IPU welcomes new members Myanmar and South Sudan

The new state of South Sudan, along with Myanmar, has been admitted into the international organization of parliamentarians - the Inter Parliamentary Union or IPU.

Reuters/Stringer

They were both admitted at the end of the 126^th IPU assembly in Kampala, Uganda, on Thursday.

IPU Secretary General Anders Johnsson said South Sudan was allowed to join because it is a new state.

Myanmar was admitted after conducting democratic elections which resulted in by-election victories for the party of Aung San Suu Kyi.

Secretary General Anders said as the two parliaments are new and without legislative experience, the world body would be sending help.

“The common denominator for these two parliaments is that they are young, in both these countries there is no prior parliamentary experience to fall back on” he said.

It proposes sending teams of MPs from Australia, Thailand, France, Sweden and India to the two countries to review and analyse their legislative needs.

The first team is expected to start its work in Myanmar next month and will report back to the IPU to enable it to extend support to the new members.

“We are going out with a group of parliamentary experts who will help the parliament who will do an analysis of the  comprehensive need of the parliaments and as result they will draw up a plan of activities to strengthen the capacity of the members of parliament and also to write suggestions on how to improve parliamentary procedures in these countries” he said.

The admission of the two countries brings to 162 member states of the world legislators organization.

South Sudan, gained independence on 9 July 2011 and is a member of the United Nations. South Sudan is also a member of the African Union.