Press release of the Inter-Parliamentary Union
Geneva, 4 November 1999
N° 84

The Inter-Parliamentary Union, (IPU), in collaboration with the Parliament of Yemen will organise a seminar in Sana'a from 9-11 November 1999. This seminar, intended for Members of the Parliament of Yemen, will focus on the relationship between the Parliament and Government.

The seminar is organised within the framework of the IPU's assistance to the Parliament of Yemen, with funding support from the United Nations Development Programme in Yemen. The project's objective is to enhance Parliament's role in ensuring accountability and good governance in Yemen. A mission to Sana'a in August 1999 by an IPU Constitutional Consultant highlighted the need for urgent action to promote a better understanding among parliamentarians of their role in the legislative process and in the oversight of government action.

Participants at the seminar will therefore address two complementary topics: the cooperation between the Parliament and the Government in the legislative process and the mechanisms available to Parliament for monitoring Government activity. The discussions will be facilitated by three experts with vast experience in parliamentary affairs, namely:

• Mr Brahim Rachidi: Vice-President of the House of Representatives of the Parliament of Morocco.
• Mr Raila Odinga: Chairman of the National Development Party, a leading opposition party, in Kenya.
• Mr Joseph Maingot: former Law Clerk and Parliamentary Counsel of the Canadian House of Commons (1967-1982) and Commissioner of the Law Reform Commission of Canada (1987-1989).
• An IPU Representative, Mr Martin Chungong, Officer-in-Charge of the IPU's Programme for the Study and Promotion for Representative Institutions, will also attend the seminar.

In organising this seminar, the Parliament of Yemen and the IPU hope to ensure that, by clarifying the relations between the Government and Parliament and by proposing measures to ensure better and more effective monitoring and parliamentary oversight of Government, Yemeni parliamentarians can perform their legislative and oversight functions in a more effective manner. A handbook will be published on the proceedings of the Seminar, explaining mechanisms for effective monitoring of Government by Parliament.

The Inter-Parliamentary Union, the world organisation of parliaments established in 1889 and based in Geneva, currently has 139 affiliated parliaments and 5 associated regional parliamentary assemblies. It also has a Liaison Office with the United Nations in New York (tel. 1.212 5575880, fax 1.212 5573954, e-mail: ny-office@mail.ipu.org).

Contacts for additional information or interviews:

Mrs Luisa Ballin, IPU Information Officer, tel.: (41.22) 919.41.16 or 919.41.27, fax: (41.22) 733 31 41 or 919 41 60, e-mail: lb@mail.ipu.org or cd@mail.ipu.org .