Annual Parliamentary Hearings bring members of parliament to the United Nations Headquarters in New York for an interactive discussion with high-ranking UN officials, representatives of Member States and experts drawn from think tanks and civil society organizations.
In accordance with the provisions of the General Assembly Resolution on cooperation between the UN and the IPU (A/61/6), the Hearing is a joint event of the two organizations, heralding a greater political commitment on the part of the United Nations to hear the views of parliaments on some of the most urgent issues of our times.
Among other things, the Hearing provides an opportunity for members of parliament to meet and hear from the United Nations management team. The conclusions of the Hearing are circulated to the wider UN community as well as to all national parliaments. The main theme of the 2008 Hearing is Towards effective peacekeeping and the prevention of conflict: Delivering on our commitments. Discussion topics include human security in UN peacekeeping operations, sexual violence against women and children in conflict, and responsibility to protect.
Important notice: To understand how parliaments organize their work vis-à-vis the United Nations, the IPU has launched a survey, the data compiled through which will be analyzed in a report to the IPU Governing Council. Parliaments are invited to complete the corresponding questionnaire (one per parliamentary chamber) and return it to the IPU Secretariat no later than 31 January 2009. Options for completing the questionnaire are explained in an accompanying note.
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