The APPF meeting will take place in Hanoi from January 18-21 under the
theme of “Parliamentary partnership for peace, innovation and
sustainable development.”
    |
 |
Permanent Vice Chairwoman of the Vietnam National Assembly Tong
Thi Phong chairs the third meeting of the APPF-26 organization board.
|
This is the second time Vietnam has hosted the APPF’s annual
meeting. It first organized the 13th version in Ha Long city, Northern
coastal Quang Ninh province, in January 2005. At this meeting, Vietnam
proposed an initiative on cooperation to overcome consequences of
earthquakes and tsunamis, winning approval from participating countries.
At the hand-over ceremony of the APPF Chair for the 2017-2018
tenure from Fiji to Vietnam in Ho Chi Minh City in May 2017, Permanent
Vice Chairwoman of the Vietnam NA Tong Thi Phong made clear that the
Vietnamese legislature highly values activities and agenda of the APPF.
Since joining the APPF in January 1995, the Vietnam NA has
constructively participated in the forum’s activities, as reflected
through its presence in all annual APPF meetings, and numerous
proposals, many of which were accepted and included in meetings’
documents.
At the APPF-14 in Indonesia in 2006, the joint declaration and
other documents of the meeting contained Vietnam’s recommendations on
enhancing collaboration between parliaments and governments of
Asia-Pacific countries as well as between APPF and the Asia-Pacific
Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum, providing direct support for APEC
activities, contributing to regional peace, stability, development and
prosperity, and expanding partnerships between the APPF and other
parliamentary organizations of the world in order to increase mutual
understanding between continents.
Meanwhile, during the APPF-18 in Singapore, Vietnam raised
initiatives regarding climate change and an exclusive resolution on
climate change sponsored by six countries, including Vietnam, was
adopted at the meeting.
At the APPF-19 in Mongolia in 2011, Vietnam’s initiatives in
climate change response and the implementation of the UN millennium
development goals (MDGs) received approval of many participating
parliaments and were adopted as one of official documents of the event.
The APPF was officially formed in Tokyo, Japan, in 1993, through the adoption of the Tokyo Declaration.
The forum now gathers 27 members: Australia, Cambodia, Canada,
China, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Fiji, Indonesia, Japan,
Laos, Malaysia, the Marshall Islands, Mexico, Micronesia, Mongolia, New
Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Peru, the Philippines, the RoK, Russia,
Singapore, Thailand, the US and Vietnam.
The mechanism aims to directly assist the APEC, contributing to peace, stability and prosperity in the region.
The APPF is a mechanism that enables parliamentarians to discuss
issues of common concern, and to deepen their understanding of the
region and the interests and experience of its diverse members. The
forum’s proceedings address political, security, economic, social and
cultural issues, thus furthering regional cooperation and building
relations between and among parliamentarians from the Asia-Pacific
region.
Source: VNA