Deputy Speaker of the Shura Council H E Dr. Hamda bint Hassan Al Sulaiti (second left); President of the Association of Secretaries-General of Arab Parliaments H E Dr. Ahmed bin Nasser Al Fadala (second right); and other officials at the opening of the conference yesterday. PIC: Salim Matramkot/The Peninsula
Doha, Qatar: The 10th conference of the Association of Secretaries-General of Arab Parliaments opened in Doha yesterday with marathon discussions for developing and enhancing administrative performance of the Secretaries-General.
The two day-event, being organised by the Shura Council, will discuss the issuance of a guideline for the association and studying the power of secretaries-general among many other issues.
Addressing the opening ceremony, Deputy Speaker of the Shura Council H E Dr. Hamda bint Hassan Al Sulaiti said the General Secretariat plays an important role in facilitating parliaments to function.
“Enhancing cooperation, exchanging experiences, and reviewing best practices between general secretariats in parliaments would develop the performance of general secretariats and improve the quality of their services, which will undoubtedly reflect on the performance of parliaments,” said Al Sulaiti.
She said the conference provides an important annual platform with the aim of developing and supporting administrative performance in public secretariats, and assisting parliaments and legislative councils in performing their legislative and oversight tasks and in the field of parliamentary diplomacy.
“Qatar was honoured to chair the Association of Secretaries-General of Arab Parliaments in this session through the presidency of H E Dr. Ahmed Nasser Al Fadala, Secretary-General of the Shura Council,” said Al Sulaiti.
She said that the Shura Council is keen to provide all support to him and the association in order to achieve its goals and perform the responsibilities entrusted to it efficiently and competently.
“Qatar pays special attention to the Arab and Islamic systems that deal with the issues and concerns of our people, and with their participation in decision-making and advancing development,” said Al Sulaiti. She said that Arab world is witnessing tensions and instability in some parts of it, most notably the deteriorating situation in the occupied Palestinian territories due to the racist and aggressive practices of the occupying forces and its extremist government, which is escalating its repressive measures against the Palestinian people.
“We, as parliamentarians representing our Arab peoples, should call for the need for the Inter-Parliamentary Union and the various national and international parliamentary organisations to adopt a serious and firm stance against the repeated brutal attacks committed by the Israeli authorities against the brotherly Palestinian people, and for the need for the international community and the United Nations to work to stop these attacks,” said Al Sulaiti.
Al Fadala said the confrence aims to complete the discussion and study of the important issues which were addressed, including studying the powers of the secretaries-general, and issuing a guideline for them.
Al Fadala, who is also Secretary General of the Shura Council, said that the purpose of the meeting is also to follow up on the decisions issued by the Baghdad conference last February by forming two committees, the first of which is concerned with studying the bylaws of the proposed assembly to be approved at Doha meeting.
Secretary General of the Parliamentary Union of OIC Member States H E Muhammad Qureshi Nias thanked Shura Council for organising this important conference.
