Laos to host ASEAN AIPO

[Vientianetimesorgla]

Laos to host ASEAN AIPO
Panyasith Thammavongsa

THIS year Laos is to host the 26th ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Organisation (AIPO) General Assembly in Vientiane September 18-23, said a senior official.
To preparation for the event, over 25 National Assembly (NA) officials and representatives of international organisations attended March 24-5 workshop to improving the skills of chairpersons and rapporteurs, supported by UNDP.
"Hosting this important regional forum will raise the profile of the Lao NA in the region," said Permanent Member of the NA Standing Committee and Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee Xaysomphone Phomvihane.
He aid that as this was the first time that the Lao NA had hosted such an event, there were special challenges to ensure that it ran smoothly and efficiently, so training was being undertaken for NA members and staff.
Xaysomphone detailed, "Chairmanship will be especially challenging, requiring a high level of technical skills as well as good command of the English language. A skilled chairperson is crucial to the smooth running of any meeting."
A good chairperson ensures efficient and effective adherence to correct procedures, responding quickly to comments and contributions from delegates, making sure all views are heard and all comments noted and dealt with, he explained.
He added that the chair must make the best judgment on whether to move on or to allow discussion to continue, and must have a thorough background knowledge of the matter under discussion and be able to answer queries.
Keeping the minutes is also a crucial task, as they are a written record for future reference and action, so they must be clear and comprehensive, accurately reflecting the proceedings of the meeting, he advised.
He said, "Both chairperson and rapporteur require a high level of skills and experience. We are very honoured to have with us today someone with considerable experience, Singapore Parliamentary Deputy Clerk Ms NG Sheau Jiuan, who has worked for the Singapore Parliament more than ten years."
Xaysomphone added skills acquired at the workshop would be useful not only for the AIPO General Assembly, but for other events, skills which are central in ensuring the Lao NA could participate in and host regional events and meetings and play a full role in the community of ASEAN parliaments.
"We will hold more workshops to prepare for this event and we will undertake a study tour to countries such as Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand," said an NA staff member.
AIPO was established in 1977 by the parliaments of Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand, and has since admitted Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam, with Brunei and Myanmar accredited as special observers.
The main objectives of AIPO are to promote closer inter-parliamentary cooperation among ASEAN members and to facilitate the achievement of the goals of ASEAN. AIPO holds an annual General Assembly (GA), the last held in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, September 2004. The GA venue rotates in English alphabetical order.
Each member parliament pays US$20,000 annually to AIPO, which finances the Secretariat in Jakarta, Indonesia. This is headed by a Secretary-General, appointed by the AIPO President, whose term of office is the same as that of the president.

Source: Vientianetimes.org.la