Lawmakers from around the world to gather in Knesset

The premier international forum of parliamentarians plans to hold a conference in the Knesset for the first time this week.

The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) will host a seminar in the Knesset on cooperation between legislatures to achieve sustainable development goals, from Tuesday to Thursday. The program is meant for European and East Asian lawmakers.

The seminar will emphasize innovation in water and renewable energies, and greater inclusiveness for women. The participants will also be able to visit local sites related to the themes of the program.

Among those attending the conference are IPU president Gabriela Cuevas Barron, UN deputy secretary-general Patricia Espinosa and UNAIDS director Pradeep Kakkattil, who is responsible for partnerships and fund-raising in the UN’s efforts to fight AIDS. In addition, speakers and members of 57 parliaments – including Vietnam, Sweden, France, Hungary, Italy, Serbia and Bosnia – plan to attend.

Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein said he is “proud to host, for the first time in the Knesset, an important conference of the IPU, in which many countries are members.

“This is an important milestone for Israel, and strengthens the Knesset, tightening our cooperation with parliaments around the world,” he added.

The program includes a presentation on the Green Knesset program, which has won the legislature awards for its commitment to environmental protection and sustainability.

“The IPU asked the Knesset to lead this conference on innovation, because it sees Israel as the Start-Up Nation – and I am certain that the parliamentarians who will visit here will be inspired and get ideas from the Knesset that will be implemented in their own countries,” Edelstein said.

Also on the program are a visit to the Peres Peace Center in Jaffa to learn about working with people with disabilities, a visit to a factory to learn about water innovation and a tour of Jerusalem.