KUWAIT: National Assembly Speaker Marzouq Al-Ghanem is seen in a group photo on the sidelines of the conference. - KUNA photos

MADRID: Kuwaiti MP Salman Al-Hlailah, currently in Spain taking part in the 143rd Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) conference that began Friday, praised Kuwait's parliamentary diplomacy noting its paramount role for backing the State policies. MP Hlailah, Secretary of the Kuwaiti Parliamentary Caucus, affirmed in remarks on the sidelines of the convention yesterday, that the Kuwaiti diplomacy at the parliamentary level has proven effective for establishing "global unanimity" toward Arab and Islamic causes as well as just universal questions.

The Kuwaiti parliamentary caucus, chaired by National Assembly Speaker Marzouq Ali Al-Ghanem, has succeeded in creating fruitful cooperation among the Arab and Islamic caucuses for forming unified stances toward various issues at continental and international levels, he said. A Kuwaiti parliamentary delegation headed by Ghanem arrived in Madrid on Wednesday to participate in the IPU conference.

The delegation includes Secretary of the Parliamentary Caucus Dr Hamad Al-Matar, Treasurer and MP Al-Hlailah, member of the caucus MP Usama Al-Munawer and the National Assembly Secretary General Adel Al-Loughani. The five-day convention tackles modern-time challenges facing democracy, tackling social divisions in the shadow of dwindling masses' confidence in political establishments, mounting fanaticism and dissemination of misleading information via social media.

Members of the Kuwaiti delegation participating in the event.

Central institutions

Delivering the opening speech at the conference, King Felipe VI of Spain stressed that the conference is being held although the coronavirus pandemic has not concluded yet. He referred to necessary health measures taken to restore social and economic life in various countries, as well as institutional relations and cooperation amongst countries. He said the parliaments are central democratic institutions that represent citizens and nations, and their function extends to take decisions, build agreements and achieve political consensus. The conference mainly discusses "contemporary challenges facing democracy: overcoming divisions and building society" in light of a decline in public confidence in political systems, an increase in extremism and the spread of misinformation through social media.

Along with discussing the role of national parliaments in addressing these issues, MPs have a chance to exchange ideas on how to engage more meaningfully with the public and ensure that decisions are made as inclusive as possible. The conference also focuses on how to deal with threats facing MPs following the assassination of British MP David Amis last October. IPU Human Rights Commission is set to consider the cases of more than 100 MPs wanted by several countries, including Afghanistan, Myanmar and Venezuela.

The IPU will launch new tools for MPs including a regional report on sexism, harassment and violence against women in parliaments in Africa and guidelines for parliamentarians on budgeting to achieve the sustainable development goals. The five-day convention tackles modern-time challenges facing democracy, tackling social divisions in the shadow of dwindling masses' confidence in political establishments, mounting fanaticism and dissemination of misleading information via social media.

Meanwhile, Ghanem and his accompanying delegation are participating in the coordination meetings of Arab, Islamic and Asian groups to share views on issues that will be discussed and unify stances regarding them. The Kuwaiti delegation is also participating in the meetings of the IPU permanent committees on the issues of sustainable development, finance, trade, democracy, human rights, international peace and security and United Nations affairs, in addition to several sub-committees.

The delegation includes Secretary of the Parliamentary Caucus Dr Hamad Al-Matar, Treasurer and MP Hlailah, member of the caucus MP Usama Al-Munawer and the National Assembly Secretary General Adel Al-Loughani. The previous 142nd conference of the IPU was held virtually last May, with the participation of 750 MPs from 135 countries, and the next one will be held in Indonesia's Bali next March.

Seeking consensus

Ghanem had said on Friday that the Kuwaiti delegation is seeking consensus with respect to the "emergency topics" concerning the Arab and Muslim nations; presented by peers at the gathering. The Kuwaiti parliament speaker, in a statement after a meeting of the Islamic geopolitical group on the sidelines of the conference, affirmed that the delegation of the Kuwaiti National Assembly has been effective among the geopolitical Asian, Arab and Islamic groups.

He revealed that Kuwaiti MP Matar was nominated for membership in the permanent sustainable committee during a meeting with the geopolitical Arab group on Thursday. Moreover at Thursday's meeting, there was consensus on supporting a topic proposed by Indonesia regarding the humanitarian condition of the Palestinian people. The Turkish parliamentarians, for their part, he added, proposed a term regarding fighting against terrorism and desecration of the Islamic sharia on the social media.

However, Ghanem indicated that more than one topic, proposed by a single group, could not pass in the conference, thus he had proposed merging the two issues or delaying one to the next meeting, due in Bali, Indonesia. Elaborating, he noted that there was an agreement, at a coordination meeting of the Islamic group, on choosing one of the two topics. The speaker of the Kuwaiti parliament affirmed keenness on consensus on subjects that concern the Muslim and Arab nations. - AFP