APPF-26 agenda adopted at Executive Committee Meeting

National Assembly (NA) Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan described the adoption of the Hanoi Declaration as a major task of the APPF-26 while chairing the APPF Executive Committee Meeting in Hanoi.

The Hanoi Declaration consists of three main parts: major achievements of APPF since 1993; APPF in a fast-changing world; and parliamentary partnership for a shared future of Asia-Pacific and APPF new development visions. 

It was proposed by Vietnam and supported by participating members of the committee.

It highlights the role of APPF in expediting the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals in line with the 2030 Development Agenda adopted by the United Nations in 2015 as well as advocates the cooperation with APEC and other regional, international institutions. It also builds on the principles set in other APPF Milestone Declarations, namely Vancouver, Valparaiso and New Tokyo.

The executive committee agreed upon the Drafting Committee’s establishment of four working groups on peace and security, transnational and trans-boundary crime; economy, trade and regional economic integration; regional cooperation, climate change, food security, cultural cooperation and sustainable development; and gender equality .

It also backed Japan’s draft resolution on amendment to the APPF Rules of Procedure, which focuses on turning the APPF Women Parliamentarians Meeting into an official part of APPF annual meetings. The draft will be up for discussion at upcoming plenary sessions.

Participating members agreed with the selection of Cambodia as the host of the APPF-27 set for for January 2019. 

The APPF-26, themed “Parliamentary partnership for peace, innovation and sustainable development”, will continue on January 19 with two plenary sessions on politics-security and economics-trade.

The same day, the Meeting of Women Parliamentarians of the 26th Annual Meeting of the Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum (APPF-26) also examined ways to promote gender equality and empowerment of women and girls for sustainable development and shared prosperity in the region.

Gender equality is a unwavering policy of Vietnam with the Constitution and Law of Gender Equality acknowledging equal rights on all aspects for all citizens, men and females.

The Vietnam National Assembly has actively contributed to actualizing gender equality goals of Vietnam and of the APPF, the Vietnamese top legislator said.