Valentina Matvienko: “For the past year the IPA CIS has done serious, useful and effective work. Today we can say with confidence that all our plans for this year will be fulfilled”

Valentina Matvienko noted that over the years the IPA CIS developed 546 model legislative acts and other regulatory legal documents. “11 of them were adopted in spring within the framework of the 47^th IPA CIS Plenary Session, and 11 more were considered today”.

Among the draft model documents put for the consideration by the IPA CIS Council Valentina Matvienko noted the Model Guidebook on International Humanitarian Law for the CIS. “This important document was developed by the IPA CIS together with our partner – the International Committee of the Red Cross, and its adoption was dedicated to the significant date – the 150^th anniversary of the St. Petersburg Declaration of 1868, which had laid the foundation of this crucial branch of law”.

Valentina Matvienko noted that another IPA CIS initiative was successfully implemented this year. “A year and a half ago, the IPA CIS as an IPU associate member addressed the IPU with a proposal to support the idea of ​​establishing the International Day of Parliamentarism on 30 June,” reminded the IPA CIS Council Chairperson. “During the 137^th Assembly in St. Petersburg the IPU included this proposal in its resolution and appealed to the UN with a corresponding initiative. On 22 May, during its 72^nd Session, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution and decided to celebrate the International Day of Parliamentarism on 30 June every year”, recalled the IPA CIS Council Chairperson.

The Director of the WHO Regional Office for Europe Zsuzsanna Jakab noted that in recent years, within the framework of the IPA CIS sessions, a number of model laws on the most relevant healthcare issues had been adopted. According to Zsuzsanna Jakab, it is important to ensure the IPA CIS and WHO cooperation in developing further draft model laws aimed at improving the framework of medical service provision.

Chairperson of the Executive Committee of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Cameroon Emilia Monjowa Lifaka stressed that parliamentarians should pay more attention to the lawmaking process, current trends and issues of international humanitarian law.

The Plenary Session also considered model laws “Volunteer Fire Service”, “Personal Data”, “Child and Youth Tourism”, Model Guidebook on International Humanitarian Law for the CIS, “Improvement of the Quality of Education in the CIS Member Nations”, Recommendations on Environmental Policy-Making, and the Recommendations on the Development and Implementation of PPP mechanisms in the CIS Member Nations.

At the end of the Plenary Session a poet, writer and public activist of the Republic of Kazakhstan Olzhas Suleimenov was awarded with Chinghiz Aitmatov Prize “for the contribution to the development of literature, rapprochement of cultures, strengthening peace and friendship in the CIS”.