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IPU eBulletin header Issue No.14, 3 October 2008   
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Poster of the International Day of Democracy First International Day of Democracy celebrated across the world
The date 15 September 2008 will go down in history as the first International Day of Democracy. Addressing a special session of the Hellenic Parliament, IPU President Pier Ferdinando Casini underlined that this Day, which was proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in late 2007, is neither a historical nor an abstract celebration.    [ Full story ... ]

red cubeIPU briefs members of parliament attending the UN General Assembly
On 26 September, the IPU convened a briefing session at the United Nations Headquarters in New York for members of parliament attending the opening of the 63rd session of the United Nations General Assembly.    [ Full story ... ]


red cubeParliamentary fact-finding mission
to Tanzania
Members of the Advisory Group to the IPU Committee on United Nations Affairs travelled to Tanzania to get a first-hand understanding of progress in the implementation of the Delivering as One reform of the UN system.   [ Full story ... ]


red cubeWashington panel: human rights and democracy inextricably linked
A panel discussion focusing on the human rights of parliamentarians and the violations they are subjected to was held at the US Congress as a joint endeavour of the IPU, the Congressional Human Rights Caucus and the House Democracy Assistance Commission.   [ Full story ... ]


red cubeIPU co-chairs session on Governance Challenge in Africa
On the occasion of the High-Level Meeting on Africa’s Development Needs: State of Implementation of Various Commitments, Challenges and the Way Forward, the IPU co-sponsored a side event.   [ Full story ... ]


red cubeParliamentary leadership in the response to the HIV/AIDS pandemic
In less than twenty years, 65 million people have been infected by the HIV virus, and over 33 million are living with it today. Over 20,000 delegates travelled to Mexico City to attend the XVII International AIDS Conference.    [ Full story ... ]


red cubeNew toolkit for evaluating parliamentary performance
Parliaments are asking for tools to help them identify the areas where they are performing well and those where there is a need to build parliamentary capacity.    [ Full story ... ]

 
Event of the month
Parliamentary Conference on the WTO
This year's session took place at a critical moment for the Doha Round of multilateral trade negotiations. For the third summer in a row, attempts to reach a breakthrough in WTO talks ended in failure.Poster: Parliamentary Conference on the WTO Despite the repeated commitments to conclude the Round by the end of 2008, WTO meetings held in late July fell short of an accord, once again.
[ Full story ... ]

Selected forthcoming IPU events
button119th Assembly and Related Meetings
GENEVA (Switzerland), 13-15 October 2008
buttonInforming democracy: Building capacity to meet parliamentarians' information and knowledge needs
GENEVA (Switzerland), 16 October 2008
buttonParliamentary Seminar on the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women
GENEVA (Switzerland), 16 October 2008
buttonSeminar for members of parliamentary human rights committees
GENEVA (Switzerland), 3-5 November 2008
buttonAnnual Parliamentary Hearing at the United Nations, NEW YORK (UN Headquarters), 20-21 November 2008
buttonParliamentary Hearing at the Follow-up International Conference on Financing for Development to Review the Implementation of the Monterrey Consensus
DOHA (Qatar), 28 November 2008

 
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