The Speaker of the Parliament of Uganda, Rt. Hon. Rebecca Alitwala Kadaga, addressed the 125th IPU Assembly in Berne, Switzerland and appealed to the delegates to travel to Kampala and attend the 126^th IPU Assembly. The 126^th IPU Assembly will be held March - April 2012. Below is the Speaker’s message in Berne:

“It is a great honor and privilege for me to extend a very warm invitation to all of you to come and attend the 126^th IPU Assembly. I am sure delegates who will attend the meeting will be infected by the hospitality of our people, fascinated by the beauty of the fauna and flora.

“Your Excellency, the President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, the Secretary General of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, distinguished heads of delegations, Members of Parliament, ladies and gentlemen.

We are delighted that the IPU Governing Council approved the request by Uganda to host the 126^th IPU Assembly in Kampala. It is therefore, a great honor and privilege to me to extend a very warm invitation to all of you to come and attend the 126^th IPU Assembly.

I am sure delegates who will attend the meeting will be infected by the hospitality of our people, fascinated by the beauty of the fauna and flora, pleasant weather and other gifts of nature bestowed on Uganda.

I also wish to confirm that the organizers of the 126^th IPU Assembly   will make adequate provision for delegates to have time off their busy schedules and visit various parts of our country. Your visit to Uganda will remain memorable to the Pearl of Africa which is truly gifted by nature.

This Conference is uniquely timely because it coincides with Uganda’s fifty years of independence and provides us with an opportunity to look back and plan forward while further enhancing parliamentary democracy in the country

The agenda for the 126^th Assembly is of great importance to us all and includes the following;

• Promoting and protecting good governance as a means of advancing peace and security, drawing lessons from the recent events in the Middle East and North Africa.
• Redistribution of power not just wealth; ownership of the international agendas.
• Access to health as a basic right; the role of parliaments in addressing key challenges to securing the health of women and children.

Distinguished delegates, I once again warmly welcome you to Uganda and look forward to seeing all of you in Kampala in March 2012.

For God and my Country”.