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UNDEF attends the 114th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union

Mr. Amir Dossal, (Executive Director of the UN Fund for International Partnerships and member ex-officio of the UNDEF Advisory Board) attended the 114th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union in Nairobi, Kenya, as the representative of the UN Secretary-General and delivered his statement at the opening ceremony on 7 May. The Assembly was inaugurated by President Kibaki. 1500 Parliamentarians from 117 countries attended.

Mr. Dossal, who was accompanied by Ms. Valerie de Campos Mello (UNDEF Senior Policy Officer) also delivered a statement at the opening of the IPU general debate focusing on the UN’s role in promoting democracy and on the establishment of the UN Democracy Fund (UNDEF) as a new instrument that supplements the work that the United Nations system is already doing in the area of democratisation, human rights and people’s participation and will complement rather than duplicate the work being done by other parts of the UN system. During the debates, the potential contribution of parliaments to contribute to peace, security and development and the need to further enhance cooperation between the IPU and the UN were highlighted.