The PABSEC Participation in the Parliamentary Hearings of the Inter-Parliamentary Union at the United Nations, New York, 17-18 February 2020

The Parliamentary Hearings of the Inter-Parliamentary Union at the UN on the theme “Ensure Inclusive and Equitable Quality Education and Promote Lifelong Learning Opportunities for All” were held on 17-18 February 2020 at the UN headquarters in New York. The PABSEC was represented at this meeting by Mr. Asaf Hajiyev, PABSEC Secretary General.

MPs from the member parliaments of the IPU (including all parliaments of the PABSEC), representatives of the organizations that have observer status to the Inter-Parliamentary Union, as well as the specialized UN structures took part in the meeting.

At the opening session, the participants were addressed by Mr. Tijani Muhammad-Bande (Nigeria), President of the 74th UN General Assembly and Mrs. Gabriela Cuevas Barron, President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, Senator of the General Congress of Mexico.

During the meeting, the following issues were discussed: “The Central Role of Education in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”, “Education for Peace and Democracy: Building the Bonds of Active Citizenship”, “Education as a Key Instrument to Empower Women and Girls (Beijing +25)”, “Securing Decent Work for All Through Lifelong Learning, Training and Vocational Education”, “The United Nations in the Twenty-First Century”, “The Fourth Industrial Revolution: What Does it Portend for Education Systems?”, “Protecting Our Planet for Future Generations Through Education”, “Strengthening Public Funding for Better Outcomes in Education”.

On the sidelines of the Meeting, the PABSEC Secretary General met with Mr. Martin Chungong, Secretary General of the Inter-Parliamentary Union. Issues of further cooperation between the PABSEC and the IPU were discussed. It was stressed that there is an interest in organizing a joint event in cooperation with other parliamentary assemblies and that this idea will be discussed in the near future.