Doha: The Shura Council chaired the meeting of the Standing Committee on Budget and Planning of the Asian Parliamentary Assembly (APA), which kicked off Tuesday in Doha and runs for two days. Presided by HE Member of the Shura Council, Chairman of the Committee, and Vice President of the APA Eng. Ahmed bin Hitmi Al Hitmi, the meeting discussed on its first day a number of topics on the agenda and reviewed the report of the APA Secretary-General, which addressed the latest developments and most important achievements related to the committee’s work.

According to Qatar News Agency, the discussions included the draft resolution on planning the APA’s budget, which emphasized the importance of enhancing the principles of transparency and accountability in the management of financial resources. Additionally, it affirmed the need for member states to support their contribution to financing parliamentary activities in a sustainable manner. The sessions are set to discuss proposed amendments to the articles of the AP
A Charter, which aim to improve internal procedures and enhance transparency in the decision-making process, thus contributing to increasing the effectiveness of parliamentary cooperation among member states.

HE Member of the Shura Council and Member of the Qatari-Asian Parliamentary Friendship Group Essa bin Ahmad Al Nassr participated in the meeting. The meeting was also attended by a number of Their Excellencies the Members of the Shura Council. On the sidelines of the Budget and Planning Committee meeting, a meeting of the APA’s Bureau was held today, where the attendees considered the draft resolutions of the committee in preparation for submitting them to the APA’s General Assembly, scheduled to be held in Baku, Azerbaijan in February 2025.