THE Fijian Parliament has taken the centre stage at the 137 Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) General Assembly being held in St Petersburg, Russia.
The plenary session at the IPU, the forum where all national parliaments discuss key issues, was chaired by the Speaker of the Fijian Parliament, Dr Jiko Luveni.
Dr Luveni addressed the plenary on behalf of the Fijian Parliament during the debate on “Promoting cultural pluralism and peace through inter-faith and inter-ethnic dialogue’.
She said the Fijian Parliament recognised that cultural pluralism and peace were important conduits for the achievement of the 2030 agenda for sustainable development.
She said the Fijian Parliament was adamant to continue to encourage legal, regulatory and policy frameworks that were inclusive and ensured that all citizens regardless of ethnicity, culture and religion were fully covered under the Bill of Rights of the Constitution.
Dr Luveni reiterated that since Fiji stood on the constitutional foundation of an inclusive society, the Fijian Parliament would continue to complement the work of the existing institutions of democracy, in efforts to encourage dialogue, respect, and build capacities for co-operation towards harmony and peaceful co-existence.
