The Legislative Assembly of Tonga was represented by Speaker, Lord Fakafanua at a meeting of parliamentarians from member countries of the Inter Parliamentary Union (IPU). The meeting took place in New York on 21 September at the SDG Summit that opened the High-Level Week of the 78th General Assembly of the United Nations.
Lord Fakafanua, Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Tonga, with Mr. Duarte Pacheco, President of the Inter Parliamentary Union, at New York, 21 September 2023
The IPU has been at the forefront of parliamentary engagement on two key issues: universal health coverage (UHC) and global health security (GHS); UHC and GHS being key to building more resilient societies. The IPU promotes the mainstreaming of the SDG framework as a whole into the work of parliaments, and providing a platform to exchange experiences and lessons learned on SDG implementation. The meeting was a timely opportunity for members of parliament to highlight their role in the implementation of the SDGs and of global commitments on health.
Lord Fakafanua conveyed to the IPU President, Mr Duarte Pacheco, Tonga’s continued commitment to strengthening parliamentary action, and playing its part in order to mainstream the SDGs in parliamentary work, and to accelerate SDG implementation.