The Head of the delegation, Marija Obradovic (Serbian Progressive Party) was elected into the Bureau of the Second Standing Committee of the Inter-Parliamentary Union on Sustainable Development, Finance and Trade, as substitute of the first deputy chair. Marija Obradovic will be representing the most influential geopolitical group - 12 Plus, representing all the European countries, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. This is the first time in the past 20 years that a Serbian representative has been elected an official at the IPU. Also, Vladimir Marinkovic (Social Democratic Party of Serbia) was elected into the committee for the drafting of a resolution on sustainable development, with the topic “Fair trade and innovative financing mechanisms for sustainable development”, to be adopted at the Inter-Parliamentary Union plenary session. This will give Serbia the opportunity to implement its views and proposals into the resolution.

The National Assembly delegation also had numerous contacts and meetings with the delegations of Germany, France, the Netherlands and Sweden to discuss European integration, promotion of parliamentary cooperation and activities inside the Inter-Parliamentary Union, as well as with the delegations of the United Arab Emirates, UK and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The presentation of the newly-formed Women’s Parliamentary Network at the National Assembly at the meeting of women parliamentarians opened the possibility for Serbia to host the IPU’s European regional conference on the position of women in September.

In the days to come, Marija Obradovic will be addressing the panel discussion on drug trafficking and corruption as one of the main rapporteurs, while Vladimir Marinkovic will be taking part in the general debate. “General debate at the Inter-Parliamentary Union is for parliamentarians what the general debate at the United Nations, held at the end of September every year, is for governments. The parliamentarians follow the general debate with rapt attention”, says Vladimir Marinkovic. “If you want to say something that the whole world will hear, you have to say it at the Inter-Parliamentary Union Assembly. Conferences attended by 130 countries are an excellent opportunity to present Serbia’s views and build up its reputation”, says the Delegation Head Marija Obradovic.