Asia-Pacific Young Parliamentarians’ regional meeting in Sri Lanka from 25-26 April

The Regional Meeting of Young Parliamentarians of Asia-Pacific will take place on 25 and 26 April at the Hilton Hotel in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

The meeting is jointly organised by the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), the Parliament of Sri Lanka and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).

The meeting will centre on the role of young parliamentarians in advancing inclusive and peaceful societies and preventing violent extremism.

The meeting will bring together young members of national parliaments from 39 countries in the Asia-Pacific region, as well as observers from selected youth organisations, networks and associations.

The delegation of Sri Lanka will comprise 20 young parliamentarians from the United National Party (UNP), United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA), Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) and Illankai Tamil Arasu Kadchi (ITAK).

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe will deliver the keynote address as the Chief Guest at the opening ceremony on Tuesday, 25 April. Speaker Karu Jayasuriya will deliver the welcome speech at the inauguration.

The conference is expected to place particular emphasis on Preventing Violent Extremism (PVE). Parliaments, and especially young parliamentarians, have a key role to play in advancing inclusive and peaceful societies and preventing violent extremism.

This regional meeting will build awareness of PVE issues and identify parliamentary action to be taken by young parliamentarians. It will empower young parliamentarians by building their capacities and offering them opportunities for networking and cooperation.

The meeting is open to young men and women members of national parliaments in the Asia-Pacific region as well as IPU observers and selected youth organisations, networks and associations.