Bahrain role model for gender equality, peaceful co-existence: IPU President

TDT | Manama                                        

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com   

Bahrain is the most advanced country in the region when it comes to gender equality, according to the Inter-Parliamentary Union's President, Duarte Pacheco.

He urged the international community to promote peaceful coexistence, citing Bahrain as a great role model.

"We are in a country that illustrates to the world that people from various cultures and religions can live together in a peaceful society and achieve perfect harmony."

"What we find here is what we should find in other nations across the world: peaceful cohabitation," Pacheco stated during a news conference following the start of the IPU 146th Assembly and accompanying events in Bahrain.

Mr. Duarte Pacheco has been a Member of Parliament in Portugal since 1991.

He has held different functions in Parliament, including as a member of the Budget and Finance Committee and the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Portuguese Communities.

The Bahrain Shura Council's First Vice-Chairman, Jamal Fakhro, and other prominent officials were also present at the event.

Pacheco expressed his delight at attending the IPU's 146th Assembly in Manama, saying, "As President of the IPU, I am happy to be here."

He stated that global issues demand global solutions since no one country can tackle them alone, citing terrorism and poverty as examples.

"That is why 1,000 parliamentarians from other nations are here, along with all of the personnel and experts that accompany them."

According to Pacheco, experts from diverse cultures and countries collaborated and successfully developed vaccines in record time to battle the latest pandemic.

He regretted, however, that the world had failed to learn from this lesson, as countless conflicts continued to rage across the planet.

Pacheco expressed his gratitude to Bahrain for arranging the event, saying he was at a loss for words to express his gratitude.

The Secretary-General officially requested that the "2024 e-Parliamentary Conference" be held in Manama.

In response, Fakhro stated his intention to comply with the IPU's request.