Vietnamese National Assembly Permanent Vice Chairwoman Tong Thi Phong is joining top legislators and heads of delegations from 150 parliaments at the 141st Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) in Belgrade, Serbia, from October 13 to 17.

Vietnamese National Assembly Permanent Vice Chairwoman Tong Thi Phong
at the 141st Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) in Serbia.
(Photo: VNA) 

More than 1,700 parliamentarians and representatives of international organisations are also participating in IPU-141.

Themed “Strengthening international law: Parliamentary roles and mechanisms, and the contribution of regional cooperation”, the IPU Assembly - the second of its kind held in Belgrade – marks the 30th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the 70th anniversary of the Geneva Conventions, and the 40th anniversary of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic highlighted the role of law in ensuring equality for all citizens.

He highly appreciated the mission and vision of the IPU and parliamentarians in the field and said promoting dialogue and cooperation is significant for peace, prosperity and sustainable development in the world.

IPU President Cuevas Barron suggested increasing the participation of female parliamentarians and young deputies, ensuring gender equality with no one being left behind, and putting people at the centre of policy making.

Vietnamese National Assembly Permanent Vice Chairwoman Tong Thi Phong will deliver a speech at the plenary session on October 14. 

She is scheduled to have bilateral meetings on the sideline of the event to discuss ways to boost cooperation between Vietnam’s National Assembly and IPU member parliaments.

From October 10-12, Chairman of the National Assembly’s Committee for External Affairs Nguyen Van Giau, Vice President of the IPU, attended the 282th session of the IPU Executive Committee.

As an active and responsible member of the IPU, Vietnam pledged to continue supporting and coordinating with the IPU to increase understanding and involvement of legislators in implementing sustainable development goals in Vietnam, he said.