Dy Chairman of Rajya Sabha Harivansh to lead delegation of 9th BRICS Parliamentary Forum to be held in South Africa
Sep 26, 2023
By Amit Kumar
New Delhi [India], September 26 : Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman, Harivansh Narayan Singh will lead a delegation of the Parliament at the 9th BRICS Parliamentary Forum in Johannesburg from September 27-29.
The main theme of the BRICS Parliamentary Forum is harnessing Multilateralism and Parliamentary Diplomacy to deepen BRICS and Africa Partnership.
“The Deputy Chairman will also be participating in the discussion on climate change and legislative mobilisation," sources told ANI.
Harivansh is being accompanied by Rajya Sabha MP Sumitra Balmik and Lok Sabha MP Indra Hung Subba. They will leave today for BRICS Parliamentary Forum.
Apart from the thematic discussion, other topics to be taken up in the forum are regional integration through African Continental Free Trade Area (AFCFTA), transition to clean energy, sources added.
BRICS Parliamentary Forum is an important element of BRICS. The 1st BRICS Parliamentary Forum was held during Russia’s Chairmanship on June 8, 2015 in Moscow.
The BRICS Parliamentary Forum, an embodiment of collaboration between the National Congress of the Federative Republic of Brazil, the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, the Parliament of the Republic of Bharat, the National People’s Congress of the People’s Republic of China, and the Parliament of the Republic of South Africa, stands as a testament to shared commitment to strengthening diplomatic ties and fostering cooperation on multiple fronts.
South Africa assumed the BRICS Chairmanship in January 2023 based on the governance principle of chairmanship rotation. About 250 parliamentary delegates from BRICS Member States - Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa – are expected to attend the event which will be held at Emperors Palace in Kempton Park.
South Africa hosted the BRICS leaders' summit in August this year where the historic decision to admit six new countries into the BRICS bloc was announced.
The BRICS -- Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa -- agreed at their annual summit to make Argentina, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates full members from January 1.
