Indian grp to attend Commonwealth conf in Nigeria

Imphal, July 29: A 47-member Indian delegation comprising MPs and MLAs led by Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee will attend the 52nd Conference hosted by the Nigeria Branch of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association.

Manipur Legislative Assembly Speaker Dr Maniruddin Shaikh and Dr M.Nara, an MLA, said they would take part in the conference and raise issues concerning Manipur in the global platform.

The conference will be held at Abuja, Nigeria, from September 1 to 10.

The officials and delegates have been about the conference at New Delhi yesterdeay chaired by Mr Chatterjee, who is also the Vice-president of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association.

This year's theme of the conference is 'Enhancing Standards of Democratic Governance and Public Perceptions of Parliament in the Commonwealth.' Six workshops on different international issues are also be conducted in the conference. The topics are ''Strategies in the care and support of HIV/AIDS orphans and other vulnerable children: The role of Parliamentarians'', ''Domestic Violence: Is legislation enough to combat abuse and child adduction'', ''Trans-national Security threats: Unregulated migration and cross border controls'', ''Climate change and desertification: How can Parliamentarians influence the work of the UN Commission on sustainable development'', ''The role of Parliament in constitutional reform'' and ''The role of Parliamentarians in promoting good governance through increased fiscal transparency.''

Another interesting session of the conference is the plenary on a gender-related theme. The theme is 'Equal participation of women and men in decision-making processes at all levels, with particular emphasis on political participation and leadership.'

UNI