On the afternoon of Thursday 26th October 2023, Hon. Waven William was elected as the President of the Standing Committee on Sustainable Development of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU).
The election took place during the 147th IPU Assembly held in Luanda, Angola, at the most recent Sitting of the Sustainable Development Standing Committee, which was chaired by Hon. William in his capacity as Vice-President of the Standing Committee. During the election, Hon. William received full support from the IPU Members in attendance and no objections were received from the Committee on Hon. William’s candidacy for President. Voted as his Vice-President was the Member of Parliament from the United Arab Emirates Federal National Council Ms. Meera Sultan Al Suwaidi.
The mandate of the Committee on Sustainable Development is the improvement of the wellbeing and lives of the world’s citizens, and the health of the planet, by addressing pertinent issues of fair trade, financing for development, climate change and environment protection. The Committee is one of four Standing Committees of the IPU, meeting only twice a year during the bi-annual Assemblies of the Union.
As Chairperson, Hon. William will preside over the Sittings of the Committee and meetings of the Bureau of the Committee, until his three- year term concludes in October 2025.
Editor’s Note: The Inter-Parliamentary Union is a parliamentary organisation co-founded in 1889 and it is known as the parliamentary equivalent of the United Nations and currently has 180 member states as of October 2023. Under the slogan ‘For Democracy, for everyone’ the IPU works to facilitate parliamentary diplomacy, empowering parliaments, and parliamentarians to promote peace, democracy, and sustainable development worldwide. The IPU’s work is done through its governing bodies being the Assemblies, Governing Council and Executive Committee, located under the president in the organisation’s structure. The Secretariat, led by the Secretary General, facilitates the political work of the IPU governing bodies and members, and ensures the representation of the union at major conferences and strengthens cooperation with other international organisations.
