32 Parliamentarians from 10 national parliaments of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean (PAM) actively participated at the various sessions of the 5th edition of the WB Global Parliamentary Conference (GPC), which took place on 8 – 9 April 2019 at the World Bank Group HQ in Washington DC. The PAM official delegation included Hon. Karim Darwish, President of the PAM 2nd Standing Committee on Economic Social and Environmental Cooperation and PAM Secretary General, Amb. Sergio Piazzi.
The GPC is the main event of the Parliamentary Network on the World Bank Group (WBG) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). It provides a platform for Parliamentarians from WBG and IMF member countries to advocate for increased accountability and transparency in development cooperation. It brought together more than 150 parliamentarians from 66 countries, discussing crucial issues in international development finance in order to foster human-centered international development initiatives.
The sessions addressed key aspects related to the work of the PAM Panel on Trade and Investments in the Mediterranean, such as good governance and political accountability, disruptive technologies and data for economic development, global stability and the role of fintech and cybersecurity, and the economic impact of climate change.
Furthermore, in the framework of the meeting, MPs evaluated and highlighted specific legislation and concrete financial products needeed to support sectors such as young entrepreneurs, women and SMEs.
On the margins of the conference, Hon. Darwish and Amb. Piazzi engaged with high level WB and IMF Officials and other experts. The two sides agreed to strengthen the already solid cooperation through a more focused and structured Memorandum of Understanding.
PAM Secretary General also met the Jordanian Ambassador in Washington, H.E. Dina Kawar, with whom preparations for the forthcoming PAM high-level visit to the USA were discussed.