Staff Report
ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly is going to host a two-day workshop for the officials of the Parliamentary Assembly of Economic Cooperation Organization (PAECO) Member Parliaments titled “Strengthening Parliamentary Services for Regional Development” scheduled here from January 24–25.
The workshop will be participated by Parliamentary officials from Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Türkiye whereas Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan will also be represented by their diplomats in Pakistan, said a news release.
It is pertinent to mention that the National Assembly hosted the second general conference of the PAECO in June 2021. The Speakers and Parliamentarians from the ECO Parliaments attended the event on the invitation of the then Speaker
In a bid to review PAECO after nine years, Pakistan successfully hosted the 2nd general conference. The 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 policymakers, 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 has been a pioneer of PAECO and the vision behind its creation was to complement the efforts of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO).
The 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 the 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 PAECO is being hosted by the National Assembly in Islamabad.
The present workshop aims at introducing the objectives of the 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 the 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.
