St Petersburg to host Inter-Parliamentary Union Assembly
The Inter-Parliamentary Union Assembly will convene in St Petersburg today.
The IPU was established in 1889, making it one of the oldest multilateral institutions in the world. Consisting of 173 member countries, the IPU convenes twice a year. With the goal of fostering contact and coordination among lawmakers, the group exclusively involves parliamentarians, regardless of political views and country relations.
This assembly will be the Union’s 137th gathering, and possibly its most significant. South Korea and North Korea are both sending delegates to St. Petersburg, raising hope that the IPU could serve as a rare platform for dialogue between the neighbours.
The St. Petersburg Assembly will also be the largest in the Union’s history, with a record 152 countries expected to send delegations to Russia. Expect the assembly to discuss potential solutions for the ongoing crises in Syria and Ukraine and condemn the ongoing persecution of the Rohingya in Myanmar.
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