mseap

Photo: setneg.go.id   Indonesia officially assumed 2022 G20 presidency from Italy. Prior to the closing ceremony of G20 Summit on October 31, Mario Draghi, Prime Minister of Italy, delivered a hammer to Joko Jokowi Widodo, President of Indonesia, as a symbolic handover of G20 presidency from Italy to Indonesia. For the first time since G20 was established in 1999, Indonesia will be in charge of the G20 presidency starting from 1 December 2021 to 30 November 2022.   During the handover ceremony, President Jokowi said Indonesian Presidency will adopt the theme “Recover Together, Recover Stronger” to encourage joint efforts for world economic recovery. Inclusive, people-centered, environmentally friendly, and sustainable growth is the main commitment of Indonesia as the Chair of G20 Summit, which will be held on 30-31 October 2022 in Bali, Indonesia.   As an opening of more than 150 meetings planned to take place throughout the Indonesian G20 presidency, the first G20 Sherpa Meeting was held in Jakarta, Indonesia on 7-8 December 2021. The meeting served as an opportunity for each G20 Working Group to convey their priorities. It was followed by the First Deputy of Finance and the Central Bank Meeting held in Bali on 9-10 December.   Started in 1999 as a meeting for the finance minister and central bank governors, G20 has evolved into a yearly summit involving the Head of State and Government. Indonesia’s G20 Presidency in 2022 is the third G20 presidency in the midst of COVID-19 pandemic.   For more information, please visit g20.org.   [Sources] Cabinet Secretariat of the Republic of Indonesia. (2021, November 1). Indonesia Assumes G20 Presidency in 2022. https://setkab.go.id/en/indonesia-assumes-g20-presidency-in-2022/   G20 Presidency of Indonesia. (2021, December 7). 1st G20 Sherpa Meeting: Indonesia Calls for World’s Cooperation to Achieve Inclusive, Sustainable Economic Recovery – G20 Presidency of Indonesia. https://g20.org/1st-g20-sherpa-meeting-indonesia-calls-for-worlds-cooperation-to-achieve-inclusive-sustainable-economic-recovery/   G20 Presidency of Indonesia. (2021, October 29). President Joko Widodo to Receive G20 Presidency from Italy – G20 Presidency of Indonesia. https://g20.org/hadiri-ktt-g20-roma-presiden-jokowi-siap-terima-presidensi-g20-dari-italia/   BY MSEAP Cyber Secretariat (mseap@assembly.go.kr)

Photo: assembly.go.kr   The 29th Annual Meeting of the Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum (APPF29), which the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea hosted for the second time in 23 years, took place in Seoul, Korea, on December 13-15. It was initially set to be held in-person (with the possibility of remote participation), but was held virtually after rising concerns on the spread of Omicron coronavirus variant. Participants include 211 parliamentary delegates from 22 countries, which are Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Canada, China, Costa Rica, Fiji, Indonesia, Japan, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Marshall Islands, Mexico, Mongolia, New Zealand, Peru, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Russian Federation, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.   Under the main theme “The Role of Parliaments in Strengthening Resilience in the Post-COVID-19 Era,” the forum consisted of the Women Parliamentarians Meeting and four Plenary Sessions. The Working Groups and the Drafting Committee, ten online meetings in total, were held to draft and review 13 resolutions prior to the Plenary Sessions.      In the inaugural ceremony, Park Byeong-seug, Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea and the Chair of APPF29, invited the APPF member countries to “strengthen solidarity in order to build consensus on the gravity and urgency of contemporary challenges and join efforts toward an inclusive recovery.” In the Women Parliamentarians Meeting, members emphasized the importance of enforcing policies to eliminate aggravated violence against women during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the First Plenary Session, the need for parliamentary diplomacy and leadership to maintain peace and security, fight against trasnational challenges, and strengthen cooperation for human security, permanent peace regime on the Korean Peninsula, and counter-terrorism, was reaffirmed. In the Second Plenary Session, members discussed how to create conditions and systems for multilateral cooperation to realize Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific (FTAAP), promote digital economy, and strengthen policy support for vulnerable groups. Lastly, in the Third Plenary Session, fair access to vaccines and treatments amid COVID-19 crisis, as well as efforts to maintain regional cooperation on a climate change response and to promote understanding on cultural diversity, was encouraged.   During the Final Plenary Session, participants adopted 13 resolutions and the Joint Communiqué. The invitation of Thailand to host the next APPF Annual Meeting in 2022 and the full membership of Brunei Darussalam were also formally approved.   APPF is the world’s largest body for parliamentary cooperation, comprising 27 member countries in the Asia-Pacific region; it is the parliamentary equivalent of APEC (Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation).   For more information, please visit www.appf29.org.   [Sources] The National Assembly of the Republic of Korea. (2021, December 16). [APPF29] 29th Annual Meeting of Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum Closes. https://korea.assembly.go.kr:447/wha/new2_read.jsp   The National Assembly of the Republic of Korea. (2021, December 14). [APPF29] On first day of 29th APPF Annual Meeting gender-sensitive post-Covid-19 strategies sought. https://korea.assembly.go.kr:447/wha/new2_read.jsp   The National Assembly of the Republic of Korea. (2021, December 14). [APPF29] Parliaments 28 Asia-Pacific Nations to Bolster Inclusion and Solidarity amid COVID-19 Pandemic. https://korea.assembly.go.kr:447/wha/pre_read.jsp   BY MSEAP Cyber Secretariat (mseap@assembly.go.kr)

