NA hosting two-day Workshop for delegates of PAECO Member Parliaments titled ‘Strengthening Parliamentary Services for Regional Development’

ISLAMABAD, Jan 23 (SABAH): The National Assembly of Pakistan is about to host two-day Workshop for the Officials of Parliamentary Assembly of Economic Cooperation Organization (PAECO) Member Parliaments titled “Strengthening Parliamentary Services for Regional Development” scheduled from tomorrow at Parliament House, Islamabad. The Workshop will be attended by Parliamentary Officials from Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Türkiye whereas Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan will also be represented by their diplomats in Pakistan.

It is pertinent to mention that The National Assembly of Pakistan hosted the second General Conference of the Parliamentary Assembly of Economic Cooperation Organization (PAECO) on June 01-02, 2021. The Speakers and Parliamentarians from the ECO Parliaments attended the event on the invitation of the then Speaker National Assembly of Pakistan.

In a bid to review PAECO after 9 years, Pakistan successfully hosted 2nd General Conference. The 2nd Conference was aimed at enhancing cooperation and understanding among PAECO’s member countries. It is based on the belief that Parliamentarians, as representatives and as policy makers, can play a pivotal role in encouraging commonality of views on matters of common interests & common concerns.

It is also pertinent to note that the National Assembly of Pakistan has been a pioneer of PAECO and the vision behind its creation was to complement the efforts of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO).  PAECO is an important Forum, established back in 2013 initially as a body of cooperation for promoting ECO processes in line with the Treaty of Izmir and Quetta Plan of Action. Its Charter is elaborative on its multidimensional activities.

It is to be recalled that PAECO was able to achieve Observer Status in Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) within one year of its inception in 2014. There are 2508 legislators in the Parliaments from ECO members representing the will of more than 450 million people. The Permanent Secretariat of the Parliamentary Assembly of Economic Cooperation organization (PAECO) is being hosted by the National Assembly in Islamabad.

The present Workshop aims at introducing the objectives of Pakistan Institute of Parliamentary Services (PIPS) and its role in strengthening parliamentary service in Pakistan and the region. Furthermore, it includes sessions: “Understanding the role of Parliamentary Services”, “Ease of Doing Business and Need for Reforms in Legislation”, “Adapting Best Practices for Economic Cooperation”. The participants would also be engaged in broader discussions regarding adaptation of international best practices in economic cooperation to their parliamentary context, identification of strategies for overcoming potential challenges and promotion of regional economic cooperation within the PAECO mandate.