• On 27 March - 1 April 2010, the Thai Parliament will host the 122nd Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and Related Meetings at the Centara Grand Hotel and Bangkok Convention Centre at Central World in Bangkok. The meeting aims at enhancing relationship between members of parliaments from around the world as well as to enhance unity in undertaking parliamentary means to promote democracy, peacekeeping and international security, human rights protection, and sustainable development.

          • The main agenda for this meeting are:

                           1) General debate on political, economic and social situation in the world under the theme "Parliament at the heart of political reconciliation and good governance";

                           2) Cooperation and shared responsibility in the global fight against organized crime, in particular drug trafficking, illegal arms sales, human trafficking and cross-border terrorism;

                           3) The role of parliaments in developing South-South and Triangular Cooperation with a view to accelerate achievement of the Millennium Development Goals; and

                            4) Youth participaticn in the democratic process. In addition, other topics of discussion such as combating violence against women, with particular focus on women held in places of detention and imprisonment, and the role of parliament in fulfilling the Convention on the Rights of the Child will also be raised during the meeting.

          • To date, 931 representatives from 93 countries and 3 associate members including 12 observer organisations have registered for the meeting, which includes 39 presidents of parliaments, 37 vicepresidents of parliaments and 405 parliamentarians. It is expected more IPU member countries will register for the event as the meeting date approaches.

Background

          Established in 1889 as an international organisation of parliaments, with the headquarters located in Geneva, IPU is the focal point for worldwide parliamentary dialogue and work for peace and co-operation among peoples and for the firm establishment of representative democracy. Presently, IPU comprises of 154 member countries and 8 associate members from international organisations. Thailand joined the IPU on 3 July 1950 and apart from participating in the biannual meetings, the Thai Parliament had hosted the 49th IPU Assembly in 1956, the 78th IPU Assembly in 1987, the Inter-Parliamentary Conference on Economic Cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region in 1991, and the Parliamentary Meeting on the occasion of UNCTAD X in 2000.