FNC Partners With IPU, EP For Abu Dhabi Session Of Parliamentary Conference On WTO

The Federal National Council (FNC), in partnership with the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and the European Parliament (EP), will host the Abu Dhabi Session of the Parliamentary Conference on the World Trade Organization (PCWTO), on Sunday.

The session will be attended by legislators who are members of standing and select committees in their respective parliaments and specialize in global trade and finance matters.

This session, held annually, will be connected with WTO Ministerial Conferences and aims to encourage parliamentary efforts to promote international trade that is fair for all countries involved.

During the session, there will be an interactive dialogue with senior WTO negotiators and officials under the title, "Abu Dhabi and Beyond: Shaping and Strengthening a multilateral trading system that Delivers for All."

The Thirteenth WTO Ministerial Conference (MC13) will be held at the Abu Dhabi Exhibition Centre (ADNEC) from Feb. 26 to 29.

FNC speaker Saqr Ghobash said that the UAE hosting the Parliamentary Conference alongside the 13th WTO Ministerial Conference is "a manifestation of the cooperation and partnership relationship" between FNC and IPU, WAM reported.

"The hosting also comes in line with the reputation and position that the UAE enjoys through its membership in the World Trade Organization, as a major player in the multilateral global trading system, and a culmination of the UAE's efforts and position as a major gateway for global trade and investment," Ghobash noted.

He went on to explain that this conference is one of the goals of the FNC's parliamentary diplomacy, aiming to strengthen effective partnership relations with regional parliamentary unions and institutions and international ones.

"The conference emphasizes the importance of the role played by parliaments in strengthening relations between the peoples of the world, and their contribution to promoting peace, stability and tolerance, and achieving the goals of sustainable development to ensure a better future for humanity," Ghobash added.

The conference will be preceded by the 53rd session of the Steering Committee of the PCWTO on Feb. 24 and Ghobash will address it alongside Minister of State for Foreign Trade Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi and EU, IPU, and WTO representatives.