With the Participation of a Moroccan Parliamentary Delegation, 144th Assembly of the IPU Kicks off

Speaker of the House of Representatives Rachid Talbi El Alami took part, alongside the members of the Moroccan parliamentary representation, in the inaugural ceremony of the 144^th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, on Sunday, March 20, 2022, hosted by Indonesia, under the theme: “Getting to zero: Mobilizing parliaments to act on climate change." The ceremony was marked by the participation of the President of the Republic of Indonesia, H.E. Joko Widodo.

In his statement during the inaugural ceremony, the Indonesian President, Mr. Joko Widodo, called upon participants to intensify parliamentary action to address climate change in the world. He also stressed the importance of elaborating a serious international strategic policy regarding climate change in light of the continuous challenges. The President also called for granting priority to renewable energies and utilizing technologies to address climate change, affirming that his country has hydroelectric, geothermal, wind, and solar energies, but needs vast investments and international funding and cooperation.

In the same respect, the President noted the existence of several important matters that must be discussed, such as energy scarcity, food prices, logistical transport, and inflation that affects most countries, adding that peoples suffer from the rise of the cost of living.

For his part, the President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, the Hon. Duarte Pacheco noted in his address that climate change must be a priority case for the Union in its strategic plan and discussions during the activities of this Assembly. Besides, he added that this Assembly would also tackle human rights questions that concern parliamentarians in several world countries. The IPU President also noted the willingness of the Union to work on consolidating health security in partnership with the World Health Organization. He also stressed the imperative of finding a pacific solution to the Russia-Ukraine crisis.

For her part, the Speaker of the Indonesian Parliament, the Hon. Puan Maharani Nakshatra called in her address for strengthening international cooperation to implement a policy that addresses climate change and protects the world from its impacts. She also added that the 144^th IPU Assembly would also discuss several matters, such as the right of the Palestinian people to live freely and independently, democracy in Myanmar, gender equality, and the role of youth in politics. The Speaker also affirmed the importance of the contribution of parliamentarians to achieving peace in the international geopolitical arena and using parliamentary diplomacy to curb wars.

The Hon. Maharani Nakshatra added that cooperation between parliaments is essential to address the repercussions of COVID-19 through the implementation of local policies that reflect significant international matters. In the same respect, she stressed the importance of the equal distribution of anti-COVID19 vaccines and cooperation between developed and developing countries regarding economic recovery during the pandemic and after it.

The Moroccan parliamentary delegation taking part in the Assembly includes Representatives Ahmed Touizi (Chairperson of the Group of Authenticity and Modernity) and Khadouj Slassi (Socialist Group), in addition to the Councilors Kamal Ait Mik (Group of the National Rally of Independents) and Hassan Chamis (Group of Authenticity and Modernity).