he 37th ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly concluded yesterday in Nay Pyi Taw with the ceremonial handing over of the mallet, the symbol of the Assembly chairman and AIPA banner by ManhWin Khaing Than, Speaker of Pyidaungsu hluttaw, to the 38th host country’s deputy speaker of the Philippines Lower house Mr eric Singson.
In his closing address at the ceremony, Mahn Win Khaing Than, Speaker of Pyidaungsu hluttaw and chairman of the 37th AIPA, expressed his hope for peace and stability in the region and sustainable progress under the leadership of the Philippines. “It is an honorable deed to hand over the duties of the chairman to the Philippine Parliament, the oldest democracy in the region,” said the Speaker.
The assembly made decisions, numbering 30 or so, and many matters were discussed, including cyber-security in the region, prevention against the Zika virus, creation of job opportunities, better working environments, fortification of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and implementation of projects in the socio-security declaration of ASEAN for the development of business and enterprises in the region.
Amendments over rules and regulations of the Women Parliamentarians Organization (draft) were discussed and decided unanimously, said Mahn Win Khaing Than.
“The old one was enacted 18 years ago, hence it needs to be amended. And the Assembly did record marvelous performances of respective chairpersons of joint-communiqué committee, the Committee of Women Parliamentarians and the committee for political, economic and social affairs, he added.
Speaker Mahn Win Khaing Than also urged AIPA to closely cooperate with international parliaments and other aligned organizations to overcome challenges to be encountered on the way to 2025. “In order to be a developed ASEAN community, implementation of decisions made by the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly should be emphasised,” said the Speaker.
It was learnt that 38th General Assembly of AIPA would be held in September, 2017, in Manila, the Philippines, to be attended by Georgia and Ukraine as observers. Simultaneously, the 2nd general meeting of the 37th AIPA was held yesterday in Nay Pyi Taw. Decisions made by political, economic and social committees and WAIPA were read out and approved.
Reference: GLMN