Photo: unpko2021.kr   The 2021 Seoul UN Peacekeeping Ministerial (UNPKO 2021) was held virtually on December 7-8, and was co-hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of National Defense of the Republic of Korea. 155 members of the Special Committee on UN Peacekeeping Operations (C34), as well as two international organizations, participated in this Ministerial.   Under the main theme “Technology and Medical Capacity Building,” the UNPKO 2021 consisted of four sessions which were “Sustaining Peace,” “Partnership, Training and Capacity Building,” “Performance and Accountability,” “Protection of Civilians and Safety & Security.” The members of C34 took the floor to call for the international community to politically support peacekeeping operations, and to identify new commitments to strengthen UN Peacekeeping.   At the opening ceremony, António Guterres, UN Secretary-General, introduced via his video message the UN’s efforts in building stronger, safer, and more effective peacekeeping operations through the Action for Peacekeeping (A4P) and Action for Peacekeeping Plus (A4P+) initiatives. Chung Eui-yong, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea, encouraged “the participating delegates to make strong, concrete, and practical pledges to create peacekeeping that is stronger and fit for the future,” and hoped Korea’s will for peace in the Korean Peninsula would “resonate with others where conflict is still ongoing and give them hope that a peaceful and prosperous future is within reach.”   Korea also introduced the Seoul Initiative on Technology and Medical Capacity Building in Peacekeeping, which focuses on improving UN Peacekeeping Operations and Peacekeepers to become more agile, data-driven and technology-enabled, and to enhance their medical capacity in the face of the increasingly complex threats in higher-risk operating environments. The UN Peacekeeping Ministerial is a follow-up conference to the UN Leaders' Summit on Peacekeeping in 2015, which was co-hosted by former President of the United States Barack Obama and former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. The UNPKO 2021 is the Ministerial that was held in Asia for the first time. Its format has changed from a full-scale in-person meeting to a virtual one, considering the ongoing global spread of the new Omicron variant.   For more information, please visit unpko2021.kr.   [Sources] 2021 Seoul UN Peacekeeping Ministerial. (2021, December 7). 2021 Seoul UN Peacekeeping Ministerial Opens - 「Seoul Initiative」 on Technology and Medical Capacity Building in UN Peacekeeping Announced. https://www.unpko2021.kr/EN/announce/press/443   2021 Seoul UN Peacekeeping Ministerial. (2021, December 9). Note to Correspondents: 2021 Seoul UN Peacekeeping Ministerial concludes with 62 countries making new pledges for UN peacekeeping operations. https://www.unpko2021.kr/EN/announce/press/476   2021 Seoul UN Peacekeeping Ministerial. (n.d.). Preparation for the 2021 Ministerial. https://www.unpko2021.kr/EN/Conference/summary   Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Republic of Korea. (2021, December 8). 2021 Seoul UN Peacekeeping Ministerial to Take Place. https://www.mofa.go.kr/eng/brd/m_5674/view.do?seq=320698   United Nations Peacekeeping. (2021, December 7). At Seoul meeting, Guterres urges greater support for peacekeeping. https://peacekeeping.un.org/en/un-news/seoul-meeting-guterres-urges-greater-support-peacekeeping-amid-mounting-threats   BY MSEAP Cyber Secretariat (mseap@assembly.go.kr)

Photo: ipu.org   The 143rd IPU (Inter-Parliamentary Union) Assembly took place in IFEMA Palacio Municipal, Madrid, Spain, on November 26-30. It was hosted by the Cortes Generales, the Parliament of Spain, and was held in-person for the first time since October 2019. Hundreds of parliamentarians from 117 countries, including 44 Speakers, attended the Assembly.   Under the main theme “Contemporary challenges to democracy: Overcoming division and building community,” all IPU statutory bodies ― the Governing Council, Standing Committees, Committees on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians and on Middle East Questions, as well as the Forums of Women Parliamentarians and of Young Members of Parliaments ― were convened during this Assembly. The IPU Members deliberated and exchanged views on how to galvanize parliamentary action to uphold and promote democracy around the world. The Madrid Declaration, which calls for a new approach to democracy with a renewed commitment to core democratic values, inclusiveness and problem-solving, was adopted as the outcome document of the General Debate.   As a result of the 143rd IPU Assembly, participants adopted the resolution on the emergency item proposed by the IPU African Group, entitled “Harnessing global parliamentary support for vaccine equity in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.” The resolution on the subject item taken up by the Standing Committee on Democracy and Human Rights entitled “Legislation worldwide to combat online child sexual exploitation and abuse” was also adopted. Founded more than 130 years ago, IPU is the global organization of national parliaments, which encourages cooperation and dialogue between all nations. Today, the IPU comprises 179 national parliaments and 13 regional parliamentary bodies. It gathers over 1500 parliamentary delegates and partners to hold the Assembly twice a year.   For more information, please visit ipu.org.   [Sources] Inter-Parliamentary Union. (2021, November 26). 143rd Assembly and related meetings. https://www.ipu.org/event/143rd-assembly-and-related-meetings#event-sub-page-24896/ Inter-Parliamentary Union. (2021, November 30). Global parliamentary solidarity for vaccine equity in the fight against COVID-19. https://www.ipu.org/news/press-releases/2021-11/global-parliamentary-solidarity-vaccine-equity-in-fight-against-covid-19   BY MSEAP Cyber Secretariat (mseap@assembly.go.kr)