Parliamentary friendship Committee are bodies within parliaments that are established to initiate voluntary improvement in relations through cooperation, arising from mutual expression of interest.
Why are they important?
- Parliamentary Friendship Committees are an international institution, practiced by all parliaments and propped up by the IPU aiming at closer relations between the various Parliaments
- Today it has recognized that a stronger emphasis on such partnerships will help parliaments engage more closely and lead to delivery of better outcomes
- They enable strengthening and developing inter-parliamentary relations, facilitate the exchange of information and experiences with members of other parliaments
What are the aims of a Parliamentary Friendship Committee?
- The aims of a Parliamentary friendship Committee reflects the serious value it places on developing international Parliamentary friendship and engage on key issues
- It acts as a forum for policy discussion, dissemination of information and understanding of common topics of interest
- It enables the members to make better-informed responses to enquirers and in development of robust and appropriate public policy
- The friendship Committee also help to provide valuable feedback to parliamentary members on activities undertaken
FORMATION of the STATE COUNCIL’S FRIENDSHIP COMMITTEES
- State Council has formed parliamentary friendship committees with Jordan, Poland, Morrocco, Belarus & Pakistan
- The Friendship Committees are constituted anew by the Chairman at the beginning of the new term and the Bureau decides on formation matters
- The members of the Friendship Committees are chosen from each standing committee and the members then choose the Head of the Committee
- The Friendship committees do not have rules of procedure of their own
- Joining a committee reflects a member’s special interest in relations
ACTIVITIES of the Friendship Committee at the Council:
- The Council receives the friendship Committee delegations and sends delegation to visit its counterparts
- These visits help to foster better understanding as well as deepening existing contacts
- The members of the Friendship Committees discuss topics and problems of common interest
- Discusses trade relations and the changing pattern of exports
- They discuss the measures to be undertaken for cooperation intensification
- They discuss follow-up reports that address the developments relating to meetings with various ministries and government entities
- The meetings involve exchange of information about Oman, with the intent to seek information from the friendly nations and enhance its relationship.
- They aim to optimize the positive dynamics in the development of trade and economic relations, which is a vivid indicator of the mutual desire of the involved parliaments to advance the existing relationship and trust, to make them stronger across the board
- They also discuss bilateral relations, academic and cultural cooperation
- them stronger across the board
- They also discuss bilateral relations, academic and cultural cooperation
