IPU Applauds ‘Progress’ Made by Association of Secretaries General of Parliaments under Morocco’s Presidency

Leaders of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) hailed, on Monday evening in Geneva, the progress made by the Association of Secretaries General of Parliaments (ASGP) during the Moroccan presidency in the person of the Secretary General of the House of Representatives, Najib El Khadi, whose three-year term ends this week. “I would like to pay tribute to ASGP President Najib El Khadi, who I know has played a key role in the association’s development in recent years,” said IPU President Tulia Ackson at a ceremony marking the 85th anniversary of the association, which gathers the secretary-generals of over 150 countries.  “The achievements we are celebrating here today are, I have no doubt, the product of his dedication,” added Ackson at the event, held on the occasion of the 149th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (October 13-17). For his part, IPU Secretary General Martin Chungong thanked El Khadi for “the work he has done as President of this important institution within the IPU.” “There is a great deal of progress that has been made thanks to his leadership, and I would like to pay tribute to him at the end of his mandate,” he told MAP on the sidelines of the ceremony.  Under El Khadi’s presidency, “the association has grown in stature and scope worldwide, embodying the diversity of different systems,” Chungong noted, voicing the hope that those who will take over will “build on the foundations he laid so that this association continues to serve the global parliamentary community.” In his inaugural address, Najib El Khadi said that the celebration of the association’s 85th anniversary was “a privileged moment” to recall ASGP’s rich history but also to pay tribute to the “spirit of cooperation and solidarity” that has united the members of this body since its first meeting in August 1938 in The Hague. “This is a forum where we can share our thoughts, best practices, and experiences,” added the outgoing ASGP president. The Association of Secretaries General of Parliaments, which first met in Oslo on August 16, 1939, is a consultative body of the Inter-Parliamentary Union and seeks to facilitate personal contacts between holders of the office of Secretary General of any parliamentary assembly, whether or not it is a member of the Union. In addition to El Khadi, Morocco is represented at the 149th IPU Assembly by a delegation from the Moroccan Parliamentary Section, led by Rep. Omar Hejira (Istiqlali Group of Unity and Egalitarianism) and including MPs Mustapha Reddad (National Rally of Independents Group) and Khaddouj Slassi (Socialist Group—Ittihadi Opposition).