Speaker of the Shura Council of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Sheikh Dr. Abdullah bin Mohammed bin Ibrahim Al Al-Sheikh tomorrow will head the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's delegation participating in the 143rd Session of the General Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and the meetings of the Governing Council, which will be held in Madrid, Spain, between November 26 and 30, 2021 under the theme: "Contemporary Challenges to Democracy: Overcoming division and building community." Sheikh Dr. Al Al-Sheikh noted that the participation of the Shura Council embodies the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's government directives, under the leadership of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Crown Prince, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, to effectively participate in international event to stress the pivotal role of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in serving urgent needs of the world. He also pointed out that discussion during the meeting that will be held by the Assembly in its 143rd session of IPU 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 (COVID-19) pandemic, advancing international efforts to secure vaccines globally in a way that contributes to combating this pandemic, in addition to discussions international 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, support the parliamentary diplomacy in addressing issues that concern peoples and countries around the world. The participation of members of the Shura 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, while Secretary General of the Shura 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.
