Geneva, 25 October 2018
Office of the
Secretary General
Dear Madam Speaker,
Dear Mr. Speaker
I am pleased to invite your parliament to send a delegation to take part in the second
session of the Forum on Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law that will
address the theme of
Parliaments as promoters of human rights, democracy and the
rule of law
in Geneva on 22 and 23 November this year. Please find enclosed the
provisional agenda of this session.
The United Nations Human Rights Council established this Forum as a platform for
promoting dialogue and cooperation on issues pertaining to the relationship between
human rights, democracy and the rule of law. The Forum’s first session in 2016 looked
at
Widening the democratic space: the role of youth in public decision-making
and
made concrete recommendations to enhance youth’s political participation.
The UN Human Rights Council decided that the second session of the Forum should
focus on the crucial role of parliament in promoting human rights, democracy and the
rule of law. This decision reflects the increasing interest within UN bodies in engaging
with parliaments on these issues, not only to learn more about good parliamentary
practices, discuss existing and potential challenges for parliaments and ways to
address them, but also to further avenues for cooperation between the UN and
parliaments.
I hope that it will be possible for a small delegation of parliamentarians who address
these issues directly in your parliament to participate in the Forum.
Given that the meeting is directly organized by the United Nations Office of the High
Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and that it will take place at the UN
premises in Geneva, I would kindly ask for your assistance in helping to ensure that
participants
register online
through the link available on the Forum website:
www.ohchr.org/democracyforum.
This will enable the OHCHR to ensure access to the
UN premises on both days of the Forum. Registration will be open until
16 November
2018.
You can find more information about the 2018 Forum, including its provisional
agenda, on the Forum website. Please also confirm registration to the IPU.
As is customary, all matters related to travel, visas and accommodation of participants
are the direct responsibility of invited parliaments.
I look forward to the participation of your delegation in the Forum.
Yours sincerely
Martin Chungong
Secretary General