Rabat: The Shura Council completed its participation in the 3rd South-South Parliamentary Dialogue Forum held in Rabat, Morocco. HE Shura Council Deputy Speaker Dr. Hamda bint Hassan Al Sulaiti led the council's delegation at the two-day event, which focused on "Interregional and Continental Dialogues in Countries of the South: An Essential Lever for Facing New Challenges of International Cooperation and Achieving Peace, Security, Stability, and Common Development."
According to Qatar News Agency, the forum featured discussions on the significance of parliamentary dialogue among countries of the South to enhance international cooperation, support peace, security, and stability, and achieve sustainable development. These dialogues are seen as crucial for addressing the current economic, social, and environmental challenges.
On the final day, HE Al Sulaiti participated in a meeting of women parliamentarians from Africa and the Arab world. The discussions centered on women's legislative empowerment and capacity-building in parliamentary work. Her Excellency emphasized the need to increase women's participation in political decision-making, especially in Arab and African countries facing various challenges.
She also highlighted the importance of training female parliamentarians and providing legal support, along with building networks to boost the presence of Arab and African women in politics. Initiatives proposed included launching an annual forum for women parliamentarians in Africa and the Arab world, which would focus on Sustainable Development Goals and issues like poverty, illiteracy, and health.
HE Al Sulaiti also suggested training courses for African and Arab women parliamentarians on using modern technologies to improve parliamentary performance, including data utilization, digital platforms, and social media. She praised the launch of an annual award recognizing distinguished women parliamentarians in Africa and the Arab world for their achievements in legislation and community initiatives.
In another session, HE Shura Council Member Mohammed bin Mahdi Al Ahbabi discussed the role of modern technology and AI in industrial development in the countries of the South. He stressed the need for parliaments to establish legislative frameworks for AI technologies to protect societal values and ensure digital justice.
He highlighted Qatar's progress toward a digital future through its National Strategy for Artificial Intelligence, research support, and digital infrastructure development. The Shura Council of Qatar has supported these efforts by studying legislative proposals for the digital content industry, such as the influencer license system.
HE Al Ahbabi emphasized the importance of parliamentary cooperation among countries of the South to build unified legislative frameworks based on shared values and promote responsible innovation.
On the sidelines of the forum, HE Al Sulaiti met with several international parliamentary leaders, including HE Speaker of the House of Representatives of Morocco Rachid Talbi Alami and HE Speaker of the Senate of Egypt Counselor Abdelwahab Abdelrazak. These meetings focused on enhancing parliamentary cooperation and exchanging views on the forum's agenda to support development, peace, and stability efforts in the countries of the South.