Hanoi (VNA) - Chairman of the National Assembly's Foreign AffairsCommittee Vu Hai Ha led a delegation to attend a plenary session and theclosing session of the 142nd International Parliamentary Union (IPU)Assembly, which were held via videoconference on May 27 evening under the chairof IPU President Duarte Pacheco.

During the plenary session, delegates continued discussing manyissues related to the common theme of “Overcoming the pandemic today andbuilding a better tomorrow: the role of parliaments”. The session also approveda resolution on parliamentary strategy to enhance peace and security againstrisks and conflicts posed by climate change-related disasters and theirconsequences, and a Resolution on integrating digitalisation and circulareconomy to achieve sustainable development goals, especially responsibleconsumption and production.

Regarding the resolution related to digitalisation andcircular economy, the Vietnamese NA delegation said thateducation plays an important role in equipping people with knowledge about circulareconomy to enable them to practice the circular economy and shape responsible consumptionhabits from early on. At the same time, the ability to use digital tools,digital skills, and the readiness to implement digitalisation must also be consideredas one of the basic contents of the educational curricula at all levels.

Vietnam shared the call in the resolution for the IPU to strengthen cooperative relationships withmember parliaments which are members of other organisations, including regionalparliamentary organisations, to collect evidence and information on the circulareconomy, the environment and digitalisation, and to develop a guiding framework forparliamentary actions.

In addition, there should be economic and financialincentives to promote more sustainable goods and services.

At the closing session, delegates emphasized the importanceand urgency of vaccination against COVID-19 globally, as well as the fair andequal access to vaccines, and ensuring human rights and continuing to promotethe implementation of sustainable development goals in the context of thepandemic.

IPU President Duarte Pacheco said that the 142nd IPU Assemblyis the first to be conducted in the form of videoconference, in the context ofthe COVID-19 pandemic spreading around the world and developing complicatedly.This assembly discussed many important parliamentary issues, highlighted theparliaments’ role in overcoming the pandemic and building a better tomorrow, andprovided recommendations and solutions to strengthen international solidarityand cooperation in response to the pandemic and post-pandemic recovery.

Within the framework of the assembly, IPU Committees alsodiscussed and the assembly issued resolutions on important issues in the fieldof security – peace, sustainable economic development, and other contentsrelated to the United Nations, democracy and human rights, the role of youngparliamentarians in post-pandemic recovery, and promoting gender equality./.