, and ensuring innovation, responsibility and equity''.

She also enumerated on preparations for the Parliamentary Meeting at the 28th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP28) next month at Expo City Dubai. The Parliamentary Meeting, co-organised by the IPU and the Federal National Council of the United Arab Emirates, will take place in conjunction with COP28.

Briefing the committee members on practical arrangements for the meeting, Al Suwaidi affirmed the UAE's commitment to preserving environmental sustainability and finding innovative, comprehensive and practical solutions to sustainable economic growth.

The UAE is building a sustainable future for generations by adopting a green economy approach as a path for sustainable economic, social and environmental development, she added.

She said the committee also held an expert hearing on the theme ‘’Ensuring global food security.''

A committee report said the scale of the current global hunger and malnutrition crisis is enormous, with more than 345 million people facing high levels of food insecurity in 2023 – more than double the number in 2020. Conflict, climate extremes and economic shocks, combined with the high cost of nutritious foods and growing inequalities, are the major drivers behind these trends.

The expert hearing discussed ways in which parliaments can contribute to the transformation of agrifood systems to make them sustainable and more resilient, and to enable them to deliver lower cost nutritious foods and affordable healthy diets for all, Al Suwaidi noted.

. Committee members will then exchange views on a draft
outcome document.

the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) in the United Arab Emirates A Parliamentary Meeting, co-organized by the IPU and the Federal National Council of the United Arab Emirates, will take place in conjunction with COP28. The Committee will be briefed on practical arrangements for the meeting. Committee members will then exchange views on a draft outcome document.

She also

presented the UAE's preparations to host COP28, stressing its commitment to environmental sustainability and implementing practical and comprehensive solutions that prioritise sustainable economic prosperity.

At the invitation of the National Assembly of Angola, the 147th Assembly of the IPU and its related meetings will be held in Luanda, Angola, from Monday, 23 to Friday, 27 October 2023.

All IPU statutory bodies, including the Governing Council, Standing Committees, Committees on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians and on Middle East Questions, as well as the Forum of Women Parliamentarians and the Forum of Young MPs, will convene during this Assembly. The Governing Council will be invited to elect a new IPU President at its session in Luanda.

The General Debate will focus on the overall theme of Parliamentary action for peace, justice and strong institutions (SDG 16) and provide a platform for delegates to deliberate, exchange views and galvanize parliamentary action in this area. The Assembly will adopt resolutions on the emergency item and on the subject item taken up by the Standing Committee on Democracy and Human Rights entitled Orphanage trafficking: The role of parliaments in reducing harm. The Assembly is expected to conclude with the adoption of an outcome document on the overall theme of the General Debate.