Geneva IPU President on seven-day visit to India from Sunday

Duarte Pacheco, President of Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), Geneva, will be arriving in India on a seven-day visit on Sunday.

During his visit, he will attend a felicitation ceremony and address members under the auspices of the Indian Parliamentary Group (IPG) in the Central Hall of Parliament on March 16, according to a statement by the Lok Sabha secretariat.

Pacheco, a Member of Parliament of Portugal, was recently elected as the President of IPU, an international orgzation of national parliaments, for a three-year term from 2021 to 2023. He is visiting India at the invitation of the Parliament of India.

During the visit, Pacheco will call-on Rajya Sabha Vice President and Chairman Venkaiah Naidu and Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla on March 15 to exchange views on further strengthening the relations between the Parliament of India and IPU.

"The IPU President will also visit Rajghat and pay homage to, 'Father of the Nation' - 'Bapu' Mahatma Gandhi. He will also attend a felicitation ceremony and address members under the auspices of the Indian Parliamentary Group (IPG) in the Central Hall of Parliament on 16 March," the statement read.

Later, in the day, he will have an interaction with the Parliamentary Committee on External Affairs. The Dignitary will also visit Goa and Agra during his stay in India.

The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) formed in 1889, is one of the oldest and largest international Parliamentary body consisting of more than 179 Members.

The IPU espouses the cause of promoting democracy across the world and take up issues of international importance, such as, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Climate Change, Gender Equality, etc.

India, since its independence, has always been an active Member of Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU). In the past, G.S. Dhilon, the then Speaker of Lok Sabha and Dr Najma Heptulla, the then Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha had served as the Presidents of IPU.

India has been contributing to the deliberations and outcomes of IPU by being on various Standing Committees, Forums and Advisory Groups of IPU.

( With inputs from ANI )