Continuing vital IPU work, virtual Governing Council to meet 1-4 November
At its meeting on 26 June 2020, the IPU Executive Committee decided that, in light of the constraints imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, a virtual session of the Governing Council would be convened from 1 to 4 November 2020 to discuss and take decisions on pressing issues relating to the functioning of the organization – including the adoption of the IPU budget and programme of work for 2021 and the election of the IPU President.
This decision is in keeping with Article 17.2 of the IPU Statutes, which provides that “The Governing Council shall be convened in extraordinary session by the President if the latter or the Executive Committee deems this necessary, or a quarter of the Governing Council’s members so request”. A set of special procedures were circulated to IPU members and have been approved meaning the extraordinary virtual session of the Governing Council to be held from 1 to 4 November 2020 with consideration of key matters limited to essential governance items as determined by the Executive Committee under Rule 12 of the Rules of the Governing Council. Participation in the extraordinary virtual session has been limited to titular members from the Member Parliaments of the IPU only.
The provisional agenda and programme of the extraordinary session of the Governing Council have been circulated. A key item on the agenda of the extraordinary virtual session of the Governing Council will be election of a new President of the IPU from among four nominated candidates who are Mr Duarte Pacheco of Portugal, Senator Salam Ataullahjan of Canada, Dr Akmal Saidov of Uzbekistan and Senator Muhammad Sadiq Sanjrani of Pakistan.
The UK Parliament will be represented at the 206th session of the Governing Council of the IPU by the BGIPU officers with a delegation comprising its Chair, Harriett Baldwin MP, Vice-Chair Baroness Hooper and Treasurer, Alex Sobel MP.
In light of the constraints imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, a virtual session of the Governing Council would be convened from 1 to 4 November 2020 to discuss and take decisions on pressing issues relating to the functioning of the IPU
