Every year on June 30, the world celebrates International Parliamentary Day, the date on which the Inter-Parliamentary Union was founded in 1889. The Union is the first multilateral political organization aimed at promoting international cooperation and resolving conflicts through dialogue. Throughout its history, the Union has been, and continues to be, a pivotal platform for international parliamentary diplomacy.
In May 2018, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the anniversary of the founding of the Inter-Parliamentary Union as an annual occasion to celebrate parliaments, which play a very important role at the levels of legislation and oversight of government performance, consolidating the values of Shura, enhancing democratic experiences, achieving the principles of good governance, and implementing national plans and strategies.
The International Day of Parliamentary Action represents an opportunity to review the progress made in achieving the goals related to how to make parliaments more representative and more able to keep pace with changes, as well as supporting the inclusion of women and youth in parliamentary life, and enhancing the ability of parliaments to achieve the aspirations of peoples in order to establish stable global societies free of corruption. Conflicts that threaten the process of human development. This occasion also represents an opportunity to talk about the experience of the Federal National Council in the UAE, which witnessed an important qualitative leap in terms of its formation and in terms of the role it plays, and its role in the legislative and supervisory fields, in light of the faith of the wise leadership of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, The Head of State, may God protect him, emphasized the utmost importance of the role played by the Council in the political system.
It must be emphasized that the development of the Council has coincided with the development of the state since its founding on December 2, 1971, by the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, may God rest his soul, who saw the Shura Council as a basic approach to supporting the pillars of the Union State and consolidating the role of its various institutions. In serving the citizen and providing all the living services he needs. The major shift in the Council’s development process was achieved in light of the political empowerment program announced by the late Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, may God have mercy on him, in 2005, which laid out a road map to advance parliamentary work in the country and enable the Council to be closer to citizens’ issues and priorities. The main authority, and a supporting authority for the executive authority. The Council’s achievements during the first parliamentary session of the current legislative term, which ended on June 5, 2024, provide many indications of the vital role that the Council plays in public life, as it held 12 sessions during this session, during which it approved 6 draft laws and discussed 7 topics. General, 60 recommendations were made regarding it, and 18 parliamentary questions were directed to government representatives. The Council’s permanent committees played an active role in discussing national issues, as they held many meetings, during which they hosted many experts, specialists, and officials in ministries, federal and local national bodies and institutions.
During this session, which is the first after the 2023 elections, the Council continued to strengthen the UAE’s parliamentary relations with many countries of the world, as the Parliamentary Division participated in 122 international parliamentary events, and succeeded in obtaining 4 regional and international parliamentary positions. It also presented 182 technical papers in various parliamentary events, which contributed to activating the work of regional and international parliamentary institutions.
Since its establishment, the Federal National Council has been an active witness and participant in the UAE’s journey of achievements. It plays a vital role in domestic policy-making, while at the same time being an important source of soft power for the country at the global level. There is a great deal of hope for the Council to achieve the major national ambitions included in the UAE Centennial 2071, most notably for the UAE to be the number one country in the world.
*Issued by the Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research.
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