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11th Afro-Arab Parliamentary Conference
Damasus, 22 - 24 July 2004

Item 2
Meeting of the Follow – up Committee

 Report of the Two General Secretariats
Of the African Parliamentary Union and the Arab Inter-parliamentary Union
On joint Activities and Implementation of the Resolutions of
The 10th Afro-Arab Parliamentary Conference

I - Circulating the documents of the 10th conference:

After finishing the works of the 10th Afro-Arab Parliamentary Conference which was held in Adis Ababa, January- 2003, the two Unions' secretariats produced the final statement issued by the conference in three languages: Arabic, English and French, and circulated it on all member parliaments of the two unions. They also sent copies of this statement to the United Nation Organization, Arab League, African Unity Organization and the Inter-Parliamentary Union in Geneva.

A detailed report on the conference proceedings together with the final statement issued by that conference were published in the quarterly magazine of the Arab Inter-parliamentary Union. A copy of this statement was sent to Arab embassies and foreign embassies interested in promoting Afro-Arab relations. Many Arab newspapers published news on the conference and quoted paragraphs from its final statement.

II - Exchanging participation in the statutary Conferences of the Two Unions:

There was an exchange of participation between the two secretariats in the statutary conferences held by the two unions during the period from 2003 to mid of 2007:

  • The General Secretary of the African Parliamentary Union participated in two Arab Inter-parliamentary Conferences; the 11th (Damascus) and the 12th (Amman).
  • He also participated in the 46th and 49th sessions of the Union's Council which were held in Algeria and Al-aqaba.

The General Secretary of the Arab Inter-parliamentary Union also participated in the conferences and meetings of the African Parliamentary Union which were held in Algeria and Khartoum.

II - Exchange of Documents:

The elapsed period, since the 10th conference, has witnessed an exchange of statements and documents issued by the two unions. The general secretariat of the African Parliamentary Union sent the documents and resolutions issued by the conferences of the union to the Arab Inter-parliamentary Union. The Arab Inter-parliamentary Union provided the African Parliamentary Union with the final statements issued by its regular and exceptional sessions. The Arab Inter-parliamentary Union also sent copies of the statements issued on various events which took place in the Middle East, especially those related to the situation in the occupied Palestinian territories, Iraq, Al-Qods and others.

IV - Coordinating Activities of Arab and African Parliamentary Delegations in the conferences of the Inter-Parliamentary Union:

In implementing resolutions of the Afro-Arab Parliamentary Dialogue Conference on the necessity of cooperation and coordination between Arab and African parliamentary delegations, the two Union's General Secretariats were keen to maintain a comprehensive coordination in all fields between Arab and African parliamentary delegations in IPU conferences.

  • The two union's General Secretaries have been persistent in attending the coordinating meetings held by delegations of each union in the place of convening the international conference. The coordination was taking place among the two unions' representatives, especially vis-a-vis the requests to include supplementary items in IPU conference agenda.
  • During the IPU conference no. 108 (Chile 2003) a close cooperation took place among the delegations of the Arab and African groups vis-a-vis the war on Iraq which started two months before the conference, and the appeal to stop the war, and withdrawal of foreign forces from Iraq.
  • The African delegations supported the application presented by the Saudi Shoura Council to get the membership in the Inter-Parliamentary Union.
  • At assembly 111, it was agreed between the delegations of the Arab and African groups to withdraw the Arab request to include a supplementary item in the agenda because the Arab side did not agree on certain paragraphs, and the African side did not agree on some other paragraphs.
  • At assembly 114 which was held in Kenya, Arabs and Africans withdrew their request in favor of a Kenyan one on the famine in East Africa.
  • At the same assembly, there was a consultation between presidents of the two unions regarding the support of renewing the nomination of Mr. Johnson Anders for the General Secretary post of the Inter-Parliamentary Union for a new term.
  • At assembly 115 which was held in Geneva, African delegations supported the Arab stand on Israeli hostile war on Lebanon during the summer of 2006.
  • There was Cooperation between representatives of Arab and African delegations in the committees of drafting resolutions issued by IPU conferences.

Thus, it can be said that cooperation and coordination between the two unions in the meetings of the IPU were good and acceptable.

V - Annual Financial Contribution to the African Parliamentary Union:

Arab Inter-parliamentary Union continued regularly paying the agreed upon annual contribution to the African Parliamentary Union during the recent years after the 10th conference.

VI - Preparations for the forthcoming 11th Afro-Arab Parliamentary Conference:

1 - The circumstances of convening the conference:

The 10th Afro-Arab Parliamentary Conference (Adis Ebaba) took a decision entrusting the two unions' general secretariats to make communications with Arab parliaments and councils to specify the place and date of the 11th conference, and to inform parliaments members in the two unions of the results.

The General Secretariat of the Arab Inter-parliamentary Union made the communications with the Arab parliaments, and it was agreed on convening the conference in Beirut at the end of 2005 or at the beginning of 2006; but because of the unfavorable developments which Lebanon witnessed, it was not suitable to convene the conference in Lebanon. Therefore, the General Secretariat of the Arab Inter-parliamentary Union started a new round of communication that led to agree on convening the conference in Damascus, the Syrian capital, during July, 2007.

2 - Draft Agenda of the 11th conference

Through the communications between the two union's General Secretariats and the consultations with the concerned bodies, it was agreed to propose to the Follow-up Committee in its meeting in Damascus the draft agenda of the 11th conference which includes the following items:


  1. Election of the conference office

  2. Approval of the agenda

  3. Report of the Follow-up Committee

  4. Exchange of views on the political, economic and social situation in the world and the Arab-African cooperation and solidarity.

  5. Human development in Africa and Arab countries: (Reality and Prospects).

  6. Practical suggestions to activate the process of Afro-Arab Parliamentary Dialogue.

  7. Setting up a new follow up committee.

  8. Date and venue of the 12th conference.


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