The Deputy Speaker of the Federation Council, who heads the Russian parliamentary delegation, spoke at the general debate of the 147th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union.
Deputy Speaker of the Federation Council Inna Svyatenko spoke at the general debate of the 147th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union on Parliamentary Actions for Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions (SDG 16). The Senator heads the Russian parliamentary delegation at the IPU Assembly, which is taking place in Luanda, Republic of Angola.
The Deputy Speaker noted that despite the difficult geopolitical situation, Russia is seeing tremendous progress on most of the Sustainable Development Goals. ”Legislation regarding the safety of children is being improved. The Criminal Code has been amended to increase penalties for offences against minors. A law has been adopted to prohibit propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations, paedophilia and information that can encourage sexual reassignment. Measures are being taken to support civil society institutions, including non-profit organisations,“ she said.
According to Inna Svyatenko, much attention is paid to the women's agenda. ”In all sectors of the economy and state agencies, the share of women leaders is 46 percent. We are implementing the National Action Strategy for Women in 2023–2026 and developing cooperation with international organisations and associations.“
She concluded her speech by expressing confidence that cooperation and experience-sharing on these issues at international parliamentary platforms help accelerate the work of addressing challenges and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.
The head of the Russian parliamentary delegation held several bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the IPU Assembly. During her conversation with Sylvia Lucas, Deputy Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces in the Republic of South Africa, the Deputy Speaker congratulated her colleagues on the success of the BRICS Parliamentary Forum. ”The forum once again served as a clear example of parliamentary unity, mutual support and free, multilateral dialogue.“
Inna Svyatenko said that during the Russian chairmanship of the association in 2024, it will continue to deepen inter-parliamentary cooperation, and develop dialogue in the fight against terrorism, corruption and transnational crime, with a focus on improving quality of life, developing the digital economy and ensuring energy and food security.
The parliamentarians touched on cooperation between Russia and South Africa in education. ”In the 2022/23 academic year, 359 citizens of the Republic of South Africa studied at Russian universities under bachelor's, specialist and master's degree programmes, 28 of them under the Russian Government quota. This year, 95 quota places have already been allocated,“ Inna Svyatenko said.
Inna Svyatenko also met with Speaker of the House of Federation of the Parliament of Ethiopia (Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia) Agegnehu Teshager to discuss inter-parliamentary cooperation.