A seven-member parliamentary delegation led by Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh departed on Thursday to attend the five-day 148th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) being organised in Geneva, Switzerland.

The IPU has a membership of 180 countries.

During the Assembly, scheduled from March 23 to 27, the Indian delegation will highlight issues such as parliamentary diplomacy and building bridges for peace and understanding.

Accompanying Harivansh, the delegation includes five Rajya Sabha members – S. Niranjan Reddy, Kartikeya Sharma, Ashok Mittal, Prashanta Nanda, and Sumitra Balmik – along with Rajya Sabha Secretary General PC Mody.

Harivansh will participate in the meeting of the BRICS Parliamentary Coordination Forum along with other bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the IPU, a statement from the Rajya Sabha Secretariat said.

“The delegation will participate in a number of meetings of different standing committees, namely the Standing Committee on Peace and International Security, Standing Committee on Sustainable Development, Standing Committee on democracy and Human Rights, and Standing Committee on United Nations Affairs in addition to forums of Young Parliamentarians and Women Parliamentarians of the IPU,” it added.

(ANI)