Projects
Government Bodies
Flag Thursday, 28 March 2024
All news
All news
Politics
24 February 2017, 18:33

Belarus presents National Human Rights Plan at OSCE PA Winter Meeting in Vienna

MINSK, 24 February (BelTA) – Deputy Chairman of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of Belarus Boleslav Pirshtuk presented Belarus' National Human Rights Plan for 2016-2019 at the 16th Winter Meeting of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE PA) in Vienna, Austria, BelTA learned from the press service of the House of Representatives.

Boleslav Pirshtuk met with OSCE PA President Christine Muttonen and OSCE PA Secretary General Roberto Montella. The parties discussed the matters related to the preparations for the 26th OSCE PA Annual Session to be held in Minsk in July 2017, the upcoming visit of Christine Muttonen to Belarus, and the signing of an agreement between the Belarusian parliament and the OSCE PA on the organization of the upcoming events.

The Belarusian delegation attended a special debate held as part of a joint session of the three General Committees of the OSCE PA. The theme for the debate was “Protecting human rights in times of crisis.” During the debate, Boleslav Pirshtuk noted that ensuring opportunities for full and free development of every individual and protecting human rights are the main functions of the state. He drew the attention of foreign colleagues to Belarus' National Human Rights Plan for 2016-2019 adopted by the government in late October 2016. Boleslav Pirshtuk pointed out that Belarus was the 39th country in the world to develop such a program document in this area.

Sergei Rakhmanov, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the Council of the Republic of Belarus' National Assembly for Foreign Affairs and National Security, took part in a debate on “Transnational security in the OSCE area: confronting terrorism” held by the General Committee on Political Affairs and Security. The Belarusian MP called for boosting the efforts of the OSCE PA in countering terrorism and stressed the need for adopting a document that would clearly define the role, goals and objectives of the OSCE PA in addressing this issue.

During the meeting in Vienna, members of the Belarusian delegation met with leaders and members of the delegations of Austria, Armenia, Azerbaijan, the UK, Germany, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Italy, Moldova, Mongolia, Norway, Romania, Russia, Serbia, the United States, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Ukraine, Switzerland, Sweden and other OSCE participating states.

The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly was established in Madrid, Spain in April 1991. It is comprised of 323 MPs from 57 countries. Its major tasks include to facilitate inter-parliamentary dialogue, support democratic institutions in the OSCE participating states, and promote cooperation and security in the region. The annual summer session is the largest event on the OSCE PA calendar that brings together the leadership and officers of the OSCE PA, adopts declarations and resolutions.

The 26th OSCE PA Annual Session will be held in Minsk from 5 to 9 July. It will discuss ways for strengthening mutual trust and cooperation for the sake of peace and wellbeing in the OSCE zone. Nearly 700 guests are expected to attend the session. Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko signed an executive order to set up a national organizing committee for the 26th Annual Session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. Chairman of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of Belarus Vladimir Andreichenko is in charge of the organizing committee.

Subscribe to us
Twitter
Recent news from Belarus