Chairperson of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Rep. Salma Benaziz, Takes Part in 45th AIPA General Assembly

Chairperson of the Foreign Affairs, National Defense, Islamic Affairs, Migration, and Moroccan Expatriates Committee, Rep. Salma Benaziz, is taking Part in the proceedings of the 45th General Assembly of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly, held in Vientiane in Lao People's Democratic Republic, on October 17-23, 2024, on "The Role of Parliaments in Enhancing Connectivity and Inclusive Growth of ASEAN."

During the General Assembly, the Chairperson of the Foreign Affairs, National Defense, Islamic Affairs, Migration, and Moroccan Expatriates Committee took Part on October 18, 2024, in the proceedings of the Women Political Leaders Forum. In her intervention, she stressed the importance of reinforcing the role of women in achieving democracy and sustainable development. She also shed light on the reforms conducted by the Kingdom of Morocco under the wise leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may Allah assist him, including the ones linked to enabling women to participate in political and public life. In the same respect, Rep. Salma Benaziz noted the role of the 2011 Constitution in entrenching gender equality and increasing the number of women parliamentarians, who make up 24% of the total number of MPs during the ongoing Legislative Term.

During the plenary sitting of October 19, 2024, the Chairperson of the Foreign Affairs Committee gave an address where she shed light on the importance of economic complementarity between Southeast Asian countries and regional cooperation to address the global financial and environmental crises. She also praised the role of parliaments in adopting trade and economic agreements with a view to strengthening economic stability and global growth.

It should be noted that the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly is a prominent platform for parliamentary dialogue and exchange of views on several common challenges the region and the world face. The Assembly also supports the efforts of regional integration and international cooperation in several areas.

The House of Representatives earned observer status within this Assembly in September 2020. The House is the only African and Arab Assembly to enjoy membership within this Asian parliamentary body, which testifies to the leading roles of the Kingdom of Morocco in enhancing communication and cooperation between the countries of Africa and Southeast Asia, with a view to instilling security and stability and reinforcing development and economic and social prosperity, under the enlightened leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may Allah glorify and assist him.