VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

House of Representatives (DPR) Speaker Puan Maharani with IPU president Duarte Pacheco (left) and IPU secretary general Martin Chungong (right) at the Bali International Convention Center, Nusa Dua, on Saturday (March 19, 2022). (ANTARA/Genta Tenri Mawangi/FR) - 

As host of the 144th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), Indonesia will be in a strategic position to push for resolutions to global problems, House of Representatives (DPR) Speaker Puan Maharani has said.

The assembly will take place in BICC, Nusa Dua, Bali, from March 20–24, 2022.

"Holding the IPU in Bali is certainly very strategic because as a host, Indonesia can actively take part in discussing and proposing a solution for global problems," she explained here on Saturday.

This strategic position can be seen from the role of the DPR Speaker, who will preside over the entire IPU assembly in Bali, she added.

The expectation is that, through IPU, Indonesia can lead the realization of all adopted resolutions to resolve global problems, she remarked.

Hence, Maharani will lead the course of the assembly, which will be attended by delegates from 115 IPU member countries.

The main theme that will be discussed at the 144th Assembly of the IPU will be the impact of climate change.

According to IPU President Duarte Pachecho, climate change is a real problem that all citizens in the world are encountering.

The IPU will not only discuss this issue, but also produce real concrete action, he stressed.

Aside from the impact of climate change, other issues that the 144th IPU will deliberate on include gender issues, youth in politics, and conflict between Russia-Ukraine. 

Particularly in relation to the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the IPU will not stop urging all related parties to immediately cease violence, he said.

Another issue that will be discussed at the meeting is COVID-19 vaccine equality.

"Indonesia will prioritize fairness in the entire nations concerning vaccine (distribution) because how can we end COVID-19 pandemic in the entire world if not through vaccines that are distributed equally in all nations?” Maharani said.

IPU, a cross-border cooperation among parliaments, is the second largest democratic forum in the world after the United Nations (UN).

This is the first time that Indonesia is hosting the IPU assembly//ANT