VIDEO: Thilanga Sumathipala, Sri Lankan MP, on parliament's role in achieving the SDGs

Speakers of Parliament from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Pakistan and Sri Lanka assembled in Malé, Maldives, on 1 and 2 September 2019, for the fourth South Asian Speakers’ Summit on Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). As representatives of

Speakers of South Asian Parliaments agreed to a number of action points including: prioritizing green growth strategies and climate change adaptation; strengthening access to education; and promoting the social inclusion of marginalized, vulnerable groups and differently-abled people. The Speakers of Parliament of Afghanistan, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Pakistan and Sri Lanka met in Colombo from 11-12 July 2018 to discuss progress on the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in their region. The focus of the meeting—the third of its kind—was on sustainable, equitable and green economic growth and on creating decent work for all, including young people and persons with disabilities.

Speakers of Parliaments from South Asia met to discuss the implementation of the SDGs in the region and further defined the opportunities and challenges facing South Asian parliaments in working to implement the SDGs.

Parliamentary leaders will meet in New York on 17-18 November for the Second Preparatory Committee of the 4th World Conference of Speakers of Parliament. The Committee will define the main objectives of the 2015 Conference, its overall theme and main elements of the outcome document, exact date and venue.

When Benin requested support with the management of its chemicals and related waste, the IPU connected the west African Parliament with experts at the United Nations and organized a training course for parliamentarians. Less than a year later, the National

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE), 25 February 2024. Over two hundred parliamentarians from around the world have restated the importance of including a parliamentary dimension in the future of multilateral cooperation on trade, considering the essential role that trade