11th Afro-Arab Parliamentary Conference
Damasus, 22 - 24 July 2004
Item 6
Memorandum on item 6 of the Agenda
"Practical Suggestions for Activating the Afro-Arab Dialogue Process"
The Afro-Arab Dialogue, since its establishment in 1984, was based on multilateral relations and mutual interests that congregate African and Arab countries in different fields. Arab and African parliamentarians consider the parliamentary dialogue process as a basic tributary to develop Afro-Arab relations on various levels.
Under current international developments and increase of reticulation in regional and international relations, the promotion of Afro-Arab relations in general has become an indispensable necessity for the development of countries in both sides. Therefore, the activation of relations among Arab and African parliaments will constitute a hoist to enhance relations between countries of both sides on more than one level.
According to this, the following suggestions may contribute to the promotion of parliamentary relations between the two sides:
- Setting-up Parliamentary friendship societies inside Arab and African parliaments for enhancing bilateral relations, deepening convergence and exchanging experiences among parliamentarians from both sides.
- Exchanging delegations on bilateral level among Arab and African parliaments.
- Organizing an Afro-Arab parliamentary symposium in the framework of the forthcoming 12th conference on:
"The Challenges of Globalization to National Cultures
and Economies in Africa and the Arab World".
- Improving the process of cooperation and coordination among Arab and African parliamentary delegations during the conferences of the Inter-Parliamentary Union.
It is known that Arab and African parliamentary delegations compose two groups of the six political-geographical groups assorted within the Inter-Parliamentary Union. These two groups (Arab and African) represent an important weight in the Union's activity (suggesting the subject-items of discussions and specifying items of Agenda) and in voting on resolutions, and also in the electoral processes of the Union bodies. The experiences of the recent years confirm that the more cooperation, coordination and unified stances between the delegations of the two groups, the better and more durable role is played by these two groups inside the Inter- Parliamentary Union.
The following suggestions may enhance the role of the two groups' delegations inside the IPU:
- Organizing a meeting between presidents of the two unions or who represent them during each conference for the International Parliamentary Union.
- Instructing the follow up committee and the two unions' secretariats to consider the agenda of every IPU conference and put suggestions regarding the issues which necessitate cooperation and coordination among the representatives of the two groups in the conference.
- Paying attention to cooperation and coordination on issues of mutual interest among the representatives of the two groups in the IPU's Executive Committee, and in the meeting of the women parliamentarian.
- The participation of the two Union's General Secretaries in the coordinating meetings held by the delegations of each group before convening the IPU Conference.
- Exchanging memorandums, presentations and suggestions presented by each union on issues under discussion in the bodies of the Inter-Parliamentary bodies.
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