Participation of the PABSEC in the Pre-COP26 Preparatory Meeting, Rome, 8-9 October 2021
Mr. Asaf Hajiyev, PABSEC Secretary General, took part in Pre-COP26 Parliamentary Meeting organized by the Italian Chamber of Deputies in cooperation with the Italian Senate and the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) in Rome on 8-9 October 2021.
The Parliamentary meeting was attended by representatives of parliaments-members of the Inter-Parliamentary Union and international organizations. The event was designed as the preparation for the 26th Conference of the Parties (COP 26) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to be hosted by the United Kingdom in Glasgow in November 2021.
At the opening of the event, the participants were addressed by Mr. Roberto Fico, President of the Chamber of Deputies of Italy, Ms. Maria Elizabetta Alberti-Casellati, President of the Italian Senate, Ms. Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the US House of Representatives, Mr. Duarte Pacheco, President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, Mr. Pier Ferdinando Casini, Head of the Italian Delegation in the IPU and the Honorary IPU President, Mr. Luigi Di Maio, Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Mr. Giorgio Parisi, 2021 Physics Nobel Prize laureate.
In the framework of the meeting the participants discussed Global ambitions to counter climate change, Green approaches to the COVID-19 recovery, Funding global policies for climate, as well as the Parliamentary contribution to achieving COP-26 goals. The participants approved the Revised Draft Outcome Document of the COP-26 to the UNFCCC which will be adopted in Glasgow.
On 9 October, Pope Francis received at a private audience at the Vatican City the participants of the preparatory parliamentary meeting for the COP26 to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. The Holy Father called on politicians to promote the transition towards clean energy; introduce sustainable land use practices that restore forests and conserve biodiversity; promote that food systems are environmentally friendly and respectful of local cultures; continue to fight hunger and malnutrition; promote sustainable lifestyles and patterns of consumption and production.
On the sidelines of the event, the PABSEC Secretary General had a short meeting with Mr. Gennaro Miliore, President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean, where the views were exchanged on the role of international parliamentary organizations in solving topical global problems. Mr. Miliore invited the PABSEC Secretary General to visit the PAM Secretariat in Naples.
The PABSEC Secretary General had a conversation with Mr. Konstantin Kosachev, Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, during which information on the activities of the PABSEC and the IPA CIS was exchanged. It was noted that the high level of cooperation between the two Assemblies and the good working relationship between the secretariats contribute to maintaining effective interaction.