It is my honor and privilege to have been designated as the Chairperson of the Drafting Committee of the 31st Annual Meeting of the Asia Pacific Parliamentary Forum (APPF), a key role in shaping the final text of the draft resolutions submitted by our fellow parliamentarians from the Asia Pacific region.
The Secretariat received a total of 37 proposed resolutions from 10 member parliaments.
The Drafting Committee received and adopted 10 consolidated resolutions referred by the four working groups, which are as follows:
1. Combatting Transnational Crimes;
2. Women’s Participation and Leadership;
3. Gender and the Sustainable Development Goals;
4. Rethinking Critical Infrastructure;
5. Regional Cooperation on Universal Health Care;
6. Regional Cooperation on Education and Culture;
7. Enhancing Regional Cooperation on Climate Action, Biodiversity Conservation, and Disaster Risk Reduction;
8. Korean Peninsula;
9. Human Capital Development and Inclusive Growth; and
10. Strengthening the Capacity of Parliaments to Promote Peace and Stability.
These resolutions received overwhelming approval from the Drafting Committee, with some countries expressing their intent to co-sponsor.
My sincerest gratitude to all the delegates for their active participation and patience during the deliberations of the Drafting Committee and its Working Groups. I would also like to express my sincere appreciation for the invaluable insights and wisdom contributed by my co-chair, Congressman Lorenz Defensor, and Senator JV Ejercito and Senator Koko Pimentel, who acted as my alternate Chairs.
