Uganda is considering hosting a joint parliamentary assembly with the European Union.

Written by Ziad Abdel Fattah:

Ugandan Parliament Speaker Jacob Markson discussed OpothWith the Secretary General of the Organization of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS), Moussa Saleh Patraki, they discussed ways to enhance international parliamentary cooperation, including the possibility of Uganda hosting the meetings of the joint parliamentary assembly between the organization and the European Union later this year.

This came during a visit by Patraki to the Ugandan Parliament, in the presence of the Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Thomas Taibwa, who also serves as President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization and Co-President of the Joint Parliamentary Assembly between the Organization of African, Caribbean and Pacific States and the European Union.

Uganda prepares to host the international parliamentary event

The talks focused on Uganda’s preparations to host this international parliamentary event, which brings together deputies and parliamentarians from African, Caribbean and Pacific countries, along with members of the European Parliament, providing a platform to enhance dialogue and broaden the prospects for cooperation between the two sides.

The legislative body's commitment to strengthening its presence in international forums

The Speaker of the Ugandan Parliament affirmed the legislative body’s commitment to strengthening its presence in international forums, noting Uganda’s pride in its role on the global parliamentary stage and its continued support for regional and international cooperation initiatives.

For his part, the Secretary-General of the organization commended Uganda’s ratification of the “Samoa Convention”, praising the leading role it plays within the organization, in addition to the reforms that have been implemented recently to enhance the organization’s efficiency and expand areas of cooperation with the European Parliament.

These moves come as part of efforts to strengthen parliamentary partnerships between African, Caribbean and Pacific countries and the European Union, contributing to supporting political dialogue and development cooperation between the various parties.

In another context, Uganda officially declared the end of the Ebola outbreak, 42 days after the last patient recovered and left the treatment center without any new infections being recorded, which is the standard adopted by the World Health Organization to declare the end of any outbreak of the disease.

The announcement is a significant achievement for the Ugandan health sector, which managed to contain the virus in a short period and prevent its widespread transmission, despite concerns that accompanied the emergence of infections in light of the continued Ebola outbreak in the neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo.