Tomorrow, the 111th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, meeting in Geneva, will discuss an emergency agenda item entitled The alarming situation in Iraq and the need ffor parliamentary action to restore peace and security in this country. More than 450 parliamentarians from 115 countries, including 29 Speakers of parliaments and 133 women parliamentarians, are taking part in the Assembly.

The subject for the emergency item was proposed by the delegation of the Islamic Republic of Iran, with the support of the Asia-Pacific Group. It was accepted today, by consensus. Two other proposals had also been made, but were subsequently withdrawn. The first, submitted by the delegation of South Africa, was entitled 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, and the second, submitted by the delegation of the Sudan, was on The role of parliaments in supporting peace and the settlement of conflicts in Africa, focusing on the Darfur problem.

Three other main subject items are on the agenda of the 111th IPU Assembly, which will be meeting until Friday, 1 October:

• The role of parliaments in strengthening multilateral regimes for non-proliferation of weapons and for disarmament, in the light of new security challenges (Committee on Peace and International Security)
• The role of parliaments in preserving biodiversity (Committee on Sustainable Development, Finance and Trade)
• Beijing+10: An evaluation from a parliamentary perspective (Committee on Democracy and Human Rights)

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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