Speaker of Saudi Arabia's Shoura Council Sheikh Dr. Abdullah bin Mohammed Al Al-Sheikh will head the Kingdom's delegation participating in the 143rd Session of the General Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) in Madrid, Spain, on Friday. The meetings of the General Assembly and the Governing Council will take place between November 26 and 30, under the theme: "Contemporary Challenges to Democracy: Overcoming division and building community." Al Al-Sheikh pointed out that the participation of the Shoura Council in the IPU meetings embodies Saudi Arabia's government directives, under the leadership of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, to effectively participate in the international event to stress the pivotal role of the Kingdom in serving urgent needs of the world. He also pointed out that the meeting will address several issues of global interest in maintaining permanent international peace, the role of parliaments in facing threats of changing the course of arms transfers, existing international efforts to end the threats of the coronavirus pandemic, advancing international efforts to secure vaccines globally in a way that contributes to combating this pandemic, in addition to discussions on measures taken to address the impacts of climate change on natural resources and the role of parliaments in preserving the environment and water. He added that the IPU meeting, during every session and since its inception, seeks to discuss issues that can realize peace and cooperation among various peoples, enhance the work of parliamentary institutions, and support the parliamentary diplomacy in addressing issues that concern peoples and countries around the world. The participation of members of the Shoura Council will witness several meetings that will be held by the IPU's four permanent committees and the meetings of its Governing Council to discuss issues on the agenda of the current session. Secretary-General of the Shoura Council Mohammed bin Dakhil Al-Mutairi will take part in the meetings of the secretaries-general of national parliaments. IPU was established in 1889 and its members represent more than 179 parliaments. — SPA
