The 111^th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and related meetings will be held from 28 September to 1 October 2004, at the Geneva International Conference Centre (CICG). Some 500 members of parliaments from 140 countries are expected to participate, including the Speakers of the following parliaments: Algeria, Belarus, Benin, Burundi, Cameroon, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Italy, Jordan, Kenya, Latvia, Lebanon, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Mali, Morocco, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Thailand and Togo.

The items on the agenda include: the role of parliaments in strengthening multilateral regimes for non proliferation of weapons and for disarmament, in the light of new security challenges; the role of parliaments in preserving biodiversity; and Beijing + 10: an evaluation from a parliamentary perspective. On Tuesday, 28 September, the Assembly will also discuss requests for inclusion of an emergency item on its agenda. A first proposal has already been received from the South African delegation: The role of parliaments in addressing the security challenges facing the African Continent with a specific focus on the humanitarian and security crisis in the Darfur region of the Sudan.

The same day, a panel on respect for international humanitarian law will take place at the CICG (Room 2), from 4.30 p.m. to 6.30 p.m. The panelists include Speakers of Parliaments, as well as the President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Mr. Jacob Kellenberger, Mr. Marco Sassoli, Professor at the University of Geneva, and Mrs. Elizabeth Wilmshurst, Former Deputy Legal Adviser at the British Foreign Officer and current Head of International Law Programme at Chatham House.

The Committee on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians will hold its 107^th session (in camera) at The House of Parliaments, Headquarters of the IPU. The Gender Partnership Group, the Coordinating Committee of Women Parliamentarians and the Coordinating Committee of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in the Mediterranean (CSCM) will also meet (in camera) on this occasion.

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Established in 1889 and with its Headquarters in Geneva, the IPU, the oldest multilateral organisation, currently has 140 affiliated national parliaments and seven regional assemblies as associate members. The organisation of the world's parliaments also has an office as Permanent Observer with the United Nations in New York.
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Contact for additional information or interviews:

Mrs. Luisa Ballin, IPU Information Officer 5, ch. du Pommier, CH - 1218 Le Grand-Saconnex / Geneva Tel. +4122 919 41 16/27 Fax: +4122 919 41 60 E-mail: lb@mail.ipu.org or cbl@mail.ipu.org