Photo: quochoi.vn

The virtual meeting was co-organised by the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), the United Nations and the Austrian Parliament from August 19-20.

In the Declaration, leaders of parliament and the IPU President affirmed that they will always stand side by side with parliamentarians and people in this historic time as the world is facing the COVID-19 pandemic, noting that this pandemic is a borderless crisis with its impacts felt at all levels. The speakers of parliament affirmed their belief in and support of the purposes and principles set out in the United Nations Charter and believed that the role of the United Nations is increasingly necessary as the cornerstone of strong and effective global actions.

The Declaration also mentioned peace and international security issues, respect for laws and international agreements in various fields, and cooperation between the IPU and the UN.

Chairwoman of the Vietnamese National Assembly Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan sent a video message to the event, featuring the Vietnamese legislature’s participation in regional and world inter-parliamentary mechanisms, helping to strengthen peace, cooperation and fulfilling sustainable development goals. At the opening ceremony on August 19, Ngan delivered a speech on “Stepping up parliamentary action: climate change urgency”.