In a media interview ahead of the visit, Ambassador Mai Phan Dung, Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the United Nations, the World Trade Organization, and other international organizations in Geneva, stressed that this is a key event helping shape global parliamentary cooperation and strategic policymaking to tackle major challenges amid ongoing global turbulence.

According to Ambassador Mai Phan Dung, the World Conference of Speakers of Parliament is the foremost global forum for parliamentary diplomacy, held every five years alongside the biannual General Assemblies of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU). The event is hosted on a rotating basis in one of the world’s three major multilateral hubs – New York (USA), Vienna (Austria), and Geneva (Switzerland), which are home to key United Nations bodies and leading global institutions.

The conference is often likened to a “summit” of parliamentary diplomacy, as it gathers the largest number of parliamentary leaders from across continents to deliberate on strategic policies and shape global parliamentary cooperation in response to major contemporary challenges, from peace and security to sustainable development, human rights, and equality.

Ambassador Mai Phan Dung emphasized that NA Chairman Tran Thanh Man’s participation in the 6th World Conference of Speakers of Parliament in Geneva provides an opportunity for Vietnam to continue making active and responsible contributions to the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU)’s shared activities, while also helping to strengthen IPU–UN cooperation.

At the same time, the visit strongly reaffirms Vietnam’s commitment to multilateralism, particularly at a time when the United Nations and multilateral mechanisms are facing multiple challenges, and demonstrates the Vietnamese National Assembly’s responsibility in contributing to global efforts to deal with global challenges.

The conference also offers Vietnam an opportunity to reaffirm its foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, multilateralization, diversification, and deep international integration.

The top Vietnamese legislator’s participation and address at the conference’s general debate underscores the growing role and stature of Vietnam’s legislature in the international arena. It highlights the Vietnamese National Assembly’s responsibility and engagement in addressing global issues, while conveying a message of a dynamic Vietnam, proactively integrating and ready to cooperate for peace, justice, and common prosperity.

Vietnam hopes this working trip will help bolster cooperative ties between the Vietnamese National Assembly and the parliaments of IPU member states, while also propelling the Vietnam–Switzerland Comprehensive Partnership forward.

The visit is also viewed as an opportunity for Vietnam to learn from other countries in areas such as lawmaking and national policy oversight, share its experience in national development, building a socialist rule-of-law state, and carrying out the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), thereby garnering greater international support for the country’s development and integration priorities.

According to the Vietnamese diplomat the theme of this year’s Summit “A world in turmoil: Parliamentary cooperation and multilateralism for peace, justice and prosperity for all” is highly relevant and timely, as the world is facing increasingly complex and profound challenges, from geopolitical conflicts and climate change to non-traditional security threats and widening development gaps.

These global issues demand more comprehensive and effective cooperation among nations. The theme also accentuated the essential role of national parliaments in promoting multilateralism, dialogue, and cooperation to build a peaceful, just, and prosperous world for all, thus reflecting the common aspiration of the global community.

This is in keeping with Vietnam’s long-standing vision and commitment to a proactive, active, and responsible foreign policy, especially in of parliamentary diplomacy.

Concerning the key agenda items at the 6th World Conference of Speakers of Parliament, Ambassador Mai Phan Dung said the event features a comprehensive agenda with several high-level discussions. In addition to the plenary session on the overarching theme, the conference will include five breakout sessions on issues of strong international interest: enhancing women’s and youth participation in parliaments; innovation in response to global disruptions; the role of parliaments in shaping the digital future; protecting and promoting the rights of vulnerable groups; and international cooperation to achieve the SDGs by 2030.

NA Chairman Tran Thanh Man is scheduled to deliver a speech at the plenary session, highlighting Vietnam’s contributions to promoting peace, sustainable development, and multilateral cooperation.

The Vietnamese delegation will also participate in breakout sessions on enhancing the participation of women and youth in parliaments and on international cooperation to achieve the SDGs by 2030. In addition, the delegation will actively contribute to the Conference’s Joint Declaration, affirming Vietnam’s stance and perspectives on key global issues.

On the sidelines of the Conference, the Vietnamese NA leader will hold bilateral meetings to boost parliamentary relations with strategic partners, key counterparts, and traditional friends.

Regarding the role of parliamentary diplomacy in promoting friendship, cooperation, and enhancing Vietnam’s international standing, Ambassador Mai Phan Dung emphasized that parliamentary diplomacy is a key pillar of Vietnam’s overall foreign policy alongside Party diplomacy and state diplomacy, thus helping expand the country’s network of partners and garner international support for Vietnam’s national development and defence.

Parliamentary diplomacy not only helps strengthen and deepen Vietnam’s bilateral and multilateral partnerships, but also affirms the country’s proactive, active, and responsible role in the international community.

Vietnam consistently upholds the principle of settling disputes by peaceful means, with respect for international law and the United Nations Charter. Through multilateral mechanisms such as the IPU, ASEAN, and the UN, Vietnam has made positive contributions to building international consensus and stepping up cooperation for a world of peace, justice, and sustainable development. This also shows the nation’s consistent foreign policy of peace, cooperation, and development.

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National Assembly (NA) Chairman Tran Thanh Man and his spouse Nguyen Thi Thanh Nga met with staff from representative offices of Vietnam and members of the Vietnamese community in Switzerland on July 27 (local time) in Geneva.

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