The 26th Annual Meeting of the Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum (APPF-26) will be organised in Hanoi from January 18-21, 2018 under the theme of “Parliamentary partnership: Peace, Innovation and Sustainable Development”.

Deputy Foreign Minister and deputy head of the APPF-26 organising commitee Ha Kim Ngoc speaks at meeting with representatives of foreign diplomatic agencies in Vietnam

The information was shared by the organising committee at a meeting in Hanoi on December 15 with representatives of foreign diplomatic agencies in Vietnam. 

The diplomats were briefed on the meeting’s preparations and working agenda as well as its importance for Vietnam and the region, and the role of member states’ parliaments and foreign representative agencies and embassies in Hanoi.

The meeting’s main activities will include a meeting of female parliamentarians, a meeting of the APPF Executive Committee, the opening ceremony of APPF-26, a banquet hosted by Chairwoman of the Vietnamese National Assembly and APPF-26 Chair Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan, and plenary sessions on politics, security, economy, trade, regional cooperation and APPF-related issues.

To mark the 25th founding anniversary of APPF and increase its role in fostering the implementation of sustainable development goals, the Vietnamese NA will propose and send the Hanoi Declaration to member parliaments for feedback before submitting it to APPF-26. The declaration will affirm the role, emphasise commitments and shape a development vision of the APPF in the new development period.

Ambassadors and representatives of foreign diplomatic agencies in Vietnam pledged to coordinate with the National Assembly’s Committee for External Relations and keep contact to confirm the participation of member states in order to ensure the meeting’s success.

The APPF was founded by former Japanese Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone on March 15, 1993. Bringing together parliamentarians from across the Asia-Pacific region, the forum aims to directly assist the APEC, contributing to peace, stability and prosperity in the region. 

The APPF is a mechanism that enables parliamentarians to discuss issues of common concern, and deepen their understanding of the region and the interests and experience of its diverse members. The forum’s proceedings address political, security, economic, social and cultural issues, thus furthering regional cooperation and building relations between and among parliamentarians from the Asia-Pacific region.

Vietnam hosted the 13th Annual Meeting of the APPF in Ha Long city in January 2005.-VNA